Day: July 29, 2022

The Mother-in-Law by Karen King is the type of psych thriller that has great bones. But in the end, I felt like the potential isn’t quite met.

I still enjoyed the heck out of this book. I’m going to tell you the good before I explain that.

First, it’s a great plot. The reader knows from the first chapter – Dana’s wedding – that it has been a long slog for the bride to get to that point.

Something tragic happens at the wedding. A few hints appear as well. Then we are taken back in time to when Dana first meets Sam.

The author wisely makes their relationship a whirlwind. While fast courtships happen, this one allows the reader to be skeptical of Sam.

Especially when Dana finds out that he is filthy rich. And he still lives at home in a wing of his parent’s house. Yeah, that isn’t a little bit creepy.

It soon becomes apparent to both Dana and the reader that she is out of her league. When “accidents” start to happen, suspicion falls on just about every character.

I will admit that I did not guess the full twist of the book. I did suspect parts of it. But there were times that I had completely the wrong idea. So, kudos to the author for those moments.

Where I got frustrated, however, were the points where Dana would second guess herself – especially after an accident or event. She knows the mother-in-law is manipulative and Dana doesn’t trust her. Except for when she does. It is odd.

Dana also knows she isn’t responsible for the incidents. But “the next day” she always figures she must have been responsible because – what other reason could it be? Even as she suspects that Sam’s mother (her future mother-in-law) has it out for her.

The author has another character who plays a part in Dana’s uncertainty. It is great tension. There are times it just HAS to be her, because of her past with the family. But then that character completely disappears, never to be heard from again.

This is where I think the psych thriller aspect could have been stronger. The development of that character would have been a good addition.

By the time the pieces start to fall into place, it feels like there are plot points that just appear right in the last third of the book. Like “oh, here, this will tie everything together.” The problem is that there isn’t a lot of build to some of them. So, they come out of nowhere.

And that is a problem when they become the crux of the motive and the pivotal part of the story. It is almost like reading two different books.

In spite of all of that, The Mother-in-Law did keep me guessing, so I really like that aspect of it. I also recommend The Perfect Stepmother by Karen King, if you’re looking for another psych thriller. I’ll definitely read more of her books.

Author Bio:

Karen King is a multi-published author of both adult and children’s books. Currently published by Bookouture and Headline, Karen writes about the light and dark of relationships.

Karen has also had 120 children’s books, two young adult novels, and several short stories for women’s magazines published. Her thrillers The Perfect Stepmother and The Stranger in my Bed and her romantic novel The Cornish Hotel by the Sea became International Amazon bestsellers.

Karen is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, the Society of Authors, the Crime Writers’ Association and the Society of Women Writers and Journalists. She now lives in Spain where she loves to spend her non-writing time exploring the quaint local towns with her husband, Dave, when she isn’t sunbathing or swimming in the pool, that is.