The Missing Mother

by Casey Kelleher

I place my tiny, newborn baby in the box. A ‘safe haven’, they call it, for unwanted babies. She’ll be warm, someone will find her soon. She’ll be cared for. But not by me. I will always want her, but I can never be her mother. And she can never know why.

Jenna has never truly known who she is or where she came from. Abandoned as a baby, she grew up with a caring adopted family, and never felt the need to know more about her birth parents. Until one night, nearly thirty years later, when she sees a desperate young woman tearfully kiss her little baby, put it gently down in a safe haven box, and walk away.

In that moment, Jenna’s mind starts to race. Who could abandon their child like that, and why? She may never find her own parents, but Jenna is determined to uncover the truth behind this baby’s missing mother. Because Jenna has a terrible feeling that she knows who the mother is, and what happened…

As Jenna digs deeper she uncovers something – someone – far more dangerous than she ever feared. And the secrets they’re hiding are much bigger than just one night, just one woman, just one baby. But what Jenna hasn’t realised is that they know what she’s doing and they are watching her. Whatever the cost, they’ll do anything to keep Jenna from revealing the truth…

This utterly addictive psychological thriller will have you reading late into the night. Perfect for fans of Freida McFadden, Lisa Jewell and Claire McGowan.

Genres: Thriller, Audiobook

314 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 5, 2024

About the author

Casey Kelleher was born in Cuckfield, West Sussex. Growing up she became an avid reader, loving in particular gritty crime thrillers and gangland books.

The Books

Standalone Psych Thrillers
The Perfect Guest
The Missing Mother
The Babysitter's Secret
MINE
I'll Never Tell
Only Child
The Babysitter's Secret

Gangland/crime thrillers

standalones
Bad Blood
The Taken
The Promise
Rotten to the Core
Rise and Fall
Heartless

Griffin Estate Trilogy
No Escape (book 1)
No Fear (book 2)
No Going Back (book 3)

The Byrne Trilogy
The Betrayed (Book 1)
The Broken (Book)
The Forgotten (Book 3)

For all offers and news on Casey's new releases, click the FOLLOW button on Casey's Amazon page, here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Casey-Kelleh...

http://caseykelleher.co.uk

www.instagram.com/caseykelleher

http://facebook.com/officialcaseykell...

Reviews

[Natalie "Curling up with a Coffee and a Kindle" Laird · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fabulous start to a book!
The book begins with a new mother giving her baby up at a safe haven, a new scheme called Safely Surrendered. I loved this dystopian idea, and it hooked me straight away. It was unexpected from a psychological thriller, and made a refreshing change!
As the book plays out, there are many twists and I couldn't put it down for the entire book, reading it in 2 sittings.
I loved it all.

[Kristina Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC (Advance Reader Copy) of The Missing Mother by Casey Kelleher. The story is about a journalist who is working two stories and how they come together in the book. It was a fast read and kept me engaged the whole time. The ending wasn't quite what I expected though. The book gives you something to think about. I would recommend this book to others. I gave it 4 stars.

[Julie Lacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great psychological thriller.
Jenna is contacted about a baby that has been left in a box at a fire station to be collected by social services.
The box is purposely placed for babies to be left if the mother’s are unable to care for them.
Jenna was brought up in care herself so is intrigued by the baby being left and persuades her boss to print a story about it.
Evie can’t believe it when she sees a photo of her baby in the paper and is frightened the father will now come after her. He told her to ‘get rid of it - or else’ and she scared he will contact her after seeing the article.
Jenna is also working on a case where a man is spiking women’s drinks and fell victim of him herself.
The two threads come together and leads to a gripping ending.
A great read.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

[Nicola “Shortbookthyme” · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a story!
A story that kept me engaged until I finished the book.
The ending was not what I was expecting at all!
Definitely a story full of dark suspense.
Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

[Suzi (Lil Bit Reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A frightened mother surrenders her baby in a safe haven box at the local fire station, terrified that the man who victimized her previously will harm her precious newborn. Jenna, an investigative reporter, feels an instant connection because she was also abandoned as a baby. The baby and “missing mother” are supposed to be anonymous, but Jenna publicizes the case in the newspaper and online. Jenna feels compelled to keep digging and finds herself down the dangerous online rabbit hole of the incel community, convinced she knows what happened to the missing mother… because it happened to her too.

Casey Kelleher’s latest thriller is dark and intense. Told from three perspectives, including Jenna, the missing mother, and “Him” (the villain), this story kept me on edge with an undercurrent of uneasiness. The cast of characters is small and easy to keep track of, but the big reveal is still a shock! Jenna is fierce and tenacious with a strong sense of justice, and you’ll be rooting for her to unmask the bad guys hiding behind their keyboards and misogyny. This story is extra chilling because dangers like this, men like this, really do exist for women in the real world.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing me an advance copy of this book.

[BrummieGirl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my, what a read. My heart went out to poor Evie. Then we had Jenna, the journalist who who was covertly researching in the most disturbing of circles. From the start, I found myself all tensed up wondering when and how their two worlds would come together.

I absolutely devoured the setting - the journalists offices - where the stories broke. Jenna’s scenes made addictive reading. The story seemed so big and I couldn’t work out who was involved in what until the right time.

There was such an immediate sense of danger throughout which made this book a super fast read. And the revelation around the middle was like, OMG! Then there was more, lots more.

I absolutely gobbled this book up. Brilliant!

[Staceywh_17 · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Missing Mother is the third book I've read by Kelleher and yet another book that I couldn't put down and devoured in twenty four hours.

I love the idea of the safe haven boxes, maybe this is something that could well become a thing of the not to distant future, who knows?

The plot is brilliant, well written and oh, so twisty. It's narrated from three different POV that are all intricately linked together. And I almost forgot, it has a killer twist at the end which I didn't see coming!

[Gemma Morton]

Reviewing this book on behalf of Bookouture - listened to it on Audible.

Found this book a struggle to get through.

i have nothing to bad to say about the book its just not the type of storyline i enjoy obviously.

It explores the up to date subject of drink spiking which could be triggering for some.

I enjoyed the ending, even though i predicted the twists pretty much from the start of the book.

I like Casey Kellaher as an author and i will carry on reading her books, this one just didn't grab me

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's terrifying to think that men like these do really exist in reality ! It was a great read with a twist at the end that shocked me. I think I would have loved the book even more if more of the mother's pov was given and less of Jenna.


Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for access to this Arc in exchange for my honest review.

[Sarah Trickey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was slightly disappointed with This one compare d to the others I've read by this author. I felt I didn't really like the main character Jenna and that the ending felt rushed like one minute there was a little bit of action and then if fizzled out with a quick conclusion.

[Tracy ann Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

what an amazing addictive read very twisty and addictive. Evie will do anything to protect her newborn baby daughter. From the man that rapped her and is still threatening her.so she takes her baby to the police station and places her in the box. Jenna is a newspaper reporter. And she has just broke her big case. But she is now going after the man and group who are drugging girls. don't want to say any more but it's an amazing read someone will do anything to stop Jenna getting to the truth!

[Rachel Kline · Rating 4 out of 5]

First off I want to thank NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book as an advance reader copy.

I feel like I am definitely in the minority after reading other reviews, but I didn’t love this book. It was interesting enough to keep me turning the pages, but I didn’t find myself pulled in and invested in the storyline. The premise was promising, there were a few twists, even if one was a little obvious to me. I feel that character development was lacking.

All in all I would rate this book 3.5 stars, but I’ll round up to four.

[Sam “My Cosy Book Nook” · Rating 5 out of 5]

With a workload that's gone manic in the day job, and having to try and arrange some home improvement works when everyone seems to be trying to do something a bit different to what I have asked for, it's fair to say that life is fairly full of stress at the moment.

I say this not for sympathy – I’m well aware that this is a first world problem which, in many respects, I’m fortunate to have – but as an explanation of why reading is hard right now. The last two books I picked up, I had to put down again – with apologies to my local book club in the first instance and to the author, to whom I had promised a review prior to his publication day, in the second. Because whilst both seemed to be perfectly good books, each of them demanded more attention and more concentration than I felt able to give.

So it says something about The Missing Mother by Casey Kelleher that I was able to effortlessly devour it in two sittings. Although it would have been better still if I hadn't read the blurb first. Perhaps being a bit stressed had left me in a tetchy mood, but I didn’t have to get far into the book before starting to feel a bit irritated. Because the blurb describes something that the book itself doesn’t include. I suspect that this isn’t the author’s fault, because I’m aware that Bookouture authors are not normally responsible for the covers and blurbs of their books. But I have to say that this is happening too often. And it’s most unfair to Casey Kelleher when she has written a book this good.

I’ll say it again. The Missing Mother is … (stretch both arms out almost as far as they’ll reach) … this good.

It gives us a character-driven storyline, told by three narrators. Evie, who was terrified enough and desperate enough to go through the whole of her pregnancy alone and in private only to give up her child at birth. Jenna, a journalist at a local paper, who was herself abandoned as a baby and to whom this story is personal. And the unknown ‘him’, motivated by a dangerous combination of arrogance and sexual gratification. The emotions that each of these characters feel leap so powerfully off the pages that they keep an inescapable hold on you as you read. Evie’s anxiety to the point of desperation, mixed with self-loathing. Jenna with her own fears, which at first only fuel her determination but which later threaten to become overpowering. Can she trust anyone? Is even her best friend the person she had thought her to be? And then there’s the ever-present threat of ‘him’. The reader wants ‘him’ to stop but is every bit as powerless as his next potential victim. We don’t even know who he is.

The story that these characters take us on is one that’s dark, and I would quite understand it if you found one of quite a number of triggers too much to bear. I will admit to several occasions when I had to put my kindle down because it had become almost too uncomfortable to keep reading. Only to pick it up again 30 seconds later because I couldn’t not carry on. As I said earlier, the hold that this book has on the reader is inescapable. But the issues raised are dealt with compassionately, and as far as possible, even fairly. The concept of ‘safe boxes’ for unwanted babies is one that I hadn’t heard of, but I understand from Googling that they have been trialled in some US states. Is this a good thing? Should we be grateful if they save the life of a newly-born child, and respectful of the mother’s right to anonymity? Or is it more important that behind every such child is a woman who needs help? I don’t know. Both arguments are presented so well that, if I’d been asked to make a decision, I’d have ended up siding with whoever was speaking at the time.

So, with the characters keeping hold of me so firmly that it was almost painful, and with the plot carrying me forward kicking and screaming, I remained glued to the pages as the initial tension turned to fear and then terror until … the ending. Hmmm.

Rationally, there’s really nothing wrong with it. Just like the rest of the book, it’s very, very well-written, fair and believable. My problem is that the conventional premise of a psychological thriller is that it includes a twist that reveals the truth as something somehow worse than you had expected. This one sort of does the opposite and includes a twist that shows things actually aren’t as bad as I had thought. I was actually left feeling a bit reassured. Which isn’t what I wanted. I wanted what I had feared to be true all along, or even – dare I say it – even worse.

Let’s be clear, though: this is just my opinion. And it shouldn’t, even for one second, put you off reading the book. Think of it as having been on a luxurious holiday, where everything was perfect right up to, and including, the flight home. If I then returned to my car to find that someone had put a dent in it whilst it was parked at the airport, I’d be a tiny bit upset. But if the same thing didn’t happen to you, that’d be no reason for you to feel the same way.

My heart wants to deduct half-a-star for the ending but my head won't allow it. Because what's
more important is that The Missing Mother managed effortlessly to do what only the best books can. It took me out of the outside world and, just for a while, made it go away.

My thanks to the author and to Bookouture for my inclusion on blog tour, and to Netgalley for the digital ARC. My review is also available on my blog at www.mycosybooknook.wordpress.com and will be published on Amazon, Netgalley and my social media pages.

[StinaStaffymum · Rating 4 out of 5]

The only way to stay safe...is to stay hidden...

Well that wasn't what I expected. I mean that in a good way. I thought this would be another missing baby/mother thriller but oh no, this was so much more. The only let down was the main character and the fact she was a journalist. I find them parasitic scourges of society feeding off the misfortune of others and had it not been for that aspect I may have enjoyed it more. BUT...it is a key element of the story, so all is forgiven.

They call is "safely surrendered". A safe box provided by a charity which women who find themselves in impossible situations where they find themselves unable to care for their babies, can safely surrender them in these boxes where they are quickly collected and in the care of social services. The mother has a right to anonymity and will not be sought or vilified for her decision.

Journalist Jenna receives a tip off that a baby has been left at the local fire station, the first locality in the UK to trial the safe box. Eager for a scoop, Jenna is quick to gather as much information and a photograph of the hours old baby before social services swoop in. She calls her boss with the news and he is eager to publish the story highlighting the trial without treading on the charity's toes by going public with it. After all, it's a human interest story...isn't it?

But deep down, Jenna fears for the mother. That she may need help and feel she cannot reach out. She's hoping her story will encourage the woman to come forward. But she has no idea of the rabbit warren she is going down...or what she will uncover.

Scared and alone, Evie can't believe it when she sees her baby girl's photo in the paper the following morning. After everything she went through, the hiding, the secrecy, the torment...all to keep her little girl safe and this journalist bandies her photo around in the local paper which is soon picked up by the nationals. Fearing for her safety, she is terrified what this means for her now that this has become public knowledge. Despite the assurances that her anonymity is guaranteed, the nation is soon searching for "the missing mother". What will happen to her and her baby girl when they catch up with her? Or worst still...if "he" does?

This was an intriguing read from start to finish despite the irritating journalist aspect. I kept turning the pages wanting to know if I was right in my assumptions. My first guess was too obvious but my second was spot on!

The story unfolds through both Jenna and Evie's eyes and the two threads are carefully interwoven leading to a thrilling nail-biting finish.

I would like to thank #CaseyKelleher, #Netgalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheMissingMother in exchange for an honest review.

This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.

[Bookstagramshaz Sharon Logue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Publication Date - 5th February 2024
📕📕📕📕📕📕📕📕📕📕📕📕📕📕📕📚 REVIEW 📚 Jenna is a newspaper reporter and she gets an urgent phone call, after a heavy night out!a baby has been left in the New Safe Haven Box. This is for people who want to give up their babies but this means they do it in a much more safer way for the baby and the parent. This story means a lot to Jemma. She was abandoned as a baby, so it’s very close to her heart. She also has some work/personal stuff to deal with at the moment as well. Possibly putting herself in danger! Casey is one of my favourite authors (yes I have a list) 🤣🤦🏽‍♀️. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but this book felt slightly different to her others but I loved it! I was up to silly hours trying to finish it!❤️
Description ~
I place my tiny, newborn baby in the box. A
“safe haven”, they call it, for unwanted babies.
She’ll be warm, someone will find her soon.
She’ll be cared for. But not by me. I will always want her, but I can never be her mother. And she can never know why.
Jenna has never truly known who she is or where she came from. Abandoned as a baby, she grew up with a caring adopted family, and never felt the need to know more about her birth parents. Until one night, nearly thirty years later, when she sees a desperate young woman tearfully kiss her little baby, put it gently down in a safe haven box, and walk away.
In that moment, Jennas mind starts to race. Who could abandon their child like that, and why? She may never find her own parents, but Jenna is determined to uncover the truth behind this baby’s missing mother.
Because Jenna has a terrible feeling that she knows who the mother is, and what happened... #caseykelleher #likes #like #follow #likeforlikes #love #instagood #instagram #followforfollowback #followme #photooftheday #photography #bhfyp #instalike #l #instadaily #likeforfollow #picoftheday #fashion #beautiful #me #followers #smile #likeforlike #myself #followback #f #comment #followforfollow #likesforlikes

[Tammy Lunsford - Escape to Books By Tammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh wow... this one gave me chills from the beginning chapter. I did not know where it was headed, but I knew that it was headed in a dark place. The scene opens up with a mother safely surrendering her baby at a local firehouse, which is where there is a new program for safe haven for babies. You immediately know this is not a case of a mother not wanting her baby. This baby is in danger and so is the mother.

The fireman who finds the baby calls Jenna to the station. Jenna is a hard nosed investigative journalist. When Jenna realizes the baby has been surrendered, it brings up all sorts of memories for her. Jenna's mother abandoned her when she was a baby. She left her in a box in a hallway. This case is suddenly very personal for Jenna and brings up some feelings she thought she had left in the past.

Meanwhile women in the area are being given spiked drinks and being brutally attacked while under the influence. Jenna is in the midst of this investigation as well. Everything really starts heating up for Jenna as she delves deep into this investigation and realizes how dangerous these people really are to women and possibly to herself.

This was quite the thrill ride. It sucked me in from the first chapter. I love a book like this where you can see puzzle pieces starting to fall into place, and as they fall into place, you realize there is something much more dangerous and dark going on than you first believed. Each chapter was told from a point of view of different characters in the story. I was wowed by the twists and turns as I tried to solve this mystery along with Jenna. You are taken into the dark underworld of predators who look like regular, nice guys, but who are anything but nice. Creepy is not even a good adjective to describe this plotline, but I sunk right into it because I had to know the true story.

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for this ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Sherry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am not sure what I was expecting, but it wasn’t this. It’s part women’s fiction and part suspenseful mystery. I was hooked from the start. It is dark and when you consider it can happen, it’s scary. It proves you never really know the people around you.

I’ll admit to yelling at Jenna more than once for her poor decisions. As a fan of police procedurals, I liked the twist that it was a journalist investigating instead of the police. She had a different perspective and a different thought process in how to track things down.

Three POVs brought different aspects to the story. Jenna, the journalist, was investigating the scheme. Evie, the mother, who gave up her child and was running from someone. And him, the nameless bad guy that I waffled back and forth on who he was. I’d brag I guessed it was him, but having guessed every male in the book, the only way I would have been wrong would be if it was some new character.

I read this in a day and it has stayed with me. I always wonder about the mother that would put her baby in a box versus just dropping them off at a hospital. I think this would be a great book club book or buddy read. So much to talk about. The twists and turns and the social issues. I’d advise you to go in cold unless you have trigger issues and then definitely take a look at those because there could be a couple for some.

This isn’t my normal five star read, but the complex plot that keeps me thinking. It’s definitely worth the read.

[Best Crime Books & More · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have been reading Casey Kelleher book since she started and can honestly say I am a fan and usually absolutely love her books. This book was not a bad book, I just felt it wasn't for me. Lately Casey Kelleher has been writing a variety of different books and I love that she is expanding out from the gangland type books she may be better known for. For me this book although very good in the sense the writing was just as great as other books, I didn't quite love it as much as others of hers I have read.

I have been reading and reviewing for many years so don't want to go over the storyline in the review but I will say the characters for me were not that likeable. Jenna the main character just seemed so reckless and standoffish that I couldn't help feeling unbothered by what may happen to her. The story is centered around Jenna covering attacks on women and her undercover work within the incel community. At the same time a woman 'safely surrenders' her baby at a fire station and the news run stories on this which tie in to Jenna's current work.

Overall it was well paced and to be fair I didn't see the ending coming (well maybe the chapter before it happened) which is a bonus, but there was just no real connection for me to anybody in this book. A shame for me as I love her books but for me this was just middle of the road...

[Dee Groocock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Evie makes the heartbreaking decision to leave her newborn baby in a fire station, knowing that, as part of a new scheme called Safely Surrendered, her baby will be safe.

Jenna is a journalist and she receives a call from the firefighter who finds the baby. He isn’t happy with this new scheme and wants the information to get out there, for people to realise that the mother’s could be in danger.

Jenna has problems of her own after being drugged on a night out earlier that evening. She has been investigating a group of men who are drugging women.

This is a difficult story to read due to the subjects in the story. However, it is a story that really does need telling.

The two plots in this story work side by side and we learn more about what went on for Evie and gradually find out what happened to Jenna that night.

This is one of those books that makes you sit up and think. This could happen to someone you know, a loved one.

A well written and sympathetically written psychological thriller that tugged at my heartstrings and at times made me feel physically sick.

My thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Chloe - maggie_books92 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Firstly, thank you so much to Bookouture, Casey Kelleher & NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for honest feedback!

I feel like I'm in the minority after reading the other reviews, but I didn't enjoy this book... For me, it was really predictable & I ended up skimming the majority of the book to find out whether there was a twist at the end. I knew from the first interaction that we saw between Jenna & Liam that he was a dodger... The only thing I didn't guess was that the guy Mike was actually a policeman

There wasn't a hook to reel me in & there was a lot of repetition throughout the book, especially about Jenna and what happened to her at the beginning. It took up about the first 30% of the book - I didn't enjoy the very vivid details of her v*mit (not great for someone with emetophobia, haha!).

There should be a trigger warning at the beginning of the book as S*A* is mentioned numerous times throughout the book. It's horrifying that there are men like that out there and this book definitely makes you think.

I would try another book by the author but I won't be reading this one again. I'm sorry but I just didn't get on with this book at all...

[Shawna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I inhaled this book like a fat kid with cake!

The Missing Mother is an addictive, perfectly paced thriller. Told from 3 POVs, (Jenna, Evie - the mom, and “him”), each storyline was perfectly pieced together with the others.

Jenna is an investigative journalist who got a call in the middle of the night about baby “Holly” that was safely surrendered at the fire station. Between herself, her friend/coworker Keirsten, and her boss Liam, they decide to run a story in the paper, along with a photo that she was able to get.

Meanwhile, there is something going on with the men of this town - a website devoted to horrible things about women, and a spree of women being poisoned and raped. Jenna had previously done a story on this and it now has resurfaced, since she also was almost poisoned….

Eventually these storylines collide, and the ending was NOT what I was expecting!! With a smaller cast it was super easy to keep track of everyone.
I truly thought this book was exceptional.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc in return for my honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Pub date: 05 Feb 2024

[Cal · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Missing Mother by Casey Kelleher is a gripping psychological thriller with plenty of twists, turns, shocks and surprises throughout. The story begins as a newborn baby is left at a local fire station in a ‘safe haven box’, a new charity run initiative that grants anonymity to the new mother. The firefighter who finds the newborn baby girl calls in young journalist Jenna as he’s worried that the young woman who left her baby may need help.

But for Jenna this case feels personal as she was also abandoned as a baby. Determined to uncover the truth behind the missing mother and why she abandoned her daughter, Jenna finds herself drawn deeper and deeper into the mystery until she uncovers something far more dangerous than she could ever have imagined…

The Missing Mother is a fast paced and addictive psychological thriller that once started I found impossible to put down. Casey Kelleher’s writing is top notch as she cleverly draws the threads of the story together, leading to a thrilling conclusion that I can honestly say took me completely by surprise.

The Missing Mother by Casey Kelleher is a thrilling page turner of a read and is one that I would highly recommend.

[Booklover BEV · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fantastic gripping psychological thriller this is, this author never lets her readers down in her work. And now onto the missing mother a stand alone read to be enjoyed.
A tiny new born, safe in a box, left at the Islington fire station.
Journalist Jenna Stone gets the call from Chris the baby has been left with a note attached, she's in danger please keep her safe, so he knows the mother must be in danger too, and needs to be found.
The new baby boxes on the wall allows the charity to give mothers anonymity so they need never to be found.
As this story starts to unfold we find victims of sexual assaults attacks and rapes, and victims of spiking that pulls Jenna into finding out who the mother is and who is behind doing this to innocent girls and her.
Just needs to be read every chapter to entangle all the gripping details, that will thrill and chill you.
the author once again left me a contented Booklover.

[Els · Rating 5 out of 5]

A mother wants to keep her child close in order to protect them, but sometimes you have to distance yourself from them because you want to do what is best for them.

I always like it when a book is divided in different points of view. There is Jenna who is an investigative reporter trying to find out the truth. A second voice we hear is Evie's and then there is 'him', the person responsible for all the bad things, the one to be brought to justice.. 

Although Jenna knows she is treading on dangerous ground, she does not want to give up. She wants to uncover the truth and end it all. 

This was such a great book. My heart broke frequently and I was disgusted by 'him'. But not all things were sad or bad. There was room for joy and love too and let's not forget about the twists and turns. Those are the ingredients of this amazing story. 5 stars

Thank you

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for this arc.. i couldn't wait to get started on this one, and i wasn't disappointed.. i think most people have heard of drinks being spiked on a night out. The author has written it with sensitivity
When a baby is (safely surrendered) in a box at the local fire station, did the mom want to do that or was she forced?,?. Jenna gets the tip off from the firefighter who found her,and named her Holly.. jenna is on a mission to find the men who are spiking womens drinks.,and go on to sexually assault them. Jenna finds an important piece of information when baby sitting at her best friends house. In Duncans study, what is it? Is jenna in danger?
I really didn't see that ending coming, i was so engrossed that i couldn't put it down. The topis were written in a sensitive manner, i thoroughly recommend this book

[Maggie · Rating 3 out of 5]

When a frightened woman leaves her new born baby in the Safe Baby Box at the local fire station, investigative journalist, Jenna, is tipped off. This is a new charity scheme that is supposed to be completely anonymous & placing no blame. However, Jenna was abandoned as a baby & can't bear the thought that this child might grow up with the questions she has had all her life. Her boss, Liam, is keen to get as many readers as possible & lets her run with it. She had also been investigating the world of the 'incel' This leads her into a murky world & puts her in danger.

The story is told from various points of view, but mostly by Jenna. I really didn't take to her at all. I thought she was incapable of thinking about anyone but herself. I also guessed the 'baddie' Not one of my favourite reads! Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

[Wendy Clarke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Where do I start with this book?

Firstly it has some uncomfortable scenes so if you can be sensitive to things you may want to check the content warning on this book. I’m not adding here as could come across as a spoiler.

However, those scenes are written so expertly, with sensitivity and compassion. It is a book that really opens your eyes to what is happening all around us and really makes you think twice and analyse both our safety and vulnerability.

The character development is brilliant and really brings them alive. You can’t help but want to know what happens to baby Holly and her mother.

This book also brings familiarity too. A dark edge to the unique storylines that are current in society and of course those twists most are unlikely to guess.

Another fabulous novel by Casey Kelleher! Bring on the next!

[Jamie Galayda · Rating 4 out of 5]

There was a story in the news a few months ago about a baby being surrendered in one of the new baby boxes in a fire station. This was the first I had heard of such a thing. That is also what drew me to this book, a fictionalized version of just one of the women's stories that have safely surrendered their child. Right off the bat, the protagonist, a reporter, kind of annoyed me, seemingly judgemental of a woman who had just made the most heartbreaking decision of her life. However, my feelings toward the reporter softened as the story continued to unfold. This was a sad, twisty tale that left me shocked and unsettled, knowing that this could happen to anyone. This was a great, well told story that earned four stars from me.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for this ARC.

[Heidi Lynn’s BookReviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

First, I want to thank Casey Kelleher, Bookouture, and NetGalley for providing me with this book so I can bring you this review.

Casey Kelleher is back with another must read psychological thriller The Missing Mother! The storyline is outside of the box, it is a fast paced, totally addicting read that will have you glued to your kindle!

I needed to know who would abandon their little baby the way they did and why? Luckily the readers got an inside look into the mother’s character.

Ohh I hated the guy who drugged Jenna and tried to take advantage of her! We not only got to see her side of the story but his as well.

The Missing Mother was an intense twisted read that needs to be put on your tbr list.

[DAVID BURNETT · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fab-U-Lous !
Casey never lets me down; I think this the 14th book of hers that I’ve been fortunate to read. Arguably it has all been said before, however this is truly a page turning, rip roaring read ! The twists and turns keep you guessing, which is a delight.
What is the most rewarding (if that is the right word) is that it highlights and teaches me about the awful and tragic aspects of human nature that I was only partly aware of. As a male reader it made me uncomfortable, however maybe that’s a good thing. As someone who doesn’t use social media (thank God) I truly wasn’t unaware of how low some men can sink too.
On a brighter note the safe scheme portrayed in the book gives some hope to women who may find themselves in this wretched position.