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The Secret Mother

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The Secret Mother

By: Shalini Boland
Narrated by: Katie Villa
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£5.99/mo after 3 months. Offer ends on 5 July 2026 at 11:59 BST. Cancel monthly.

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"Are you my mummy?"

Tessa Markham returns home to find a child in her kitchen. He thinks she’s his mother. But Tessa doesn’t have any children.

Not anymore.

She doesn’t know who the little boy is or how he got there.

After contacting the police, Tessa is suspected of taking the mystery child. Her whole life is turned upside down. And then her husband reveals a secret of his own….

Tessa isn’t sure what to believe or who to trust. Because someone is lying. To find out who, she must confront her painful past. But is the truth more dangerous than Tessa realises?

An absolutely pause-resisting psychological thriller with a twist that will make you wonder if you can ever trust anyone again. If you loved Gone Girl, The Girl on the Train, and The Sister this book will have you hooked.

©2017 Shalini Boland (P)2017 Bookouture
Genre Fiction Psychological Suspense Thriller & Suspense Fiction Exciting Scary Thriller
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Critic reviews

Absolutely addictive and brilliant with an end I didn't see coming. This is one book you have to read and it gets 5 huge stars from me!!!!Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

Wow, wow, wow! What a fantastic book! The book starts with a bang… from page one and believe me, it doesn’t let up throughout the book and keeps you gripped until the very end!Stardust Book Reviews, 5 stars

Oh yes, yes, yes, yes this was my kind of read, I really have taken this and added it to my top 10 this year, it’s a screaming from the rooftops fantastic read, if you love a good thriller… if you love to stay up all night reading because you simply can't switch your mind off from a book, this is it, you found it, don't look any further… so fast paced it leaves your breathless. One of the best psychological thrillers that I have read that has shocked me, left me dribbling for me and wanting more from this author.’ Read Along With Sue, 5 stars

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A good story with excellent narration.
Some suspense thrillers introduce a lot of unnecessary characters whose purpose is purely to divert the readers attention/suspicion. They add nothing to the story and can be irritating. The Secret Mother doesn’t do this.
I fully empathised with Tessa and couldn’t wait to have her plight resolved.

Brilliant Read

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absolutely BRILLIANT LOVED IT JUST LOVED IT I COULDN'T PUT IT DOWN AMAZING WOW READ THIS BOOK WORTH IT YOU WON'T BE DISAPPOINTED FANTASTIC

BRILLIANT BOOK

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Really well written and kept you wondering right to the end.
Kept me transfixed all the way through.
Highly recommend.
Will look for more work from this author and really enjoyed it.

Great story

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I found this to be an engrossing and involving read which would appeal to anyone who enjoys a good mystery and likeable vivid characters, especially perhaps those who are parents. I did guess what had happened about three quarter s way through but it didn't spoil my enjoyment of it to the end. It made me interested to read more by this author. The narration was excellent too.

Engrossing.

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very good listen, full of twists and turns leading to for me a suprise ending.

full of suprises

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