You can’t keep the secret.
You can’t tell the truth.
You can’t escape the past…

Erin Kelly, master of suspense, returns with her next thrilling standalone featuring an abandoned mental asylum and the secrets it holds.

Marianne was seventeen when she fled her home, her family, her boyfriend Jesse and the body they buried.

Now, forced to return, she can feel the past closing around her. And Jesse, who never forgave her for leaving, is finally threatening to expose the truth.

Marianne will do anything to protect the life she’s built; the husband and daughter who must never know.

Even if it means turning to her worst enemy…

But Marianne may not know the whole story – and she isn’t the only one with secrets they’d kill to keep.

Moving back through time to reveal twists you’ll never see coming, STONE MOTHERS is the gripping new suspense novel from the bestselling author of HE SAID/SHE SAID.

My Review

A psychological suspense with an old Victorian mental asylum at the heart of the story, some tragically wonderful characters and some brilliant plot twist will have you gripped start to finish!

Having heard only good things about this author I jumped right into this book with the hopes of it dragging me out of my reading slump and it most certainly did that!! Moving back through time it follows the lives of the two main protagonist’s, their connections to the asylum and ultimately their connections to each other than bringing the story full circle back to their present day lives.

For me personally, part 3 stole the show! Set inside the asylum with its in-depth details of the living conditions, treatments and levels of care given to the patients was a fascinating glimpse into how these institutions were run and the sheer lack of rights for the people committed into their walls. It also gives another layer to Helen’s character making her if not more likeable, but more human maybe?

Both Marianne and Helen are strong female lead characters and preconceptions of them  keep shifting as the story marches forward revealing some unexpected plot twists and layers to an already twisted story.

This is going to be as big, if not bigger than He said/She said and will be one to watch for in 2019!

A must read for fans of Paula Hawkins and C.L. Taylor, I honestly do highly recommend this book to pretty much everyone!

Stone Mothers was published on 04 April 2019 in the UK and can grab yourself a copy now from the link below. This is a book you won’t want to miss I assure you 😀

Many thanks to the author Erin Kelly, publishers Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for my copy in exchange for an honest, independent review.