The Secret Mother cover art

The Secret Mother

 Preview
Try Premium Plus free
1 credit a month to buy any audiobook in our entire collection.
Access to thousands of additional audiobooks and Originals from the Plus Catalogue.
Member-only deals & discounts.
Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

The Secret Mother

By: Shalini Boland
Narrated by: Katie Villa
Try Premium Plus free

Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $22.99

Buy Now for $22.99

About this listen

"Are you my mummy?"

Tessa Markham returns home to find a child in her kitchen. He thinks she’s his mother. But Tessa doesn’t have any children.

Not anymore.

She doesn’t know who the little boy is or how he got there.

After contacting the police, Tessa is suspected of taking the mystery child. Her whole life is turned upside down. And then her husband reveals a secret of his own….

Tessa isn’t sure what to believe or who to trust. Because someone is lying. To find out who, she must confront her painful past. But is the truth more dangerous than Tessa realises?

An absolutely pause-resisting psychological thriller with a twist that will make you wonder if you can ever trust anyone again. If you loved Gone Girl, The Girl on the Train, and The Sister this book will have you hooked.

©2017 Shalini Boland (P)2017 Bookouture Genre Fiction Psychological Suspense Thriller & Suspense Fiction Thriller

Critic Reviews

‘Absolutely addictive and brilliant with an end I didn't see coming. This is one book you have to read and it gets 5 huge stars from me!!!!’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

‘Wow, wow, wow! What a fantastic book! The book starts with a bang… from page one and believe me, it doesn’t let up throughout the book and keeps you gripped until the very end!’ Stardust Book Reviews, 5 stars

‘Oh yes, yes, yes, yes this was my kind of read, I really have taken this and added it to my top 10 this year, it’s a screaming from the rooftops fantastic read, if you love a good thriller… if you love to stay up all night reading because you simply can't switch your mind off from a book, this is it, you found it, don't look any further… so fast paced it leaves your breathless. One of the best psychological thrillers that I have read that has shocked me, left me dribbling for me and wanting more from this author.’ Read Along With Sue, 5 stars
All stars
Most relevant  
I hated this ending . I loved this book . Twists and turns .would highly recommend. Great author.

Fantastic

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
One of those books (again) that you’ll invest hours upon hours, just waiting for the ending

Edge if the seat

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This author is great her stories are easy listening and you just can' stop as they really take you in ..
loved this book

Great Audio Easy Listening

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A well read performance with a well crafted book I highly recommend it to mystery lovers

Well crafted

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Really enjoyed this book. This is my third book by Boland, will definitely read more of her books.

Marvellous!!!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Villa absolutely smashed this reading of The Secret Mother. The narration is essentially a performance which helped me see the story as a film - it was simply brought to life.
As for the story, it was enjoyable and suspenseful but halfway through the book it became predictable. I knew the ending immediately and was hoping for the plot twist to shock and amaze me but was met with exactly what I predicted. Not necessarily a bad thing - the story was good and compelling. I just assumed it to have more thrill and shock.
The writing is simple but in a good way. As someone who usually struggles to bring the words to life, Boland has done a great job of making the world very easy to see.

Perfect narration

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I was drawn straight into the story.I agonised with the main character and throughly enjoyed the whole thing!A fantastic suspenseful novel, fabulous story.

Secret Mother

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I really enjoyed this one, story kept me interested, just had to keep listening to know what would happen. Narration was good and I didn’t guess the twist!

The Secret Mother...

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
As a mother. The representation of the public condemnation was seamless a by shines a light a from the media and public. The highlighted our “modern times” that persecute people without any knowledge of the verdict and these people “staying under a veil of anonymity” because they don’t want a humiliation and the irony of this

The seamless & imaginative story

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
It was alright. Disappointed at how the obvious twist was. After reading one of her other books which was great, I expected a lot more. Not her best at all.

Eh

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.