My Darling Boy

De: Helen Cooper

Narrado por: Imogen Church

What if mother doesn’t know best…?

In a close-knit English village, Chrissy and Alice were once best friends. So were their sons, Leo and Robbie. Until the night Leo killed Robbie with a single, devastating punch. Now Leo has gone to prison, Chrissy has lost her pub, and Alice has been pouring her anger into a twisted project . . .

As Leo’s parole date approaches, the villagers are incensed and fearful about the prospect of his return. But when Chrissy arrives to collect Leo from prison, he isn’t there. The staff tell her he has already been released, but nobody knows where he’s gone.

As the village closes ranks, Chrissy realizes her former friends are suspects in her son’s disappearance, not the least of which is still-bitter Alice. Is Leo being punished for what happened that terrible night? Or do the answers lie further back, in a dark past none of them wants to revisit?

©2024 Helen Cooper (P)2024 Penguin Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

"For bookworms who loved The Perfect Couple’s mystery aspect and web of complicated relationships, add My Darling Boy to your TBR list. The domestic thriller follows a pair of ex-best friends after one of their sons is found dead and the other vanishes. It’s recommended for fans of ‘stories driven by family drama, unpredictable twists, and complex female protagonists.’ Sound familiar?"—Best Life

"Mothers and sons are mired in a quicksand of deception in this tale of psychological suspense. . . . The title of Cooper's fourth novel appears to give a nod to happy families ensconced in idyllic relationships, but it quickly becomes apparent that it's just another of the book's intriguing misdirections. Cooper builds the scaffolding of this secret-packed novel on a harrowing event in which either 'a push or a punch' during a scuffle in a pub leaves a young man dead and another sent to prison. . . . Into this already compelling storyline, Cooper drops other plot-driving grenades. . . . In a vertigo-inducing denouement of Hitchcockian proportions, 'a push or a punch' seems to come full circle. Cooper, with her keen understanding of family dynamics, pushes her characters and her readers to wonder how far they would go to protect themselves and their children. This pitch-perfect story about families and secrets starts with a punch and ends with a bang."—Kirkus Reviews

"Many secrets and lies unfold in this emotionally charged tale. . . . Cooper weaves an extremely tangled web, but all is resolved in a perilous confrontation atop a viaduct. Her fans will enjoy this."—Booklist

Wish it had been better!

I normally don't write reviews, but this book was a drag to get through, unfortunately. The narrator did a fantastic job and the writing was fine. It was the story and the character development that lacked and made this only a 3 star read for me. I understand having flawed characters, but they were all just unlikeable. Every twist I saw coming, there were no surprises or second guesses. All in all, not a book I'll be recommending.