Sara's Review of The Perfect Mother by Aimee Molloy

I love a good mystery, put a good thriller in front of me and a cup of tea and I'm ready for a day of reading. I have read classics like The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. I read the pop mysteries like Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarity and The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware. In general I really love mysteries. Reading so many of them though means I can sometimes understand the formula, I get a sense of where the author is taking me and though I still highly enjoy the book I do find that it is harder and harder to shock me. Enter The Perfect Mother by Aimee Molloy. 

A book about a group of mothers that all had children in the month of May and created a mommy group they called "the May Mothers." After coaching each other through 9 months of pregnancy, difficult natural births, c-sections, first nights home this group of women have become friends. To help out one of their quietest members, a single mom named Winnie, and to just get out of their mom-brains for a night they all decide to meet at a bar on the 4th of July to let loose. As things begin to wind down one of the mother's gets a call from her nanny lent out to Winnie for the night, the nanny is in tears. Winnie's son Midas is missing. 

After the investigation into baby Midas' disappearance yields little to no results three of the May mothers take up their own investigation. Following up on every piece of gossip in the papers, every sleep deprived thought that runs through their heads, trying to handle newborns, being wives, going back to work and keeping their own secrets hidden makes for some very wild twists and turns. Told through alternating perspectives each chapter gives us a peak into the various lives these women have led and the steps they are taking to help their friend and each other. 

To say that I liked this book is an understatement. It is more correct to say that I was floored by this book, shocked beyond belief, my jaw literally dropped when I read the twist. Ms. Molloy has a knack for taking a twist to the next level. I honestly was shocked by the direction she took it in. And that is hard thing to do, shock me. 

It is a great read all around, Ms. Molloy's writing is quick and real and at times her wit flies off the page and hits you in the face. I felt the absolute three dimensional aspect of all the characters in the book and each one of them was unique and interesting and wonderfully flawed. It was refreshing to read about such real characters, characters that people can relate to. 

If you enjoy mystery books at all The Perfect Mother should be your next read. Come by your local Book Culture to pick up a copy today (we even have signed copies at the Columbus location)! 

Happy reading!

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The Perfect Mother: A Novel By Aimee Molloy Cover Image
$27.99
Not Available
ISBN: 9780062696793
Published: Harper - May 1st, 2018