A fast paced thriller that got me from the start lots of nice twists and turns.

Thank you Netgalley for a copy for an honest review

I really wanted to get into this book, it sounds an amazing read but it just wasn't for me., I just couldn't get into at all.

An interesting read this turned out to be.
A good story line and interesting characters. This book will keep your attention throughout.

DC Charlotte Stafford #1
A great read for any crime thriller fans and this certainly seems to be a good start to a series. I will be looking out for more of this authors works.

An excellent read that had me hooked from the start. This book will grip you from the very beginning.

Sarah Flint is the latest in quite a line of crime writers who were once “on the job” themselves. Not that that’s an automatic recommendation – the main qualification for writing a gripping police procedural is not authenticity (although naturally that helps.) No, to my mind, anyway, it’s being able to spin a thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining yarn; one that keeps the reader guessing until the final reveal.

I’m happy to report that the first book in the DC Charlie Stafford series ticks all the boxes. It’s original, realistic, and as for whodunnit…well, at one point or another, I’d pretty much blamed everyone, bar the actual protagonist.

DC Charlie Stafford is also a likeable central character. She’s somewhat shambolic when it comes to presenting the present-day slick, media-friendly look to the world, with hair that sticks up everywhere, and a tendency for getting distracted by criminals on the way to work and appearing looking as though she’s been dragged through a hedge backwards. But she’s tenacious, and worships her boss, DI Geoffrey Hunter (although naturally, stubborn Charlie attempts to hide it.) She works in the Community Support Unit, which is described as, “the first stop for all budding CID officers.” They deal with crimes involving domestic violence, and crimes connected to race/faith/sexual orientation/disability. The unit’s involvement in the big case featuring in this book comes about due to the disappearance of a mother and her son. The reason for their involvement is because there had previously been allegations of domestic abuse made against her husband – could he be responsible for the disappearance of his wife and one of his two sons? His reaction certainly looks suspicious – he wastes no time at all in clearing out all trace of her, as well as scrubbing the house clean, making it impossible to judge whether she’s left of her own volition, or been the victim of a crime, as well as destroying any DNA evidence.

Well, Keith Hubbard’s certainly a nasty piece of work, as Charlie personally discovers, but when another mother-and-child pairing disappears they have to widen their investigation – while not dismissing Hubbard entirely. And I don’t think it’s a spoiler to say there are more victims as the book proceeds.

A prominent and highly respected lawyer – the sort that’s a bane to coppers – gets mixed up in their investigation, intriguing me still further. There’s also a somewhat unusual love interest for Charlie – a homeless ex-soldier who suffers from problems associated with leaving the army: PTSD, alcohol abuse, and other such problems often associated with adjusting to life in the less regimented Civvy Street. He’s a good soul, with a soft spot for Charlie, particularly after one incident they both get caught up in. He makes a refreshing change from the more conventional love interests in police procedurals (very often, it’s colleagues.)

There’s ample red herrings, and excellent story development. This one will definitely keep you reading until the final page. A book is really having to grab me for me at the moment for me to get through it. Mummy’s Favourite managed to do that, and I look forward to hearing more about DC Charlie Stafford. Sarah Flint could be a name to look out for.

A promising start to a new detective series. A novel concept, a killer is punishing mothers for perceived favouritism towards their children. Just a word of warning I found the book truly unpleasant in places, this is not a read where you find yourself having any empathy with the perpetrator at all. A gripping read though and I look forward to the next.

Oh wow this is a fast paced storyline that will make you breathless panting along with the procedure to find out who is the serial killer.

Excellently written for readers who love a good plot, a result that is so hidden it will keep you guessing until the end.

I read a lot of crime books and whilst this was good it isn't a great example of this genre. It felt a little amateurish and the false story lines stood out a mile. Would I read another book by this author? Possibly!

This is a debut novel and the start of DC Charlotte Stafford series.

DC Charlie Stafford is assigned to investigate the disappearances of women and their children. The women are leaving husbands and other children behind. There’s no sense to the disappearances.

This is a very good debut novel. It’s a violent and gritty read in which Charlie needs to find out what’s happening with these mothers and their children. Although a few things niggled at me I thought this was a well written debut novel and I look forward to reading more in this series.

Aria and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of Mummy's Favourite. This is my honest opinion of the book.

When Keith Hubbard calls in a missing persons report on his wife Julie and son Richard, the police are instantly suspicious. He is suspected abuser, although the wife has never filed charges, so it does not make sense that Julie would leave her younger son Ryan behind. DC Charlotte (Charlie) Stafford has been assigned the case, along with DI Hunter, and they soon realize that they are not dealing with an ordinary disappearance. When a second pair of mother and child go missing, will the police investigation yield the truth before it is too late?

Mummy's Favourite has a plot that seems very familiar, due in part to the fact that the writing "formula" has been deployed by other writers in the past. Character development with regards to Charlie was slim, leaving me with the feeling that the author has only begun to scratch the surface. As a more story driven novel, the problem that I had with Mummy's Favourite was the author's reliance on misdirection and confusing changes of points of view. The story, as well as the characters, just did not grab my attention. This book was a miss for me, but readers who like police procedural thrillers might enjoy Mummy's Favourite.