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![The Mother-in-Law by [Sally Hepworth]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41STT4E9B6L._SY346_.jpg)
The Mother-in-Law Kindle Edition
Sally Hepworth (Author) Find all the books, read about the author, and more. See search results for this author |
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From the New York Times bestselling author of The Good Sister and The Family Next Door with new novel The Younger Wife out now.
"Hepworth turns up the tension in her latest Australian-set domestic suspense novel. A masterful depiction... makes this a winner for fans of Liane Moriarty and Megan Abbott" Booklist (starred review)
Everyone in this family is hiding something.
You may get to choose your partner, but you don't get to choose your mother-in-law.
From the moment Lucy met Diana, she was kept at arm's length. Even after marrying Oliver, Lucy knew they'd never be close.
But who could fault Diana? A pillar of the community, an advocate for social justice, the matriarch of a loving family.
That was ten years ago. Now, Diana has been found dead. There is a suicide note, but the autopsy reveals foul play. And everyone in this family is hiding something . . .
A thrilling page-turner about that trickiest of relationships.
PRAISE FOR THE MOTHER-IN-LAW
"Readers will race to the end of this clever novel to find the truth." Publishers Weekly
"We devoured it in just one sitting. Bet you will too!" Women's Day
"The Mother-in-Law is indeed twisty and suspenseful, but even more than that, it's clever and nuanced." Kelly Rimmer, bestselling author of Me Without You
"Absolutely stunning. The Mother-in-Law has so many layers - I'll be thinking about it for a long time." Heather Gudenkauf, New York Times bestselling author of The Weight Without Silence
'Will keep you guessing until the very end' - Us Weekly
'Deliciously entertaining, packed with wit and suspense and also delivers sharp insights about family dynamics and love' - People Magazine
PRAISE FOR SALLY HEPWORTH
"Sally Hepworth writes compelling, compassionate novels with characters you come to know and love. She is one of my favourite Australian writers." Liane Moriarty, bestselling author of The Husband's Secret, Big Little Lies and Nine Perfect Strangers
"Hepworth's novels are perfect for lovers of Big Little Lies." Library journal (starred review)
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherMacmillan Australia
- Publication date29 January 2019
- File size1014 KB
Product description
Review
Praise for The Mother-in-Law:
One of:
People Magazine's People Pick
PopSugar's 30 Must-Read Books of 2019
Bustle's Best Books of April
Refinery29's Best Books of April 2019
Oprah Magazine's 15 Best Beach Reads of the Year So Far
A deliciously entertaining novel about one woman's complicated relationship with her mother-in-law that ends in death. This one is perfect for fans of Big Little Lies. --Good Morning America
"Sally Hepworth writes characters you love." --Liane Moriarty, bestselling author of Big Little Lies
"Deliciously entertaining, packed with wit and suspense, and also delivers sharp insights about family dynamics and love." --People magazine
A masterful depiction of how much is said in the silences...a winner for fans of Liane Moriarty and Megan Abbott. --Booklist, starred review
A mesmerizing domestic mystery. --Kirkus
This one will keep you guessing until the very end. --Us Weekly
Hepworth's short, punchy chapters keep the pages quickly turning while effortlessly deepening her characters. Readers will race to the end of this clever novel to find the truth. --Publishers Weekly
Behold: the book that'll make your subway ride an actual enjoyable experience! This suspenseful thriller is impossible to put down. --Cosmo
"We devoured it in just one sitting. Bet you will too!" --Woman's Day
At last, sticky in-law tension gets the chilly thriller treatment. In Hepworth's anticipated new page-turner, one woman's complex relationship with her mother-in-law ends in death. --Entertainment Weekly
Get ready for the kind of Gone Girl-level twists you may have fantasized about during awkward holiday gatherings. --Refinery29
A delightfully twisty domestic suspense novel...fans of Big Little Lies and Then She Was Gone will love the startling end. --Shelf Awareness
The Mother-in-Law is indeed twisty and suspenseful, but even more than that, it's clever and nuanced. --Kelly Rimmer, USA Today bestselling author of Me Without You
Absolutely stunning. The Mother-in-Law has so many layers - I'll be thinking about it for a long time. --Heather Gudenkauf, NYT bestselling author
About the Author
Review
From the Publisher
From the Author
Book Description
Product details
- ASIN : B07J5NHL9S
- Publisher : Macmillan Australia (29 January 2019)
- Language : English
- File size : 1014 KB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Print length : 324 pages
- Best Sellers Rank: 1,750 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- 127 in Family Life Fiction (Books)
- 242 in Contemporary Fiction (Kindle Store)
- 276 in Mysteries (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

Sally Hepworth is the bestselling author of The Secrets of Midwives (2015), The Things We Keep (2016) The Mother's Promise (2017), The Family Next Door (2018), The Mother In Law (April 2019), The Good Sister (April 2021) and The Younger Wife (April 2022). Hollywood actress and producer, Amy Poehler, has optioned The Mother In Law for a TV series.
Sally's books have been labelled “enchanting” by The Herald Sun, “smart and engaging” by Publisher’s Weekly, and New York Times bestselling authors Liane Moriarty and Emily Giffin have praised Sally’s novels as “women’s fiction at its finest” and “totally absorbing”. Sally's novels are available worldwide in English and have been translated into 10+ languages.
Sally lives in Melbourne, Australia with her husband and three children.
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Customer reviews

Reviewed in Australia on 7 July 2019
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The book is written in then and now sequences and through flashbacks we understand where Lucy and Diana are coming from. Diana didn’t have an easy time as a young woman and had to toughen up quickly. As is always the case, nature and nurture form character that in turn affects future generations. One excellent aspect of the novel is that the relationship between Lucy and Diana evolves after reaching a low point, becoming nurturing and even affectionate. The family faces various dramas but the big one comes with Diana’s death. It looks like euthanasia but is it? Certain things don’t add up and the police become involved.
The novel starts OK and improves as it goes along. I have a problem when a character says “I have done xyz” when people would normally say “I’ve ...”. While we’re being picky, I don’t think a woman of Diana’s vintage would say “There’s two pieces of advice ...”. She would say “There’re ...” or write it out in full: “There are ...”. Plural nouns need plural verbs. Yes I know “There’s” is used all the time now but not so much by older folk who learnt grammar. Good story though: well-plotted with well-realised characters who evoke an emotional response.
Sally keep writing!! Im on a mission to read all of your books 🥰
It really shows how we never really know someone's intentions, and how we judge (and MISJUDGE) people far too easily.
It has honestly given me a different outlook, and I spoke with my husband, and children about it, along with my usual book loving friends!!
I believe it is being made into a tv series/show, and I am so interested to see the interpretation.
I cannot recommend this book enough!!!
It's probably a typical mother-in-law story which is a bit sad really as mine was a nice lady.
Well worth a read though.
I loved the story but even more, I loved how relatable this one was. The kids especially, behave exactly like me and the family interactions are the same too (IPad, NOW!). The Brighton and Sorrento houses are all too familiar(sadly not in my family).
Finally, I enjoyed seeing the mother in law relationship from both perspectives. As always, insightful and heartwarming.
Top reviews from other countries


When Diana is found dead, the family comes under suspicion.
The author writes well but the story is too long and has a lot of unnecessary detail. It is more of a family story than a crime thriller. It is easy to guess who the perpetrator is and the ending is low key. I would probably buy another book by the author.


To further ram home what a horrible person Diana is, the author has her turning off her grandson’s baby monitor (didn’t want to make the baby weak and dependent) and being so neglectful when babysitting that her granddaughter ends up with a fractured skull. In the hospital Lucy attacks Diana, knocking her the floor so that she suffers a concussion. Later, one of the nurses tells Lucy that the staff consider her a “hero” for this action! Honestly, could you imagine any sensible person talking like this? Nurses must hate their mothers in law too.
It’s all pretty silly, with ridiculous cardboard cutout characters and a denouement that is beyond belief. A waste of time, in my view.
Just for the record, I adored my mother in law. She’s dead now, but was one of the kindest, nicest people I ever met. Just saying.
