Under Her Care

A Thriller

By: Lucinda Berry

Narrated by: Emily Ellet, Eileen Stevens, Brian Holden, Marli Watson

From the bestselling author of The Perfect Child comes a shocking thriller about the disturbing complexities of a mother’s love and the deadly consequences of unravelling family secrets.

On a humid summer day in Alabama, a mayor’s wife turns up brutally murdered under a railroad bridge. Standing next to her body is fourteen-year-old Mason Hill, the autistic son of former Miss USA Genevieve Hill. The locals are quick to level their verdict on young Mason: he did it.

The town detective calls in local autism expert Casey Walker to consult on the case. At first, Casey tries to keep an open mind. But the more time she spends with Genevieve, the more her unease grows, and she suspects that Genevieve is doing more than just protecting her son.

Casey’s misgivings surrounding Genevieve’s story only intensify when she meets Savannah, Genevieve’s nineteen-year-old daughter. Savannah, as it turns out, has some disturbing secrets of her own. But as Casey dives ever deeper into the Hill family dynamic, her search for the truth leads to another shocking murder—one that shatters her understanding of the human condition in ways she never imagined.

©2022 Heather Berry. (P)2022 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“The action never wavers, and the surprises are unending. Berry is writing at the top of her game.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“[It’s] a humdinger…Perfect for suspense fans.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Lucinda delivers every time. Unputdownable.”—Tarryn Fisher, New York Times bestselling author

Feels unfinished.

Not bad but not my favorite Lucinda Berry. Would have liked a fuller ending re: the son, cops, Casey, etc.

Did not like the voice used for the Genevieve character. Super grating. And since I’m from the area some of this takes place, narrators out themselves on certain words. It’s Birming-ham down here, not Birming-um like in England. And Tulane is said Two-lane, not Tuh-lane.

Hated the end

I was really enjoying the book until the end. The last two chapters seemed like the author just wanted to finish the book. If you hate books with unfinished endings, then this is not the book for you.

That ending!

Overall the book was pretty good then, pretty sad when the truth came out but I did NOT see that ending coming. Talk about a twist.

Great

Good book. I feel like a little more back story was needed. The performance of the boy was terrible. Robotic and didn’t do what it needed. It definitely was distracting.

WOW

From the jump I was hooked! Lucinda Berry has done it again … like many times before. The twist at the end completely took me by surprise! Great read!

Craving a back-story

I want to know more about Genevieve's childhood. I feel like that could create interesting facets to the story. Why wasn't she shown much in her family... is that what caused her attention-seeking behaviors?

Disappointing plot ending

I don’t mind a “surprise ending” but not when it feels like a cop out from addressing the major themes that were carried through the narrative only to just be left by the wayside.

Creepy for sure

Apples don’t fall far from the tree in this one. Love the twist at the end.

The lengths this mother went to for attention on herself.

I liked the descriptions of each character, especially of the son's thoughts. I liked the twist at the end. Didn't see that coming.

Very good

The plot goes on many random rabbit trails, but good story over all. Great author