How does a 5 year old child vanish under adult supervision during recess?
In addition, Gia the mother learns Nicole her missing child would've been a sister as she's now pregnant.
Why didn't anyone do more to help this family?
Detective Jo Fournier is on the case as her own nieces attend Briar Ridge Elementary School.
Sadly, Gia and Karen are now both suffering the painful grief and loss after the young girl's body was located.
It's now a case of who will be open and honest enough to tell the truth? Will anyone come forth in this bizarre situation of murder and mayhem?
An interesting read that probably should've been read in order as this is the fourth in the series and not having been acquainted with the past it was difficult to follow along.
Thank you to M.M. Chouinard, the pub, NetGalley, and Amazon Kindle for this ARC in exchange for this honest review.

The Other Mothers is the fourth instalment in the Detective Jo Fournier series, set in Harristown, New England. Detective Fournier is called back into work a day before the end of her fortnights enforced medical leave due to a serious incident at private tuition-funded Briar Ridge Elementary School in order to lead the investigation into a frankly horrifying and deeply worrying crime that will rock the community to its core. Five-year-old Nicole Marchand goes missing during recess despite being surrounded by other children and two adult monitors - third-grade teacher, Jim Karnegi, and parent volunteer, Karen Phelps - and everyone nearby is frantic. Once the Detectives arrive on the scene they are informed that kindergarten teacher Stephanie Roden had discovered her body laying near two dumpsters with a sky-blue puffer jacket covering her face and desperately tried to resuscitate her. Who could suffocate and discard an innocent little girl like trash? They begin conducting interviews first at the school and then the wider area, including looking at possible opportunists and local registered sex offenders. Karen Phelps, one of those watching out for the kids during that recess and a good friend of Nicole's mother, Gia, is interviewed, and although she gives all the "right" answers she seems shifty and nervous. Worryingly when her mother, Gia, is notified she doesn't seem all that phased by her daughter's suspicious death but she isn't the only one. Nicole's father, Anthony, refuses to take time off work to meet the Detectives to discuss the horrendous situation. 

It's blatantly obvious something isn't right within the family and within the parents' friend circle but the team are having a hard time deciding quite what they think is going on. Is this just the way they as people deal with loss and trauma as not everyone deals with tragedy in the same manner or does their strange lack of emotion point to serious underlying and deeply disturbing issues of some kind? Shortly after, there's a trip from Briar Ridge to the Ancient Egyptian Museum (AEM) located in downtown Wiltshire when fourth-grade teacher Layla Madani is killed. Fournier and Arnott are greeted by AEM curator Dr Neil Gamal who takes them to the crime scene. Leyla had apparently fallen off a pyramid modelled after those in Giza despite being given rigorous instructions and there being protective ropes and waist-high handrails all the way around to stop accidents. It appears someone is targeting those associated with Briar Ridge but why, and how are the two cases connected? This is a compulsive, enthralling and highly emotional procedural with a huge dollop of mystery and enough of both engaging personal plotlines, and getting to know more about Jo, alongside the crimes and thrilling investigations. The suspect pool is huge and the twists plentiful so you're never sure what is coming next and that makes for a riveting and thoroughly gripping read. There are so many secrets, lies, deceptions and pure malice to make this one of the most sinister, chilling and deeply disturbing thrillers I've read in a long time. Highly recommended.

This book was the fourth installment in this series but I read it as a stand alone and I didn't feel I missed out.

I really enjoyed this book. I don't usually like police procedural style books but this one was enjoyable.

I did find this a little slow paced, I found myself skimming parts of these but definitely the paced picked up towards the end.

I loved the plot twists and definitely did not seeing it coming. It's a favourite trope of mine and I would absolutely love a follow up book based on those at the centre of that twist.

I also loved the school yard setting and the dynamic between the parents. Although I generally don't like children as main characters, the author did a fantastic job of not letting the school setting over shadow the mystery of the story.

I gave this 4 stars and think so many other people would also really enjoy following Jo Fournier on her investigations.

Thank you to the author M.M. Chouinard, the publisher Bookouture and Netgalley for an eArc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first book by this author that I have read. I really enjoyed the main character and would probably read other books that feature her. I definitely did not expect the end. Quite a twist.

I’d like to thank Bookouture Books and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Other Mothers’ by M M Chouinard in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

At Briar Ridge Elementary School five-year-old Nicole Marchand is missing and when Detectives Jo Fournier and Bob Arnett start searching the school premises they find her body lying between two dumpsters.  The girl’s mother, Gia Marchand, doesn’t appear too troubled at her daughter’s death whereas the father, Anthony, doesn’t think it important enough to warrant taking time out of his busy schedule to meet the detectives.  Detectives Fournier and Arnett feel something isn’t right but find it difficult to decide what it is.

‘The Other Mothers’, the fourth in the Detective Jo Fournier series, is an addictive police thriller had me gripped from page one.  The plot was action-packed with lots of suspense, drama and intrigue, and a number of possible suspects any one of whom could have been involved.  There were twists and turns from start to finish that kept me changing my mind as to the identity of the killer.  Having previously read ‘Her Daughter’s Cry’, I’ve enjoyed reading more of Jo Fournier and Arnett working together and learning more about Jo’s private life has made a more rounded character.  This is an involving thriller that I found compulsive reading as I couldn’t stop reading until I’d found out the identity of the killer.  I can wholeheartedly recommend it and look forward to reading more by this author.

The Other Mothers is book four in the Detective Jo Fournier series. I must admit I have not read the previous three books in this series but was able to pick up book four without feeling lost or missing key details to immerse myself in the story. Crime thrillers are not my normal reading but the main character, Jo Fournier, sounded like a strong female character and that peaked my interest to read the novel. 

The story opens with Detective Fournier on medical leave from her detective duties in a small New England town. She is on medical leave because of being previously injured during a previous case. The detective was shot in the arm requiring surgery and physical therapy but that's not all. Detective Fournier also suffered a miscarriage from her injuries asking herself to question whether she should continue her career in police work at all. While on recovery she gets a phone call from her department about a homicide case that the reader finds out is near and dear to her heart. A kindergartner at a school her nieces attend was found strangled on the school grounds in the middle of the school day. The detective must put her personal feelings and losses aside to try and find out what happened to this little girl and help put her family, as well as other families within the school at ease by trying to find the little girl's killer before he or she tries to strike again. 

What Detective Fournier and her partner discover however is a town that is full of secrets and families that put up false facades in order to appear well put together to others around them. What appears at first glance to be a simple cut and dry, easily solvable case soon turns into a journey down a rabbit hole with so many twist and turns along the way by the end the reader is in complete suspense as to who could possibly be responsible. The mystery of who the killer is in the end is a complete shocker. 

I greatly enjoyed The Other Mothers. It was an absolute page turner I could not put down.  This is not a genre that I normally gravitate towards but I found the book highly enjoyable. The twist and turns and the many secrets that all the characters held was deeply interesting. I am reminded after reading this novel that people are like books we cannot judge them by their outward appearances and even though they may appear well put together and have a story book looking life, no one really knows what goes on behind closed doors.

At Briar Ridge school, a five year old girl doesn’t return from recess. Her lifeless body is found next to a dumpster. Detective Jo Fournier is summoned back from a required two week leave to lead the investigation even though she has a personal connection to the crime. Her two nieces are students at the school.

Interviews are first on Jo’s agenda. She expects to find a grieving mother but young Nicole’s mother Gia, surrounded by her friends Molly and Karen, is strangely cold. And her husband is nowhere to be found and seems to be deliberately avoiding the police. Since Jo believes the killing was not random, she looks into the background of Gia’s friends and the teachers and staff at the school. Then there are other violent acts linked to Briar Ridge and a shocking act that will threaten Jo’s family and lead her to an unexpected killer.

The Other Mothers is the fourth in a series featuring Detective Jo Fournier but it reads like a standalone thriller. And thriller it is. The conclusion is a total surprise! 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and M.M. Chouinard for this ARC.

FANTASTIC police procedural involving the investigation (by lead detective Jo) of the murder of a little 5 year old girl.  Well written, with interesting characters, an unusual plot immersed in lots of suspicion & suspense. First time reading this author but will have to backtrack to catch up on 1-3 in this series. Enjoyed immensely & RECOMMEND highly.  Thanks to NetGalley & Bookouture for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A spine-chilling suspense thriller; the climax in this one totally blew me away. 

When a 5yr old girl is found dead at a local elementary school, Det. Jo Fournier is called back a day early from her leave to take charge of the case. Having just recently suffered a miscarriage and with her nieces attending the same school, Jo's emotions are all over the place. But with bodies dropping all around, Jo and her team must work fast to apprehend a cold-blooded murderer before her loved ones are put into danger. 

This was a fast-paced and intriguing thriller that I finished in a couple of hours. With a crisp writing style, the author has managed to pack in suspense, emotions and camaraderie in what is essentially a cop procedural. I, especially loved the ending. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined who the killer could have been. 

This was such an enjoyable plot that I feel I have missed out by not reading the other Jo Fournier books. Going to change that right away. 

A big thank you to Bookouture and Netgalley for providing a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wow. Brilliant story. I would never have guessed the ending. The whole story is really well put together and full of suspense and twists and turns.

Thank you to NetGalley for my copy.

Wow! What a book. I love this series and I think this is my favourite book so far. 
Detective Jo Fournier is due back from leave but returns a day early as a five year old girl’s body has been found and it looks like she’s been murdered. 
What’s even more shocking is it happened on school premises, so Jo and Arnett have a real puzzle on their hands. 
Suspicions are aimed at teachers and parents as cameras didn’t pick up any other people entering the school but could it really be someone who knew her?
Another body is soon found and again the murder is linked to the school as it happened on a school trip to the local museum. This time it’s a teacher who has lost their life. 
Jo is struggling with some things from her past and tries her best not to let it influence the investigation but at times she finds it hard. 
When the killer targets someone close to Jo she knows she’ll do anything to save them and has to dig deep to overcome her past, to save a life. 
This is a great read as one minute you think you’ve worked it out, then something else happens to make you question it. 
A brilliant addition to this great series. 
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

This was a compelling mystery. There was plenty of twists and turns to keep me guessing. I also loved the characters and found them interesting and realistic.

This is the 4th in the series but it stands alone. A child is murdered at school and the parents act suspiciously. Dive into suburban drama as the mystery unfolds. I guessed at 75% in. This book allows our detective to be growing through therapy which I appreciate rather than authors who let their detectives keep doing stupid things. Jo is still insecure but she is learning.

Solid police procedural
I was given a copy by Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

The Other Mothers by M.M. Chouinard is the 4th book of a series featuring Detective Jo Fournier. I haven't read the previous three books but that wasn't a problem. This story was dark and twisty and kept my attention until the end. I didn't want to put it down and I didn't want it to finish. I will definitely be reading the previous three books featuring this character. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for my ARC.

This is book four in the Jo Fournier series but can easily be read as a stand alone. The series just keeps improving and I was drawn in from the beginning with this book. A child's body is found in the school playground and Jo is shocked by the horror of the complex case. It's a chilling and gripping psychological read, with plenty of suspense and a killer twist of an ending. I would recommend this series to lovers of the genre. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

Looking for a perfect blend of psychological thriller and police procedural?  This is it.  Enthralling ,exciting and unexpectedly deep novel is the fourth in a series but is perfectly fine as a stand alone read.  We reconnect with detective Jo Fournier, coming back from an emotionally tragic  personal leave, thrust into a disturbing murder investigation of a young child in a school playground.  We have a cast of characters to choose our suspect from, and our choices change with the chapters as we loose ourselves in this beautifully and carefully structured novel.  The group of mothers swirling around are all suspects and Jo has to dig deep to control her newly emerging emotions in this twisty and so satisfying outing.

Less than two weeks after dealing with her own tragic loss, Jo finds herself thrown right back into the mix when dealing with the murder of a young girl. The young girl happens to go to the same school as Jo’s nieces. And if that isn’t stressful enough, little Nicole’s death is just the first to happen at this school.

With many different suspects to consider, you can’t help but consider all the possibilities. But as the death total rises, it becomes clear that there is only one reason why this is happening. Someone is trying to cover their tracks and they won’t let anyone stand in their way.

This story had me hooked from the first word and completely shocked by the end. I personally can’t wait to see what happens next for Jo, her family and her team.

A young child is killed on her school's playground surrounded by children and two adult monitors.  How does that happen?
Jo returns a day early from her short leave of absence- dealing with her past loves and their sudden, violent deaths as well as a miscarriage.  
Jo and her partner,  Arnett are at a total loss - after scouring video tape, key card access, albis, etc, they have nothing. 
Just three close women- Karen, Gia, and Molly. Jo just needs to figure out who is lying and why.  
Great suspense.  Little long but moved quickly.

When five year old Nicole is found murdered at school Detective Jo Fournier is called back from her leave to investigate. Nicole’s mother, Gia, is detached and cold and her two best friends, Molly and Karen are trying to support her but it seems they all have their secrets. 
This is another fantastic book in this series and there was a few lines that I found really chilling! Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

I very much enjoyed this excellent police procedural focusing on the disappearance and murder of a school girl. The unspeakable tragedy was the center of this story, along with the quest for the truth.