Librarians note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Patricia MacDonald is the author of several psychological suspense novels set in small towns. MacDonald grew up in Greenwich, Connecticut and has a master's degree from Boston College. Before writing her own novels she was a book editor and was once an editor for a soap opera magazine in New York. She is married to writer Art Bourgeau. They live in Cape May, New Jersey and have one daughter.
Her first novel, The Unforgiven, published in 1981, received an Edgar Award nomination from the Mystery Writers of America. Secret Admirer (1995) won the literary prize at the 1997 Deauville Film Festival in France, where MacDonald is consistently a number one bestseller. She’s also been awarded the prize for literature at the International Forum of Cinema and Literature in Monaco.
I've had this ebook for a few years and finally got around to it for a challenge to read the dusty books on my shelf. The whole premise of it sounded so good, and it did not disappoint.
The further I got into the book, the more tense things got. Family relationships, loyalty and trust are put to the test. I recommend and would like to read this author again, definitely.
DNF @ chapter 10 The last chapter introduced what felt like way too many characters I don't care about. It presented what felt like inconsistencies to the backstory of particular characters and frankly, I've got way more books to check out.
While I did enjoy the book, and I eagerly anticipated the conclusion, I didn't find the characters to be richly drawn - they were quite indistinguishable from each other. I kept having to think to myself, "Wait, who is that?" It was your stereotypical murder mystery/slight psychological thriller. It's not one that will stand out in my mind for years to come, but it was a quick, easy read that kept my interest for the most part.
I always enjoy reading books by Patricia MacDonald. They are easy to read, have great storylines, and usually include a twist or two. This story is about an adopted daughter, her family, her birth mother and all the circumstances that brought them together. A suspenseful, quick, enjoyable read.
I felt this was a run of the mill novel and most definitely not a psychological thriller, an ok read but it wouldn't compel me to read another by this author.
Didn’t hate the book until the ending. Completely ruined it. If you’re going to just google what the rarest blood type is, at least get the transfusion science right
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This is a book equivalent of a "chick" flick. I doubt that very many guys would enjoy this. Real mother comes back to haunt family of adoptive child. It doesn't help that the adopted daughter is a little, ungrateful, snot-nosed bitch. Belongs on Lifetime network.
Trigger Warning for Readers: Adoption, Infertility, and Murder.
If you are looking for a book that is a mystery filled with twists and turns, then this most certainly is a book that you should pick up and read.
Let's start with some of the many characters in the book: Karen and Greg Newhall: high school sweethearts who have faced many trials and tribulations throughout their marriage including infertility. The couple seem to lead a normal life after adopting their daughter, Jenny, that is until Linda: Jenny's birthmother shows up on the Newhall's doorstep on Mother's Day. As hurt as Karen Newhall is about Linda showing up on the doorstep, she seems welcoming to allow Jenny to begin to form a relationship with her birth mother, that is until Linda turns up dead, and surprisingly, there has been yet another murder in the town of Bayland, Massachusetts.
This book had so many twists and turns, I thought I had figured out the potential murderer about midway through the book, however, I was totally in shock and taken by surprise to learn that the handful of people I thought the killer may be was in fact not.
5/5 Stars: I blew through this book pretty quickly. The storyline kept me intrigued from the very first couple of pages. If you are in search of a book that leaves you guessing until the very end, then this may be the perfect novel for you. I picked up this book on a whim from a used bookstore as the cover intrigued me, and upon reading the description I had made up my mind that I needed to read this book as quickly as possible. I think the author, Patricia MacDonald, did a wonderful job with this book. I was a fan of her writing style, and commend her for writing a book that can keep a reader guessing until the very last page. This book will go down as one of my top reads this year! If you do pickup this book, I highly recommend making and taking notes throughout the book about the characters and how they relate to one another throughout the storyline. There are many characters in the book and at times it was difficult as a reader to know how each character related to one another. I found taking quick notes on the characters made for a more pleasurable reading experience.
If you should pick up and read this book, please, let me know your thoughts.
Teenagers, other parents would complain about their behaviour, but until your own reached 'that' age, you thought they were exaggerating. Karen was at a loss when it came to daughter, Jenny. She could not do anything right, her husband didn't get a negative response, but close at times. Karen had fertility problems, so they had adopted Jenny as a baby. Closed adoption - no names. Her adoption was no secret, and things had been great til recently, now she had failed to turn up for their annual Mother's Day lunch. Eventually they left the restaurant without ordering, the waitress came running out - Jenny had just phoned to say she had gone to the movies with her friend. When she got home all hell broke lose. Jenny felt they were unreasonable and wondered, not for the first time, what her biological mother was like and how she would have treated her - far better she thought. In the midst of all this, the doorbell rang..... Jenny was to find the answers to her questions, in a few seconds. A can of worms was too mild to describe the following days, more like snakes - constrictors to squeeze the lifeblood out of trust & beliefs and vipers to kill those who might reveal one man's alter ego. Thought I guessed the killer about halfway through the book, but then pointed in a different direction as more secrets exposed as to Jenny's parentage. Would have liked a bit more backbone in some of the characters, and more empathy for Karen following the loss of her 'miracle baby' weeks before the storm arrived.
What a horrible Mother's Day for Karen. Greg takes her out and their adopted daughter, Jenny, is supposed to meet them for a family meal, but she behaves like a teen brat and stands them up. It gets worse. Later, Jenny's biological mother, Linda, shows up on their doorstep unannounced, wanting to meet the daughter she gave up years ago. Adoption records were supposed to have been sealed, but she found them somehow. Jenny fawns over her real mom and even gives her a Mother's Day gift originally bought for Karen. Greg and Karen can't believe Jenny's hurtful behavior and fear that they might lose her to Linda, who might have an unscrupulous agenda. A few days later, Linda is found dead in a dumpster. Jenny is devastated. Greg and Karen try to comfort her but they are met with more bad behavior. Greg becomes the main suspect in Linda's murder after being caught in several lies. Is he really a killer or is someone trying to set him up? The police are focused on him from the start. The plot offers plenty of twists and surprises. The town has some dark secrets waiting to be unveiled. The book drags in some spots with activities involving unnecessary characters. The dialogue feels unnatural in places. The cops are a bit too bumbling. Some of the characters are too ditzy and weak. Despite its flaws, it's an entertaining read.
This is one of those books I just happened to find on Kindle Unlimited and I was very surprised with how it turned out. The cover didn't really appeal to me I think it is the lady in the red dress that is throwing it off. We are introduced to our little happy family the Nawhals and their adopted daughter Jenny. Jenny is in that stage that all teens go through yet hers is a bit more complicated as she wants to know who her real mother is. Well, as we dive deeper into the book Jenny will get her wish. I am very surprised with how Karen handled herself in this situation because showing up unannounced is hard and to see that the child you have been raising just acts like she has no manners can push some buttons. When Jenny's mother Linda winds up dead it seems that all evidence points to Karen's husband Greg. It seems he has a secret that he is hiding one that will test his marriage with Karen. As time is ticking down Greg and surprisingly Karen will uncover the truth this will be one person you just did not think was behind it. I know I sure didn't until about 70 percent in. I thought the author did a great job with holding out on who dun it as long as possible. I think I will be reading more by this author as I like her writing style.
I ended up really liking this though I wasn’t sure in the beginning if I would. I’m not a fan of teen angst, and there is a bit of it here in one character, Jenny, the adopted daughter of the main couple in this story, Greg and Karen.
It opens on Mother’s Day and Greg has planned a special brunch for his wife but their daughter stands them up. Later on Jenny’s bio-mother shows up complicating matters further, and spoiling Mother’s Day for Karen, who has recently miscarried a baby of their own and is very vulnerable and emotional as it is.
The plot evolves quickly turning into a rapid-paced domestic thriller after a couple of murders take place in this quiet sleepy town. I won’t divulge more as I feel it’s best to go in blind if possible. The last half I found difficult to put down and read late into the early morning to finish it. There are a few unexpected delicious twists towards the end.
I’ve read a couple of this authors books now, and will definitely be reading more. She has many out there. My only complaint is that it wrapped up rather abruptly, and there was no epilogue, leaving the reader to ponder about a few things.
Definitely recommend this to fans of domestic thrillers.
Weird beginning to the story, so I kind of had a hard time getting into it. But then the real story starts, and it's pretty good. Greg and Karen are parents of a 13 year old brat, Jenny, who can't even bother to show up for Mother's Day lunch at the restaurant they'd planned. To make the day even worse, Jenny's birth mother shows up uninvited and unwelcome. It just goes downhill from there, as just a couple of days later, the woman is found dead. Of course Karen and Greg are likely suspects, given the cold reception they gave her, along with a couple of secrets that have come to light. I did not agree with the tiresome "unputdownable" review as stated on Amazon, but I did like the story. I had a bit of a laugh at all the boring names the author used, but at least none of them were so similar I had to use a cheat sheet to keep track. 4.5 stars
This was ultimately an interesting story, the idea though of putting it together the way it is, was a little offputting, I struggled with being introduced to so many players in the story in the disjointed way they were presented, chapter by chapter, then not coming together in the cohesiveness of a whole story until around 70% into the book. Clean, but not without spelling errors, one word doesn’t even exist. I just felt that although it was a decent enough story, it’s disjointed approach and not finding out what happened to the killer in terms of sentancing and the closure for all of his victims not being dealt with was also disappointing. Would have like to know what happened to his alcoholic wife, so many loose ends. So um, erm, and whatever other words are used around the world.
No better time than Mother's Day for an adopted child's previously unknown birth mother to turn up on the doorstep unannounced! Jenny, the adopted daughter of Karen and Greg, is ecstatic to meet Linda, her birth mother, and spend time with her. Meanwhile, Karen and Greg feel very differently and each have their own agendas. Two days later, Linda turns up dead, and Greg becomes the obvious suspect. The twists and turns begin, and as is often the case, closet skeletons are divulged, readers are reminded that killers live quietly among us, and that even law enforcement cannot be trusted. I really enjoyed this fast paced mystery, one of several that I have read by this author.
Honestly, I wasn’t expecting much going into this read. With a title like “Mothers Day” I thought it would be a subpar book at best, but I’m happy to say I was totally wrong.
This story was twisty, to say the least. Just when I thought I had it figured out, it twisted again.
There were A LOT of characters. Being told in the third person was a good choice but there were a couple of times when the author would mention someone and I’d have to go back to jog my memory of who they were.
good book I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys lightweight suspense.
I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys lightweight suspense stories. It doesn’t quite make it into the thriller category. Patricia McDonald is an xcellent writer. She forms her stories well, characters are human, and she avoids long descriptions of scenarios unimportant to the story. This story is more sad than scary. It’s like exactly how much woe and angst can be heaped on one little family. It holds attention yet isn’t so brutal that it keeps you awake. I gave it a 4 star rating because even though it’s a book worth reading it really isn’t spectacular.
Kunde inte låta bli att sträckläsa. Den höll mig på tårna men den gjorde mig också arg. Det kanske var den största anledningen till att jag ville läsa ut boken. Varför måste sådana här böcker alltid handla om otrohet? Det äcklar mig och gör mig vansinnig. Ännu mer då kvinnan alltid förlåter mannen. Jag begriper det inte!
Tre stjärnor för en bra bok som kunde hålla mig på tårna men inte fler stjärnor för : varför ska det vara "normalt" att förlåta en man som har förrått en kvinna på värsta tänkbara sätt?! Jag önskade att Karen hade en stark kvinnoroll där hon nöjer sig med mindre än vad hon är värd.
Thrilling and suspenseful, too. (I couldn't decide earlier which of my GR shelves to put this one in.)
The story kept unfolding in a way that had me turning pages ... I suppose it also helped that I was using this to entertain myself on a two-and-a-half-hour car ride. :D
But now that I'm done with it - and even though I gave it four stars - I'm now thinking that the ending very conveniently and suddenly tied up some loose ends. What drove the villain was explained sufficiently, but it seemed to come out of the blue. And perhaps that just demonstrated how well the culprit was able to hide his depravity.
This is one of her best efforts! The suspense level will keep you addicted! This is a book you will want to read, from cover to cover, without doing anything else. It is that good! in this book, Patricia McDonald manages to totally shock you! The wonderful thing about it is, she manages to do it more than once. A couple, their adopted child, living their lives. Things all of a sudden begin to unravel, things begin to go very very wrong! One person at their door, their worlds will never be the same!
Bi kịch quá là bi kịch. Cốt truyện nói chung là hay, twist ổn nhưng hơi bị trớ trêu quá. Cốt truyện tóm gọn đơn giản là một cục kít hoá thạch trồi lên, vừa trồi lên ngay lập tức bị xả nước, tuy nhiên cả làng vẫn thối um =)) đáng lý mình rate 4 nhưng hơi bực mình nhẹ vì đoạn cuối, tâm lý nhân vật ko nhất quán và tình tiết kiểu 'đột nhiên, A làm gì đó' rất trẻ con. Và thất vọng nhẹ nữa và trẻ con hoá thái quá hành động của nhân vật đứa con teenager, mâu thuẫn với chính tính cách của nhân vật này đc xây dựg có phần sâu sắc và già dặn đoạn đầu.
"Mothers Day" is my first Patricia MacDonald novel, and I am hooked. Picking too a read that will not let me be is one of my favorite treats. Multifaceted, fully formed characters, and Strong Female Protagonists. Young women are victims and heroines. #Adoption #Police #marriage #familysecrets.
Author MacDonald has a new fan. Thank you for the intense and dynamic read,
Fern Michael’s novel Mother’s Day was not the sweet story one would normally choose to celebrate Mother’s Day. A plot with many surprises, characters who appeared wholesome until their human flaws took over and an evil villain who was an unlikely suspect—all these elements combined to create a fast-moving book that was hard to put down. Thank you, Fern Michaels, for this unusual scenario.
I did not like this story. When a child finds out she is adopted she is curious about her parents. When her mother just appear and you are all loving and do not give consideration to the adopted mother it does not make sense no matter how young you are. The father had enough time in which to explain to his wife about the child. The drama that follow could have been avoided. Lies do not bill a good relationship. All in all it is just a story
This was the perfect book to start on Mothers Day. Luckily for me my day was a lot better than the day poor Karen was having. First her adopted daughter Jenny doesn’t show up for lunch and then Jenny’s biological mother turns up out of the blue.
I never knew which way the story was heading. I found it unique and interesting from beginning to end.
I’m looking forward to reading more from this author.
I absolutely loved this book. It has so many plot twists that you don't know if you are coming or going.
Having said that, the book is fully let down by the ending. Apart from it making little sense (based on everything else that has happened in the story) it also seems very rushed as if the writer just wanted to get to book done dusted and over with.
Mother's Day is the day when Mom's he'll began! An attractive blonde - haired, blue- eyed woman showed up at the family home, announcing that she was Jenny's biological mother. That was enough for Mom to handle, as it was supposed to ve a sealed adoption. What later unfolds is the name of the father and the criminal acts of a local lawman! You won't want to put this book down!,
Karen and Greg live a normal life with their daughter Jenny until one day a stranger arrives on their doorstep claiming to be Jenny's biological mother. Karen is devastated, she cannot have a baby herself and regards Jenny as hers but worse is to come. In a moment their lives are turned upside down and they are in danger. I was gripped by this book from page 1 and I didn't see the end coming.