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The Good Mother
She's protected them from the truth. Can she save them from her past?
Sarah Calhoun is a regular Sydney soccer mum, but she's keeping terrifying secrets from everyone she loves . . . and her past is about to catch up with her.
When two men from Northern Ireland hunt her down, she's forced to return to Belfast to testify at a murder trial. Caught in the crossfire of an obsessive policeman, driven by a disturbing past, and a brutal IRA executioner, Sarah faces an impossible choice: lie and allow a killer to run free, or tell the truth and place her children in the line of fire.
With her family and innocent people at risk, Sarah must find the courage to fight for the truth. But righting the wrongs of the past just might cost her everything . . .
This taut, plot-fuelled thriller will keep you on the edge of your seat to its gripping finale.
'Show me a soldier who would fight harder than a mother to save her son.'
Sarah Calhoun is a regular Sydney soccer mum, but she's keeping terrifying secrets from everyone she loves . . . and her past is about to catch up with her.
When two men from Northern Ireland hunt her down, she's forced to return to Belfast to testify at a murder trial. Caught in the crossfire of an obsessive policeman, driven by a disturbing past, and a brutal IRA executioner, Sarah faces an impossible choice: lie and allow a killer to run free, or tell the truth and place her children in the line of fire.
With her family and innocent people at risk, Sarah must find the courage to fight for the truth. But righting the wrongs of the past just might cost her everything . . .
This taut, plot-fuelled thriller will keep you on the edge of your seat to its gripping finale.
'Show me a soldier who would fight harder than a mother to save her son.'
368 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 1, 2022
45 people are currently reading
602 people want to read
About the author
Rae Cairns
2 books81 followersRae Cairns is a former youth worker, actor and singer who has turned to a life of crime…writing. She is fascinated with how ordinary people manage when faced with extraordinary circumstances so she writes crime with heart; thriller and suspense novels that explore the lengths everyday characters will go to when all they love is put at risk.
Her debut novel, The Good Mother, was shortlisted for BEST DEBUT CRIME FICTION in the 2021 NED KELLY AWARDS. It draws on her background as a youth worker mentoring disadvantaged youth, many of them children of the paramilitaries, in Northern Ireland during the final years of the Troubles.
Rae has also co-managed a crisis refuge for street children, worked as Program Director for the Sydney Olympic Youth Camp, holds a degree in Performing Arts and has done stints as an actor, dancer and singer in her travels around the globe.
When she’s not playing around with the lives of her imaginary characters she loves to read, hike, travel, go to the beach, sing, and laugh with family. You will never find her ironing (not enough patience) or gardening (the plants are very happy about this). Rae lives in Sydney, Australia with her pilot husband, two children and her dog, Alfie, who snores at her feet when she writes.
Her debut novel, The Good Mother, was shortlisted for BEST DEBUT CRIME FICTION in the 2021 NED KELLY AWARDS. It draws on her background as a youth worker mentoring disadvantaged youth, many of them children of the paramilitaries, in Northern Ireland during the final years of the Troubles.
Rae has also co-managed a crisis refuge for street children, worked as Program Director for the Sydney Olympic Youth Camp, holds a degree in Performing Arts and has done stints as an actor, dancer and singer in her travels around the globe.
When she’s not playing around with the lives of her imaginary characters she loves to read, hike, travel, go to the beach, sing, and laugh with family. You will never find her ironing (not enough patience) or gardening (the plants are very happy about this). Rae lives in Sydney, Australia with her pilot husband, two children and her dog, Alfie, who snores at her feet when she writes.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 157 reviews
June 16, 2024
I have had this one on my TBR pile for quite some time now and I am glad that I finally picked it up, fast paced filled with danger, strong characters good and bad, we meet mother Sarah Calhoun happily living in Sydney with her three children, when her son Riley gets picked to go to Ireland for a soccer camp Sarah is conflicted about what to do, she has so many memories from her time years before in Ireland, should she let him go?
Riley leaves for Ireland and Sarah is confronted by two Irish men, one good, one bad and every memory from those dark days returns when her family is threatened Sarah does what she must to save her children as only a good mother would. She gets on a plane and soon life is filled with danger, and so many people but who does she trust?
I did very much enjoy this one even though to be honest there were times I could have yelled at Sarah, but she could not give up with so many people in danger she had to keep fighting for justice but will she get there alive, will her family be safe and will Sarah finally leave the past behind.
I do highly recommend this one to any reader who loves a good political thriller, they were dark days in Ireland.
Riley leaves for Ireland and Sarah is confronted by two Irish men, one good, one bad and every memory from those dark days returns when her family is threatened Sarah does what she must to save her children as only a good mother would. She gets on a plane and soon life is filled with danger, and so many people but who does she trust?
I did very much enjoy this one even though to be honest there were times I could have yelled at Sarah, but she could not give up with so many people in danger she had to keep fighting for justice but will she get there alive, will her family be safe and will Sarah finally leave the past behind.
I do highly recommend this one to any reader who loves a good political thriller, they were dark days in Ireland.
November 12, 2021
A new Aussie first time author Rae Cairns’s The Good Mother is a thriller mystery. Soccer mum, Sarah Calhoun has a secret that her family is unaware of. When her sixteen-year-old son Riley is invited to a soccer training camp in Belfast, the past and present collide, bringing inherent danger. Two Northern Ireland men, an obsessive Irish policeman and a brutal IRA executioner, set demands on Sarah that places her family at grave risk. The tension and action steadily build until the climatic finale. Whilst the narrative could have used a more descriptive vista, it was an enjoyable tale nonetheless, with a three-star read rating.
July 24, 2022
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Shortlisted for the Ned Kelly Award best debut crime release, The Good Mother by Rae Cairns is a strong suspense and tension filled tale from a new writer on the publishing scene. With themes of protection, the past, danger, secrets, risk, murder, justice and motherhood at the heart of this story, Rae Cairns has penned a fantastic debut novel.
The Good Mother closely follows an ordinary Sydney based mother who is trying put her horrific past in Ireland behind her. Sarah Calhoun is determined not to let the past catch up with her as she works to protect her family. But when some dangerous men from Northern Ireland come and find her, Sarah knows that she has no choice but to testify in a trial in Belfast. In Belfast Sarah encounters great danger, from both the authorities and the IRA. With questions of truth, lies and the past all coming into play, Sarah must battle to save her family from harm. In exposing the truth Sarah is taking an almost impossible risk, will she rectify the wrong deeds of the past?
2022 has been a fruitful year so far for debut authors in the contemporary fiction and crime genre. I have been introduced to some very talented and original new voices in the crime suspense genre this year and Rae Cairns is one great example of a fantastic debut author. Urgent, compelling and gripping, The Good Mother proved to be an excellent read from start to finish.
What I valued the most about The Good Mother was the deeply situational insight into life in Northern Ireland and how it has impacted people today. I have to admit to possessing very little knowledge about The Troubles conflict which lasted for over three decades. This tumultuous era was integrated well within the context of The Good Mother. The narrative was engrossing but also quite educative, making me aware of a part of the world and a struggle that had a strong bearing on so many. The heartache, pain and strain of this time is expressed well by Cairns. I also appreciated how the past and present managed to collide in the storyline, culminating in a tough line of truth and lies via the lead character’s journey.
Along with a rich sense of place and time, characterisation is a strong point in The Good Mother. Sarah is a realistic and credible protagonist. I was able to connect with this lead from the start to the close of The Good Mother. With Sarah’s feelings, movements and decisions fully exposed, Cairns has crafted a lead that we sympathise with greatly. I completely understood Sarah’s motivations and sense of protection for her family, but I knew she had to expose the truth, which is a dangerous option in this story. The crime, suspense and mystery elements are extended well in this novel, with the atmosphere remaining tight for the duration. With a fast pace and plenty of twisty moments, The Good Mother travels swiftly to a thrilling end game.
If you are tempted to pick up The Good Mother, don’t forget to check out the enlightening author’s note and make sure you visit Rae Cairns on the web, she has some fantastic links on The Troubles in Northern Ireland. A fascinating debut!
*Thanks extended to HarperCollins Books Australia for providing a free copy of this book for review purposes.
Shortlisted for the Ned Kelly Award best debut crime release, The Good Mother by Rae Cairns is a strong suspense and tension filled tale from a new writer on the publishing scene. With themes of protection, the past, danger, secrets, risk, murder, justice and motherhood at the heart of this story, Rae Cairns has penned a fantastic debut novel.
The Good Mother closely follows an ordinary Sydney based mother who is trying put her horrific past in Ireland behind her. Sarah Calhoun is determined not to let the past catch up with her as she works to protect her family. But when some dangerous men from Northern Ireland come and find her, Sarah knows that she has no choice but to testify in a trial in Belfast. In Belfast Sarah encounters great danger, from both the authorities and the IRA. With questions of truth, lies and the past all coming into play, Sarah must battle to save her family from harm. In exposing the truth Sarah is taking an almost impossible risk, will she rectify the wrong deeds of the past?
2022 has been a fruitful year so far for debut authors in the contemporary fiction and crime genre. I have been introduced to some very talented and original new voices in the crime suspense genre this year and Rae Cairns is one great example of a fantastic debut author. Urgent, compelling and gripping, The Good Mother proved to be an excellent read from start to finish.
What I valued the most about The Good Mother was the deeply situational insight into life in Northern Ireland and how it has impacted people today. I have to admit to possessing very little knowledge about The Troubles conflict which lasted for over three decades. This tumultuous era was integrated well within the context of The Good Mother. The narrative was engrossing but also quite educative, making me aware of a part of the world and a struggle that had a strong bearing on so many. The heartache, pain and strain of this time is expressed well by Cairns. I also appreciated how the past and present managed to collide in the storyline, culminating in a tough line of truth and lies via the lead character’s journey.
Along with a rich sense of place and time, characterisation is a strong point in The Good Mother. Sarah is a realistic and credible protagonist. I was able to connect with this lead from the start to the close of The Good Mother. With Sarah’s feelings, movements and decisions fully exposed, Cairns has crafted a lead that we sympathise with greatly. I completely understood Sarah’s motivations and sense of protection for her family, but I knew she had to expose the truth, which is a dangerous option in this story. The crime, suspense and mystery elements are extended well in this novel, with the atmosphere remaining tight for the duration. With a fast pace and plenty of twisty moments, The Good Mother travels swiftly to a thrilling end game.
If you are tempted to pick up The Good Mother, don’t forget to check out the enlightening author’s note and make sure you visit Rae Cairns on the web, she has some fantastic links on The Troubles in Northern Ireland. A fascinating debut!
*Thanks extended to HarperCollins Books Australia for providing a free copy of this book for review purposes.
January 17, 2022
'The Good Mother is an original and fast-paced thriller that follows Sarah Calhoun as the extraordinary events of her past life in Northern Ireland during The Troubles catch up with her ordinary suburban life and turn her world upside down, forcing her to make unimaginable choices. A novel that tore me right out of my comfort zone and had me holding my breath page after page. An exciting and authentic new voice in the genre. Highly recommended.’
January 17, 2022
If you love a strong female main character, a plot with a cracking pace and emotion that will have you on the edge of your seat you need to grab yourself a copy of The Good Mother immediately!
I’m not generally a thriller reader (although I have enjoyed books by Jane Harper and Candice Fox) but I found myself completely engrossed in this book. As the mother of three children – just like the main character Sarah – I could completely relate to her need to keep her kids safe and protected. I also love a flawed character and Sarah is just that. Not perfect by any means, infuriatingly controlling at times, but with her children’s welfare always at the centre of her thoughts and actions.
The support cast are wonderful too. Sarah’s ex, Evan, is sympathetic to her concerns but there’s also plenty of friction in their relationship. The three kids are normal, sometimes difficult teenagers and tweens, particularly Riley whose dreams of becoming a big-time soccer player rest on his mother’s decision to let him go to Ireland for an elite athlete training camp. It’s a tough choice for this mum who wants to do the right thing, in more ways than one. Her own experiences in Northern Ireland during the troubles blur her vision but when she does agree a huge wriggling can of – dangerous – worms bursts open. The characters we meet in Ireland – detective Alec Stone who has a score to settle, Sarah’s ex-boyfriend Michael who is to torn between his feelings for Sarah and his own political and family allegiances, and his brother Daniel, the single-minded leader IRA Executioner– all add to the depth of the storyline
Growing up in the 70’s and 80’s I was always aware of The Troubles but never paid that much attention to what it was all about. Rae Cairns uses this time as a tension-filled backdrop to this contemporary story. Her own experience of living there during The Troubles brings the setting to life and she imbues the plot, and her main character, with the constant threat of danger once the story shifts from Sydney to Ireland.
I can’t say any more, lest I give away too much, but as the story hurtles towards its climax I was completely glued to the page, wanting to find out what happens but not wanting the book to end.
This is a stunning debut from a talented author, and I can’t wait to read her next book.
Thanks to the author for an advanced reader's copy.
I’m not generally a thriller reader (although I have enjoyed books by Jane Harper and Candice Fox) but I found myself completely engrossed in this book. As the mother of three children – just like the main character Sarah – I could completely relate to her need to keep her kids safe and protected. I also love a flawed character and Sarah is just that. Not perfect by any means, infuriatingly controlling at times, but with her children’s welfare always at the centre of her thoughts and actions.
The support cast are wonderful too. Sarah’s ex, Evan, is sympathetic to her concerns but there’s also plenty of friction in their relationship. The three kids are normal, sometimes difficult teenagers and tweens, particularly Riley whose dreams of becoming a big-time soccer player rest on his mother’s decision to let him go to Ireland for an elite athlete training camp. It’s a tough choice for this mum who wants to do the right thing, in more ways than one. Her own experiences in Northern Ireland during the troubles blur her vision but when she does agree a huge wriggling can of – dangerous – worms bursts open. The characters we meet in Ireland – detective Alec Stone who has a score to settle, Sarah’s ex-boyfriend Michael who is to torn between his feelings for Sarah and his own political and family allegiances, and his brother Daniel, the single-minded leader IRA Executioner– all add to the depth of the storyline
Growing up in the 70’s and 80’s I was always aware of The Troubles but never paid that much attention to what it was all about. Rae Cairns uses this time as a tension-filled backdrop to this contemporary story. Her own experience of living there during The Troubles brings the setting to life and she imbues the plot, and her main character, with the constant threat of danger once the story shifts from Sydney to Ireland.
I can’t say any more, lest I give away too much, but as the story hurtles towards its climax I was completely glued to the page, wanting to find out what happens but not wanting the book to end.
This is a stunning debut from a talented author, and I can’t wait to read her next book.
Thanks to the author for an advanced reader's copy.
September 11, 2022
Another incredible debut crime thriller from an Australian author. Rae Cairns draws on her experience as a youth worker in Northern Ireland in the 1990's during the troubles and has written an intense and heart pounding story of motherhood, living in fear and so much more. It is a page tuner that will shock you, you just have to read this book.
Sarah is a soccer single mum in Sydney. She is very protective of her children and is terrified when her 16-year-old son wins a place on an elite soccer camp in Dublin. She forbids him to go but is eventually persuaded to allow him. When his passport is scanned on arrival, it triggers an alert, and Sarah is soon visited by some scary men from Northern Ireland. He past is finally coming back to haunt her, and she must travel to Belfast to try to put an end to her fears after all these years. She has told nobody in her currently life about her past in Northern Ireland, and we soon learn what Sarah has been running from for so many years.
There is alot of violence in this story as you would imagine. It really was an eye-opening read, and I can see why Rae Cairns was shortlisted for the 2021 Ned Kelly Award for Best Debut Crime Fiction.
Thanks to Rae Cairns and Harper Collins for my copy of this book to read. The Good Mother is out now, go and read it, you won't be sorry.
Sarah is a soccer single mum in Sydney. She is very protective of her children and is terrified when her 16-year-old son wins a place on an elite soccer camp in Dublin. She forbids him to go but is eventually persuaded to allow him. When his passport is scanned on arrival, it triggers an alert, and Sarah is soon visited by some scary men from Northern Ireland. He past is finally coming back to haunt her, and she must travel to Belfast to try to put an end to her fears after all these years. She has told nobody in her currently life about her past in Northern Ireland, and we soon learn what Sarah has been running from for so many years.
There is alot of violence in this story as you would imagine. It really was an eye-opening read, and I can see why Rae Cairns was shortlisted for the 2021 Ned Kelly Award for Best Debut Crime Fiction.
Thanks to Rae Cairns and Harper Collins for my copy of this book to read. The Good Mother is out now, go and read it, you won't be sorry.
December 12, 2020
What a sensational debut novel from another new Australian crime writer Rae Cairns.
This book had me hooked from the beginning and it takes you from Australia to Northern Ireland.
Sarah thought her past was exactly that – in the past but it reared its ugly head when she is required to testify at a trial to convict a known IRA activist for the death of a young man many years ago. Add to this the fact that she reluctantly let her 16 yo son travel to Ireland to participate in a Soccer camp. Will the past also catch up with him.
This was a fast paced edge of your seat thriller and kept me up until way past my bedtime last night when I had to close the book and finished it off today! I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good thriller and especially support Australian crime writers which seem to be coming out of the woodwork in the last few years. Congratulations and thanks to Rae Cairns and Beauty and Lace for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion. It was a pleasure!!
This book had me hooked from the beginning and it takes you from Australia to Northern Ireland.
Sarah thought her past was exactly that – in the past but it reared its ugly head when she is required to testify at a trial to convict a known IRA activist for the death of a young man many years ago. Add to this the fact that she reluctantly let her 16 yo son travel to Ireland to participate in a Soccer camp. Will the past also catch up with him.
This was a fast paced edge of your seat thriller and kept me up until way past my bedtime last night when I had to close the book and finished it off today! I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good thriller and especially support Australian crime writers which seem to be coming out of the woodwork in the last few years. Congratulations and thanks to Rae Cairns and Beauty and Lace for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion. It was a pleasure!!
January 17, 2022
Rae Cairns debut thriller will have you on the edge of your seat as an ordinary mother is forced to take on an Irish terror/ mafia organisation to protect her son. Almost twenty years earlier Sarah Calhoun had a job as a youth worker in Northern Island. She fled back to Australia when she realised her Irish lover was not the man she thought he was. Now her teenage son wants to go to Northern Ireland on a soccer scholarship, and she can’t tell him why he shouldn’t go without revealing secrets she has kept to herself all these years. Her ex insists they let him go. As her life and her secrets slowly unravel she finds herself back in Northern Ireland, fighting an enemy stronger and better resourced than she is for the safety of her son, with only her wits and a mother’s all-consuming love and determination in her arsenal. A taut, gripping thriller that will have you turning the pages faster and faster as it races towards an explosive climax.
Ms Cairns spent time in Northern Ireland as a young woman, and her author’s note and the photos on her website are a fascinating complement to her novel.
Ms Cairns spent time in Northern Ireland as a young woman, and her author’s note and the photos on her website are a fascinating complement to her novel.
May 30, 2022
This is one of those books that isn’t terrible but really isn’t very good. The writing is not very sophisticated or evolved, the plot is quite implausible, the protagonist makes questionable decisions which makes her tedious and it just wasn’t an enjoyable read for me.
I have to confess I almost rated it DNF but skim-read it to the end; sadly it did not improve but at least I didn’t waste much time.
The back cover says ‘fans of Dervla McTiernan will love this rollercoaster ride of a crime novel’ which is why I read it and it’s not true… If you have the choice between reading this and reading the excellent Dervla, chose the latter.
Sorry, not a fan of this author and I hope that other more worthy authors weren’t overlooked so this could be published.
I have to confess I almost rated it DNF but skim-read it to the end; sadly it did not improve but at least I didn’t waste much time.
The back cover says ‘fans of Dervla McTiernan will love this rollercoaster ride of a crime novel’ which is why I read it and it’s not true… If you have the choice between reading this and reading the excellent Dervla, chose the latter.
Sorry, not a fan of this author and I hope that other more worthy authors weren’t overlooked so this could be published.
January 15, 2021
Gosh this was a great book! Thrillers aren’t my bag, I don’t like kids being in danger..but man I loved this one. Sarah was just so relatable, and the whole storyline was just so realistic- I could completely relate and picture my own reactions; I’m not even a mum! I also learnt so much about The Troubles, I never really thought about the everyday person living through Ireland’s quest for self determination..a real eye opener as well as being an edge of my seat read
December 7, 2020
Outstanding
What an incredible debut. From the first page to the last, I was hooked. The characters came to life and found a place in my heart...except for those who don’t deserve it! An amazing tale told with compassion, grit and raw honesty. A must read!
What an incredible debut. From the first page to the last, I was hooked. The characters came to life and found a place in my heart...except for those who don’t deserve it! An amazing tale told with compassion, grit and raw honesty. A must read!
May 1, 2022
Only finished as it's for my book club, otherwise would have been a DNF
I rarely like crime, it just seems so farfetched and this book was no exception
Aside from the story, I found the writing really basic and lazy e.g. "... her sapphire eyes sparkling"
"... the outdoorsy scent of his deodorant "
"she re-played every detail of her meeting with the
detective in her head, over and over, like a music track caught on repeat."
It reminded me of the internet posts of funny things kids write "he was as tall as a six foot tree"
I felt like the author made everyone so perfect so that when the problems were introduced it was SO SHOCKING that this could happen to a trim and lean mum with a Labrador puppy, her ex husband with the 15th floor law office looking over Sydney harbour, their talented son - 1 of only 2 kids chosen in Australia to go to an international soccer camp, etc etc... you get the picture
The most unbelievable thing of all was that the ex husband was "generous" in their divorce settlement 🤣🤣🤣 Pull the other one. AS IF! Yes I'm a feminist and "not all men" (🙄🤮) (& don't bother coming at me about this comment) but seriously.
Could this disaster happen to a more perfect broken but amicable family 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
I rarely like crime, it just seems so farfetched and this book was no exception
Aside from the story, I found the writing really basic and lazy e.g. "... her sapphire eyes sparkling"
"... the outdoorsy scent of his deodorant "
"she re-played every detail of her meeting with the
detective in her head, over and over, like a music track caught on repeat."
It reminded me of the internet posts of funny things kids write "he was as tall as a six foot tree"
I felt like the author made everyone so perfect so that when the problems were introduced it was SO SHOCKING that this could happen to a trim and lean mum with a Labrador puppy, her ex husband with the 15th floor law office looking over Sydney harbour, their talented son - 1 of only 2 kids chosen in Australia to go to an international soccer camp, etc etc... you get the picture
The most unbelievable thing of all was that the ex husband was "generous" in their divorce settlement 🤣🤣🤣 Pull the other one. AS IF! Yes I'm a feminist and "not all men" (🙄🤮) (& don't bother coming at me about this comment) but seriously.
Could this disaster happen to a more perfect broken but amicable family 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
October 10, 2021
A gripping debut novel about family loyalties featuring a good mother Sarah Calhoun - not just any good mother, but distance runner and divorced super-mum of three who would do anything to protect her kids, including telling lies and trying to mislead the wrong people. When Northern Irish ‘peeler’ Detective Stone knocks at her door in Sydney demanding Sarah fly to Belfast to appear as a witness at the trial of an IRA heavyweight, the brother of the man she once loved, Sarah finds herself raking over old coals from her former IRA connections, and making rash decisions that place her headstrong soccer star son and the rest of her family in danger. In order to free her son from his psychopath uncle she has to enlist the help of Detective Stone, who is hell-bent on his own revenge. A few too many lies spark a fire that can’t be stopped, and things build to an explosive climax. A cracker of a self-published debut novel.
December 8, 2020
I really enjoyed this book and couldn't put it down. It's a story of a woman living a fairly everyday suburban life in Australia whose past experiences working as an aid worker in Northern Ireland in her 20's comes back to affect her life in a quite unexpected way. It's a story about being true to yourself and risking everything for what's important to you. The characters are really well developed, it has a good pace and the tension is real. An impressive debut novel. I'd quite like to know what happens next for these characters. Can't wait to see what's next for Rae Cairns!
January 17, 2022
The Good Mother is a page-turning thriller set in 1990s Belfast and modern-day Australia that shows the lengths a mother will go to protect her family.
Sarah Calhoun witnessed a terrifying murder during The Troubles as a young woman - a secret she has never divulged. Nearly 20 years later, the past drags her back to Belfast where she faces an impossible choice. Tell the truth and risk the lives of her children, or live with a lie.
This novel by Rae Cairns is a well-written, assured debut that had me up late turning the pages to find out how the story ends. As a mother, I could relate to Sarah's dilemma and found myself questioning what I would do in the same horrendous situations she finds herself in. The novel is also a fascinating insight into The Troubles in Ireland, a subject I think could and should be explored more often in fiction.
Highly recommend!
Sarah Calhoun witnessed a terrifying murder during The Troubles as a young woman - a secret she has never divulged. Nearly 20 years later, the past drags her back to Belfast where she faces an impossible choice. Tell the truth and risk the lives of her children, or live with a lie.
This novel by Rae Cairns is a well-written, assured debut that had me up late turning the pages to find out how the story ends. As a mother, I could relate to Sarah's dilemma and found myself questioning what I would do in the same horrendous situations she finds herself in. The novel is also a fascinating insight into The Troubles in Ireland, a subject I think could and should be explored more often in fiction.
Highly recommend!
July 15, 2022
Because of my own Northern Irish heritage, I was really looking forward to this book. I loved all the local references - indeed I have eaten at Maggie Mays cafe on Botanic Avenue many times in my youth, and have experienced The Troubles from every angle. However, the plot in this book was completely implausible. Huge leaps were made from one event to the next with no in-fill. It was a little immature in its telling too, with a ‘and this happened, then this happened, then this happened’ kind of prose. Perhaps I’m just not an ‘action’ book kind of girl - I prefer in depth characters, plot development and integrity, and a realistic ending as opposed to an ‘all the bad guys went to jail and we lived happily ever after’ scooby-doo-esque ending.
December 11, 2020
I really enjoyed this book. It was hard to put down and I look forward to the next one from Rae Cairns
December 13, 2020
The Good Mother is the first novel by Rae Cairns. It draws on her experiences as a Youth Worker in Northern Ireland during the final years of the conflict, which while not a religious war, was waged along religious lines between the Catholics and the Protestants, a period known as The Troubles.
For those not familiar with, or too young to remember, The Troubles ran in Northern Ireland from the late 1960’s through to around 1998 and related to the constitutional status of Northern Ireland. The Unionists (mainly Ulster Protestants) wanted Northern Ireland to remain a part of the United Kingdom, the Irish Nationalists (mainly Irish Catholics) wanted Northern Ireland to cease being a part of the United Kingdom and become part of a United Ireland. Both sides developed paramilitaries, the Catholics formed the IRA (provisional Irish Republican Army) and the INLA (Irish National Liberation Army), while the Unionists formed the UVF (Ulster Volunteer Force) and UDA (Ulster Defence Association). The Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) was perceived to discriminate against the minority Catholics, and the deployment of British Troops to address the escalating tensions between the two sides—while initially welcomed by the minority Catholics—fanned the flames after the event known as Bloody Sunday.
After the ceasefire and peace negotiations were concluded, a group of dissident members of the provisional IRA who disagreed with the end to the conflict broke away to form the Real IRA (RIRA). In 2012 the Real IRA, Republication Action Against Drugs and some small independent groups came together to form the New IRA, a group dealing out killings, gun and bomb attacks as well as “punishment” beatings and shootings.
This then is the background against which Cairns’ beautifully written book is set.
Sarah Calhoun lives in Sydney Australia, with daughters Sophie, eight and Ally, twelve, and 16 year old son Riley, as well as their labrador puppy Fudge. Despite being divorced from the children’s lawyer father Evan Barker, she has remained friends with him and his new wife Felicity, and they have successfully shared the care of their children.
Riley is a skilled and dedicated youth soccer player. When he is selected as one of only two players from Australia to join the FIFA youth development camp in Dublin Ireland, what should be a time for celebration instead pours ice into Sarah’s heart and brings all her deep seated fears to the fore.
Sarah has never spoken of her time in Northern Ireland as a youth worker, and what she experienced while there. Neither has she opened up about her reasons for fleeing the country, or her fears of what may happen if she or any member of her family were to return there. Instead she has tried to wrap her family in cotton wool and gone to great lengths to protect them.
Despite the fears swirling through her brain, Sarah decides she can’t stand in the way of something so important to Riley, and so, reluctantly, she decides to sign the paperwork giving him permission to go,
Then, just a month into Riley’s four month stint in Ireland, Sarah’s world begins to crack with the unexpected arrival at her office of Detective Inspector Alec Stone of the Northern Ireland Organised Crime Task Force, a branch of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (previously the Royal Ulster Constabulary—the RUC). Stone tells her that he is investigating the murder of Gerry McCann, a young man she was the youth worker for while in Ireland, that she was flagged as a person of interest when she fled Nothern Ireland on the night of Gerry’s death, that he was aware at that time that she was engaged to Michael McNaulty, and Michael and his brother Daniel are the prime suspects for Gerry’s murder. He tells her he tracked her down when Riley went through Customs in Dublin and her name as next of kin red flagged.
Then things begin to spiral out of control, first a Facebook friend request from Daniel McNaughlty, then a huge bunch of red and white roses is delivered to her office, no name but the envelope attached contains a plane ticket in her name to Belfast next week, and a message ‘we need to talk’ and then a man with a West Belfast accent breaks into her house to deliver a message from Daniel checking that she’ll be on the plane to Belfast, while implying her children’s safety depended on it.
Sarah finds herself drawn into a web of horror as her past, present and future collide and she tries to protect her children whilst facing the full force of the Real IRA, now headed by Daniel McNaulty, the man Detective Stone is committed to taking down.
This is a powerfully written book that I could not put down (and literally read into the wee hours of the morning). The characters are entirely believable, in the case of Daniel McNaulty frighteningly so, the Troubles accurately portrayed, as is the dilemma experienced by Sarah as she tries to work out how to deal with the situation in which she is embroiled, how to get Riley away from Ireland safely, all the while not knowing who to trust—yet knowing that one wrong move on her part could end in widespread tragedy.
Thank you to Beauty and Lace and Rae Cairns for giving me the opportunity to read and review this wonderful debut novel, The Good Mother. I look forward to reading Cairns’ future works.
For those not familiar with, or too young to remember, The Troubles ran in Northern Ireland from the late 1960’s through to around 1998 and related to the constitutional status of Northern Ireland. The Unionists (mainly Ulster Protestants) wanted Northern Ireland to remain a part of the United Kingdom, the Irish Nationalists (mainly Irish Catholics) wanted Northern Ireland to cease being a part of the United Kingdom and become part of a United Ireland. Both sides developed paramilitaries, the Catholics formed the IRA (provisional Irish Republican Army) and the INLA (Irish National Liberation Army), while the Unionists formed the UVF (Ulster Volunteer Force) and UDA (Ulster Defence Association). The Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) was perceived to discriminate against the minority Catholics, and the deployment of British Troops to address the escalating tensions between the two sides—while initially welcomed by the minority Catholics—fanned the flames after the event known as Bloody Sunday.
After the ceasefire and peace negotiations were concluded, a group of dissident members of the provisional IRA who disagreed with the end to the conflict broke away to form the Real IRA (RIRA). In 2012 the Real IRA, Republication Action Against Drugs and some small independent groups came together to form the New IRA, a group dealing out killings, gun and bomb attacks as well as “punishment” beatings and shootings.
This then is the background against which Cairns’ beautifully written book is set.
Sarah Calhoun lives in Sydney Australia, with daughters Sophie, eight and Ally, twelve, and 16 year old son Riley, as well as their labrador puppy Fudge. Despite being divorced from the children’s lawyer father Evan Barker, she has remained friends with him and his new wife Felicity, and they have successfully shared the care of their children.
Riley is a skilled and dedicated youth soccer player. When he is selected as one of only two players from Australia to join the FIFA youth development camp in Dublin Ireland, what should be a time for celebration instead pours ice into Sarah’s heart and brings all her deep seated fears to the fore.
Sarah has never spoken of her time in Northern Ireland as a youth worker, and what she experienced while there. Neither has she opened up about her reasons for fleeing the country, or her fears of what may happen if she or any member of her family were to return there. Instead she has tried to wrap her family in cotton wool and gone to great lengths to protect them.
Despite the fears swirling through her brain, Sarah decides she can’t stand in the way of something so important to Riley, and so, reluctantly, she decides to sign the paperwork giving him permission to go,
Then, just a month into Riley’s four month stint in Ireland, Sarah’s world begins to crack with the unexpected arrival at her office of Detective Inspector Alec Stone of the Northern Ireland Organised Crime Task Force, a branch of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (previously the Royal Ulster Constabulary—the RUC). Stone tells her that he is investigating the murder of Gerry McCann, a young man she was the youth worker for while in Ireland, that she was flagged as a person of interest when she fled Nothern Ireland on the night of Gerry’s death, that he was aware at that time that she was engaged to Michael McNaulty, and Michael and his brother Daniel are the prime suspects for Gerry’s murder. He tells her he tracked her down when Riley went through Customs in Dublin and her name as next of kin red flagged.
Then things begin to spiral out of control, first a Facebook friend request from Daniel McNaughlty, then a huge bunch of red and white roses is delivered to her office, no name but the envelope attached contains a plane ticket in her name to Belfast next week, and a message ‘we need to talk’ and then a man with a West Belfast accent breaks into her house to deliver a message from Daniel checking that she’ll be on the plane to Belfast, while implying her children’s safety depended on it.
Sarah finds herself drawn into a web of horror as her past, present and future collide and she tries to protect her children whilst facing the full force of the Real IRA, now headed by Daniel McNaulty, the man Detective Stone is committed to taking down.
This is a powerfully written book that I could not put down (and literally read into the wee hours of the morning). The characters are entirely believable, in the case of Daniel McNaulty frighteningly so, the Troubles accurately portrayed, as is the dilemma experienced by Sarah as she tries to work out how to deal with the situation in which she is embroiled, how to get Riley away from Ireland safely, all the while not knowing who to trust—yet knowing that one wrong move on her part could end in widespread tragedy.
Thank you to Beauty and Lace and Rae Cairns for giving me the opportunity to read and review this wonderful debut novel, The Good Mother. I look forward to reading Cairns’ future works.
August 7, 2023
*4 Stars*
I read this book after recently reading "Dying to Know" by this same author (her second book) and loving it. The good Mother is the first book written by Rae Cairns and it was great. At first it felt a little slow, but that may have just been my reading period/outside factors at the time I started this book.
Once you really got into it and Sarah gets on that flight, everything really snowballs and happens really fast. I didn't know who she should be trusting, what was really going on - was she over-reacting? Was she right to be acting the way she was and as scared as she was? Just how far would these people go?
Things played out in a way that I really did not expect, and the ending made me feel quite emotional. Gripping writing by this author, and now that I've read two of her books, I'll definitely be on the lookout for more. A new author to me who I suspect will become a favourite.
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I read this book after recently reading "Dying to Know" by this same author (her second book) and loving it. The good Mother is the first book written by Rae Cairns and it was great. At first it felt a little slow, but that may have just been my reading period/outside factors at the time I started this book.
Once you really got into it and Sarah gets on that flight, everything really snowballs and happens really fast. I didn't know who she should be trusting, what was really going on - was she over-reacting? Was she right to be acting the way she was and as scared as she was? Just how far would these people go?
Things played out in a way that I really did not expect, and the ending made me feel quite emotional. Gripping writing by this author, and now that I've read two of her books, I'll definitely be on the lookout for more. A new author to me who I suspect will become a favourite.
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January 4, 2021
What a sensational release for a debut author. ‘The Good Mother’ should be going straight into the Christmas stockings this year.
I’m an avid reader, but crime and thrillers are not my usual genre. I can honestly say that 'The Good Mother' kept me captivated from the start and is a debut displaying a serious level of expertise and the polish of a seasoned author. It's high action, explosive, emotive and damn hard to put down.
The work, research and commitment that has gone into the development of this book shines through. Rae’s journey has had almost as many twists and turns as Sarah Calhoun’s return to Belfast to save her family. But the result is a superb story with serious market appeal. There’s something special about this debut crime thriller that places it in a field of its own.
The plot is fast paced and sparked with the addition of sharp, but intensely considered dialogue.
As an Australian with little knowledge of life in Ireland in the time of the IRA and following ‘The Troubles,’ I found the setting particularly interesting.
Feisty Sarah Calhoun is a winner from the start. Her voice has a genuine quality that appeals. She's smart, sensitive, and devoted to her kids, but the men in her life are brilliantly written too. For example; ex husband Evan, and estranged father, Max –despite their differences– are likeable and supportive. The contrast of vastly different characters offers a rich cast. The antagonists – two men from Sarah’s past in Ireland, are tough and tortured men embittered by Ireland's constant struggle.
But it is a third Irishman, Alec, who appears on her doorstep to put Sarah through her paces – literally. The interplay between them in both the dialogue and action scenes cracks a fast pace and is pure entertainment. And just a steamy hint of attraction with the buff policeman to tempt you!
The scenes with Sarah and her children are succinct enough to show the love and candour in each relationship without losing the tempo. The relationship with Sarah and her teenage son, Riley, is the catalyst when his safety becomes her greatest concern.
This is compelling reading at a high level. There is action on every page but there is humour and sensitivity too– how can you risk not reading it!
I’m an avid reader, but crime and thrillers are not my usual genre. I can honestly say that 'The Good Mother' kept me captivated from the start and is a debut displaying a serious level of expertise and the polish of a seasoned author. It's high action, explosive, emotive and damn hard to put down.
The work, research and commitment that has gone into the development of this book shines through. Rae’s journey has had almost as many twists and turns as Sarah Calhoun’s return to Belfast to save her family. But the result is a superb story with serious market appeal. There’s something special about this debut crime thriller that places it in a field of its own.
The plot is fast paced and sparked with the addition of sharp, but intensely considered dialogue.
As an Australian with little knowledge of life in Ireland in the time of the IRA and following ‘The Troubles,’ I found the setting particularly interesting.
Feisty Sarah Calhoun is a winner from the start. Her voice has a genuine quality that appeals. She's smart, sensitive, and devoted to her kids, but the men in her life are brilliantly written too. For example; ex husband Evan, and estranged father, Max –despite their differences– are likeable and supportive. The contrast of vastly different characters offers a rich cast. The antagonists – two men from Sarah’s past in Ireland, are tough and tortured men embittered by Ireland's constant struggle.
But it is a third Irishman, Alec, who appears on her doorstep to put Sarah through her paces – literally. The interplay between them in both the dialogue and action scenes cracks a fast pace and is pure entertainment. And just a steamy hint of attraction with the buff policeman to tempt you!
The scenes with Sarah and her children are succinct enough to show the love and candour in each relationship without losing the tempo. The relationship with Sarah and her teenage son, Riley, is the catalyst when his safety becomes her greatest concern.
This is compelling reading at a high level. There is action on every page but there is humour and sensitivity too– how can you risk not reading it!
December 10, 2020
A stunning debut. Australia has a new name in crime thriller fiction to watch.
December 9, 2020
This is a real page turner. I couldn't put it down. Great holiday reading. Any mother will be able to identify how we are ordinary people who can do extraordinary feats for our children. Add to this the background of The Troubles in Northern Ireland and you got a great story.
November 25, 2020
Thank you Rae for sending us a copy to read and review.
Concise and clear writing coupled with the technical skill of a good suspense noir characterises my first impression of this debut novel by Rae Cairns.
I was swept up into the fast moving plot trying to guess what was about to happen and surprised by twists and turns.
The setting in Northern Ireland brought back the memories of the turbulent times that were endured and the terrorism that reeked havoc for many years.
The past with elements that haunt the present, unfinished business and criminal matters that need rectifying all steeped into a mothers battle to protect her children.
Sarah reluctantly lets her son attend a soccer camp in Dublin.
Mothers intuition and genuine fears plague her reasoning.
A previous life in Northern Ireland mixing with IRA members and her knowledge of the truth in unresolved matters overshadowing her support for her sons soccer success.
The wide stretching arms of the criminal element in Belfast find her and summons her back.
Fearful of reprisal for her children she embarks on the journey back to an old life.
Quickly catapulting into a fight for survival, righting wrongs and reconnecting with acquaintances and ex’s.
The fierce maternal instinct was illustrated strongly and the realistic characters enhanced the suspense.
Authentic Irish slang and place names successfully took the reader to the troubled nation.
Welcome Rae to the pool of excellent writing talent in this country, you will fit in perfectly.
Concise and clear writing coupled with the technical skill of a good suspense noir characterises my first impression of this debut novel by Rae Cairns.
I was swept up into the fast moving plot trying to guess what was about to happen and surprised by twists and turns.
The setting in Northern Ireland brought back the memories of the turbulent times that were endured and the terrorism that reeked havoc for many years.
The past with elements that haunt the present, unfinished business and criminal matters that need rectifying all steeped into a mothers battle to protect her children.
Sarah reluctantly lets her son attend a soccer camp in Dublin.
Mothers intuition and genuine fears plague her reasoning.
A previous life in Northern Ireland mixing with IRA members and her knowledge of the truth in unresolved matters overshadowing her support for her sons soccer success.
The wide stretching arms of the criminal element in Belfast find her and summons her back.
Fearful of reprisal for her children she embarks on the journey back to an old life.
Quickly catapulting into a fight for survival, righting wrongs and reconnecting with acquaintances and ex’s.
The fierce maternal instinct was illustrated strongly and the realistic characters enhanced the suspense.
Authentic Irish slang and place names successfully took the reader to the troubled nation.
Welcome Rae to the pool of excellent writing talent in this country, you will fit in perfectly.
January 1, 2022
Dreadful. I listened to this first on audiobook and heard the worst Irish accent in the world. If you are going to speak as Gailge then at least use the right pronunciation. Tried it again in paper form but that didn’t improve this inane drivel.
December 8, 2020
This debut Novel is simply WOW! Its beautifully written and captivating storyline had me hooked from chapter 1. A real page turner that I couldn't put down.
Highly recommended.
Highly recommended.
August 2, 2021
Really enjoyed this thriller right from the start. I mother will do anything for her children and what a suspenseful ride we were taken on.
May 9, 2022
Fabulous debut novel from Rae Cairns, a new Australian crime fiction writer
December 4, 2020
I preface my review with the fact that I have known this author for many years and have always been impressed with her style, talent and warmth, in all she does.
That being said, I am not surprised Rae has written such a powerful story.
Her characterisations are strong, the many (mostly believable) twists and turns are woven seemlessly into the narrative and, while I read, my emotional buttons were pushed in a very pleasing and positive way. I really cared for the people in this well written story - a surprising and entertaining debut! Well done!
Bernard Chapman LINDFIELD
That being said, I am not surprised Rae has written such a powerful story.
Her characterisations are strong, the many (mostly believable) twists and turns are woven seemlessly into the narrative and, while I read, my emotional buttons were pushed in a very pleasing and positive way. I really cared for the people in this well written story - a surprising and entertaining debut! Well done!
Bernard Chapman LINDFIELD
December 31, 2020
Wow this was a great read and a book I found hard to put down. It was very authentic with Rae obviously putting in much research about Northern Ireland to make it truly authentic. Recommended reading for sure.
December 29, 2020
Page turner with believable characters. Also learnt a lot about Northern Ireland. Highly recommend!
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