Perfect Mother: a Gripping High-Stakes Psychological Thriller

Dr. Iris Kellerman thought returning to Salem, Oregon would be simple—care for her aging father, then leave. But when construction workers unearth a child's backpack near the old elementary school, she's pulled into the decades-old mystery that has haunted her hometown: three children who vanished without a trace in 1995. As a forensic psychologist specializing in childhood trauma, Iris can't resist consulting on the cold case. The deeper she digs, the more her own buried memories begin to surface—fragments of that terrible night she's spent her entire adult life forgetting. Every clue points to someone she trusts, someone who's been watching her since the moment she returned. The missing children were part of a therapy group run by her father. Her adoptive mother Delphine had access to all three victims. And Iris herself has no memory of her life before age eight—the same age as the children who disappeared. When anonymous messages start arriving with details about her darkest secrets, Iris realizes the killer knows she's getting close to the truth. But some revelations come with a price. Some family bonds are built on lies. And some mothers will do anything to protect their children—even if it means destroying them. The past refuses to stay buried in Salem. Discover the truth that one woman will kill to keep hidden.