A thriller involving the death of a mother-in-law with the daughter-in-law being the prime suspect sounds juicy, doesn’t it? And, in fact, it was a really good thriller that kept me guessing until the very end.
The Mother-in-Law, by Sally Hepworth, features Ollie and Lucy, who have a good life with their three kids. Lucy had always dreamed of having a mother-in-law to take the place of her own mother. Alas, though Ollie’s mother Diane has always been cordial to Lucy, she is not warm and fuzzy, and their relationship isn’t like Lucy had hoped.
The family is surprised one night by a visit from the police, who are there to tell them that Diane was found dead that day, an apparent victim of suicide. Though it seems impossible that the woman whose strength Lucy has always admired could be dead by her own hand, there are traces of poison in her body, and a suicide note near the body supports the theory. And, of course, she had recently been diagnosed with cancer.
Except, an autopsy indicates absolutely no sign of cancer. Oops. How can this be?
Eventually, the police begin to suspect that it might be murder rather than suicide, and Lucy is the only person who has had problems with the apparently generous Diane.
The police investigation brings them closer and closer to charging her with murder. Family secrets are brought to the surface as Lucy begins her own investigation into the truth.
I really enjoyed The Mother-in-Law.
Call me crabby, but I stopped reading James Patterson a long time ago. Oh, I made an exception sometime in the recent past to read I, Alex Cross, one of the series of over 25 books about fictional detective Alex Cross. I read that particular book because the series was selected in the PBS-sponsored Favorite Book Ever Read as one of the 100 chosen by readers. Upon reading the book, I remembered why I’d stopped. I found that book, like others in that series, to be predictable, and more graphically violent than I’d remembered. I’m getting old.
Nana's Whimsies 