Ponder Post: Just What Kind of Mother Are You?

Just What Kind of Mother Are You? ©2013 is a crime mystery centered around a missing child. This is the second book I've read by Paula Daly. The first was Trophy Child ©2017 and it was excellent. I reviewed it in my June 3rd blog post. This novel was also a page turner but did not appeal to me as much. There were fewer plot twists and surprises but the feelings and anguish of the lead characters was well portrayed. The same detective is the investigator in both books. This book introduces Detective Constable Joanne Aspinall.

The main character Lisa Kallisto is a harried, conscientious, overworked mother of three. Lisa also holds a full time job running an animal shelter. She loves her three kids and husband fiercely and is often exhausted giving them the attention she feels they need and deserve while still holding down a paying job. Her daughter is to have a thirteen year old friend stay over one night but the plan changes. In a case of cross-wires communication, the thirteen year old girl, daughter of Lisa' s best friend, goes missing. Lisa blames herself and tries frantically to assist the search to recover the girl in anyway she can. She also struggles with her own guilt and pushes through that to emotionally support the family who are desperate to recover their daughter, ever more fearful of her demise as time ticks by with her whereabouts remaining unknown.

Mysteries can be intriguing but to me this one was stressful to read, most likely because of the topic. The sinister threat of a child molester lurking somewhere nearby raised my discomfort level much more than it contributed to my suspenseful engagement. Just What Kind of Mother Are You? had good character development, a modicum of plot twists, and a plausible small town setting. I will not spoil the ending by divulging whether it was a good or bad outcome, but I will say the ending was somewhat abrupt, the wrap-up almost a hurried afterthought. I think there are other books out there more worthy of a reader's time than this one, but I do not regret sticking it out. I would have been dissatisfied with myself if I'd left the novel unfinished. I will admit, however, that I had a stiff neck when I finished this book due to the tension it induced. I will give the author Paula Daly a third chance but I will research the topic of my selected thriller more carefully.