What My Mother Hid: An addictive and gripping psychological thriller

by Daniel Hurst

Motherhood can be murder...Being a mother isn’t easy. But one woman has perfected it. Her name is Gianna and she’s nothing like me. She has it all. The lifestyle. The luxury. The big family portrait full of smiling, happy faces.

As I struggle to deal with life with my new baby, I look to Gianna for advice. While I’ve had one child, she’s had six, so she must know what she’s doing. That’s why I find a way to contact her. I want her to help me. I want us to get close. I want to know about how she was the perfect mother to all those children. But as with every family, all is not what it seems.

People have secrets. Parents have secrets.

I am just trying to do my best as a new mother. But I’m starting to realise that all mothers have something to hide. The problem is, me and my baby are in danger unless we find out what Gianna is hiding. Before it is too late…

A new page-turning psychological thriller from Daniel Hurst, the bestselling author of UK #1 The Doctor’s Wife, The Couple’s Revenge and My Neighbour’s Affair.

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Psychological Thriller

292 pages, Paperback

Published November 12, 2025

About the author

Daniel Hurst is an Amazon #1 bestselling author of fast paced psychological thrillers. His most popular titles include Til Death Do Us Part, The Passenger and The Doctor's Wife, the latter title reaching #1 on the Amazon UK Kindle store in February 2023. A regular KDP Select All Star since he became a full-time author in 2021, Daniel prides himself on writing fast, releasing stories often and engaging with his readers.

You can visit him at www.danielhurstbooks.com, where you can also download a copy of his FREE thriller 'Just One Second.'

Reviews

[Nina (ninjasbooks) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had a hard time believing in the plot, and I didn’t care much for the writing style either. A lot of repetition of the obvious and very basic style. Not for me.

[Melody McNamara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought the first part of the story was pretty good, with an interesting take on a familiar premise. But the twists toward the end, although surprising, seemed to come out of left field, and I had to suspend disbelief for the rest of the book. While the ending was action-packed, I felt that the dialogue was overly-dramatic and cliched, and the quality of the writing deteriorated, with some awkward phrasing and a few grammatical errors. Other readers enjoyed this one more than I did, but it was not my favorite of the author's books

[Sherri Thacker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great thriller with lots of twists and turns by Daniel Hurst. I just can’t wait for his next book!!!!

[Laura Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

WHAT MY MOTHER HID BY DANIEL HURST.
5 ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨s
I do love a good suprise book by Daniel Hurst.
I find myself always looking forward to a new book coming out and I get it immediately.
This one was brilliant and kept me on the edge of my seat throughout.
Bring on the next one ☺

[Pauline Torsney · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF. Repetitive and boring

[Abby Johnson · Rating 1 out of 5]

So incredibly boring

[Bradley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Daniel Hurst always writes quick, easy popcorn thrillers and this one is definitely more entertaining than his last release. The setup had me thinking this was going to land in the 3.5 to 4 star range. We start with two moms. Bronwyn is a brand new mother and Gianna is the old school mom influencer with six kids by twenty six, giving “Jon and Kate plus eight” but with a better reputation.

The opening is strong. Then suddenly Bronwyn is hopping on a plane with her newborn to meet Gianna in person because she is a fan and wants advice or vibes or something. Bronwyn, girl, you do not know this woman. Immediately the energy shifts because of course Gianna wants to kill her and take her baby. And the gag is she has done this before. She murdered her sixth child’s mother at a book signing. At that point I just had to laugh because it gets ridiculous fast and Hurst will always lean into the ridiculous and repetitive.

But the wildest part is Bronwyn suddenly screaming “You stole my great auntie’s baby Gianna. I am here to avenge.” I had to flip back and make sure I did not miss a chapter. Nope. Prior to this moment Bronwyn reads as a genuine fan, even in her private thoughts. No reason to pretend. It makes no sense and it is laughable.

Then Gianna burns the house down. Like ma’am, you have been covering your tracks for years. You are not going to get away with this one. Arson leaves evidence. A body leaves evidence. You are finished.

It probably sounds like I am dragging this book and revealing the big moments but honestly it was an okay read. Fast, silly, dramatic, and entertaining in a “roll your eyes but keep flipping pages” kind of way. I enjoyed the ride but it is not a favorite and not one I can really recommend.

[Terri Beckett · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had a great start but took a wrong turn toward the end.

[Jodie Devereaux · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't enjoy it, thought the storyline was very far fetched

[Emma Sandhu · Rating 5 out of 5]

You can count on Daniel Hurst for a good read, sometimes the language is slightly too clear and perhaps not how people speak. In any case, other than the intentions of the elder main character being made clear too soon (in my opinion), it was engaging and interesting to read.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favourite book by Daniel Hurst. It started out well but then became extremely far fetched and the ending was almost farcical.

[Elda · Rating 1 out of 5]

Totally predictable, repetitive and not a single likeable character 1.5 ⭐️

[Autumn Hanson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book started out so good but when the premise completely shifted it got lame real quick. There were several inconsistencies and some of was just so far fetched that it wasn't even remotely close to being interesting.

[Heather Flaherty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this amazing thriller with suspense, manipulation and murder to the huge twist ending that left me reeling. Bronwyn has just had a baby and wants a big family like her idol, Gianna, who had 6 kids before 26. She has watched and knows everything about this amazing mother and wants to be just like her. Bronwyn contacts Gianna and is surprised when she receives a reply back. Even more surprised when Gianna invites her and her baby to come stay for a few days. But things seem weird and not is what it seems. Gianna has a secret and Bronwyn is determined to figure it out, before it’s too late.

[Carol Drinkwater · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great read from this author probably one of his best but that's very hard to say.

it was a tense, dark in parts, psychological fast paced thriller with well described characters. It draws you into the storyline from the very first page and I couldn't believe what was happening.

It kept you involved in the storyline until the brilliant ending, who would have guessed? just so well executed, well done Daniel you never disappoint.

[Angela Bradfield · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this one because the premise had so much potential, but it fell flat for me. The story felt very predictable, and the twists were either obvious or not impactful enough to feel satisfying. The characters lacked depth, making it hard to connect emotionally or care about what happened to them.

While the writing was easy to follow and the book moved quickly, it relied too heavily on shock value rather than strong storytelling. Overall, it wasn’t terrible, but it didn’t live up to the hype and felt forgettable once finished.

[Ella · Rating 3 out of 5]

3✨ ????? this book was too much, too many plot twists, too confusing, hard to follow along lol. the only reason i’m giving it 3 starts is because i liked the premise of the plot but the actual story felt repetitive in the beginning and then like too busy in the end

[Lauren Elkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️

[Krista (Mrs K Book Reviews) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chaos, pure unadulterated chaos. Loads of twists and turns. A wild psychological thriller. Daniel knows how to write a thriller for sure

[Aaron Todd Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZThde6Dvx/

3.25

A very strong initial 70%. I enjoyed the prose and plot setup. The author catapults us into the stakes, which is always a fun way to begin a new book.

Where the author lost me is the last 30%. There’s one plot twist in particular that completely took me out of the story, unfortunately. I’m totally fine being left in the dark by an unreliable narrator… but it was a big miss, for me. Things escalated really quickly. We could have stood for 50-100 more pages to truly unravel what the author was aiming for.

I’d still definitely recommend this to anyone who is a fan of thrillers from the likes of McFadden.

Fast-paced, short, and twisty.

[Vicki Clark · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was ok for the first half - weird story but had my attention. Then why it all happened was confusing and lost me!

[Pheadra · Rating 3 out of 5]

This started off well as most of this author's books do. Sadly, this then went off kilter and beyond being clichéd, became implausible. I don't like having to suspend belief, so I'm in the minority of readers on this one, but it was just okay. 3 stars.

[Kristin Montague · Rating 1 out of 5]

I finished it, but it was less than great.

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four stars. I did really like this book, but I found that a lot of the plot was pretty predictable. Did have a few twists and turns that I did not expect.

The book starts off by introducing a woman named Bronwyn and her partner Clayton, who just had a baby girl. She followed a documentary and was obsessed with a woman named Gianna, who had six kids – three boys and three girls. Bronwyn also wants many kids. She wants to follow in Gianna’s footsteps. We then meet Gianna- her kids went far away from home as soon as they could, her husband left her, and we find that her life is built upon a throne of lies. I think she took a baby.

As the sleep deprived mother of a newborn child, Bronwyn has to call in reinforcements – her mother after Polly will not stop crying. At 60 years old, Gianna still keeps up with façade with her friends at the golf club that she is close with her family. Apparently she is a murderer.

Bronwyn struggles with Polly crying and not sleeping. She posts in a forum appraising Gianna. After googling herself, Gianna finds the post and sends Bronwyn a message. Clayton gets home from work and after all the crying from Polly and arguing with Bronwyn, he decides that they need to split up. Bronwyn and Gianna continue to write back and forth online and Gianna invites her and Polly to Scotland. We find out that she is likely going to take the baby and get rid of Bronwyn. She’s done it before.

Bronnie’s mom doesn’t want her going but she goes anyway. Gianna picks her up from the airport. Keeps being overly helpful with Polly. Keeps taking her out of the crib and holding her. Bronwyn goes to get a glass of water in the middle of the night and creeps down to the basement where she finds all of Gianna‘s kids old toys. Weird. Gianna also admits that her and Mike split up, but kept it a secret when they were being filmed for the documentary. Also, their youngest child is the only one who had blonde hair and when Bronwyn brings it up, Gianna is flustered for a short second.

Gianna’s youngest was blonde when first introduced to the public, but shortly ended up with black hair like the rest of her kids. Bronwyn notices that Gianna hasn’t talked to her kids the whole time she’s been there and she thinks she’s faking conversations with them. Gianna drugs Bronwyn and takes her baby.

Gianna did indeed steal a baby and kill a woman after her book signing many years ago.This was her youngest daughter. She came home and told her husband that he needed to accept this sixth child into their family or she would file a police report that he was abusive and an alcoholic.

Gianna lights the house on fire with Bronwyn in it. Bronwyn escapes. She sees a car driving and thinks it’s her saving grace. It is Gianna’s oldest son Edward. Bronwyn explains that Gianna stole a baby from her grandmother’s sister and killed her grandmother’s sister. This was her true intention of coming to Gianna’s to see if she could prove that she stole the baby. The sixth child and the stolen kid ended up killing herself when she was pretty young too because she never felt she fit in.

Gianna and Polly make it to a motel before being confronted by Bronwyn’s parents who followed her to Scotland and saw Gianna speeding by and tailed her. Gianna tells them that their daughter is dead. Gianna pulls a gun on Bronwyn’s parents. Bronwyn’s mom gets shot. Bronwyn crazily runs into the house that is on fire and out the back door. She is able to get a branch and hit Edward over the head with it, steal his car, and call 911 where she finds out that shots have been fired at a motel nearby. She goes there and finds her parents. Gianna is shot dead and her mom is bleeding but Polly is okay.

In the end, they find a fire safe lock box in the burnt rubble of Gianna’s house. It has her confessions as well as details as to where Bronwyn’s great aunt’s body was. They end up burying mother and daughter next to each other. Edward died from his injuries. Gianna died from hers. In the epilogue, we find out that Gianna was not killed in self-defense. She was about to turn herself in. Bronwyn’s mom shot her. Also, Clayton decides he wants to be a family and not lose Bronwyn or Polly.

[Trevor Garrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

What My Mother Hid is a quiet gut-punch of a book, the kind that leaves you staring at the wall long after you’ve turned the last page.
Daniel Hurst takes a premise that could have been melodramatic (a twelve-year-old boy discovers his mother has been hiding an entire other family for years) and treats it with such tenderness, restraint, and emotional truth that it absolutely broke me. Told in alternating chapters between “now” and the mother’s past, every secret is revealed at exactly the moment your heart can bear it, and then Hurst somehow manages to peel back one more devastating layer.
This isn’t a thriller built on cheap twists; it’s a deeply human story about love, shame, sacrifice, and the stories we tell ourselves to survive. The mother, Rachel, is one of the most complex, heartbreaking characters I’ve read in years. You’ll want to scream at her, hug her, and ultimately forgive her all at once. The son’s voice feels painfully authentic; his confusion, anger, and eventual understanding had me crying on the train more than once.
I finished it in two sittings because I physically couldn’t stop, and when I reached the final page I just sat there sobbing (quietly, because public transport). It’s beautiful, brutal, and hopeful in a way that feels earned. One of those rare books that’s both a page-turner and a soul-changer.
If you loved The Push or We Need to Talk About Kevin but wished they had more grace at their core, read this immediately. Daniel Hurst just skyrocketed to my auto-buy list. Masterpiece.

[Carrie Shields · Rating 4 out of 5]

𝑰𝒕 𝒘𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒃𝒆 𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒏𝒐𝒘. 𝑰𝒕 𝒘𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒃𝒆 𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒍 𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒂 𝒏𝒆𝒘 𝒃𝒂𝒃𝒚 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒆.

The latest from this author had him taking a different spin on the #TradWife craze that's been in so many thrillers this year. Bronwyn has dreamed of a large family her whole life, and she's just given birth to her first baby. She's distraught to find out how difficult just one baby is, especially since her idol, mom influencer Gianna has had six children before she was 26.

While she's perusing a message board for new moms, she makes contact with Gianna, whose children are all grown now. To her astonishment, the woman reaches out to her and offers her personalized help. The help is much more than just messaging back and forth--the woman has invited Bronwyn, along with her newborn, to her home. Soon after arriving, Bronwyn begins to see the loneliness behind the facade--the walls may be filled with photos of children, but the phone never rings, and there's never anyone at the door. Is this because Gianna's children are all grown now with families and obligations of their own, or is it because of something much more sinister?

This was a fun, twisty read that had me captivated, and that ending was so lever! Many thanks to the author for having me on his ARC team. This book is available now!

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pros: Gianna is crazy. Brownwyn is seemingly the same... but they're not the same. Their characters start off looking similar but by the end, are completely contrasted and I appreciated that.

I enjoyed the "mother's love" that this book holds. I'm a new one myself, so my stomach was in my throat at times for better and worse.

Cons: It's silly, but my brain is super literal sometimes. The timeline didn't make a ton of sense to me. If this was set in 2025, then 40 years ago was 1985. We didn't have the Internet back then to order things from, yet that is mentioned. It wouldn't even have stuck with me if not for the scene development on repeat of how the 90's had limited channels and things had to be watched when they aired versus being binged from streaming. Many of the details focused on the lack of technology advancement. I'm the type to "watch the movie in my head", so mashing details like that completely mixed everything up for me as I was trying to set the scenes in my brain.

Conclusion: If you're looking for a fast paced thriller that's fairly cut and dry alongside a crazy old lady and a mother who would do anything to protect her child, this is your read!

[Julie Bouchner · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story follows Bronwyn, a new mom who is overwhelmed and desperate to feel like she is doing something right. She has spent years admiring Gianna, a young mother of six who is treated like a parenting star. Bronwyn knows everything about her and dreams of having a big family just like hers. When she reaches out, she never expects Gianna to reply or invite her and her baby to stay for a few days. Once she arrives, it becomes clear that something is off. The perfect life Bronwyn idolized does not match what she finds, and Gianna is hiding something. Bronwyn becomes determined to uncover the truth before it puts her and her baby at risk.

Rating: 3.7 ⭐ Hurst is a great author if you want fast-paced books with quick chapters and plenty of twists. This wasn’t my favorite of his, BUT I still enjoyed the story, especially how quickly things shifted and how often new twists appeared. I also liked the use of different POVs. If you need a palette cleanser and want something twisty, this one is worth picking up along with his other books.

[Angel **Book Junkie** · Rating 2 out of 5]

I say this as a Daniel Hurst fan… What My Mother Hid just wasn’t it for me.

The premise hooked me at first. The opening had me locked in — intrigued, curious, ready for the twists. But that momentum only carried me about 25% of the way through before things started to feel… questionable.

And I have to ask — who is bold (or reckless?) enough to know something shady about someone and then use their child as a way to get closer to them? The logic just didn’t sit right with me. It felt more frustrating than thrilling.

Bronwyn, unfortunately, was a tough sell. I found her strange in a way that didn’t feel layered or complex — just disconnected. I really struggled to connect with her or root for her at all.

Now Gianna? Different story. Who doesn’t love a good villain? She at least brought some spark and edge to the story.

I wanted to love this one. I expected to love this one. But after such a strong start, the execution didn’t fully land for me. Still a Daniel Hurst fan — just not my favorite of his.

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to love this book… but it just didn’t hit.

The premise is strong: a new mum reaches out to Gianna, a woman who seems to have perfected motherhood. She has the lifestyle, the luxury, the picture-perfect family — everything the narrator feels she’s failing at. Naturally, she wants her advice. Naturally, things start to unravel.

It starts strong — tense, atmospheric, exactly what you expect from Daniel Hurst. But then it drifts. Some decisions just didn’t make sense, which made it frustrating rather than thrilling. I struggled to connect with the main character, which didn’t help.

Gianna, on the other hand, is fascinating. Dark, manipulative, full of spark — she’s easily the highlight. The twist at the very end was clever, but it came too late to save the slower middle. I didn’t feel compelled to keep reading, and I even picked up another book in between.

Daniel Hurst is still one of my favourite authors, and I’ll keep reading his books, but this one just wasn’t my favourite.

Rating: 3 stars — strong start, uneven execution.