The other mothers A novel

A restless former newspaper reporter probes an accidental death in this pulse-pounding domestic thriller from British journalist Faulkner (Greenwich Park). Freelance writer and stay-at-home mom Natasha "Tash" Carpenter is casting about for story ideas when Jane Blake comes knocking at her door. Months ago, before Tash left her job at the London Evening Post to care for her toddler, she wrote an article reporting the coroner's ruling that Jane's 21-year-old daughter, Sophie, likely drowned while swimming drunk in a local reservoir. Jane believes someone murdered Sophie, however, and wants Tash to look into the matter. Tash acquiesces--at first to appease Jane, then because she becomes convinced she's on to something when she gets anonymous threats demanding she cease her investigation. After uncovering links between Sophie, a trio of fellow mothers Tash has recently befriended, their spouses, and Tash's own husband, she begins to worry where her inquiry might lead her next. Faulkner expertly interweaves Tash's increasingly paranoid first-person-present narration with sections from Sophie's perspective that detail her final months. Plausible suspects, persuasive red herrings, and seismic reveals enliven the precisely crafted plot. This one grips from start to shocking finish. Agent: Madeleine Milburn, Madeleine Milburn Ltd. (Dec.)

A London journalist struggles with parenting, work, and a coven of fellow playgroup mothers in this menace-infused thriller. Freelance journalist Natasha Carpenter splits her harried time between work--when she can get it--her 2-year-old son, Finn, and her husband, Tom. When Finn, under heartbreaking duress, starts going to a local playgroup, Tash has slightly more time to pursue her current investigative article, the mystery of a local nanny, Sophie Blake, found dead in a reservoir; she also starts hanging out with some of the playgroup's other mothers, Claire, Laura, and Nicole. Those three are living lives of higher-end luxury than Tash, accentuated by giant houses, cheerful--and sometime overly attentive--husbands, and fancy brunches at an upscale café, Ruby's. Despite her limited budget, Tash goes along gamely for the breezy social ride. But when she starts getting anonymous threats, Tash realizes something is seriously amiss. Unfortunately, she's already struggled to re-focus any police interest in Sophie's case, and she finds herself not just playing amateur detective but beginning to wonder who she can trust. Faulkner is a pro at ever-so-gradually ratcheting up the tension bit by tiny, spine-tingling bit. And, as the narrative deftly swings between timeframes--many of the chapters are narrated by Sophie in the period leading up to her death--we get a vertiginous view of just how tightly a group of people's lives can be inexorably twisted together. Faulkner pulls out all the psychological-thriller stops--and then some. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.