Bev Thomas

"Taut, absorbing and psychologically astute, in A Good Enough Mother Bev Thomas combines all the tension of a thriller with the emotional resonance of a powerful family drama." --Paula Hawkins, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Girl on the Train A heart-stopping mother's story of love and loss, and a riveting drama that lets us inside the secret world of therapist and patient Ruth Hartland is the director of a trauma unit, a psychotherapist with years of experience, wise and respected by her peers. But professional skill is no guard against private grief. The mother of grown twins, she is haunted by the fact that her beautiful, difficult, fragile son Tom, a boy who never "fit in," disappeared a year and a half earlier. She cannot give up hope of finding him, but feels she is living a kind of half-life, waiting for him to return. Enter a new patient, Dan--unstable and traumatized--who looks exactly like her missing son. She is determined to help him, but soon, her own complicated feelings, about the dissolution of her marriage and her family, about how she has failed her own boy, cloud her professional judgement. Boundaries she would never have crossed with another patient are crossed. And before long, events spiral out of control.... An utterly compelling pageturner with a timebomb at its core, A Good Enough Mother is a brilliant, beautiful story of mothering, and how to let go of the ones we love when we must.

A Good Enough Mother

'A gripping and smart thriller that kept me guessing .Sensitive but not sensationalist, a page turner with an important message, I was hooked.' MARISA BATE When Rob decides the family needs to get away for the summer Jess is not convinced - won't all the things they're escaping be waiting for them on their return? But the kids are thrilled, and before long their idyllic little cottage, the sea air, and the feel of skin sticky from sun-cream, lollies and sand, begins to work its magic. Jess allows herself to sink into the holiday vibes - the family even make holiday friends. The summer heat intensifies Jess - ever vigilant - unearths a secret, a problem she's sure she can help solve. But things are not always as they seem. The water may look inviting but even the gentlest looking waves can hide the deadliest undercurrents. As autumn approaches, Jess - and the reader - will come to realise this is going to end in a way no-one could have imagined... 'What separates Thomas' writing from your average domestic drama is its compelling persuasiveness.' Stylist 'To write such a captivating, clever, compassionate story and to stimulate readers ... is in my opinion the mark of an author with huge potential.' Thriller Books Journal

The Family Retreat

Good Enough Mother

A literary psychological suspense thriller for fans of Apple Tree Yard, this novel promises to be as talked about as Lullaby.

"Taut, absorbing and psychologically astute, in A Good Enough Mother Bev Thomas combines all the tension of a thriller with the emotional resonance of a powerful family drama." --Paula Hawkins, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Girl on the Train "Perfect for fans of The Silent Patient." --Booklist A riveting page-turner that lets us inside the secret world of therapist and patient, where boundaries get crossed, and events spiral out of control. . . Ruth Hartland is a psychotherapist with years of experience. But professional skill is no guard against private grief. The mother of grown twins, she is haunted by the fact that her beautiful, difficult, fragile son Tom, a boy who never "fit in," disappeared a year and a half earlier. She cannot give up hope of finding him, but feels she is living a kind of half-life, waiting for him to return. Enter a new patient, Dan--unstable and traumatized--who looks exactly like her missing son. She is determined to help him, but soon, her own complicated feelings, about how she has failed her own boy, cloud her professional judgement. And before long, the unthinkable becomes a shattering reality.... An utterly compelling drama with a timebomb at its core, A Good Enough Mother is a brilliant, beautiful story of mothering, and how to let go of the ones we love when we must.

Bev Thomas

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