The Mother-In_Law by Sally Hepworth

 

Lucy lost her mother early from cancer.  Since then, she always thought she'd have another chance when she got married to have a maternal relationship with her husband's mother.  But it isn't to be.  Ollie's mother, Diana, isn't a warm and friendly person.  Instead, she is distant and cold showing almost no interest in her children or their mates.  

Even when Lucy thinks she has done something that will bring she and Diana closer, she is wrong.  When Diana gives her a special necklace on her wedding day for her something borrowed, Lucy is touched, that is until Diana makes a point of telling her that it is just borrowed and she expects it back.  Surely grandchildren will make a difference but the only difference is that Diana ignores Lucy's wishes on how the children should be raised and does whatever she thinks is best.  Diana and her husband Tom are wealthy but they won't even consider helping their children financially with things like house down payments or even health issues.  Diana believes that she and Tom made their own way and so should the children.

But now Diana is dead.  The police tell the family that it could be suicide as they found a note.  But there are unanswered questions.  Diana told everyone she had breast cancer but there's no record of it in her medical records and no sign of it at the autopsy.  There was a bottle of drugs beside the body that is a common drug used for suicide but again no sign of it being in the body.  Diana changed her will right before she died and instead of her children, Ollie and his sister Nettie getting the inheritance they had been expecting their entire lives, the estate is all left to a charity.  

Now the police are thinking it may be murder rather than suicide and that the murderer must be a family member.  Are they right?

Sally Hepworth is an Australian author who has carved out a space for herself in the publishing world.  She specializes in family dramas that have a bit of mystery contained within.  Readers will recognize each character's type as someone they are familiar with and the inevitability of Diana's death and it's fallout makes for a compelling read.  This book is recommended for readers of either mystery or woman's fiction.