Only a Mother: A gripping psychological thriller with a shocking twist

Written by Elisabeth Carpenter

Narrated by Julia Franklin

ONLY A MOTHER

Erica Wright lives a quiet, lonely life in her two-bed end of terrace. Her front door hasn't been graffitied in more than a year but that's soon about to change - her son, Craig, is being released from prison.

COULD BELIEVE HIM

Local journalist, Luke Harding is determined to warn the public. As the person who covered the arrest and trial all those years ago, he knows the kind of predator Craig really is.

COULD BURY THE TRUTH

When Luke's worst fears are realised after a woman is attacked days after Craig's release, he becomes obsessed with trying to prove that Craig was behind it.

COULD FORGIVE WHAT HE HAS DONE.

Erica is worried, too - but how can a mother turn her back on her son? And how far will she go to protect him?

(p) Orion Publishing Group 2018

• Language: English
• Publisher: Orion
• Release date: Dec 27, 2018
• ISBN: 9781409184775

Elisabeth Carpenter

Libby Carpenter lives in Preston with her family. She completed a BA in English Literature and Language with the Open University in 2011.Libby was awarded a Northern Writers’ New Fiction award, and was longlisted for Yeovil Literary Prize (2015 and 2016) and the MsLexia Women’s Novel award (2015). She loves living in the north of England and sets most of her stories in the area, including the novel she is writing at the moment. She currently works as a book keeper.

[nicx27 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I appear to have Elisabeth Carpenter's first two books (99 Red Balloons and 11 Missed Calls, in case you were wondering), waiting for me on my TBR pile. I must rectify this as I enjoyed her latest offering, Only a Mother, very much indeed.

In fact, this is a book I found hard to put down, racing through the final 120 pages in one go. The story is told mostly from two characters' points of view: Erica's in the first person and Luke's in the third. Erica is the mother of Craig, a man who has been in prison for years for the murder of a young girl. When we first meet her, he is about to be released and she's wondering what life will be like with him back living with her after so long.

Luke is a journalist on the local newspaper. He lacks the ambition of some reporters but is always looking for a story. He's also probably far too kind and thoughtful for cut-throat journalism, but it made me take to him as a character.

Luke is obviously interested in Craig's release as a story, especially when another girl goes missing soon after. But this is really not the story of missing girls, it's very much a look at how a mother copes with the incarceration of her child. Erica is targeted by the local community, pretty much ostracised and lives a lonely life. I thought this angle was so interesting and it really made me think about how you deal with something like this as a parent.

Whilst not a story filled with action, I found it really fast-paced and exciting, one of those books I couldn't wait to get back to. I think the strength is very much in the characterisations, especially Erica who I thought had a compelling voice.

I must admit that there were no surprises for me in the plot. I guessed which way it was going fairly early on, but I didn't mind that. Whilst those 'OMG' moments are great, if a book is well-written it needs only that to hook me and reel me in. Only a Mother definitely fits the bill.