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When Lucy’s mother-in-law is found dead of what seems to be a suicide, the family is shaken. But things get complicated when an act that has to be treated as a homicide as a matter of routine turns into more than routine: The police are taking the investigation seriously. And Lucy’s long relationship with Diana was thorny. Diana never was warm and welcoming to her daughter-in-law, and Lucy struggled with that.
Over the course of The Mother-in-Law, the story goes back and forth between the present and the past, between the points of view of both Diana and Lucy. Diana comes across as prickly and unable to connect, but she is revered by all as a strong woman who gives most of her time and resources to the cause of refugee women who are pregnant and in dire need of help.
But it’s not just Lucy who has reason to be a suspect. Everyone in the family has something to hide, some reason to resent Diana. And those motivations are revealed bit by bit as the story moves along, pieced together at a perfect pace by author Sally Hepworth.
The book is a murder mystery on one level, but it’s more about family dynamics and the expectations of women in general, of mothers and daughters, of how tricky it can be to navigate relationships that are created by marriage. As one character concludes, men don’t seem to have any issues connecting with in-laws; it’s the women who do. But that may be because they care so much. Lucy cares a great deal about connecting with Diana, and Diana cares as well. But somehow it just doesn’t click the way they would hope. And as the murder mystery is resolved at the end, the story ends up on a poignant note as well. I enjoyed the whole thing.
Rated: Moderate.There are two instances of strong language and just a handful of other more moderate terms. There is no sexual content. Violence is minimal.
*I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
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