Review: The Perfect Mother

Summary: An addictive psychological thriller about a group of women whose lives become unexpectedly connected when one of their newborns goes missing.

A night out. A few hours of fun. That’s all it was meant to be.

They call themselves the May Mothers—a group of new moms whose babies were born in the same month. Twice a week, they get together in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park for some much-needed adult time. 

When the women go out for drinks at the hip neighborhood bar, they are looking for a fun break from their daily routine. But on this hot Fourth of July night, something goes terrifyingly wrong: one of the babies is taken from his crib. Winnie, a single mom, was reluctant to leave six-week-old Midas with a babysitter, but her fellow May Mothers insisted everything would be fine. Now he is missing. What follows is a heart-pounding race to find Midas, during which secrets are exposed, marriages are tested, and friendships are destroyed. -- Harper

I decided to pick up THE PERFECT MOTHER by Aimee Molloy after I saw all of the buzz surrounding this novel. It was an immediate New York Times bestseller, and it's going to be made into a movie starring Kerry Washington. I had a feeling that this would be a terrific read... and it certainly lived up to my expectations!

THE PERFECT MOTHER is about a group of moms (and one dad) who become friends because they have one thing in common -- they are all have newborns. They decided to meet twice a week in Prospect Park in Brooklyn where they bonded over their babies. It was a great break from spending 24/7 with a newborn.

As most new moms know, it's a tough job being a mother. To let off some steam, these women decided to go out one night for a few drinks. Winnie, a single mom, is reluctant to go out and leave her son Midas with a sitter. The other women convince her that nothing will go wrong? Famous last words, right? When Midas, her infant son, is taken from his crib, these new parents' lives and their friendships are heavily tested.

I really enjoyed THE PERFECT MOTHER. The premise is fantastic and I appreciated that this novel was both a terrific thriller and a social commentary on parenthood, and especially what it means to be a good mother. The character development is well done, and the writing is insightful; and I think THE PERFECT MOTHER is just a really good book on so many levels.

I really appreciated how the author decided to tell this story. The book alternates between the moms in the friends' group; and while it centers around Midas' disappearance, it also brings to light these other moms and the issues/secret that they have in their lives. Much of the characterization of these women was focused on how their lives were affected by becoming parents, but they also had some juicy secrets of their own that added to the intrigue of the story.

One fun thing that Ms. Molloy chose to do was include emails from a parenting group at the beginning of each chapter. These emails were helpful advice on how to take care of your infants, and I got a kick out of the tone of these emails. I remember reading emails just like this when I was a first time mom and swearing that they had absolutely no idea what I was dealing with!

Finally, I have to give major props to the author because this mystery was fantastic. There were so many twists and turns, and I honestly didn't know where the story was going. There was more than once when I thought I had everything figured out only to learn that I didn't. What a great feeling when reading a thriller!

I found THE PERFECT MOTHER to be smart, and entertaining, thriller. Highly recommended to fans of mysteries and women's fiction.

Thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy of this novel.

Mystery Mondays is a regular feature where I review all types of mystery books -- traditional mysteries, suspense/thrillers, and even cozies! Please feel free to share your thoughts on any recent mystery books that you've read.