Mummy's Little Secret is a standalone psychological thriller from the author of The Missing Children Case Files. The story alternates between Before and Now. Before is further divided into Jess' and Morag's part. Jess is at a local park with her daughter Grace when a young girl comes to her and whispers '"She's not my mum." The little girl's mother is an older woman and Jess wonders if the little girl was abducted from her biological parents. Meanwhile, Morag wonders if Daisy told Jess anything about their past. Morag and her husband Angus are on the run and this is their latest halt - a mysterious man (who's identity isn't revealed until the latter half of the book) is out to kill Morag and Angus. But how is Daisy involved in this mess?

The story begins on a suspenseful note, falls flat in the middle and ends with an explosive twist. I really liked the initial part where the story alternates between Jess and Morag - paranoia is at an all-time high. But halfway through, it gets a tad boring and repetitive. Jess starts to doubt everyone and everything and so does Morag. Ultimately, the two women decide to do what's best for them - and their lives change for good.

I really enjoyed reading Hunter's The Missing Children Case Files but I cannot say the same about this book. Some things did not make sense. The ending was okay - there is a mind-blowing twist but somehow I felt the ending didn't do justice to the suspense built throughout the story.

3.5/5.

When five year old Daisy passes on a secret Jess is determined to help her. The story is told from two points of view across different timelines. As the secrets are answered you will be gripped. The story line is complicated at times but addictive. I loved the author's style of writing.

A good psychological thriller with many twists and turns, not least of which are the the backstories of the two women involved. Highly readable!

Many thanks to NetGalley and One More Chapter for this ARC!

Mummy’s Little Secret by M.A. Hunter is a mystery that will keep you guessing. Jess and her daughter are at the local park, when another little girl Daisy approaches them and whispers four words to Jess, “she’s not my mum”, she isn’t sure she heard her correctly. When Daisy’s mom, Morag, comes to get her, Jess is even more certain things are not what they seem. As Jess becomes more obsessed with Daisy’s secret, her own life seems to be spiraling out of control. Her family is concerned she is becoming paranoid, and delusional, but Jess knows what she is sensing is real. The story is told “Before” by Morag and Jess, and “Now” by DI Ferry, as the lead investigator in a murder where no one knows the victim. The crime scene is gruesome, blood is everywhere, and the witness isn’t talking.

Jess is recovering from a physical injury, and uses a wheelchair, so she is already in a fragile state of mind since the tragedy she faced six months prior. Morag, new to the area with her daughter and husband, Angus, are looking to find new friends for her daughter Daisy, who is due to start school. Jess seems like the perfect friend, because her daughter Grace will also be starting school with Daisy in a few weeks. But Jess knows Morag and her husband are keeping a secret, and both women find it difficult to form a trusting relationship. Jess is really going through a lot, and her husband feels this obsession is unhealthy, but thinks her behavior is more about depression. It sometimes makes him seem like an uncaring, unlikable character.

The story line was a bit confusing. There seemed to be so much going on, I found it a little difficult to follow, but still enjoyed the story itself. I found it difficult to truly like the characters, but that changed towards the end of the book. Their behaviors did make sense to me. It was easy to understand how each woman was suspicious of the other, but Jess’ husband seemed like he wasn’t supportive of Jess at all. Overall, it was a good story, a few twists I never saw coming, but characters that were difficult to truly like and connect with.

I would like to thank Netgalley, and One More Chapter publishing for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. I would give this a solid 3.5 stars.

Jess and her daughter are at a local park when a young girl runs upto her and whispers ‘she’s not my mum’.
This sends Jess into a downward spiral. She can’t get the comment out of her head. Everyone she speaks too about little Daisy brushes of her concerns. Mainly blaming her medication. Six months previously she suffered a traumatic event that resulted in her loosing her baby Luke and ending up wheelchair bound.
Morag and her husband Angus seem too old to be Daisy,s parents so who are they? As there paths begin to cross more with BBQ invites and their girls starting the same school. Charlie her husband can see nothing wrong. Is it in her mind.
Both women have secrets to hide. However, by delving are lives being put at risk.

I have previously come across the author M.A.Hunter from the six part series of “the missing children case files’. This stand-alone book is superb. You are left guessing to the very end of the book. One started you won’t put it down.

Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to see an ARC

Jess is at the park with her daughter when another child says to her : she's not my mum. Jess is left wondering if she heard correctly. Could Morag really not be Daisy's mother? The two women build a tentative friendship. Each woman has their won reasons for seeking the other out.
The book is from three perspectives: Jess, Morag and a police detective.
I am a huge fan of M. A. Hunter's The Missing Children Case Files series. I enjoyed this book as well. It is told for the most part with a little less blunt truth than the case files series but is equally addictive. I was very satisfied with the conclusion of the book.

Thanks to netgalley and One More Chapter for the advance copy

After enjoying M.A. Hunters other books I had to read this one.
This is a great read that will have you hooked from the first few pages.
When Jess is at the park with her daughter Grace, another child comes up to her and says, “She’s not my mum.”
The lady she’s with comes over and apologises for her daughter troubling her but Jess is worried about the little girl. Why would she say that to her? Is she in danger?
Jess tries to find out about the girls’ parents but can find nothing. No-one else seems concerned but Jess knows something isn’t right.
The story is told in before and after chapters from Jess and Morag’s perspective and also some chapters from the Police.
This is a great mystery thriller that I really enjoyed.
Thanks to Harper Collins One More Chapter and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

A brilliant quick read. A big fan of the author’s ‘The Missing Children’s Case Files’ series I was looking forward to reading this and I wasn’t disappointed. Told from three different perspectives the three threads collude together to give a brilliant twist.

Two strong woman characters who are well portrayed and a detective who is lacking. Lots of twists and turns but not as good as her previous series.

I loved the writing style in Mummy's Little Secret! The before chapters from each of the two main characters and the now chapters really build up the story and make the book impossible to put down! It's a different take on the usual build up to a big twist and I can't praise the author enough for how well it was done! What a fantastic piece of writing too. So many emotions while reading it.

Mummy's Little Secret will have you sitting on the edge of your chair as the suspense starts to build from page one to the last page.

Jess and her daughter Grace meet Morag and her daughter at the park.

Daisy tells Jess, she is not my Mum

Daisy is 5

Jess can't let things go.

Jess's own life is a mess as she adapting to being in a wheelchair.

Who can you trust? Secrets and lies keep the lights on and the pages turning.

This is my first M.A. Hunter book but it certainly is not my last as I load up my Kobo.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter for a page turning read.

After reading the synopsis, I was expecting much more from this book. I found it a little boring at times and didn’t feel like it held my interest. This genre is inundated with books that have similar storylines, this one didn’t stand out for me.

This is a superb read, well written and engrossing from the start. When two families meet in the park, one of the children tells the mother of the other child that her accompanying adult is not her mother. This leads to a fascinating series of revelations, told in a suspenseful way and cleverly conveyed from both mothers' point of view. Excellent stuff!

How would you react if, whilst out in the park with your own daughter another girl of a similar age approached you claiming “she’s not my mum”, an accusation levelled at the woman with her? That’s the manner in which Jess, mother to Grace and Morag, Daisy’s mother are introduced to one another in this psychological thriller. Jess is concerned enough by Daisy’s overall demeanour to take the girl seriously, determined to discover the truth behind those four words, a task made easier by the way these two families paths suddenly intersect. Told from three different perspectives with chapters alternating between Jess and Morag in the ‘Before’ and DI Mike Ferry who is investigating a blood splattered potential murder scene in the ‘Now’, complete with unidentified victim and possible perpetrator, the author immediately grabs your attention, planting the first seeds of doubt, of which there are many.

Let’s start with the positives. The author knows how to unsettle the reader from the very beginning. I felt as if I’d walked into one of those hall of mirrors where your image is distorted, except in this case it’s the truth that is being twisted out of shape. Jess and Morag, two characters he portrays well, are complex individuals.Jess is having to cope with the transition from being an able bodied woman to one confined to a wheelchair following a traumatic event. To say she’s facing an uphill battle mentally and physically is an understatement. Struggling through depression,pain,grief and her inability to engage easily in everyday activities that she’s previously taken for granted I felt immense pity for this woman. It’s clear her only motivation to keep going is daughter Grace. But she’s also constantly battling paranoia over the state of her marriage to Charlie,for starters,and how she’s perceived in general so you wonder how this might account for her interactions with Morag, which tend towards the rather bizarre. Her unbalanced mind might also be responsible for the way in which she latches onto Daisy’s words, believing she is in trouble and needs rescuing. However Morag is equally paranoid,for reasons that will make sense as details of her background emerge and just like Jess I could feel sympathy towards the woman and the predicament she finds herself in. Whilst I found Morag’s story more engaging, her past revealing secret after secret, I was disinclined to trust in either woman, totally unsure of who to side with! I liked how the author reuses the phrase “she’s not my mum” throughout the narrative to remind the reader that solving this mystery could prove dangerous and life changing.

Everything hinges on the outcome of the police investigation yet this element which is crucial in tying all the threads together is not well executed. The only reason I persevered with what I consider to be a mediocre read was my desire to uncover the identity of the victim, understand the significance of the location of the body and the relevance of this person,if any, to the main protagonists. Unfortunately for the most part I didn’t find the writing particularly tense or gripping. It isn’t until the end is approaching that the pace intensifies to a point where I felt truly compelled to read on. Then there’s a heightened sense of drama and tension plus I’m happy to report, an incredibly satisfying, shocking twist. I’m glad I persevered but this simply wasn’t the page turner I’d hoped it would be although the plot is okay. I think that’s mainly due to one particular character, DI Ferry himself. I had absolutely no faith in his ability to solve the crime and he lacks conviction. Overall his characterisation is flimsy with certain scenes involving Ferry and other professionals sounding highly implausible. Grace, who is the only bright spark amongst a cast of gloomy characters doesn’t have the voice of a four year old in my opinion. Admittedly I haven’t spent time in the presence of one so young for quite a while so my criticism could be wholly unjust but from the dialogue I’d have imagined an older child. Also the way in which issues between some of the main characters are resolved felt contrived. It’s never a good sign when my eyes start rolling in disbelief!

I would consider myself a fan of psychological thrillers but this one didn’t hit the mark for me. This is the first time I’ve picked up an M.A Hunter book and I never like to judge an author solely on one novel alone so I’d need to delve into his back catalogue before deciding whether he gains a place on my ‘go to’ list or not. As it currently stands I need some persuading!

My thanks as always to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very complex story and required a lot of concentration to keep on track. The chapter titles didn't help. It was very intense with a compelling storyline and believable characters.. The conclusion was very rewarding and satisfying.

M A Hunter is one of my favourite authors and here in this latest novel, she does not disappoint. Jess is in the park with her daughter Grace when she meets another mum, Morag and her daughter Daisy. When Daisy says to Jess, ”She is not my Mum”, alarm bells start ringing. Jess's husband thinks she has an overactive imagination as Jess starts starts to investigate Morag. The story is told in Now and Then storylines. Lots of twists and turns if not a little unbelievable. A good read.

I really enjoyed this book! Great characters and twists and turns galore. The timeline was seamlessly woven from past to current day. Very well done! This is my first book by MA Hunter but certainly not my last.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book

Mummy's Little Secret is the latest book by M. A. Hunter. Mummy's Little Secret goes back and forth in time to fill the reader in on what happened before to the main characters, and goes back and forth from the point of view of the two of them. I want to thank NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for an early copy to review.

I started this book full of enthusiasm, eager to find out what had happened, but unfortunately I didn’t really bond with any of the characters so it was not as enjoyable a read as I had hoped for. For me this is a must in order for me to enjoy the book, but I know some readers don’t feel this way.

When a little girl in the park tells Jess “She’s not my mum”, Jess becomes obsessed with finding out what she meant and acts rather out of character, so much so that her dear ones think she is losing the plot. This plot was so promising, I had really high hopes for a super exciting read also based on reviews I had read, but I think my expectations were too high.

The story is told from 3 points of view, Then – Jess (first person), Then – Morag (first person) and Now (third person). The now chapters focus on Mike a detective trying to solve a crime related to the “then” chapters, but just like with the other chapters I didn’t really feel that I got to know or understand Mike fully. It was a bit like he was just making guest appearances.

I wanted to know if the crime would be solved and how everyone would come out of it at the end so I finished the book, but it’s not one I would read again or recommend to readers who want to bond with the main characters.

I’d like to thank HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Mummy’s Little Secret’ by M A Hunter in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Jess is with her daughter Grace at a playground in Northwood when she meets Morag and Daisy but out of Morag’s hearing Daisy looks at Jess and says ‘She’s not my Mum’. Jess tries to tell her husband Charlie that she thinks Daisy’s been abducted but he blames her vivid imagination on her health issues and won’t take her seriously especially when Morag and her husband Angus invite them for a barbecue. But Jess knows what she heard and she’s determined to find out the truth.

The story of ‘Mummy’s Little Secret’ is a gripping psychological thriller that starts when Jess and Morag first meet and moves on to the present time as DI Mike Ferry investigates the death of a man in the house where Morag and Angus Kilbride reside. The chapters alternate between the two time periods until gradually we reach the evening in question and discover what happened and why. After reading all of The Missing Children Case Files I wondered what Mr Hunter would write next and he hasn’t disappointed me. Although different to the previous series, it has an intricately thought-out plot with drama, tension, twists and turns, and great character descriptions, and deals sensitively with disability and mental health. I enjoyed reading this thriller, can happily recommend it, and am looking forward to the next one.