With STONE MOTHERS, Erin Kelly delivers yet another pacey, keep-you-guessing thriller. But this time, the most enjoyable twist of all is that this fine novel is also a poignant social commentary about how quickly roles and opportunities for women have changed in the past fifty years in Britain.

Among the things I loved most were the depth, range and nuance of the characterisation. Helen, in particular, is someone I have found my thoughts returning to again in the few days since I finished STONE MOTHERS. Secondly, the settings are second to none. The ruins of the crumbling ruins of Nazareth hospital are rendered with such atmosphere it is hard to imagine the novel wasn’t actually written there. Everything is so alive and visual that it almost feels like I’ve already seen the – surely inevitable? – boxed set of this story. But, to me, the most satisfying thing about STONE MOTHERS is the way Erin Kelly is continually reminding us of the impossibility of really knowing what is ever going on in anyone else’s head. Through clever shifts in POV, she shows us that there are countless sides to any story and then leaves us to make up our own minds.

I recommend this wholeheartedly to anyone who likes Barbara Vine and/or Sabine Durrant.

With thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for letting me see an advance copy of STONE MOTHERS in exchange for a fair review.

Secrets have a habit of catching up with you and this book has a clever plot that explores this.
Full of unpredictable twists and unexpected events means this book has you hooked.

Thank you to both NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton for my eARC of this in exchange for my honest unbiased review.
Yet another fantastic book from Erin Kelly- full of darkness, secrets, twists and turns.
In true Erin Kelly style there are strong characters and fantastic plot.
You will be totally engaged from the first page.

"Marianne was never supposed to return to town, the town where she grew up in the shadow of the Nazareth Mental Hospital. Her mother may be suffering from dementia nearby, but she had thought she'd left that place, and its dark secrets, behind her. That is, until her husband buys a flat in its newly renovated interior so that she can be close enough to help her mother, and Marianne can't tell him why the place fills her with such dread, she can't risk destroying the careful life she's built. Erin Kelly, the master of suspense, will delight fans with her next thrilling novel of psychological suspense."

The book is told with flashbacks and different characters perspectives, it shows how people's views can be totally different and often misled. It leads you to learn about the characters and not to take people on face value. I enjoyed the twists and the turns throughout the book as they kept me on my toes. The ending was nothing like i thought it as going to be and took me completely by surprise. I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend, easy 4 stars!

Dark & twisted absolutely loved it just like I did he said she said.. thanks for the preview would recommend this to anyone a must read.

I am a recent convert to Erin Kelly, having read and loved He Said/She Said last year. Stone Mothers is bound to be another hit.

Surprisingly for this author I just couldn’t not get into the pace of this title and ended up with the book unfinished half way through. The book jumps from present day back to the past which in this case can be confusing. There is also no real sense of urgency in the writing. I’ve read a number of other titles from the author which have been better. Thank you for the chance to read it though.

A psychological suspense with an old Victorian mental asylum at the heart of the story, some tragically wonderful characters and some brilliant plot twist will have you gripped start to finish!

Having heard only good things about this author I jumped right into this book with the hopes of it dragging me out of my reading slump and it most certainly did that!! Moving back through time it follows the lives of the two main protagonist’s, their connections to the asylum and ultimately their connections to each other than bringing the story full circle back to their present day lives.

For me personally, part 3 stole the show! Set inside the asylum with its in-depth details of the living conditions, treatments and levels of care given to the patients was a fascinating glimpse into how these institutions were run and the sheer lack of rights for the people committed into their walls. It also gives another layer to Helen’s character making her if not more likeable, but more human maybe?

Both Marianne and Helen are strong female lead characters and preconceptions of them keep shifting as the story marches forward revealing some unexpected plot twists and layers to an already twisted story.

This is going to be as big, if not bigger than He said/She said and will be one to watch for in 2019!

A must read for fans of Paula Hawkins and C.L. Taylor, I honestly do highly recommend this book to pretty much everyone!

This is quite a dark and twister read, the secrets of the characters revealed slowly. It's an atmospheric read moving back and forwards in time. I enjoyed it but found it quite a long involved read.

An old mental hospital whose ghosts still linger years after the doors have closed. And one woman who grew up in the shadow of the hospital, who now lives in the renovated flats there, thanks to her husband. She wants to be close to her mother who is ill, but she never expected to be inside these walls or back in this town.

This is not a ghost story but there are plenty of them floating about in the walls and in the minds of the characters. An old mental hospital comes with its associated faint screams, moans and tragic stories anyway, so to live in renovated flats there, from someone who feels the ghosts of the past anyway..

The novel was one of foreboding and dread throughout and it made for a compelling read. It's a novel which builds and builds and creeps up on you making you feel really uneasy and unsettled. I read this over Halloween and during the dark nights and boy did that ramp things up!

What was particularly gripping - apart from the plot and the characters of course - was the level of insight and information about the way mental hospitals used to work and how mental health was viewed years ago. Quite recently when you think about it, and that is scary in itself.

There were lots of Erin Kelly moments - one where you want to high five the woman for writing. And little snippets of information such as why we use the phrase 'She's going round the bend" to suggest madness, and why Stone Mothers is the clever title it is.

There'There's not really any locations in TheBookTrail sense although the fictional mental hospital is more than enough to make you feel immersed in this place.

I was pleased to be given an ARC of this book as I am a massive Erin Kelly fan and I wasn't disappointed.

I can't pinpoint just what makes her books so good because she does everything well - plot paced just right, engaging characters, interesting back stories and context to them.

Recommend this whole heartedly!