The Mothers by Sarah J Naughton @SarahJNaughton BLOG TOUR @TrapezeBooks @Tra4cyF3nt0n #TheMothers

Five Women.

They meet at their NCT Group. The only thing they have in common is they're all pregnant.

Five Secrets.

Three years later, they are all good friends. Aren't they?

One Missing Husband.

Now the police have come knocking. Someone knows something.

And the trouble with secrets is that someone always tells.

The Mothers by Sarah J Naughton is published digitally by Trapeze Books today; 9 January 2020. The paperback will be published on 30 April 2020.
My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review, and to Tracy from Compulsive Readers who invited to take part on this Blog Tour

The Mothers is the first book that I've read by this author, although I've heard great things about her previous novels.

I'm often wary of stories that concentrate on motherhood as I'm not a mother myself, so often find myself lacking empathy for the characters. However, despite the title, this book is so much more than a Mum story; it's a clever and well plotted story of the bonds of friendship. Women are the main characters, and the focus and those readers who are not parents will relate to many of the situations this diverse bunch of people find themselves in.

The five mothers of the title are Jen, Bella, Skye, Electra and Chrissy. The only thing that they really have in common is being a parent. They met at their NCT group meeting and bonded and have continued their friendship for the last three years.
Is is a friendship though?  Or, is it just a habit?  These women are a diverse and eclectic mix who probably wouldn't have been friends in any other circumstances. Different ages, and very different careers.

The story is told from the point of view of each of them, separately and we also hear from Detective Inspector Iona Chatwin; a woman is in charge of the investigation into the disappearance of Bella's husband.

I really enjoy a story with varying points of view, it enables the author to tell so much more, and reader is privy to more than the other characters in the story. It soon becomes clear that every one of the mothers have things to hide, and as the story unfolds we realise that despite their 'friendship', some of them really are not very fond of one another.

This is an enjoyable psychological thriller which is character led. The plot, for me, was secondary to the excellent depiction of female relationships, but still had enough action to keep me interested.








Sarah Naughton's debut novel, The Hanged Man Rises, was shortlisted for the Costa children's award. 
It was followed by a second young adult thriller, The Blood List. 
Her thrillers for adults, Tattletale and The Other Couple (Orion) are Amazon bestsellers. 
Sarah lives in London with her husband and sons.

Twitter @SarahJNaughton
Instagram @sarah.naughton