A review by indoorg1rl
The Good Mother by Rae Cairns

adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

Whoa, I was expecting a domestic thriller with this one, but I got an explosive, action-packed, kickass mama thriller instead. 

 

Sarah Calhoun was a regular Sydney soccer mum, but soon we got to see that she was anything but. When two men from Northern Island hunted her down, she was forced to return to Belfast to testify at a murder trial. She was soon caught in the crossfire of an obsessive policeman and a brutal IRA executioner. She faced an impossible choice: lie and allow a killer to run free, or tell the truth and place her children in the line of fire. 

 

The book started with a deceivingly mundane domestic thriller setup. Sarah fit into your usual stereotype of an overly-protective-slash-paranoid mother and a bitter ex-wife. Soon, we got to discover the reasons behind her agitation. 

 

I didn’t expect a full-blown action-packed thriller, so I was in for a great surprise. What followed was an epic adventure as we tagged along Sarah’s journey to ensure the safety of her children. I was fully gripped, especially towards the last third of the book, and the explosive ending did give me a little book hangover, in a good way!