How will your adult son coming home to live with you at your request work out?

Valerie’s husband passed away a few years ago, and she is now suffering with memory loss.

She hopes having her son with her will give her some peace of mind, but the opposite happens.

Her son Hudson isn’t the best person to have around. He has a history in the town. He was accused of murdering his girlfriend.

The murdered girl’s mother lives next door and hasn’t forgotten about Hudson especially since he was found not guilty of the crime.

What is going to happen now that Hudson is back home?

Plenty...including one girl and then another murdered.

We keep getting a hint about something that Valerie did in the past, and she does things in the present that are a bit unbelievable.

Which character is hiding things? I was thinking all of them.

A MOTHER WOULD KNOW has no likable characters in it, and the story line is very confusing.

One minute it’s in the present day and in almost the next sentence it’s in the past, and it takes a minute to figure out where you are in time.

Even though there are some surprises and a great ending, I was a bit disappointed because the book was all over the place, and I have enjoyed other books by Ms. Garza. 3/5

This book was given to me by the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review. ( )

A son moves back home to help watch over his mother. The neighbor across the street has blamed him for killing her daughter for years. When she and another woman in the neighborhood end up murdered, Valerie searches for proof her son is innocent.
I kept trying to guess who the killer was and then there was that moment like Ah-Ha! I still second guessed the culprit, and I still wasn't right. This book took me in a few different directions, but it kept me on my toes.

I didn't feel any connection with Kendra and Hudson seemed to be the prodigal son. Valerie seemed lost in her memories a lot but that could have been her regrets surfacing.

Overall, I enjoyed this book although it seemed to start off a little slow. Thank you NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing and MIRA. ( )

A Mother Would Know by Amber Garza is a highly recommended domestic psychological thriller.

Widow Valerie Jacobs is forgetting things and having trouble concentrating. She is sure she is exhibiting the signs of early-onset Alzheimer’s, just like her mother had. Her daughter Kendra is concerned about her being in her house alone. Circumstances work out that her son, Hudson, is able to move back home with her. While she is glad to have Hudson back home, he is not as helpful as she hoped and seems to spend more time out with his friends. There is also the neighbor who won't let anyone forget Hudson's past. When a woman is found murdered in the area, all manner of suspicions and accusations are leveled at Hudson with no evidence backing them.

Valerie is a complex character. Although she is the most sympathetic character in the novel, she is not entirely favorable or relatable. She loves her children, but lives with a lot of guilt over leaving most of the parenting to her husband when their children were young as she was away from home much of the time. She was the lead singer in a popular band and having an affair with a band member during this time so her focus was definitely on herself. As the narrator of the plot, it is clear that she remains self-centered, as are her children. Perhaps this is entirely natural considering her health concerns, but it is a facet of the plot that must be taken into consideration.

The plot moves along at a quick pace. Nothing is exactly as it seems and even the house may or may not be haunted. Along with Valerie's health concerns, the novel covers sibling rivalry, neighborhood gossip, regret over past mistakes, trust issues, and so many secrets. Suspend disbelief over several plot points and basically don't expect any great investigative powers from the police as it becomes very clear that they are written as incompetents. Read A Mother Would Know for the wild reveals and twists at the end that may or may not surprise readers but the journey there is fast and entertaining.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of MIRA Books via Edelweiss.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2022/12/a-mother-would-know.html ( )