They say that for a mother, having a child is to to forever have your heart go walking outside your body. This inevitable vulnerability places a mother at the border of life, one in which she finds herself willing to not only die, but also kill, for her child. Everyone loves a thriller with a mom on a mission because moms are the fiercest of all fighters. You can never underestimate the lengths she will go to for her child.
In my new book The Night Olivia Fell, single mother Abi is on a mission to find out what happened the night her daughter, Olivia, fell from a bridge and ended up brain dead. No matter what the police say, Abi saw the bruises on Olivia’s wrists and she’s determined to learn the truth.
If you love thrillers featuring mothers on a mission, check out this list of some of my favorites.
After Anna, Lisa Scottoline
When Maggie’s estranged teenage daughter, Anna, calls out of the blue wanting to reconnect, Maggie is overjoyed. Finally she has the chance to be a mother to the child she thought she’d lost. But Anna immediately clashes with Maggie’s new husband Noah, and in a heart breaking twist, Anna is murdered and Noah charged with the crime. When new information comes to light, Maggie becomes a mother on a mission determined to find out if Noah crossed a line with Anna and, importantly, if he murdered her daughter. A tense, nerve-jarring novel, After Anna explores the lengths a mother will go to protect her child and find the truth about her murder.
Those Bones Are Not My Child, Toni Cada Bombara
Written over 12 years and set against the backdrop of Atlanta’s political, social and cultural history, Those Bones Are Not My Child is harrowing and haunting, exploring a time of abject terror for black families living in Atlantic in the early 1980s. When 12-year old Sonny doesn’t return home one night and the police seem less than interested in searching for him, his mother, Marzala, decides to do whatever it takes to find him.
Freefall, Jessica Barry
A compulsive novel about a mother’s determined search to find her daughter, Freefall follows Maggie, who has learned her only daughter, Allison, has likely died in a plane crash with her fiancé in the Colorado Rockies. But authorities haven’t found Allison’s body. Maggie refuses to give up hope that Allison is still alive, embarking on a mission to find her only child. Told from the perspectives of both Maggie and Allison, this is a beautifully written thriller about the unbreakable bond between a mother and her child, and the lengths she’ll go to keep her daughter safe.
Reconstructing Amelia, Kimberly McCreight
Exploring themes of motherhood and the dangers of social media, Reconstructing Amelia sees single mother Kate on a mission to find out why her daughter unexpectedly killed herself. But as she uncovers more about Amelia’s life, Kate becomes increasingly convinced that Amelia didn’t kill herself: she was murdered. Kate embarks on a journey to find out the truth, no matter what the cost.
Fierce Kingdom, Gin Phillips
This mother on a mission finds herself trapped at a zoo with her small son when shooters start killing people. As the shooters get ever closer, Joan must decide what she’ll risk in order to save her son. The relationship between Joan and little Lincoln is beautiful, and a nice break from the tense, panic-inducing moments when they are both under threat from the shooters. But Joan is determined to keep her son alive no matter what, asking complex moral questions about how far a mother should go to protect her child, even if it means putting someone else’s loved ones in danger.
The Girlfriend, Michelle Frances
Rich, successful and privileged, Laura has it all, including a handsome husband and an adoring son. But after losing a child years before, she is also your classic helicopter mom, vowing she’ll always protect her son, Daniel, and that he’ll never want for anything. When Daniel falls in love with Cherry, a real estate agent from the poor side of town, Laura is instantly suspicious of her. Then a near-tragic accident happens, convincing Laura that the only way to save her son is to eliminate Cherry.
What She Knew, Gilly MacMillan
An impressive, tense, heart breaking novel, What She Knew is a mother’s worst nightmare come true. Rachel’s eight-year-old son, Ben, goes missing during an ordinary walk in the woods. Her panic and terror are palpable as she becomes increasingly frantic to find her son. As days pass with little to no progress in finding Ben, and the clock ticks down, Rachel desperately starts to piece together the clues she has, determined to find her boy before it’s too late.
Bone by Bone, Sanjid Kay
Recently separated from her husband, Laura moves with her nine-year old daughter, Autumn, to start a new life in a new town. But it isn’t long before Autumn is targeted by school bullies. As the bullying escalates, Laura makes it her mission to stop the bullies, resulting in a terrible choice that will have devastating consequences for both her and Autumn. This emotive novel explores the reality of bullying and the helplessness parents feel in extreme detail, asking how far you would, or indeed should, go to protect your children.
