Mother Knows Best by Kira Peikoff

Mother Knows Best

by Kira Peikoff

One of POPSUGAR’s Top 15 Medical Thrillers
One of REAL SIMPLE’s 35 Chilling Psychological Thrillers

A mother’s worst nightmare, a chance at redemption, and a deadly secret that haunts a family across the generations—“the psychological thriller everyone will be talking about” (Lisa Scottaline)

There's only room for one mother in this family.

Claire Abrams’s dreams became a nightmare when she passed on a genetic mutation that killed her little boy. Now she wants a second chance to be a mother, and finds it in Robert Nash, a maverick fertility doctor who works under the radar with Jillian Hendricks, a cunning young scientist bent on making her mark—and seducing her boss.

Claire, Robert, and Jillian work together to create the world’s first baby with three genetic parents—an unprecedented feat that could eliminate inherited disease. But when word of their illegal experiment leaks to the wrong person, Robert escapes into hiding with the now-pregnant Claire, leaving Jillian to serve out a prison sentence that destroys her future.

Ten years later, a spunky girl named Abigail begins to understand that all is not right with the reclusive man and woman she knows as her parents. But the family’s problems are only beginning. Jillian, hardened by a decade of jealousy and loss, has returned—and nothing will stop her from reuniting with the man and daughter who should have been hers.

Past, present, and future converge in this mesmerizing psychological thriller from critically acclaimed author Kira Peikoff.

Reviewed by Quirky Cat on

4 of 5 stars

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I received a copy of Mother Knows Best through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Mother Knows Best is a dramatic new thriller from the mind of Kira Keikoff. Here we have all of the thriller elements we know and love, mashed up into a plot full of genetic engineering, drama, and science.
Claire Abrams has always wanted to be a mother. And for a brief time, she even was. But thanks to a genetic mutation running through her cells, her son didn’t get the long life she hoped for him. Now, Claire has the chance to make sure that her future children won’t face the same fate.
But it’s going to require an illegal experiment in order to make it work. Claire is willing to take the risk. And so are the two scientists she’s found. But when things go south, it isn’t Claire who’s left to foot the bill for the risks taken.
That was ten years ago. Ten years of Claire living, constantly looking over her shoulder. Waiting for Jillian to come back into her family’s life. Ten years of waiting. Or dreading.

“In this numb state, I am severed from time and space. I find myself tumbling back years, to the last time we saw each other.”

Warnings: The description alone should give away most of the warnings for this novel. Mother Knows Best covers subjects such as genetic mutations (which range from benign to fatal), child illness and death, genetic engineering, as well as kidnapping and endangerment.

Mother Knows Best is a dramatic thriller, full of family dynamics, genetic engineering, and revenge. It’s not a combination you see every day, and that is what makes this novel stand out so well. The unique concept is supported by extensive character development, turning it into an entirely different tale along the way.
There were a lot of reasons why I wanted to get my hands on this book. For one thing, the cover is striking. That’s what first brought my attention to it. Then there was the unique plot. I’ve never read anything that blended this branch of science (and politics, really) with a thriller element.
I’m not going to deny the part that really drew me into this novel; the focus of having a daughter with three parents. It seemed like the perfect twist to throw into this sort of novel. And admittedly, this plot point started feeling less and less relevant as the novel carried on. But I don’t think that’s automatically a bad thing – it just went in a different direction than I expected.
I loved the focus on all of the characters, their backstories, their motives, the works. It made for a complex tale, having so many people acting in their best interests. Having that one common theme to tie them back together helped of course.
So while Mother Knows Best didn’t end up being quite the novel I expected, I still greatly enjoyed reading it. And it was a quick read too – I got through it in a day. So there was no waiting to find out what happened next for me! I loved that bit.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 9 September, 2019: Finished reading
  • 9 September, 2019: Reviewed