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Book Summary and Reviews of The Mother-in-Law by Sally Hepworth

The Mother-in-Law by Sally Hepworth

The Mother-in-Law

by Sally Hepworth

  • Critics' Consensus (2):
  • Readers' Rating (2):
  • Published:
  • Apr 2019, 352 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

A twisty, compelling new novel about one woman's complicated relationship with her mother-in-law that ends in death...

From the moment Lucy met her husband's mother, she knew she wasn't the wife Diana had envisioned for her perfect son. Exquisitely polite, friendly, and always generous, Diana nonetheless kept Lucy at arm's length despite her desperate attempts to win her over. And as a pillar in the community, an advocate for female refugees, and a woman happily married for decades, no one had a bad word to say about Diana…except Lucy.

That was five years ago.

Now, Diana is dead, a suicide note found near her body claiming that she longer wanted to live because of the cancer wreaking havoc inside her body.

But the autopsy finds no cancer.

It does find traces of poison, and evidence of suffocation.

Who could possibly want Diana dead? Why was her will changed at the eleventh hour to disinherit both of her children, and their spouses? And what does it mean that Lucy isn't exactly sad she's gone?

Fractured relationships and deep family secrets grow more compelling with every page in this twisty, captivating new novel from Sally Hepworth.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

One of PopSugar's "30 Must-Read Books of 2019"

"Starred Review. A masterful depiction of how much is said in the silences...a winner for fans of Liane Moriarty and Megan Abbott." - Booklist

"A mesmerizing domestic mystery." - Kirkus Reviews

"Hepworth's short, punchy chapters keep the pages quickly turning while effortlessly deepening her characters. Readers will race to the end of this clever novel to find the truth." - Publishers Weekly

"The Mother-in-Law is indeed twisty and suspenseful, but even more than that, it's clever and nuanced." - Kelly Rimmer, USA Today bestselling author of Me Without You

"Absolutely stunning. The Mother-in-Law has so many layers - I'll be thinking about it for a long time." - Heather Gudenkauf, NYT bestselling author

This information about The Mother-in-Law was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

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Author Information

Sally Hepworth Author Biography

Sally Hepworth is the bestselling author of six novels, most recently The Mother In Law (2019) which has been optioned by actress, Amy Poehler, for television. Her latest novel, The Good Sister is available in early 2021.

Drawing on the good, the bad and the downright odd of human behaviour, Sally writes incisively about family, relationships and identity. Her domestic thriller novels are laced with quirky humour, sass and a darkly charming tone. Sally's novels are available worldwide in English and have been translated into 20 languages. She lives in Melbourne, Australia with her husband and three children.

Author Interview
Link to Sally Hepworth's Website

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