All For Mother

by K. Moore

A domestic life thriller that takes you on a turbulent ride through the depths of the human psyche.


I don’t know what to say except I’m in crisis. I’m mad and I’m angry. I feel trapped. I wish I could erase the person that I am …

After the death of the family patriarch, Ash heads home to help take care of mother. Days and weeks pass; a temporary arrangement turns into an inescapable reality where Ash’s life shrivels to dust.

Nothing ever prepares you for the role reversal where the child becomes the parent.

Aging is the cruelest of jokes. Death comes for us all.

Genres: Thriller

167 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 26, 2020

About the author

K. Moore lives on the Sunshine Coast, Australia and can be found often wandering its foreshore and beaches with her Karelian bear dog named Hathor. She’s an avid reader, hiker, and CrossFit enthusiast. If you manage to locate a decent bottle of gin and a chair at the bar, she might be convinced to regale you with tales of her global travels. Without the gin, you’ll have to find the evidence within the pages of her stories and poetry.


Find K. Moore online at:

www.AuthorKMoore.com

www.facebook.com/AuthorKMoore

Instagram and Twitter: @runs2ny


Keep up-to-date and sign up for K. Moore’s newsletter:

http://bit.ly/KMooreNL



Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Anna Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a well-written book with interesting but hard to like characters. Ash and Mother are always at odds, with Ash struggling to please Mother and her complicated persona. There were times when I almost gave up on this book because the hard slog of caring for Mother made it a painful read.

Don't get me wrong Ash's character development was done very well and draws the reader's sympathy but it is excruciatingly slow for the first half of the book and only picked up the pace later on. I was determined to give this book three stars but the twist although somewhat predictable also gave me a big jolt at the shocking reveal of who Ash really is; some details were cleverly omitted by the author and I must applaud her for this. Hence the reason why I am giving this four stars.

Is this book worth the read? I would say it is worth reading if only for the last quarter of the book that will surely make you think, "How the heck did I miss that?" (I received a copy of the arc in exchange for an honest review)

[Fleur · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked how you knew something had gone down within the family earlier in Ash's life but you didn't know what and it was overshadowing everything Ash does and appeared the family are always judging Ash as well. You feel the tension and almost desperation rising in Ash in regard to dear mother, along with Ash's attraction to Joel and while you get Ash feels that there is an obligation to look after mother I really just want to shake Ash and yell "leave, just leave and live your life". Yes this is a slow burn but when it comes to head boy are you turning the page and dropping the jaw at the twist and outcome of Ash reaching tipping point. I can not wait to read more from this author as she weaves a fantastic story that has you needing to know more about the characters you are reading about and what will happen to them.

[Charli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here is the thing I'm being completely honest here, im not a psychological/ domestic thriller reader. I love legal thrillers but that's about the extent of my thriller reading. So when I started this I had mediocre expectations I wasn't expecting to like it.
BUT I did. All For Mother is a very relatable experience of looking after an elderly relative. I could easily put myself in the shoes of the main character Ash and this is where the good writing comes in. The story flowed rather slowly at first but built to a final crescendo with a Stephen King type ending.
It's got the ending where you sit back and say f**k a lot!
For the ending alone I give this a 5⭐ but overall a 4 star read.

5 ***** Beyond the Pages Charli xx

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was given an ARC copy in return for my honest review.

Although written well, I had a hard time with the majority of this book. It was slower than I had expected. I will say it had its twists and turns and it was definatley unlike anything I have ever read. The saving grace for me with this book is the ending chapter. There are no words for how amazed and completely thrown I was in those last moments. I do recommend this book to anyone who enjoys psychological thrillers. It was written well and maybe this just wasn't the genre I needed at the time.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

'All for Mother' is a slow build psychological thriller that will keep the candle burning well into the morning light. 5 stars!

[Victoria Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Twists & turns I never saw coming...

K. Moore’s second novel is a domestic thriller that will keep you guessing until the very last page. It’s a constant guessing game, who is the evil one here? Just when you think you know...

You realize you have no idea.

I read an ARC of All for Mother, it was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

[Mo · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.2 for the portion dealing with a very specific type of family dynamic and dysfunction. I wasn’t reading this as a psych thriller, so how the book completely turned at the end was disappointing. It didn’t need all that extra shock and awe.

The prodigal child coming home while at a crossroads in life and being gently and intentionally compelled into being a full time unpaid caregiver was the main event for me. The revelation at the very end didn’t negate any of the current dysfunction IMO. Also, the faux courtship/romance was not needed for this particular book. It’s something I would expect a screenwriter to insist adding to make the story more sellable.

At any rate, great writer, great insight, organic dialogue for this type of familial dysfunctional situation. Yes, I’ll read the author again.

🤨🤪

[Leila · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was beyond excited to receive an early copy of All for Mother by K. Moore. This is a compelling novel and I was enthralled until the very last page. The subject matter is raw, real and emotional. With amazing plot twists I did not see coming.
And I wonder will you love or hate mother? A fantastic domestic thriller which will have you captivated throughout.

[Kayla (kaylareads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Woah. So prepare yourself for a slow burn with this one. But the twist oh god..
Usually if a book doesn’t have me fully hooked by 30% in then I well and truly sack it off but something kept me going with this one despite not feeling it until about 60% of the way in. It felt a lot like all domestic and no thriller to be honest. But I really liked how the author wrote, everything had an air or secrecy and utter despair. I felt like I could smell the staleness of the house and felt the same trapped feeling ash felt. So big points for how well wrote it was.
As I approached the final chapters they started getting shorter and more thrilling, I felt this kept me hanging on to every last bit and I lapped up those last 40 pages.
So if you can cope with a very slow burn it’s well worth it for the twist I didn’t see coming a mile off.

[Cathylynn]

I do not think that I have read anything that suprised me like this with such a twist in a while. I love the story and the characters, the way K. Moore told this story was just amazing. I was in the edge of my seat, this is one of those stories that just plays out in its own time. It is a fantastic read and hit home with me with the elderly parent to watch after. Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Billie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a brilliant read.
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable.
Great suspense and action with wonderful world building.
Can't wait to read what the author brings out next.
Recommend reading.

I read a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some unexpected twists and turns in this plot that is a delightful read. A lot of emotion and hard hitting at times due to the subject matter. My first time reading this author and I am so pleased that I gave this book a chance, well worth the read.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[VMChick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so lucky to get an early copy of the latest novel by K. Moore. This book is a compelling read, with amazing plot twists that keep you guessing until the end. The subject matter is hard, gritty, and very topical. The real question is will you love or hate mother?

[Sophie Ruthven · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a fast paced reader that will keep you guessing after the last page.
Although I struggled with the characters at times and the significance of the plot doesn't make sense to the end, I still found myself madly turning pages to try make sense of what was going on.
Reccomend for those looking to be confused by a read when short on time.

[Kat M · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was a great thriller novel, it had a great storyline and worked well in the story. The characters did a great job in acting realistic and worked out. I enjoyed the way K. Moore wrote this.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Totally wasn't expecting things to go the way they did. I thought for sure I knew what would happen, but I was way off. Also, the ending is WHOA. Unexpected.

[Carol Deegan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was disappointed in this book. The first 75% of the book was boring and tedious, and I skipped over a lot of the narrative. The ending was a shock, and somewhat redeemed the book. I received a free ARC of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The patriarch of the family has died and Ash returns home for the funeral. Bereft, Mother needs help adjusting to life at home without Father. Hoping to repair their relationship, Ash volunteers to stay and assist.

Unfortunately, an injury causes Mother to need a full-time caregiver. Ash is recruited to provide long-term aid. As Mother becomes needier and dementia begins to show, life for Ash becomes more difficult.

A role reversal of Mother and child is the backbone of this novel. What it means to be an adult caregiver for your parent and the struggles it encompasses are laid bare. Will Ash and Mother be able to repair their relationship or be driven further apart?

[Nancy Hayes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of sympathy for Ash as the story unfolds, the issue of roles reversed with child now taking care of parent. Ash has issues within the family & has been estranged for many years until the death of Ash’s father, Ash hopes to reconnect with mom since the break was due to not seeing eye to eye with dad. Ash stays with mom to assist her after breaking her foot, it’s a good thing for Ash as well with no job currently.
A big twist puts new light on the entire story. All the conceptions of Ash that the reader has throughout the book is dashed away! Great read! Totally unprepared for the ending!

[Dianne McMahan · Rating 4 out of 5]

What Surely Is Isn't

This book is full of surprises,because what you think is, isn't.
This is a book about a child taking care of their mother who has become ill.

They meet at the funeral of the father.
Even though they,themselves had been out of the family for two decades,Ash agrees to stay with the mother.
They do not get along,even though this circumstance,pretty much requires it.

If your an older person,you will find yourself taking sides with the antagonist, sorry for the other side as well.
This isn't a place any of us wants to be in,but death finds us all.
Interesting, would recommend.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Powerful. it reminded me of frustration I experience using computer/love-need but always problem and more problems and some I am sure are not my ignorance but what can I do no what will I do it is frightening to think about. Having once been a nurse aide made me sympathetic. The ending was unexpected. perhaps brilliant perhaps not but the surprise was a necessary changeup to turn the realism into a magical fiction that transcended the mire we were inevitably traveling toward.

[A.D. McCammon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished doing a beta read on this one. If you love psychological thrillers, you should definitely check out All For Mother.

K. Moore’s writing is incredible. She truly knows how to pull you into a story. I felt everything Ash was feeling while reading.

And that ending. Wow. The twist you never saw coming is what makes a great thriller, and K. Moore nailed it.

[Amelia.S · Rating 5 out of 5]

All For Mother by K. Moore is a haunting and deeply intimate portrayal of love, loss, and the quiet unraveling that comes with caretaking. Through Ash’s raw and unfiltered perspective, Moore captures the claustrophobic tension of duty colliding with identity a child trapped between devotion and despair.

What makes this novel unforgettable is its honesty. Moore doesn’t flinch from the uncomfortable truths of family obligation or the emotional decay that often hides behind phrases like “taking care.” Every page pulses with aching realism, as Ash confronts the suffocating weight of aging, grief, and guilt.

With lyrical prose and sharp psychological insight, All For Mother transcends the boundaries of domestic fiction. It’s a story of what we owe the people who made us and what we lose when we give too much of ourselves in return.

A quiet masterpiece for readers who crave emotional depth, vulnerability, and the stark beauty of human endurance.

[Shannon O'Connor · Rating 3 out of 5]

***I was given an ARC in exchange for an honest review.***

I have to say this book was not for me. It was very slow paced in the beginning and it felt like i was reading the same chapter over and over. I wanted to like it, I hoped I would but I almost gave up on this book so many times. I was very disappointed in how slow it was. It took up until halfway through the book to get interested. And then every time I thought it was going somewhere the pace would drop. But then towards the end it picks up. You start to question everything you know about the characters and every theory is wronged. There were so many twists and turns and surprises it even surprised me. It kind of made up for how slow the beginning was.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Did Not Get It . . .

Just so depressing and unlikable characters. I just did not understand, was the mother really that sick or was she playing with her son, Ash? I usually try not to insult an author but this book should not of been published.

[Gwen · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a caregiver for a family member I found this book hard to read.

[Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

This wasn’t for me ... I found it a bit slow and difficult to get into. I’ll admit, the ending was quite a surprise. I wish the rest of the book would’ve have a bit more momentum.