I love this author and her thrillers. They are all truly great, she has such good storylines and intriguing plots. I was hooked from beginning to end. Also, this works perfectly fine as a standalone if you haven't read the prior ones in the serie. I had no idea where the story was going this story kept me on the edge of my seat.

I have a confession to make....

This is my first book by Anna-Lou Weatherley and I am truly embarrassed to admit it.

I have a lot of making up to do....

What Kind of Mother, is actually book EIGHT in the Detective Dan Riley series. As mentioned, this was my first book by Weatherley and was easily read as a standalone.

This book is jam packed with suspenseful moments, has elements of surprise and I truly captivated me early on.

Kudos to Weatherley, I am excited to see what's next.

Check out this teaser:

My son and his girlfriend stand there, two terrified teenagers shivering in the doorway, and say the unthinkable. ‘I think we killed someone.’ Now, I have to decide exactly what kind of mother I am…

Everything changes in a heartbeat the night Conor and his girlfriend Paris Levinson come to us begging for help, their clothes spattered with blood. They say it was an accident, that they were in the wrong place at the wrong time…

A mother’s intuition is never wrong, and I know there is more they aren’t telling us. But Paris’ mother Helen and I have to make a choice that will change all of our lives. Do we tell the truth, and risk losing our children forever? Or do we lie to keep them safe?

We will do anything to protect our children, but one wrong move could cost us everything. Lying to the police was a risk, and now Helen is acting more unpredictable by the day – turning up at my house unannounced, harassing my husband, telling lies about my past…

The only way to save my family is to uncover the truth about that night. I’m convinced the answers lie hidden inside the Levinsons’ house. I’d do anything for Conor, but am I prepared for what I might find behind locked doors? But when your son is in danger, you find out what kind of mother you are…

This is the 8th book in the Dan Riley series. The more books I read I love Dan more and more. This book held my attention and moves at a very fast pace. I love being suprised and this one certainly did. I connect with the authors writing style.

Thank you Netgalley, Bookouture and Ann-lou Weatherley for the eArc of What Kind of Mother.

Having stumbled across the Dan Riley series several years ago, I have been invested in following the cases and the life of our DCI Dan Riley. This is book 8 in the series and Id highly recommend reading the previous books due to the secondary story that runs through these books.

There is something about Anna-Lou Weatherleys writing style that I find really engaging. There are a few tropes within these books that marry very well. The mystery/thriller side goes well with the speculativeness and there is an element of police protocol. Seeing that there is a secondary narrative of our Dan Riley, his life as it unfolds under his cases makes for a very compelling read.

The characters who are well established in this book still have character development, they are still changing and growing and makes me bound with them more. The characters that are " case" characters are built in progressively, unfolding with when and how the case that Dan Riley is investigating. As with all of these books, the foreshadowing is good, clues littered everywhere and often we find we know who the perp is around 3/4 of the way through. This doesn't detract from the building tension of how Dan is going to bring this person to justice.


4.5 stars for Storygraph, 5 stars for other review sites

i agve this book 4 stars! The main character takes a housekeeping job after the death of her own daughter. She starts cleaning for a wealthy family while trying to keep herself and life private. A murder occurs and she has to navigate keeping secrets for the rich family. I did not want to put this one down!

What a great book! I absolutely loved how twisty and clever this one was! I was totally engrossed from beginning to end and would definitely read from this author again, So, so, so good!

What Kind of Mother by Anna-Lou Weatherley is a book about the lengths a mother will go to in order to protect her child. Christine and Ed have been married a long time and together since elementary school. They have a son, Conor, who is in high school. Christine works as a housekeeper for a wealthy family a few times a week. She cleans the house and helps out where needed. Christine is shocked when Conor is with the daughter of that family in her home. Conor and Paris like each other and have been out tonight. On their way home after they'd been drinking, they ran into a man while walking. That man ended up dead. He was in really bad shape as his face had been beaten so badly that you couldn't identify him. Conor and Paris are very upset and visibly shaken. They have blood on their clothes. Were they involved in the man's beating?

Christine and Ed try to get the story out of them when the tv has breaking news about the dead man. When they're working through the events of last night there's a knock at the door. It's Paris' parents, the Levinson's. Together the parents of both kids come up with a story to protect the kids. They tell the kids to change clothes so that they can be taken away. Why doesn't Paris seem happy to see her parents? This isn't a happy family and Christine has never seen them all together when she's working in their home. She now wonders why that is? How far will parents go to protect their children?

What Kind of Mother is a terrifying book where the suspense builds an builds until you can't stop reading! I read this book in one day and it kept me on edge throughout. What Kind of Mother is a fantastic thriller that will keep your heart racing and mind guessing throughout. I rate What Kind of Mother 4 stars with a high recommendation. I'd like to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for an advanced copy of What Kind of Mother in exchange for a fair review. The book is available now and should be added to your TBR pile. #WhatKindOfMother

A drug dealer is brutally killed. The suspects are the daughter of an MP and her boyfriend but DCI Dan Riley faces the wrath of his superiors who don't want to antagonise a prominent and famous individual. Dan's commitment to truth and justice put his career in jeopardy...
What Kind Of Mother is the 8th book in the DCI Dan Riley series. Each book works as a stand alone as there are no spoilers about previous cases.
Christine and Ed Carter wake to find their son and his girlfriend arriving home from a night out. The pair are covered in blood and watching the TV news which reports a man has been murdered. The parents' protective instincts kick in and they try to cover up any involvement but DCI Dan Riley can identify the teens from CCTV and comes knocking at the door.
The book is written from Dan's first person perspective as he investigates, and also multiple other suspects' viewpoints to show their tangled lies and personal issues. Dan is steadfast and honest in his investigation which puts him at odds with the hierarchy who warn him off making waves. I loved his character, which is very much understated and all the more believeable for it.
I loved this book. The Carter family are basically good guys, trying to make ends meet. Christine and Ed are haunted by the death of their daughter years ago and now would do anything to protect their only remaining son. The Levinsons also want to protect their daughter as well as their own status in the community so want to cover up any involvement in the murder. There are great plot twists and big issues such as dementia and abuse are handled sensitively.
What Kind of Mother is a tense, dramatic and engagingly written crime thriller and police procedural.

What Kind of Mother by Anna-Lou Weatherley was another excellent book and is the 8th book in the excellent Detective Dan Riley series. Like all Anna's books I was gripped from start to finish, once I started to read it, it was hard to put it down especially as it was fast paced with lots of great twists and turns and I just wanted to find out what happened next. I love the Detective Dan Riley character and looking forward to the next book within this series.

This book can be read as a standalone. However, I do highly recommend you read the other seven books they hve been a 5 star read and great books to take on holiday.

Big Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for my ARC.

This was my first Detective Riley book by Anna-Lou Weatherley. I definitely felt like this book was a slow burn. It starts with a young teenage couple coming home covered in blood and someone is dead. The boyfriends parents are very protective and will go to any lengths to keep their son out of prison. They don't know the full details and doubt they are given the full story by the teens, but still decide to join forces with the daughters parents to keep everyone out of trouble. You immediately find out that the mother of the boyfriend actually works for the girlfriends parents. Low and behold, her parents are very wealthy and affluent, respectable, and powerful in the community. Little do they know who they are actually dealing with and at what lengths THEY will go to protect (not their daughter), but their own reputation and names. If you like a slow burn and doubting everything you think is going to happen, this is a great read! I am excited to check out more books by this author! I have already bought the previous Detective Riley books that came before this one!

A great thriller full of secrets and suspense, this book had me so addicted and gripped throughout. Will definitely be reading more by this author.

A fast paced rollercoaster of a ride!
I was absolutely immersed in this book from the very beginning. It kept me on the edge of my seat and was full of twists I didn’t see coming!
Great for all thriller lovers!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my arc.

How far would you go to protect your child? This page-turner questions the lengths two mothers will go to. It kept me on the edge of my seat, unraveling the secrets throughout. I love Anna Lou Weatherley writing & loved this, her latest psychological thriller!

Thank you, Anna Lou Weatherley, Bookouture, & netgalley for my early gifted copy! All opinions are my own.

What a great story this is. Gripping from the start and some really evil characters. I was well in to the story before I figured out how the title fitted, but then it fell in to place. . I think this story would make a great film .
Many thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in return for an honest review. Loved it !!!

I'm reviewing this via NetGalley, as part of a tour with Bookouture.

I chose this book because the description appealed to me, and when I saw the cover art, I felt drawn to that too.

This is part of a series featuring Detective Dan Riley, and I haven't read any of the previous books, but after reading this, I think I would be interested in reading more.

I took an immediate interest in Christine and her family. I felt that as characters, they were relatable, and their interactions and behaviours were quite realistic. I thought about Christine's situation, and how it might feel to be in her shoes, wondering what I myself might do. I also liked Dan Riley as a character; I enjoyed how he worked, and interacted with the other characters.

Once I became invested, I felt the need to read one chapter, then another, then another, until I reached the end. This was a page turner and a tense nail-biter, with some interesting characters.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture, and to the author, for the opportunity to read and review this.

Great to have Detective Dan Riley back - firm favourite of mine.

Got sucked into this book straight away, some truly vile characters - the Levinson's I'm looking at you, but was absolutely rooting for the Carter family..

Dan is not only up against a crime that at first seems cut and dried with obvious suspects to a uncovering more layers to the murder and not only that but police corruption.

All in all a fabulous read and I even felt a bit a emotional at the last chapter when more of Dan's family life was revealed.

Already waiting in anticipation for the next Dan Riley case.

Thanks to netgalley for the opportunity to review this book, this is my honest opinion.

This explored the dark side of the lengths mothers will go to in order to protect their children. Full of intense scenes and shocking twists, this was a worthy read for any thriller/mystery lover. The story flowed seamlessly, and each chapter left me wanting to keep going, refusing to put this down well into the night. Although this is part of a series, there is no need to read the others first and can easily be read as a stand-alone. I really enjoyed this one and give it four stars.

Thank you, Netgalley and Bookouture, for this ARC.

I have read all the books in the Dan Riley series and I have loved all of them. I think this series needs to be read!

I could not put this one down. What a great concept. Poor Christine wakes to hear a commotion downstairs and before she knows what is going on her son has confessed to murder and the police are knocking on the door... what lengths will she have to go to in order to protect her son?

I love the writing style and how we get to see the story unfold through detective Dan Riley, but also the family impacted by the events. It works beautifully in ramping up the tension as you the reader try to piece it together.

Dan is a great character and he follows his gut. I like that he seems relatable and fair in his decision making. I thought the author did a great job with the other characters especially Christine as she struggles to cope with her world falling apart.

Such a page turner with all the twists and turns I have grown to love from Anna-Lou Weatherley. She is a definite go to author for me. Highly recommend this if you love a great thriller/Crime read.

With huge thanks to the author and Bookoture for a copy of the book. This is my honest review which I'm leaving voluntarily.

Thank you to NetGalley, Anna-Lou Weatherley, and Bookouture for the ebook. This is a prime example of a psychological thriller! Gripping from the first page, I couldn’t stop reading until the very last twist. A must-read!

A parent, especially a mother would go to extreme lengths to protect her child.
Christine and Ed have already experienced more than most people are asked to handle in a lifetime.
I liked them and probably would have reacted and acted very similarly.
Helene was messed up and a very flawed character. Her maternal instincts were worse than a feral cat.
I liked Dan the best. He was dogged, determined, and a dad who faced with a major discovery in his own family, sees things from the parental perspective.
The book has lots of twists and unexpected angles!l