Mothers' Instinct: A Novel of Suspense

Soon to be a major US motion picture starring Anne Hathaway & Jessica Chastain, Mothers' Instinct is a dark, twisty domestic thriller in which the bond between two couples—best friends & next-door neighbors—mutates in dangerous & deadly ways in the wake of a tragic accident.

David & Laetitia Brunelle & Sylvain & Tiphaine Geniot are inseparable friends & next-door neighbors in a pretty, tranquil suburb. Their sons Milo & Maxime, born in the same year, grow up together as close as brothers. But when Maxime is killed in an accident, their idyllic world shatters. Maxime's parents, Sylvain & Tiphaine, are consumed by grief & bitterness, while David & Laetitia are wracked with guilt for their role in the tragedy. Soon the couples are barely speaking, although they maintain a polite façade.

Then a mysterious series of "accidents" begins to happen to Milo, raising Laetitia's suspicions. Are their former bestfriends trying to punish them by threatening their son? As an increasingly paranoid Laetitia frantically tries to protect Milo from harm, the little civility left between the two families curdles into outward hostility. Is Laetitia just imagining things? Or are Sylvain & Tiphaine secretly conspiring to exact their revenge . . . and if so, who will pay?

In her American debut, blockbuster Belgian author Barbara Abel plunges into the deepest, darkest corners of her characters’ hearts & minds to explore the limits of friendship, the overwhelming power of maternal love, & how far hate, fear, & vengeance can drive us. Tense & blood-chilling, with a surprising final twist, Mothers' Instinct will keep you on edge until the final page.

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Barbara Abel is the author of fourteen thrillers, including Mothers’ Instinct & After the End. She lives in Belgium.