A Mother Always Knows

By: Diane Jeffrey

Narrated by: Bea Holland

Diane Jeffrey returns with another suspenseful, twisty and brilliantly tense psychological crime thriller. How much can a parent ever truly know their child?

When a young man is found murdered in a quiet rural village, it sends shock waves through the close-knit local community.

But Carla is more concerned for her teenage daughter, Iris. When Joshua was alive, he humiliated Iris in the worst possible way, and now she’ll be the main suspect in his murder.

As the police investigate every lead, Carla must navigate the murky waters of guilt and betrayal as well as her growing suspicions of what her own daughter might be capable of.

When a shocking revelation threatens to tear her family apart, Carla is forced to ask herself how far she’ll go to protect her loved ones. In a world of secrets and deception, can a mother truly know what lies beneath the surface?

A Mother Always Knows is the powerful new thriller from Diane Jeffrey.

Praise for Diane Jeffrey:

'The Crime Writer bursts with suspense and intrigue with lots of thrilling twists' Jane Corry

‘Gripping, thought-provoking and scarily believable… just when you think you know where the story is going, another twist comes round the corner’ T. M. Logan

'Such a clever premise and so brilliantly executed, The Crime Writer brims with authenticity and atmosphere – I was completely immersed in what it feels like to be at the heart of a high profile missing person case. Tense and twisty’ T. Orr Munro

'An engrossing, enthralling, intriguing thriller' Liz Nugent

‘Compelling storytelling’ Daily Mail

©2026 Diane Jeffrey (P)2026 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

Praise for Diane Jeffrey

‘Deliciously dark and suspenseful… A tour-de-force’ Alex Michaelides

‘Gripping, thought-provoking and scarily believable … just when you think you know where the story is going, another twist comes round the corner’ T.M. Logan

‘Stayed up late finishing this, just had to know what happened, brilliant final twist! Gripping page-turner with great characters’ B A Paris

‘Had me on the edge of my seat’ Lisa Hall

‘A compelling, addictive thriller’ Samantha Downing

‘Dark, gripping and suspenseful’ Lesley Kara

‘[A] powerhouse of a thriller’ Louise Mumford

'The writing is accomplished and the story works very well’ The Critic Magazine

Revenge Porn, Date Rape, and Bulimia

I am a devoted Diane Jeffrey fan and have listened to all of her books.

This book's inriguing premise—the idea that a mother’s intuition never fails—was strong and compelling. The story built tension well, and the ending was well-crafted.

That said, I wasn’t expecting the inclusion of some very heavy themes like teen revenge porn, date rape, and bulimia. Those YA elements were a huge turnoff.

Had these themes been stated in the publisher's blurb, I never would have selected this book.

While the storyline was strong and the writing solid, the darker content made it less enjoyable overall.

Also, since the book unfolded from different POVs, a full cast narration would have significantly improved the listening experience.