Laura Elliot has woven a tightly braided story. The strands of the braid are so tightly woven that it seems as if the truth will never come to light. The unraveling starts with a swallow fluttering its wings in an attic and the constant question remains “How long is a piece of string?” Sound cryptic? The unraveling and question continue throughout the story strand by strand until the braid starts to come undone and then is redone, tightened, only to become tangled and very messy.

The tension never lifts, each section brings another gasp of rage, fear and torment. Powerful, emotional writing with characters perfectly drawn, situations so clearly described that you feel the raw emotion being described. Many important topics are found and explored in this book and the author doesn’t make excuses or shy away from exposing the devastating consequences of bullying, shaming, cultism and those with power who prey on the weak. This is all incorporated smoothly within the storyline allowing the reader to sift through the emotions that are provoked.

This book captured my undivided attention and I finished it in a day. Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for an advance copy. ( )

When Adele Foyle is roving about in her grandmother's attic, she finds a secret diary of her mother - someone she never met. Sadly, her mother died giving birth to her. What she is about to discover will be more than she could ever believe. Almost more than she will be able to handle.

She begins to discover secrets hidden for over twenty-five years. Adele starts looking for answers. In so doing, she goes back to the last place her mother lived, Reedstown. The circumstances of Adele's conception are devastating and she is determined not only to find out more about that, but to bring certain people to justice, even all of these years later.

Adele was born in an unusual environment. It was a home for unwed mothers run but a strange religious group called The Thorns. So that is where Adele begins her search. She soon learns that no one wants questions asked. No one has answers to offer. As a matter of fact, the deeper Adele goes in her search, the worst things get for her.

In My Mother's Name was a disturbing and fast-moving story. Adele is a strong woman, and I so felt for her mother and what she suffered. To imagine Adele's discoveries was very difficult. However, Laura Elliott is a gifted storyteller who managed to craft a sensitive story that held a lot of suspense.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion. ( )