I can say with 100% certainty that this is the only book I have ever read where the first encounter of the central characters occurs over a smear test! Im delighted to say that this is far from the only quirk in this book that makes it smack of originality.

Beautiful and single GP, Ruth Bennett, is devastated to learn of the suicide of her only son, also a doctor, following a scandal that sees him called before a magistrate. Convinced there is more to the story than meets the eye, Dr Bennet relocates her life to uncover the truth. Undercover, as a GP at a local practice, she encounters 20something, Rosie, a troubled young woman with secrets of her own. The stories of these 2 women intersect in the most spectacular of ways.

Another Liz Lawler title that thoroughly entertains! This is a book I would 100% recommend to fans of the psychological thriller genre.

My thanks to NetGalley, author and publisher for the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a good read but a slow burn, so I dipped in out a few times, but I am so glad that I did finish it.

I did work out what was happening early on but I really did enjoy watching it unfurl.

I was given an advance copy by Bookouture and netgalley but the review is entirely my own.

Liz Lawlor you're just fabulous! If you're in a rush to get to bed whilst reading this one..tough! It's not happening..unless you can sleep with your eyes open, because you won't be putting it down. Psychological thriller at its best.

I normally love Liz Lawler's books. I would highly recommend her other 3 but I just could not get into this one. It's slow-paced, a bit repetitive, and boring in places. I also didn't warm to Ruth's character at all. I really had to force myself to pick this book up.

Motherhood, such a lovely and scary thing. After reading 'The Silent Mother' I have to acknowledge how greater is the love for our children, I don't think we could love 'too much', and how scared we are of being their mothers. I could only think of my children and my courageous mother.
How splendid to read a story you can relate to with all your being. I can not deny or even hide how much crying I did, my poor cold little heart went crying once more as I slide through these pages wondering, am I that strong?
L.Lawler did a beautiful job writing this story and breaking my heart with it, she also energized me to keep being that kind of a mother, the kind that is always there.

📃 This ARC was granted to me through @netgalley and approved by @bookouture

The Silent Mother by Liz Lawler. The book centres around Ruth, a GP, who has travelled Bournemouth to support her son, Tom, who is appearing in court. She had only just been told has been told that Tom, a trainee doctor at a local hospital, has been accused of stealing drugs from the hospital where he works. When she arrives at court and hears the charges and that he plans to plead guilty, she is astounded. When he doesn’t turn up for the trial, she gets a message to say that he has been found dead, and it was suicide. In total disbelief and shock Ruth decides to get to the bottom of what actually happened, gets a job at the local GP surgery, and takes up lodgings in her son’s apartment, in order to find out the truth and the background of what actually went on prior to her son’s death. So begins the real investigation.

Running alongside this narrative, we have Rosie, a nurse at the hospital who is looking for her friend Anabel, who is missing. Rosie has mental health issues and we wonder if she and her friend are somehow connected to Tom.

I started to really sink my teeth into this book around the middle when the tension builds and Ruth starts to uncover a few truths about her son when she finds a diary of his life just before his death.
A good solid read, plenty of tension and moments where you are turning the pages frantically to find out more. Really enjoyable book.

Many thanks to Bookouture, NetGalley, Liz Lawler for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3 for neutral, unfortunately this one seemed a bit too slow for me. Will definitely update if able to finish at a later date,

I enjoyed the read but I didn't love it. It took me longer than usual to read so it clearly didn't capture my attention to the exclusion of all else like many books do. That said, it was emotive and as a mother thinking of what that poor boy went through was terrifying. Not knowing which girl was the nurse, what happened to Anabel, and what the real story from their childhood was did keep me guessing. I liked Ruth, I thought she was real, showing a mother's emotion while managing to maintain her professional composure like so many have to do to get through life. A good read, but just something lacking for me. #netgalley #thesilentmother

I adore this author and this is a book that has quickly gone onto the list of favourites by this author.

This is filled with tension and suspense. I have been pulled into the pages of this one. I have been completely unable to guess where this was going.

This book has given me a pounding heart and a sense of unease while reading. I’ve been completely torn between wanting to savour every page and wanting to devour every last page.

I am so excited to see what this author has in store for us next. This is definitely a book I recommend.

I didn’t love this one, and felt it was super drawn out. I didn’t end up finishing because it was so drawn out. The idea was really interesting initially, but because of how slow it was I had difficulty continuing.

The Silent Mother by Liz Lawler is a thriller novel that is the type that seems to be two stories that come together in the end. This style of course means that the point of view will be changing between the characters and there is also flashes back to an earlier timeline.

Ruth has just been told by her son that he is appearing in court accused of a crime she doesn’t believe he could have ever committed. Waiting at the court Ruth finds out that her son has already pleaded guilty to stealing drugs from the hospital where he worked. This is not the son that Ruth knows.

When Ruth’s son does not appear at the court it’s found that apparently he killed himself unable to deal with his crimes. Devastated Ruth comes up with a plan to move to her son’s apartment and search out the truth behind his death and the crime he was accused of herself.

The Silent Mother by Liz Lawler was a book that for me as a reader had it’s ups and downs along the way. This one seemed to move at a very slow pace in which I’m not a huge fan but the story did interest me to continue reading but felt it could have used some editing down to increase the pace. Personally I was more invested in Ruth’s point of view and think it would have worked just as well without the side story but as it is this one landed at three and a half stars for me.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

The Silent Mother by Liz Lawler has kept me hooked the last few days. After work and chores and all I would just wait to read this and everyday I felt I left it at a cliffhanger. The urge to know more made me continue.

The Blurb lays down the premise of the story well. This is the story of a mother and her journey to prove her son's innocence. A very strong emotional premise. The plot is very strong with many characters and each adding a layer to the story.

The relationships depicted in the story were so heartwarming, these include of sisters, neighbours, coworkers .....all of these lent a relatability to the story.

Although I found the story to be a bit long and I felt we could have done away with a few things, but in hindsight every character had a role to play and every character revealed a facet which all added up to the story. Although it was not so much about who dunnit but more about what and how of the son's death.
I loved Dr Bennet, a very strong graceful lady living life on her terms and also fighting for what she feels right.

If you love suspenseful stories that have a lot of layers or sidestories and a slow burn kind of feeling then you will definitely enjoy this book.

I thank Bookouture and Netgalley foran eARC and the opinions expressed are entirely mine

Great author so I was looking forward to this one. 5 stars, throughly recommend. Fast paced and great thriller

The Silent Mother by Liz Lawler is another addictive read from this author, and I was fully engaged from beginning to end. I did find this to be a bit more of a slow burn than would normally appeal to me, but the ultimate payoff is well worth the extra pages.

Ruth receives word from her son Thomas, a newly qualified doctor, that he is due in court the following day and would appreciate his mother's support. But when she arrives on the day, still in the dark about the nature of the charges that Thomas is facing, she learns that the unthinkable has happened. Her son has been found dead, presumably by suicide. Her life shattered, Ruth begins her own investigation into what has led to this shocking series of events.

This is a compelling novel that speaks to a mother's devotion to her son, and the lengths to which we will go for those we love.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and Liz Lawler for the free e-book in exchange for an honest review.

I have always been a fan of Lawler's work and this one is no different. I enjoyed the premise of this novel and I always really enjoy when a family member decides to solve the crime. I enjoyed most of the characters and most of them were quite unique, but all hiding something of course. The twists were unique and I hadn't seen them coming even though I had guessed who the culprit was by the halfway point. The reveal was still great.

Ruth gets a voicemail from her son, saying that he is due in court tomorrow and asking her to come and support him. On her arrival at the court, Ruth is told that her son is dead and that he has killed himself. The story then follows Ruth as she tries to prove her son's innocence with a few twists and turns along the way.

I thought that the premise of this book was very good, and different to most other books in this genre. The first half kept me gripped and I couldn't read it quick enough but, for some reason, this faded in the second half of the book. I'm not entirely sure why, but my interest just dwindled. It was a real shame as I liked the characters and I wanted to see Ruth succeed.

Overall, the book was well written and I did enjoy the story.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC in return for an honest review.

Ruth was taken by surprise by her son and the shock of getting to know why she was needed at Court was readily changed for a relentless need to learn the truth and clean her son's name. Her life was shattered, she had lost the most important thing, her son, and she could not believe he had done what they were accusing him of. She knew his values, the way he valued life, the way he wanted to help people - he could not be the monster everyone seemed to believe he was, and she could not believe he had taken his own life. Ruth slowly starts to uncover leads and pursues them, but she was never prepared to learn what had really happened and who the perpetrator was. The motives that lead to her son's death were so futile! The story has an unexpected ending and again proves that sometimes second chances are given in life.
A good plot, well written and very entertaining!

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

This book centres around Dr Ruth Bennett. She receives a voicemail from her son, Thomas, who is also a doctor. He explains he was arrested, and is due to attend court the following day for sentencing after pleading guilty. He asks her to come and support him. She arrives that night, and turns up at court the following morning for the hearing. She finds out from Thomas’ barrister that he’s pleaded guilty for stealing medicine from the hospital. Ruth is aghast, and overwhelmed. But those feelings soon change when Thomas is late for court and found dead in his flat. Ruth then goes on a mission to prover her son innocent, and find out the truth of what really happened.

The writing was excellent throughout, and flowed really well. The story was clever, and I still wasn’t 100% who was guilty until nearer the end of the book. The characters were ok, my favourite by far was Pauline and her potty mouth, she was really authentic. Overall, another good, solid read from this author.

BLOG TOUR REVIEW

Review for 'The Silent Mother' by Liz Lawler.

Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Liz Lawler, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous

Publication date 8th October 2021.

This is the second book I have read by this author. I have previously read 'The Next Wife' which I would also recommend.


I was originally drawn to this book by its eye catching cover and its intriguing synopsis and title. I am a huge fan of Liz and if this is half as good as 'The Next Wife' it is sure to be a page turning read. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).

This novel consists of 59 chapters. The chapters medium in length so possible to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!

This book is based in the England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 , UK 🇬🇧 The bonus for me of books that are partly or fully based in the UK is that I live in the UK and have sometimes visited places mentioned in the book which makes it easier to picture. I have actually been on holidays and had many trips to England so it will help me picture everything.


This book is written in third person perspective with the main protagonists being Ruth and Rosie. The benefits of third person perspective with multiple perspectives are that it let's you see the bigger picture of what's going on and you get to know more characters more, what they are thinking and what they are doing. It feels like you get to see the whole picture and not miss out in anything.

WOW!!!! WHAT DID I JUST READ?!?!? STILL IN ABSOLUTE SHOCK!!! I DID NOT SEE THAT ONE COMING!!

This book is extremely well written and the fantastic descriptions definitely add to the dark atmosphere. The synopsis and the cover worked very well with the plot. I am most definitely looking forward to reading more books by this very talented author.

The storyline is extremely compelling and addictive as well as very dark. It was gripping from the beginning and throughout completely page turning and nail biting. It is most definitely a roller-coaster ride of emotions from tension, suspense to genuine shock . There were moments where I was relived, shocked and at all times I was on the edge of my seat. I was not expecting the end at all which is always a bonus for me as its getting harder and harder to shock me!! The characters all played their roles very well. It's quite hard to review the characters too much without giving much away. Each character was strong and realistic and I became completely invested in them.

Well done Liz on yet another page turning psychological thriller!!! This is why you are one of my favourite authors!!! Here's to many more successes 🥂!!!

Overall a totally gripping, addictive and chilling psychological thriller with a twist you won’t see coming

Genres covered in this novel include Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Noir Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Domestic Fiction, Medical Fiction, Medical Thriller and Crime Fiction amongst others.

I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of Angela Marsons, Carol Wyer, CL Taylor, Tess Gerritson and anyone looking for an epic read.


407 pages.

This book is just 99p to purchase on kindle via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!

Rated 5 /5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.

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This was a gripping thriller of a read from Lawler. Straight from the start, the storyline is laced with intrigue and unanswered questions – Why was Tom due in court? What led to his death? What secrets are being kept and by whom? All of which his mother, Ruth, is determined to find the answers to.

The character of Ruth was very well written, with her mixture of anger, grief and determination to clear her sons name. The storyline itself had just the right amount of twists and turns to keep the reader engaged throughout.
As thrillers writers go, Liz Lawler is up there with the best.

Highly recommend this tile.

Many thanks to Liz Lawler, Bookouture and NetGalley for the review copy.