The New Mother

Sleepless nights were just the beginning . . . Natalie Fanning already loves her newborn son, Oliver, with everything she has. From the moment he was born she knew that she was meant to be his mother, even though she didn’t want that to be all she was. When Oliver refuses to sleep, and her husband Tyler returns to work, Nat is left mostly alone in a new house, in a new neighbourhood, the task of keeping her small son healthy and happy on her shoulders alone. No one else can breastfeed Oliver; no one else will protect him like she can; no one can help her. No one, that is, except her neighbour Paul. Paul is everything Tyler isn’t, and provides the lifeline she needs in what feels like the most desperate of times. When Paul is helping with Oliver, calmed by his reassuring, steady presence, Nat feels like she can finally rest. But Paul wants something in return. It’s no coincidence that he's befriended Nat – she is the perfect pawn for his own plan . . . * * * Praise for Nora Murphy: 'I couldn't put it down' – Shari Lapena 'Taut, compelling and deliciously dark' – B. A. Paris 'Brilliant, gripping, dark and superbly written' – Gilly Macmillan