Quirky Cat
A Good Mother is the debut novel of Lara Bazelon, and it is a legal thriller full of twists and turns.
Abby is an ambitious public defender and a new mother, so she jumps at the chance to cover her most recent case. A soldier has been murdered on base, and it appears that it is his wife who is to blame.
Yet this is not the open and shut case that Abby hoped for, as there is more to Luz's story than meets the eye. No, this case is about to get more twisted and complex than she signed up for, and it's going to come down to the jury to decide how it will pan out.
"There is nothing like the judgment we visit on mothers."
IA Good Mother is a legal thriller full of twisted emotions and guilt. It has admittedly been a hot minute since I sat down to read a legal thriller, so I found that to be very refreshing in itself.
I'll confess that while I didn't really like most of the characters in this novel (no offense, Abby and Luz), though I did find the core premise to be pretty fascinating. The whole argument for Luz's case, for example.
That being said, I did have a few issues with this read, I'm sorry to say. The whole courtroom drama felt exactly that – a drama. It didn't read like a thriller, and there were parts that didn't feel realistic, which succeeded in breaking the immersion for me.
Overall this was an okay read, with some strong ideas. I will be looking forward to seeing what Lara Bazelon comes up with for her next novel.
Thanks to Hanover Square Press for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.
Check out more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks