The Mother's Secret: An absolutely gripping psychological thriller

“I know you lied.” This first sentence sets the premise for The Mother’s Secret. “Why should I believe anything you say when you’ve proven yourself to be a liar?” There are two sides to every story, but “not when it comes to abandoning a baby. There’s nothing you can say that will make that okay…You left her without a mother, and whatever your reasons, that’s unforgivable.” An absent mother is condemned as inexcusable, while a committed father is commended as exceptional. “We humans aren't always good at compassion, are we? We like to think we are, but when it really comes to it we’re too quick to judge others…there are always reasons we do what we do, even if others can’t understand them…Sometimes we don’t see who someone really is until extreme circumstances are thrown at us.” After Eve experiencing an infinity of infertility, Kayla “came along. It’s a terrible and inaccurate term, making the whole process of bringing life into this world seem effortless, when for so many people that’s not the case…sometimes things come far too late.” Eve inexplicably disappears. Three years later, Eve returns to rebuild a relationship with her daughter…until she meets and discovers she’s been replaced in three ways: as her husband’s partner, her daughter’s mother and best friend’s confidante. When Nicole and Kayla go missing, all that’s important is finding Kayla. The Mother’s Secret explores the multifaceted and multigenerational experience of maternity– teen pregnancy, postpartum depression, adoptive grandmother, childless by choice elderly lady. It grapples with the societal inequality of gender roles for parenting and nurturing. “Books should take us on a journey as well as entertaining us,” the best books often surprise us. Kathryn Croft’s latest thriller accomplishes all three!