Nicole Trope has become one of my favorite psych thriller authors, and The Stay-at-Home Mother is the perfect example of why she is so good.
In a nutshell, whatever story she is telling is really only partial. It’s enough on its own, but if you’ve read her books, you know there is always another shoe to drop somewhere along the way (usually toward the end).
In this case, Gabby is the stay-at-home mother in question. She has an online following that commiserates with her over her troubles with her teenage son.
When Andrea (very pregnant), her husband Terry, and their 3-year-old son Jack move in across the street, Gabby can’t help but offer assistance to a frazzled Andrea. And Andrea is all too willing to rely on this virtual stranger who seems like the perfect lifeline.
However, if something seems too good to be true, it probably is…not true.
Not only does Andrea have pregnancy fog, but her husband’s “issue” rears its ugly head at the same time as everything else comes to a climax. It’s really a perfect storm of distraction.
I don’t want to give anything away because, like any good psych thriller, the fun is in realizing what is actually occurring without any spoilers to wreck the enjoyment of the plot.
But I will say that even if you think you have it all figured out (which I did a few times) – there is still more that you will not guess.
And that is why The Stay-at-Home Mother is a quintessential psych thriller. Nicole Trope has cemented herself as an absolute go-to for a jaw-dropping read.
