The Push

Written by Claire McGowan

Narrated by Justine Eyre

From the bestselling author of What You Did comes a stunning psychological thriller. One party. Thirteen people. By 3.02 p.m., one of them will be dead.

The party should have been perfect: six couples from the same baby group, six newborns, a luxurious house. But not everything has gone to plan, and while some are here to celebrate, others have sorrows to drown. When someone falls from the balcony of the house, the secrets and conflicts within the group begin to spill out …

DS Alison Hegarty, herself struggling with infertility, is called in to investigate. She’s convinced the fall was not an accident, and finds the new parents have a lot to hide. Wealthy Ed and Monica show off their newborn while their teenage daughter is kept under virtual house arrest. Hazel and Cathy conceived their longed-for baby via an anonymous sperm donor—or so Hazel thinks. Anita and Jeremy planned to adopt from America, but there’s no sign of the child. Kelly, whose violent boyfriend disrupted previous group sessions, came to the party even though she lost her baby. And then there’s Jax, who’s been experiencing strange incidents for months—almost like someone’s out to get her. Is it just a difficult pregnancy? Or could it be payback for something she did in the past?

It’s a nightmare of a case, and as events get even darker it begins to look impossible. Only one thing is clear: they all have something to hide. And for one of them, it’s murder.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: Nov 12, 2020
• ISBN: 9781713547174

Claire McGowan

Claire McGowan was born in 1981 in a small Irish village where the most exciting thing that ever happened was some cows getting loose on the road. She is the author of The Fall, What You Did, The Other Wife and the acclaimed Paula Maguire crime series. She also writes women’s fiction under the name Eva Woods.

Reviews for The Push

[Kandace Simpson · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a good book it definitely kept me in suspense. There was so much back and forth from before and now and way back in time. Narrators were good.

[suzywells · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Good book! Loved the suspense! Hard to keep track of the characters when jumping back & forth though!!

[Kendra Brown · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It bounces around from past to present, which can be a little hard to keep up with if you’re not paying 100% attention. But the story was great, believable characters, overall entertaining.

[Robin Barrett · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Overall a good book. Hard to keep track of the characters and sometimes a little slow. The who did it was unexpected.

[KIMBERLY MOORE · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I didn’t mind it at all. Wasn’t an “OMG! THIS IS FANTASTIC” moment, but it didn’t suck either.

[Heather Scover · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It was a good listen
Surprise ending
Not jaw dropping but good nonetheless

[Lara Pretorius · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great book! Loved every second and particularly liked all the different characters and their stories. I highly recommend a listen! The narration was great!

[Jeff Smith · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Dragged on and on. Too much flip-flopping back-and-for From timelines

[Noha Nabil · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Brilliant ? You know when you feel sad when a book ends? Just because yiu will miss those characters so much? That's me right now ❤️ Love the Narratorrrrrrr as well ❤️ A very quality and clean recording of a wonderfully written mystery thriller

[little2gidding · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Regarding the book itself, this is pretty standard mystery fare: a bunch of people at a house, someone dies, may be an accident, may not be, everyone has secrets. I found it engaging enough to plow through to find out what happened.As many people have pointed out in their reviews, many of the characters in this book are not at all likeable. There are racists and classists. There is rampant ageism (internalized and not). There are judgmental opinions about which types of children are adoptable and which types of parents end up with kids in the system. There are disparaging comments about women who end up old and alone without kids.So, yes, if any of that is going to bother you, don't read the book. (Also don't read if fertility struggles are triggering!) I've definitely quit books for dislikable characters and their dislikable opinions when I haven't been in the mood to deal with that frustration. In this case, while irritating, the characters didn't bother me more than other mysteries, where quite often characters are (I assume intentionally) dislikeable enough that the reader can't trust a one.(Thank you to Amazon Publishing and Goodreads for a digital copy of this book.)

[vanessa_menez-453497 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The party should have been perfect: six couples from the same baby group, six newborns, a luxurious house. But not everything has gone to plan, and while some are here to celebrate, others have sorrows to drown. When someone falls from the balcony of the house, the secrets and conflicts within the group begin to spill out

The premise was intriguing and for almost half the book I was excited and thrilled.

The plot is narrated through multiple POVs of the different couples involved as well as of DS Alison. As I read the book for me the main mystery was identifying who had fallen from the balcony. Once that was revealed half way through the book, I did not find much suspense remaining in the remaining part of the book.

There were quite a few secrets revealed about the various couples but I did not find them very exciting. Also the two main twists in the plot were quite obvious to guess.

Overall, an okay plot but with the writing being fast paced, it becomes an easy read.

Thank You to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for this ARC!

[kulmona · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my e-ARC.A diverse group with one thing in common, all the members are about to be parents. They expect that their lives are about to change. But, for one, the change becomes more...permanent. The police are called to the crime scene, a modern mansion, all glass and marble. It is a sight to behold. As is the broken body on the rocks below the balcony. The story is that the group had gotten together for a barbecue. They were enjoying the beautiful day with their bundles of joy until the unthinkable happened. Was it an accident or foul play? I was riveted from the start : detailed descriptions, fleshed-out characters, and alternating perspectives set on a timeline around the "incident." I really enjoyed this book and the writing style. Although I was right about one plot twist, the end was a surprise. This was my first book by McGowan and I look forward to reading more.

[miss.mesmerized · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What do good parents do before the baby arrives? They prepare. And what could be better than a prenatal baby group? This is how six very different couples meet. Monica and Ed are already a bit older, but obviously they have everything under control and quickly take over the lead. Kelly is by far the youngest, insecure while her boyfriend and the baby's father, Ryan, is mainly absent. Anita and Jeremy cannot have a baby but have planned an adoption, whereas Hazel and Cathy opted for a donor. Aisha and Rahul keep mainly to themselves while Jax feels judged since she is more than ten years the senior of her partner Aaron. Nina is leading the group and preparing the future parents for the upcoming events. Yet, what they a not prepared for is a fatality at their baby welcoming barbecue.I have been a huge fan of Claire McGowan's novels for quite some time and also her latest mystery did not disappoint me. A very diverse set of characters who all have their secrets they try to hide from the others but who, ultimately, have to give up and face reality. Narrated alternatingly between the time of the prenatal course and the eventful barbecue, we get to know the characters at two different points of time which is especially interesting because so much happens in between and, as a reader, you have to put together the single bits and pieces. Plus, it takes some time just to figure out what exactly happened during the barbecue and who the victim actually is. What I admired most was how the characters were created and how each becomes a lively and authentic individual. Even though the number is quite high, they all get some specific traits and secrets which make them not only interesting but add to the overall suspense. There is a murder case but much more interestingly is to figure out the characters' little white or big fat lies. At the same time, the author shows all the fears and insecurities which come with becoming a parent for the first time. A constant feeling of not being good enough and not caring enough accompanies the future mothers. The group pressure in the supposedly help group also plays an important role, some just seem to always be at the head of the class while others always fail. Much more than supportive, the group becomes highly competitive.I thoroughly enjoyed the read, a perfect page-turner for me which brilliantly combines suspense with sarcastic humour and also serious moments.

[jfe16 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Review of Advance Reader’s Copy --- Uncorrected Proof eBookSix couples, all expectant parents, participate in an antenatal program conducted shortly before their babies are born. A bit later, a celebratory get-together turns tragic when someone falls from a balcony and dies. The incident, assigned to Detective Sergeant Alison Hegarty, appears to be a catastrophic accident, but Alison is certain there is more to know about the victim's fall. As she and her partner, Detective Constable Diana Mendes, investigate, they find few answers . . . and many secrets.Was the fall an accident or was it the result of something more sinister? What will the investigation reveal? The story, told from a variety of viewpoints, switches between the present investigation and the events of the recent past leading up to the barbeque party. The identity of the victim remains unrevealed . . . a clever ploy . . . until more than halfway through the book. However, this late revelation leads to a LOT of interviews with folks trying to keep their secrets hidden from the detectives. The idea of a mystery revolving around a group of expectant mothers is a bit intriguing, but the group is the main problem with the telling of this tale. None of the expectant mothers seems particularly happy to be having a baby; most of the characters are truly unlikable [some bordering on absolutely despicable]; the biggest plot twist “surprises” of the narrative are glaringly obvious to astute readers long before the reveals late in the story.Unfortunately, there’s an unsettling undercurrent running throughout the narrative that is simply quite off-putting. In addition, the judgments, the racism, the stereotypical comments, the catty age-comments, the meanness all worked together to make this book rather difficult to read. I received a free copy of this eBook from Amazon Publishing UK and NetGalley #ThePush #NetGalley