Honestly, this one fell flat for me. I loved the narrator and her accent it made the book for me. However, I wouldn’t consider this a psychological thriller as the only thing psychological about it was that the killer was messing with Kate’s head. It’s not your typical psychological thriller that has an unreliable narrator. The ending was what fell flat for me. When the killer is revealed it seemed anticlimactic and I question how the killer was related to Kate again

This is a twisty tale and someone is either trying to make Kate go mad or she is already there. Kate is receiving emails and messages from her daughter who went missing and then turned up murdered and now Kate is being stalked and attacked. This story takes us around and around before we finally find out who the culprit is.

I absolutely loved this book. It was chilling, complex, and I was hooked from the very beginning. I didn’t want to stop listening! Also, the narrator was great.

Name of Book: Dear Mum
Author: Margaret Murphy
Publisher: Dreamscape Media
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Pub Date: May 10, 2022
My Rating:⭐⭐.3

Story starts with Kate gets a text message “Why did you let him hurt me?
Message is from her twelve-year old daughter Melanie who was brutally murdered six months ago.

So yes story starts off with getting my attention.
I love a good audiobook but am a big snob when it comes to narrators.
Narrator Gail Shalan does a good job in performing the characters but her voice is so soothing it would be great for anyone who has difficulty sleeping. I had a difficult time staying focused ~ as it was so slow.
I hung in there ~ when I found out whodunit; I almost threw my e-reader across the room.

Want to thank NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this audio eGalley. This file has been made available to me before publication in an early form for an honest professional review. Publishing Release Date scheduled for May 10, 2022.

Fast paced and thrilling. I read other reviews and they stated it was a bit daunting or ending was predictable, however, to me I truly enjoyed this book and didn't see the ending coming. I liked the author's writing style. I also enjoyed how relatable the characters were. This story kept me on the dge of my seat. Truly enjoyable and thrilling til the very end!

This ARC was given to me by NetGalley and the publishers to read and review. All statements above are my true opinion after reading this book fully.

This audio book was sent to me by Netgalley for review. Mystery and intrigue...characters who are just not lovable but somewhat likable, at times...Mystery and Intrigue...family and friends...enemies...what is going on? Why? When will it end? How will it end? Questions the reader asks while reading this book...sometimes frightening...it does move slowly, but otherwise, it is a mystery that the reader enjoys.

ARC audiobook provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

“Dear Mum” introduces us to Kate, who is still reeling from the unsolved brutal murder of her daughter, Melanie, six months prior. One day, Kate begins to receive creepy messages that are drafted to appear to be from Melanie. Kate enters a tailspin of emotions as the messages continue and it appears that they are coming from the murderer. Kate seeks the help of the police, but they just chase apparent leads that go nowhere. Not being able to take it any longer, Kate decides to take things into her own hands and hunt down the killer.

This book had real promise. Although the big event, Melanie’s murder, was in the past, there was so much that could have been done with the current storyline and past events. Unfortunately, the book fell flat. The first half of the book is very slow and really just feels like a repetition of the same type of event over and over. Characters are introduced that end up really having no bearing on the storyline. The story just drags on.

Just past midway, the story picks up a bit and seems to finally be gathering steam. Plot devices are introduced and interesting character histories revealed! However, these also end up going nowhere. It feels as though the author was throwing things out there to beef up the story without giving any thought of how to integrate them into the actual storyline. Despite this, I pushed through with the hope that the story would wrap up well. It didn’t. The ending felt uninspired and, frankly, boring.

I must note that I had the audiobook version of this book. The narrator did a pretty good job, although some of her male voices were a bit weak. This is just a point that I tend to be picky about when it comes to female narrators. The narrator did a respectable job to the extent that the weaker voices didn’t pull me out of the story while listening, so I consider that a plus.

Overall, this book was an unfortunate disappointment. The premise had the potential to be really interesting, suspenseful and original. In actuality, the book ended up lacking all of those things. I would love to see this book premise rewritten, possibly by a different author, as I believe it really could be great. As it stands, I must say that I regrettably do not recommend this book.

Thank you netgalley for this advanced copy. This book sounded good but was very blah for me. I lost interest and my mind wandered a lot. Didn’t even have interest in the ending unfortunately.

A mother who lost her child several months back begins receiving harassing messages. The worst part is they're claiming to be her dead child.

This book makes us ask ourselves what we would do and how far we would go to unmask the person who took our loved one.

The premise is pretty simple and could have been wildly interesting but it got watered down and tended to drag on.

The narration wasn't bad but it did feel like she was whispering at times and not terribly emotive, given the situation.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review.

This was a good mystery with intriguing and relatable characters. The beginning really hooked me and I wanted to find out what happened. I really like the character development of Kate.

I remember an advanced audiobook review copy in exchange for an honest review

Baring in mind this is a reprint of a book from the 90s, this was a pleasant journey back the days when the Internet was scary and uncivilized. Those of us who can remember are more likely to suspend disbelief. 3.5 rounded up.

I'm not sure how I feel about this book. I love a good suspense, but I didn't feel like it was a suspense. You're thrown in at the place of six months ago Katie's daughter was murdered and there isn't an answer to who has done it. Katie is receiving off the wall messages that disappear after some time. It seems like she has distanced herself from her friends and but up a wall, which I don't blame her. And she has taken the investigation a little bit in her own hands to find the killer.

I can't say I loved the book, I felt like it was meh.

Thank you #NetGalley for the advance copy for my unbias review

I became immediately engaged in this book, but much to my disappointment, that engagement was short-lived. I found it difficult to continue with after just a couple of chapters. The story-line had the potential to be quite suspenseful but fell way short of the bar set by the book's beginning.

An entertaining addition to the crowded thriller genre with solid narration. A recommended purchase for collections where crime fic is particularly popular.

Kate thought she’d lived the ultimate nightmare when her daughter, Melanie was abducted and murdered. Now, six months later, her torment begins afresh when she begins receiving emails, allegedly from her daughter asking why her mother let Melanie be killed. As more messages appear, it seems clear that the killer is tormenting Kate the way a cat plays with a mouse. The police concentrate their investigation on Amy’s co-worker and her violent ex-husband, while Amy begins sleuthing on her own, unwilling to let a killer take the last thing she has left – her sanity. Masterfully narrated by Shalan this is a tense and claustrophobic read

I truly hate giving bad reviews, it makes me feel like a bully. With that said, I still need to be honest. This book has a ton of potential. The concept is unique but the execution fell flat. If the most important scene has already occurred, it only leaves the reader to feel like they are playing catch up. The characters were not developed enough to really invest any emotion into. It read more like a brainstorming idea that was thrown together quickly and put out as a novel. I can’t in good conscience recommend this to anyone.#NetGalley #DearMum