Publication Date: December 13, 2022
A mother questions everything she knows about her son when a local woman is found dead.
Valerie has been forgetting things. Her daughter worries about her being on her own in her big Victorian house—one rumored to be haunted after a tragedy decades earlier—and truth be told, she is a little lonely. With few options, she asks her adult son to move home, but it’s not quite the reunion she hoped for. Hudson is taciturn, moody and frequently gone.
The neighbors already hold a grudge against Hudson, and they aren’t happy about his return. When a young woman is found murdered a block away, suspicion falls on him immediately, without a shred of evidence. While Valerie fights to defend her son, she begins to wonder who she really invited into her home.
It’s a horrible thing for a mother to even think…but is it possible she’s enabled a monster? A monster she is living with, alone?
Valerie may chalk her forgetfulness up to the same memory thief who stole her mother, but she is determined to carry on. Her one concession is to invite her adult son, Hudson, to live with her. The only drawback is that this version of her son seems like a stranger.
In A Mother Would Know, author Amber Garza puts the mother-son bond to the test. When a woman is found murdered, all eyes turn to Hudson. Even as she defends him, Valerie wonders whether her little boy could have turned into a monster capable of murder.
From the opening pages, the author delivers tiny clues that, in retrospect, provide a solid framework for the story’s success. The multiple references to Valerie’s house being haunted serve as a viable distractor for readers while boosting the eerie vibe.
As a character, Valerie is a mixture of vulnerability and strength. On the one hand, she is a fierce protector of her son, but inside she’s locked in a relentless cycle of confusion, trying to maintain control of her sense of time. The author delivers a stunning surprise that completely alters the story’s trajectory.
A Mother Would Know features a tangled web full of suspense centering around relationships and how well we know the ones we love.
Amber Garza has had a passion for the written word since she was a child making books out of notebook paper and staples. Her hobbies include reading and singing. Coffee and wine are her drinks of choice (not necessarily in that order). She writes while blaring music, and talks about her characters like they’re real people. She lives with her husband and two kids in Folsom, California, which is also home to another Amber Garza.
