Thank you #netgalley and the publisher for giving me with the chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Guilty Mother is written as an POV with alternating chapter with Melissa Slade telling her story leading up to the appeal and Jonathan Hunt covering the original Slade case back in 2003 and present day appeal case.

Diane Jeffrey knocked this out the park! It is written well and easy to follow. Did Melissa kill one or both her twin daughters or is she innocent? Written with plot twists until the end, it keeps you on your toes until the very last page!

To say I enjoyed this book is an understatement. The storyline follows the conviction and incarceration of high ranking police officer, melissa Slade after her twin baby daughters die in separate tragic circumstances. One death is deemed a cot death the other murder. Is Melissa a victim of a miscarriage of justice? The plot brought back memories of the real life cases of Angela canning and sally Clarke. I would highly recommend this book.

Many thanks to the publishers and netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was pleased to read a book by this author as it was my fist and I enjoyed it greatly. I felt the characters and story was well balanced. I actually found the book quite sad in parts, but this didn't detract from my enjoyment. I would definitely recommend this read. Thank you!

This book was heart wrenching. The whole topic of SIDS is terrifying to any mother and the idea of losing a baby is something no parent wants to even think about. With that being said the book was well written and I enjoyed the twists and turns. I liked the idea of media for a positive purpose to help exonerate someone. It was also different reading a book from a journalism side instead of police procedural.
Definitely recommend!
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC for an honest book review.

This was a great book, author keeps you engaged and wanting to read. I did find my self reading quickly waiting for the big reveal but it didn't come although I did appreciate the twist at the end. I think it was certainly good enough to recommend!!

This is an amazing book.
Some of the characters you will like and some you will hate but they are all believable.
The story is complex but easy to follow.
This is a memorable story and an excellent read

Not really sure what genre I would put this book in. It wasn’t quite thriller and not quite psychological. But it was more thriller than court drama.



The Guilty Mother was a pretty good book. I found it quick and easy to read and in spite of not really knowing where the place it genre wise very engaging. That being said I was able to figure out the twists before they were revealed and was still entertained.



Melissa Slade is in prison for the murder of one of her twin daughters but the problem is, she didn’t kill little Ellie. She want the best mother to her babies but she would have never purposefully harmed them. It’s true Amber was a sickly baby that’s what her succumbing to SIDS, or cot death, was heart breaking but not surprising. But when Ellie died too there was no way it was coincide. Until New evidence suggested otherwise.



Jonathan, a reporter for the Redcliff Gazette, is assigned to the story of Melissa Slade’s appeal in light of the new evidence. The problem is, he believes she’s guilty. This story hours way to close to home for him and his protege as they do some investigating journalism to get the truth behind this story.

I like it, it’s readable.

I’ll give it 3 out of 5 stars.



Thank you to NetGalley for offering me this book for a fair and honest review.

This was a great, gripping thriller that kept me guessing all the way through. I loved the multiple narrators and couldn't wait to see what the journalists uncovered. Definitely looking forward to reading something else by this author.

Diane Jeffrey is one of my fave and one of the loveliest authors i have come across so when i saw the opportunity to read this and be part of the blog tour i was beyond excited.



It seems like Melissa Slade had it all, a good career a loving family and then an unexpected arrival of 2 little twin girls. Her world comes crashing down when she finds herself on trial for the murder of them both. Fast forward to the present day and Melissa is appealing the conviction and Jonathon Hunt is tasked with covering the news for the local paper, a job he doesn't really want to do as it hits a bit too close to home.



As we follow Melissas Appeal process, we visit the past and the present day, we look at all those around and present the day of the deaths of the twins, we consider the information we are given and we follow Jonathon as he takes time to consider the information he is given.



The Guilty Mother on face value appears to be very clear cut and we are here to just gain an understanding, but it isnt like that at all, oh boy it is so much more than that. It is twisty, turny and such a deep narrative that interweaves all the characters. I was so gripped & didnt see it all coming. I was fan bloody tastic, it felt like each character was reacting to another character and they were all so deep rooted together.



I adored how this book was written, it was so gripping and thrilling. I would 100% recommenced it.

The plot is good, the execution fine but what I struggled with was the decisions some of the characters made - I just didn't understand them, their motives were either non existent or didn't make sense.

THE GUILTY MOTHER kept me hooked. It was great to see the investigation unfold into the children's death from both sides. Jeffrey also shows us some unreliable characters and the twist at the end packs a punch. A great read if you love a good mystery!

The Guilty Mother by Diane Jeffrey had me hooked from the first page and didn’t let up right until the end. This extremely clever Psychological Thriller keeps you on your toes throughout with the whole “Did she, didn’t she?” questions you ask yourself. When Melissa’s first baby died of cot death it was tragic, a week later when the second baby dies it was suspicious! Melissa is now languishing in jail after being convicted of murdering her twin babies. When new evidence comes to light about the death of Slade babies, an investigative journalist, Jonathan Hunt is instructed to uncover the truth by writing an article about the tragic tale.

Narrated from the perspective of the reporter who first reported on the case, as well as his new associate who is helping with the coverage of Melissa’s quest to obtain leave to appeal, we find memories of the original case, new information and the passing of time having given a different perspective, as well as renewed skepticism.

Told in short punchy chapters the pace is kept fast as each layer of this disconcerting mystery is peeled off. The narrative was skilfully crafted and gripping and I spent the whole time enjoying the twisty ride but at the back of my mind, trying to figure out how the characters were connected to Melissa and what really happened to her babies. The characterisation is strong, each individual multi-dimensional and varied. I kept changing my mind over who I liked and who I disliked. Diane Jeffrey has written some very complex characters in this book and I found myself switching back and forth between who I believed in and who I empathised with. I had several theories going on in my head but was still surprised by the satisfying and clever ending that I really did not see coming.

In 2013, Melissa Slade was tried and convicted of the murder of her twin baby girls, but did she do it? Now, new evidence has come to light, seeming to support the view that it was, indeed, a miscarriage of justice and an appeal is planned to try to overturn her conviction. Newspaper reporter, Jonathan Hunt, covered the original case and now his boss wants him to take a closer look at the evidence to try to uncover the truth. Reluctantly, he begins to investigate, hoping to find out exactly what happened to Amber and Ellie Slade.

Losing a child is a tragedy that no parent should have to endure, but for Melissa Slade and her husband, Michael, this is only the beginning of their nightmare. The loss of Amber was attributed to sudden infant death syndrome, but the later death of Ellie caused the alarm bells to ring, with Melissa being convicted of her murder. We soon realise that at the time of the deaths, all was not well in the Slade household. Melissa was clearly struggling with the two girls, her relationship with her husband far from perfect. The addition of an au pair to help look after the babies added extra tension and with other family members from their previous marriages present in the house, there was no shortage of potential suspects.

As well as some of the book being written from the point of view of Melissa, we also have chapters written from the perspectives of Jonathan, and junior reporter, Kelly. Both of these characters had also experienced tragedy in their lives but I was pleased that this did not take over the story, something which other authors can often do. I found both of the journalists likeable, keen to uncover the truth about what had happened. I particularly enjoyed seeing how Kelly developed throughout the book, going from an inexperienced, wet behind the ears reporter, to someone who shows great promise in investigative journalism. Although The Guilty Mother appears to be a standalone book, I feel that there is enough scope in these characters to give them a second outing.

This is one of those books where you constantly change your mind about who was actually responsible for the deaths. Many of the characters had potential motives and my theory changed constantly as to what had happened. Despite working out one of the mysteries in the story, I did not predict the conclusion and was surprised when the truth was revealed. The ending is clever and definitely provided one of those ‘gasp’ moments!

I raced through this book, desperate to know the outcome. I have never read any of Diane Jeffrey’s work before, but I will definitely be rectifying this as soon as possible! A superb read!

I really enjoyed this book. The writing style and story are just up my alley. Although I was hooked from the first page, I felt it dragged a bit in parts but the twists kept me from putting it down.

If you are looking for a riveting page turner of a novel which leaves you questioning your own judgement then this is for you. 

I've read many good thrillers regarding child abduction and murder but this one left me feelings so many emotions it was simply unbelievable.  Jeffrey has cleverly constructed a story that plays with the reader's mind  constantly until the end.

Mainly told from the perspectives of Melissa Slade (the mother accused of killing her twins) and Jonathan Hunt, a journalist charged with writing the story on her upcoming appeal.  Jonathan's perspective takes us through the facts the public are aware of but as he begins to dig into the events surrounding the deaths, he begins to realise there may be more to the story than meets the eye.  His story is supplemented by some narrative from an other journalist, Kelly who is helping Jonathan with his story.  Jonathan's story is so well written and reveals different aspects of the case to the reader throughout the book making you change your opinion regularly.  Melissa is written as a vulnerable character who plays on the reader's emotions but also leaves the reader feeling suspicious and wary. 

Through the character development and the steady revealing of events, this novel is impossible to stop reading once you have started.  It's chilling and takes the reader on a roller coaster of a ride, not really knowing who to trust or believe.

The Guiity Mother by @dianefjeffrey is a tense page turner that keeps you totally involved and on the edge of your seat. The story flows seamlessly between several narrators, is easy to follow and stays on point. The characters are all well-defined, and I especially liked the interaction and relationship between the two journalist who investigate the circumstances that propel the story. (Would live to see another book featuring their characters). Thoroughly enjoyed the book. I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through @NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

An excellent book! Very well written with many twists and turns! Every time I thought I’d realised the outcome, something else happened and I had to re think. A very unexpected twist at the end too. I would love to read another book about Jonathan and Kelly. I enjoyed their characters and think they worked well together.

Book Review
This was my first time delving into a book by this author. It is her third book out and I've just gone and bought her first two, I enjoyed her writing that much.
The Guilty Mother is that good, you will just want to read more from Diane...
This dark, engrossing novel will have you turning the pages at a mighty pace.
We meet Melissa Slade, a mother to twin girls who is in prison for the murder of her baby girl.
Journalist Jonathan Hunt is given the task of covering the appeal story with reporter Kelly who he has taken under his wing and is showing the ropes to.
But whose fault is the murder, did Melissa really commit such a horrible crime. How could a mother do something so awful to her newborn baby? And what are her family hiding?
There are so many twists and turns to this story that you suspect everyone at some point or other.
It is a tense story line, her characters so interesting and completely believable.
But why is Jonathan so reluctant to cover this story. I couldn't figure this out for ever so long.
One minute I felt she was guilty, the next minute not so much. The story line had me hopping over and back, switching all the time. A real did she/didn't she type of read.
Brilliantly brought together, you won't be disappointed...
Well worth taking the time to read this one.

Thank you kindly to author Diane Jeffrey and her publishers HQ Digital for my copy of this book. Much appreciated.
HQ Stories Diane Jeffrey Author

Melissa is in jail as she was found guilty of killing her baby. Now her first husband wants to help exonerate her as he believes she never did this. Both her twin daughters died and she was accused of murdering one but the other was a tragic cot death. Can two investigative reporters help her cause?

I enjoyed this up to the last few chapters then it got a tiny bit predictable. Still a great read all the same. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

I read Diane’s previous book ‘He Will Find You’ and I was blown away by how good the book was. I couldn’t wait to read her next book. Well ladies and gents, the wait is over (temporarily) because Diane’s new book is called ‘The Guilty Mother’ and it was released on 2nd August 2019. Oh my, Diane has done it again and she has written one hell of a fantastic book. I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘The Guilty Mother’ but more about that in a bit.
I must admit that I didn’t warm to Melissa Slade at all. There was something about her that I just didn’t like. I didn’t know whether or not to trust a word she said. I think that has more to do with the fact that I suspect everybody and believe nobody. Melissa is currently in jail having been found guilty of killing two of her children. She has appealed against her conviction after some new evidence came to light. If we believe what Melissa says then she was a mother of three children and she seemed to suffer from PND (Post Natal Depression). Her marriage is under increasing strain, which isn’t surprising given that her husband is seemingly a controlling miser, who hated having to spend money.
Blooming Nora, Diane has done it again and written one hell of a book that messed with my head a fair bit. I didn’t know what or who to believe and I kept chopping and changing my mind as to what had really happened to those two babies. Whilst reading this book, I felt like I was a judge listening to the evidence being presented before me. I soon got into this story and I swiftly became addicted to reading ‘The Guilty Mother’. I just had to keep reading to discover the truth as to what happened and to discover whether or not Melissa was guilty of what she was accused of. The pages of the book turned increasingly quickly as my desperation to find out the truth grew. I had only picked the book up intending to read a couple of chapters but I was still sat there reading over a dozen chapters later. I was gripped by the story and on the edge of my seat throughout.
‘The Guilty Mother’ is superbly written but then I wouldn’t expect anything else from Diane Jeffrey. She grabs your attention from the start and she keeps you in her vice like grip all the way through the book. Diane has created a cracking story with realistic characters. ‘The Guilty Mother’ has a whole load of drama going on within its pages. The story is complex but not overly complicated and I was able to follow the story all the way. Usually I have the attention span of a gnat and I am easily distracted but not with this book. I was able to focus only on this book and I was able to shut out other distractions. I found it interesting to discover how Melissa’s case didn’t just affect her and her loved ones but it had a wider impact on a lot of other people.
In short, ‘The Guilty Mother’ is one hell of a twisty, psychological thriller that will certainly make you think as well as mess with your head a bot. ‘The Guilty Mother’ is sure to soar to the top of the bestsellers list and that is nothing more than Diane deserves. I would definitely recommend her books to other readers. I can’t wait to read what she comes up with next. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.