Only A Mother by Elisabeth Carpenter

I'm delighted that today it's my stop on the blog tour for Only A Mother, the third book by Elisabeth Carpenter, but the first one of hers I've read. Thank you to Tracy Fenton for inviting me to take part in the tour, and Orion Publishing for providing my review copy.

Be sure to check out the other stops on the tour too.

The Blurb:

ONLY A MOTHER . . .
Erica Wright hasn't needed to scrub 'MURDERER' off her house in over a year. Life is almost quiet again. Then her son, Craig, is released from prison, and she knows the quiet is going to be broken.

COULD BELIEVE HIM
Erica has always believed Craig was innocent - despite the lies she told for him years ago - but when he arrives home, she notices the changes in him. She doesn't recognise her son anymore.

COULD LIE FOR HIM
So, when another girl goes missing, she starts to question everything. But how can a mother turn her back on her son? And, if she won't, then how far will she go to protect him?

COULD BURY THE TRUTH

Only A Mother was published by Orion on 27th December 2018. You can purchase it from Waterstones, Amazon UK, Amazon US and other good bookshops.

My Review:

Oh gosh. I've been reading lots of books lately featuring parents and children of various ages. As the mother of two sons, I find I can often relate to the characters, dilemmas and heartache featured.

And this is one of these heart wrenching books - this one featuring Erica, and her son Craig.

Craig is being released from prison after serving seventeen years for the murder of a young woman. Erica is excited for his release, but apprehensive.  Her life whilst he's been away has been miserable, although she has never let on to Craig. Her friends have deserted her, and local people ignore or abuse her. Craig's friend Jason is one of the few people who treat her decently. Erica has always believed that Craig is innocent, although some of her actions had me questioning that.

We also meet Luke, a local reporter, who is covering Craig's release and talking to key people involved. Although he might be too nice to be a journalist - he seems to be quite a gentle person with a good heart.

The story is told mainly from the viewpoints of Erica and Luke, although a mystery narrator features too. Both Erica and Luke come across as very real, flawed people. Erica, particularly, is beautifully described, as is her difficult life. She's fair been through the wringer, and I really felt for her.

This isn't a particularly fast moving book, but it is tense, particularly when another girl goes missing, and Erica begins to question everything she believes in. I did figure out what was going on before the end, but it didn't particularly spoil my enjoyment, because this is a character driven story. Yes, there is action, but this is about people and relationships, and particularly a mother and her love for son. I really cared about Erica, and worried for her throughout the book, was really invested in her. And that happened because she, and the story, were so well written.

The Author:

Elisabeth Carpenter lives in Preston with her family. She completed a BA in English Literature and Language with the Open University in 2008.

Elisabeth was awarded a Northern Writers’ New Fiction award, and was longlisted for Yeovil Literary Prize (2015 and 2016) and the MsLexia Women’s Novel award (2015). She loves living in the north of England and sets most of her stories in the area, including the novel she is writing at the moment. She currently works as a book keeper.