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BOOK INFO
Title: Stone Mothers
Author: Erin Kelly
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Publish Date: April 23, 2019
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Series: na
My Rating: 3/5
BOOK BLURB
You can’t keep the secret.
You can’t tell the truth.
You can’t escape the past…Marianne was seventeen when she fled her home in Nusstead – leaving behind her family, her boyfriend, Jesse, and the body they buried. Now, thirty years later, forced to return to in order to help care for her sick mother, she can feel the past closing around her. And Jesse, who never forgave her for leaving in the first place, is finally threatening to expose the truth.
Marianne will do anything to protect the life she’s built, the husband and daughter who must never know what happened all those years ago. Even if it means turning to her worst enemy for help… But Marianne may not know the whole story – and she isn’t the only one with secrets they’d kill to keep.

MY REVIEW
As a teenager, Marianne left her hometown of Nusstead. Now, thirty years later, she has returned to care for her ailing mother. Marianne’s husband surprises her with a new flat in Nusstead. Unfortunately, the flat is in a renovated mental asylum. The one place that Marianne never wanted to see again. Marianne has a secret from her past that deals with the former asylum, and she wants to keep her secret hidden.
Stone Mothers is told with multiple points of view (Marianne, Helen, and Honor) and multiple timelines (2018, 1988, and 1958). The 2018 timeline is the present story of Marianne, her family, and secrets from her past. The 1988 timeline is also about Marianne, and a crime she and her boyfriend committed. The 1958 timeline is about Helen.
Stone Mothers is a slow-paced novel that took a little while to get into. I never really connected with Marianne, but I found Helen fascinating. The different POVs and timelines enhanced the story, making for a more interesting read.
Atmospheric and suspenseful. Fans of Erin Kelly’s He Said/She Said will likely enjoy Stone Mothers.
Books by Erin Kelly:
- The Poison Tree
- The Dark Rose
- The Burning Air
- The Ties That Bind
- He Said/She Said
- Stone Mothers
- Watcher Her Fall
- The Skeleton Key
I was unsure about this book. Lovely review still on the fence. Seems very slow for me
Thanks! It’s a slow one. Took a little while for me to get into it.
I haven’t even read HeSaid/SheSaid yet :-). Lovely review! I like multiple timelines, so sounds interesting!
Thanks, Inge! Multiple timelines are a skill to pull off well, and this one worked.
Wonderful review, Darinda! This is the kind of story I normally would listen to instead of read. I’ll check it out.
Thanks, Jonetta! Hope you enjoy it. 😀
I really like this book as well, but yes it was slow but well done! Wonderful review!
Thanks, Berit!
I really enjoyed this one, too, Darinda. Definitely a slow, methodical book! Wonderful review!
Thanks, Jennifer! Glad you enjoyed this one too.
Thank’s for and sharing your thoughts.