Review: Just What Kind of Mother Are You?, Paula Daly

*Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book on Netgalley from the publisher in return for an honest review*

Lisa Kallisto—overwhelmed working mother—is the not-so-perfect model of the modern woman. She holds down a busy job running an animal shelter, she cares for three demanding children, and she worries that her marriage isn’t getting enough attention. During an impossibly hectic week, Lisa takes her eye off the ball for a moment and her world descends into a living nightmare. Not only is her best friend’s thirteen-year-old daughter missing, but it’s Lisa’s fault. To make matters worse, Lucinda is the second teenage girl to disappear within the past two weeks. The first one turned up stripped bare and abandoned on the main street after a horrible ordeal. Wracked with guilt over her mistake, and after having been publicly blamed by Lucinda’s family, Lisa sets out to right the wrong. As she begins digging under the surface, Lisa learns that everything is not quite what it first appears to be.

Paula Daly was born in Lancashire. Before beginning her first novel she was a self-employed physiotherapist. She lives in the Lake District with her husband, three children and whippet Skippy

I read lot of mystery crime suspense novels. I know various books about missing children and they have one thing in common. You need to finish it because the child needs to be ok. If that would not be the case I cannot sleep at night. Usually these books are written from the point of view of the police (detective) or the parents. This makes that I either puzzle along with the investigation or I become an emotional wreck in the parents grief. Just What Kind of Mother are You? takes you to a different point of view. The mother of the best friend who was supposed to pick up the now missing child. Though she obviously feels guilty and wants to make everything right the whole emotional turmoil is different. And I must admit it was a weird experience. I never really connected to the case of the missing girl as there where so many other things going on in Lisa's life.
It is easy to connect to Lisa. She is a hard working mother of three. Joe, her husband is a taxi driver and she works in the animal shelter. Both jobs are needed to pay the bills which means they have to juggle their time. It is obvious that Lisa often worries about the time spend with her family but feels bad about it because other (richer) mothers can stay at home. It makes her feel as if she fails her family. That feeling really becomes clear in the story but also the whole situation makes it clear she does not have an other choice. That was done so well.
I did feel there where to many things going on for the 256 pages in the book. The situation with Alexa and her husband could have been left out and I would not have missed it. The build up to the end of the story was done well though. It slowly becomes obvious what happens and though I never experiences an WHAT!! moment I did not figure it out halfway the book either.


Just What Kind of Mother Are You?
Author: Paula Daly
Publisher: Grove Press
Pages: 256
Format: eGalley
ISBN-10: 0802121624
ISBN-13: 9780802121622
Grove Press: various

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