My Review:

I always enjoy books by Sally Hepworth and listening to The Mother-In-Law  was addictive and so much fun! The mother-in-law relationship has the reputation for being tense and strained, and in this latest book by Hepworth it appears to be the case.  Chapters alternate narrators and time periods, between Lucy, the daughter-in-law, and Diana the mother-in-law, and from past to present.  Diana had not envisioned her son’s wife to be anything like Lucy, so she kept their relationship distant.  Lucy craved Diana’a acceptance, yet was unable to make any great strides towards a closeness over the years, despite her attempts.  We learn about Lucy’s early marriage to her husband and the growing of their family as they welcome 3 children.  We also learn about Diana’s youth and upbringing, and her early marriage to Tom, leading up to her later years.  Then there is a murder, a suicide note, a cancer diagnosis, and family members with deceptive behaviors. Each chapter reveals some crucial piece of information that has us working hard to try and figure out whodunnit!

Even though The Mother-In-Law is a quick read and a fun murder mystery, Sally Hepworth is not shy about bringing up serious issues including ALS, infertility, breast cancer, infidelity and euthanasia, and she dives deep when it comes to family relationships and loyalty.  She is a master when it comes to writing dialog, and keeps the story fast moving and engaging.  So if you need a break from the rat race and want to pick up a well written novel about people, family secrets and murder…this one is for you!

Goodreads Summary

About the Author:

Sally Hepworth is the bestselling author of five novels, most recently The Mother In Law (2019). Sally’s books have been labelled “enchanting” by The Herald Sun, “smart and engaging” by Publisher’s Weekly, and New York Times bestselling authors Liane Moriarty and Emily Giffin have praised Sally’s novels as “women’s fiction at its finest” and “totally absorbing”.

Sally’s novels are available worldwide in English and have been translated into 15 languages.
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Sally lives in Melbourne, Australia with her husband and three children.