One of POPSUGAR’s Top 15 Medical Thrillers One of REAL SIMPLE’s 35 Chilling Psychological Thrillers A mother’s worst nightmare, a chance at redemption, and a deadly secret that haunts a family across the generations—“the psychological thriller everyone will be talking about” (Lisa Scottaline) There’s only room for one mother in this family. Claire Abrams’s dreams became a nightmare when she … Claire Abrams’s dreams became a nightmare when she passed on a genetic mutation that killed her little boy. Now she wants a second chance to be a mother, and finds it in Robert Nash, a maverick fertility doctor who works under the radar with Jillian Hendricks, a cunning young scientist bent on making her mark–and seducing her boss.
Claire, Robert, and Jillian work together to create the world’s first baby with three genetic parents–an unprecedented feat that could eliminate inherited disease. But when word of their illegal experiment leaks to the wrong person, Robert escapes into hiding with the now-pregnant Claire, leaving Jillian to serve out a prison sentence that destroys her future.
Ten years later, a spunky girl named Abigail begins to understand that all is not right with the reclusive man and woman she knows as her parents. But the family’s problems are only beginning. Jillian, hardened by a decade of jealousy and loss, has returned–and nothing will stop her from reuniting with the man and daughter who should have been hers.
Past, present, and future converge in this mesmerizing psychological thriller from critically acclaimed author Kira Peikoff.
more
The psychological thriller everyone will be talking about… Don’t miss it!
MOTHER KNOWS BEST is a rocket-paced thriller that dives deep into questions about science, family, and how far we’ll go to protect the people we love the most. Peikoff brings her extensive scientific knowledge to the pages of this taut, smart, and compelling novel. Don’t miss it!
Can we talk about this cover? Because it is perfection. The braid, the title, the way the two are intertwined. I wanted this book before I even knew what it was about, and thankfully, the insides lived up to the out. A well-written, compelling read that blurs real-life science with fiction. I flew through this one!
Finally, a novel of true suspense and done so differently than the usual! The story is told by three of our main characters, mother Claire Abrams, daughter Abby, and the “other mother” Jillian. Claire has a genetic mutation she is doomed to pass down to her children. She and her husband Ethan have already lost a son to the issue. They have tried many times to have another child, but the fear of passing down the same mutation is always on Claire’s mind. She finds a fertility doctor who, together with his assistant Jillian, have created a procedure that will eliminate this inherited disease. When this illegal experiment is reported to the authorities, Dr. Robert Nash goes into hiding with Claire, and they together deliver the baby girl who essentially has two mothers, and together they live in seclusion raising Abigail (Abby). Now that Abby is older, she sense things are not right, and she seeks out the truth. From there the story REALLY takes off. Kira Peikoff has done a marvelous job telling this story, with so many twists and turns and unexpected, thrilling parts. Great read!
“MOTHER KNOWS BEST” BY Kira Peikoff
Claire Abrams is a journalist who carries a rare genetic mutation that is passed down to her offspring. The death of her son Colton 8 yo was so devastating for her that lead to her depression and desperation. The only way she can have a child is if there is a way to genetically alter her DNA. Through her support group, she found and connected with Dr. Robert Nash, a brilliant fertility IVF doctor and Jillian Hendricks, a Harvard trained researcher who were able to genetically manipulate DNA from 3 people, which is not only against the law but also highly unethical. Claire’s husband Nathan who is head of Ethics at Columbia discovered what happened and reported the crime which leads to criminal charges for the three. Jillian serves three years in prison, while pregnant Claire and Dr. Nash flee and hide with new identities. Abby, Claire’s daughter, grows up very healthy and have made it to her double digits surpassing Colton. One of Abby’s class assignment is to send their DNA swab sample. The results lead to more questions from Abby and the unfolding of the secrets Claire and Nash tried to hide from over a decade ago is now catching up to them. Jillian over the years has been planning her revenge and will not stop at nothing to get back what she felt was taken from her and the injustice she suffered through.
MOTHER KNOWS BEST is a fantastic and fast-paced read about a hot topic that is current and timely regarding designer DNA and the ethical questions on these scientific advancements. Besides the unique premise, the book is an amazing psychological thriller that focuses on moral dilemmas, ethical questions, and the cost people go through to get what they want. The story is told in alternating narratives between Claire, Jillian and Abby. Claire and Jillian’s narrative tells about the past and present viewpoints. The stories by both these women were told with such amazing passion and visceral emotion that will keep you turning the pages unable to put down for major cliff hangers between the story lines. Abby’s narrative tells of the lies and deception that is affecting the family dynamics and relationships of the characters connecting the women’s stories. I enjoyed the action pack sequence and some of the eye-opening and gasping surprises that Peikoff added to the story line. I was captivated from the beginning and did not let go until I devoured this book to the end. I highly enjoyed this read and recommend it highly!!
Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest and objective review.
Mother Know Best is thought-provoking, nail-biting, and heartfelt… I couldn’t put it down.
Pekioff’s work is always a joy to read. This is a smart, original and compelling thriller.
Mother Knows Best is based on a thought-provoking premise. The idea of genetic modification is controversial at best, and Kira Peikoff does a good job of showing both sides of the issue with these characters. Whether or not I agree with Claire’s decision, as a parent, I can certainly understand it. While the science may be a big part of the beginning of this story, it does move past that and the rest is where the thriller comes in. Here’s where I tell you that this one is completely predictable. There are twists, but they weren’t surprising. Not even a little bit. That said, I still enjoyed the read. Now, that did surprise me because I normally wouldn’t have much good to say about such a predictable story. This one turned out to be the exception. The story is fast-paced, and even though I figured out what was going on before it was revealed, I liked the building tension, and the characters were certainly interesting – maybe not likable, but interesting. Predictable or not, Peikoff has written a compulsive story that kept the pages turning.
Thank you to the publisher and Bookish First for an ARC to review. All views are my own and in no way influenced by the author, publisher, or Bookish First.
“Mother Knows Best” is a medical suspense/thriller novel by Kira Piekoff.
It is has three points of view (POV) Claire, Abby (Claire’s daughter), and Jillian.
This unique book doesn’t have chapters per se (chapter 1,2,3, etc.) and reads more as a long novella told over four (4) parts with only the POV to transition between scenes, alternating between past and present during parts one (1) and two (2). After part three (3) it remains in the present.
The plot – Claire has lost her son (Colton) due to mitochondrial disease as a result of a genetic mutation she passed on. A few years after his death, her husband Ethan wants to have another child, as does Claire. But, Claire wants a healthy child as she fears this second child will also die like Colton did.
Dr. Robert Nash and Jillian Hendricks (a cunning young scientist) offer Claire Abrams a chance to achieve her goal – mixing DNA from three parents. However, their experiment is highly illegal and must be kept quiet.
But, Claire’s husband wants no part of it at all. His growing paranoia about his wife causes everything to come out and puts Claire, her unborn baby, Robert, and Jillian in peril.
Claire takes off as Robert and Jillian are arrested and later put on trial. Robert then has to care for Claire as a result of complications.
Jillian goes on trial and is eventually convicted leaving her life and work in ruin. Robert is found guilty in absentia.
10 years later, Abby is growing up believing Michael (Robert) and Lisa (Claire) Burke are her parents, and thinking they are married. As part of a school assignment, Abby participates in a DNA mapping program, learning an astonishing truth about her mother, or thinks she has. Abby shares a genetic match with another woman and is lead to believe “J” is her mother’s cousin. Abby arranges a “reunion” which opens the door for Jillian to exact her revenge. And exact her revenge “J” does.
Claire begins having hallucinations, Abby keeps digging for the truth, and “J” begins her final act of revenge with a final revelation.
The premise is interesting – however it was either the delivery or the writing style but this book just didn’t grab me. I continued reading it as I had agreed to review it. It was easy to read as the “chapters” were not long. r
The villain was clearly established in it and left no room for questions of it being anyone else. The motive was very clear, even right at the beginning. It was easy to discover who the players were and how they were connected. There was not much interaction with other people outside of the “family” unit.
The Players:
* Claire Abrams – I understood her fears. Wanting a child myself, I could understand her pain of losing a child; wanting another child, but not wanting to lose another child. I didn’t exactly like her, but she was the one I most understood.
* Ethan Abrams – I really despised him. His paranoia put everyone at risk. While his job was centered on bioethics, his lack of compassion for his wife was heart-wrenching, especially when it endangered her and “Abby”
* Robert Nash – A brilliant reproductive scientist who wants to do good by people like Claire by allowing them to have children free of health and/or physical abnormalities, like what Colton suffered with
* Jillian Hendricks – Obviously the villain. It’s almost established from the beginning. The way she connects with Abby and the MyDNAMap project. Her ambition is offensive. She wants to make her mark on the world and wants fame for her achievements while seducing her boss. She doesn’t care who she hurts or what the consequences are. Selfish, bitter, and vindictive.
* Abby Burke – The daughter of Claire, Robert, and Jillian; born extremely healthy due to Robert’s science.
* Riley – Abby’s best friend, helps her find out the truth
* Sydney – a mean girl who terrorizes Abby
I don’t know how to classify this one – it’s not necessarily a thriller or drama. It’s more like a “sci-fi; suspense” novel. Perhaps that is what the writer intended. It definitely wasn’t thrilling to me, not in the least. Also the end regarding Robert and Claire’s “fate” was a bit too clean. I won’t add any spoilers, but it was a bit “far-fetched” for my tastes.
If you’re a fan of the author, you might enjoy this read. If you’re on the fence, borrow it from the library first.
This was a very unique, well written medical-psychological thriller.
The story is about a couple, Claire and Ethan Abrams who had lost a son Colton, at age 8, from a rare genetic disease, that deals with the mitochondria of a cell. Claire has never recovered from the loss of her son, yet Ethan wants to have another baby, but as one would be, she is terrified. She had secretly been using birth control behind Ethan’s back, but seeing the sadness in his eyes, and seeing it take a toll on their marriage, agrees to try IVF, which was a ploy on Claires part to make sure her baby was healthy. Claire seeks out the help of a cutting edge Doctor, named Robert Nash. Nash agrees to secretly impregnate Claire with her egg, her husbands sperm, and an egg of a donor, who happens to be Nash’s highly intelligent, but psycho assistant. After being implanted, she soon learns she is pregnant, but things take a downward turn when Ethan suspects Claire is having an affair with Nash, from their secret meetings to discuss her pregnancy, and the fact she does not want Jillian in the child’s life once its born, after all, the baby will actually have 2 mothers, genetically. After she informs Ethan of what she has done, he goes to the police, and Claire takes off.
Claire gives birth to a healthy baby girl named Abby, and is raised by Claire and Nash, but they change their names, and go on the run.
When Abby is older, she notice her mom is a constant nervous wreck, depressed and paranoid, even more so when Abby does a DNA test as part of a school project, and has an anonymous person contact her, which turns out to to be the insane Jillian.
Jillian returns into their lives, and more twists and surprises are integrated into the book, for one crazy ending!!
*********The book is told in first person, with multiple points of view. The author did a wonderful job with the scientific aspects of the book, incorporating factual, and fictional medical aspects into the story. I found the book to be faced paced, and an overall well written book!!!
I have to say I really enjoyed this one. Once I started I didn’t want to put it down. The premise of the book was fascinating to me and I loved the scientific stuff that really drove the emotional and the moral compass part of this story. Armed with just basic scientific knowledge of DNA and chromosomes I felt the author did a great job of keeping things real and factual in that aspect. It made this story all that more real and a true possibility in the world we live in.
I loved that we got multiple points of view and a view of the past and present. There were times however those lines were a bit confusing and I had to go back a couple of pages to remember what I was reading but for the most part these different views really helped keep the story moving.
Kira Peikoff also did a great job in showing just how far a mother will go for her children, even if that leads them down a very dark path. This book truly had everything I think I look for in a thriller. I just recently dove into this genre and I have to say this book is exactly what I would expect to read.
Eleven-year-old Abigail has a semi-normal life, except that her parents (especially her mom) are reclusive, she has absolutely no extended family, and she’s not allowed to have a smartphone or social media like her friends. She discovers through a DNA mapping site that she actually has a lot of distant relatives and even tries connecting with one, which she thinks will make her parents happy. It has the opposite effect. This sends her mom into an emotional tailspin, and before long, her life begins to unravel. Then she finds out that her parents are not who they claim to be, everything they’ve been hiding from is revealed, and it turns out that the danger is very real.
I had my ups and downs with this book, and wasn’t sure what to rate it, even while writing this review. The writing was clear and concise, and even the science presented in the book wasn’t difficult to follow. There were some specific moments in the last third of the book that I anticipated and enjoyed when they came to fruition. And there were a few small twists that I wasn’t fully expecting. Outside of that, though, the book was a bit of a miss for me.
I think a lot of what didn’t work for me about this book was personal preference, so keep that in mind as I continue. For starters, the book is told in 1st person, present-tense, which I thought was a strange choice, considering the POV changes, and that during the first half of the book, more than half of the story was showing what led up to the present time where the books starts. We see the story from 3 perspectives: Abigail, her mom Claire, and the antagonist Jillian, the threat from the past. The two time periods shown in the book are “present” time–Abigail is 11 and living with her mom and dad– and the past–the year or so before Abigail was born, right up until the point that she was born. It would have made a lot more sense to me if the book was at least past-tense during the past parts. And I don’t understand the reasoning behind 1st person if you want to head-hop as much as this book does. The only good thing I can say about it is that at least each time the perspective changes, it’s clearly labeled. But there were still times that, even with this, I would forget who the current “I” was and get confused.
My biggest disappointment was that I was unable to connect with any of the characters. I’m definitely a character reader and writer. An interesting, well-executed plot is important, but I am character-driven. I think the main character was meant to be Claire, but the story was told from Abigail’s perspective about as often, and I just couldn’t get into the right frame of mind to see things even a little bit from Claire’s perspective. Her single biggest driving point is the loss of her first son, due to a terrible genetic disorder, and her strong desire to have another child that is healthy, but her inability to do so, because of her genes. I have never experienced loss to this degree, and I’m not a terribly sentimental person, so I don’t think I would react remotely the same way as her if I did. Don’t get me wrong–I have 2 kids and I love them and would be devastated if either of them died! And perhaps I’d then discover that I would be the same as her. But in my current life, it’s difficult for me to connect with her reaction to her loss, and the fact that it drives literally everything she does. Also, she’s pretty terrible to her husband (Ethan), even calling him corrupt because of his ethical ideas about the genetic manipulation discussed in the story.
Abigail’s parts were generally my least favorite. For one thing, she didn’t come across as 11, but closer to 13 or more. Especially for someone who has been as sheltered as she has, she seems to understand and question a lot more than I’d expect. I get why she was written to be as curious and deceptive as she was, and without it, there would basically be no story, but again, my personal preference here, I didn’t like how she acted.
The antagonist is basically a big loon. I mean, Claire has some mental issues, but hers are understandable and addressed. Jillian is just delusional and psychotic, and I don’t know if that was on purpose, or if that was just how she had to come across in order to give the story suspense. Whichever the case, by the end, I just rolled my eyes at how stupid she had been.
For those who want to know about how clean a book is before reading–there are some sexual situations that are more detailed than I prefer, and a bit heavy on the language side (the f-word is used more than anything else, I’m pretty sure).
I don’t regret having read this book. It wasn’t terrible, it just didn’t hook me. Also, it is meant to be suspenseful, but I think that element is terribly done. The synopsis on Amazon, Goodreads, etc. gives away too much and I think the plot should have been structured differently to create more suspense. Too much of the backstory is told too soon, and the entire thing is just too predictable. I would recommend this book for those who enjoy drama and obsessive characters, but not for lovers of suspense novels.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
This book was really good! I could not put the book down and read it in 2 days!
I received this from Bookish and BookishFirst for writing a short review on a “First Look” of the book.
This book tells the story of Claire, Michael and their daughter, Abby. Before Abby was born, Claire had a boy, Colton, who passed away from an inherited disease from Claire. Every year on his birthday, they go the museum. One day, she thinks she sees him at the museum but she sees someone much more sinister instead. A woman from their past who could threaten to divulge their secrets and get them all sent to prison.
The book is written very well and alternates between each character. It very deftly tells the story of how mitochondrial cells were manipulated to make a baby with three parents but it was not too “technical”.
BOOK REVIEW
Mother Knows Best by Kira Peikoff
-DESCRIPTION-
Thriller and sci-fi meets the age old question…how far would a mother go for her children or to ensure healthy children? And when the experimental research is leaked…what happens?
-THOUGHTS-
1. It was very fast paced. A page turner. Easy read with many twists and turns that you won’t see coming.
2. I thought the characters were ok. Many times I was frustrated by the mother and has a hard time relating to her.
3. It would make a great discussion group/book club book with all the ethical questions that come into play!
-RATING-
I recommend this read.
-SIMILAR RECOMMENDED READS-
Miracle Creek
The Book of Essie
The Woman in the Park
This is such a fantastic story! I honestly didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I do. Mother Knows Best by Kira Piekoff is such a unique, gripping, and utterly thrilling psychological sci-fi book that will keep you reading late into the night. I think the writing is exceptional, the pacing is great, the characters are likable and interesting, and there’s plenty of intrigue to keep you interested until the very last page. I enjoyed the science and medical parts of the story and I feel like I learned something too. I loved the crazy twists and turns and just being on edge while reading. ich way is up anymore. All in all, I had a blast with this book and if you’re fans of thrillers, science fiction, and great storytelling, then I highly recommend you add this on your TBR.
4 out of 5 stars
Thank you to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Claire and her husband Ethan are still devastated over the loss of their son Colton from a condition caused by Claire’s mitochondrial DNA. Though they have tried to heal from it they are not doing well. Ethan wants another child but Claire is afraid of giving birth to another child destined to die at a young age.. Even though Claire knows it is unfair she is afraid that she could not love a child that is not hers by blood as much. Then one day while on her support board Mito Moms someone mentioned something that makes Claire change her mind as she comes up with a plan to have a biological child after all. She decides to go to Robert Nash a Doctor working on creating a child with DNA from 3 people. She gives birth to a miraculous daughter named Abby.
This is a very well written psychological/medical thriller. It is a quick, easy read and goes along fairly predictable for awhile and then all of the sudden things get INSANE and I mean that in a good way!
This is a story of a mother’s anguish over the death of a child, a reclusive family trying to protect their child, medical advances and medical ethics, and revenge. The characters were well developed. While I sympathized with Claire I found her a bit annoying. Her first husband, a bit of a jerk, followed his ethical standards then got lost in the shuffle. Her new husband seemed to go along with Claire in protecting their daughter. Jillian, the lab assistant, was rather diabolical and not very nice. I felt sorry for Dr Nash. He was working on this great new discovery that could change medicine but he got involved with Claire and Jillian, which led to his downfall. The medical advance was one that could be extremely beneficial to humankind or could be used in unethical ways for personal gain. (Aren’t they all?) I really enjoyed this book. It wasn’t a thrill-a-minute type thriller but the characters and story were engaging and kept me reading late into the night. I found the author’s style quite readable and look forward to reading more of her work. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a copy of this book to read and review.
Part science fiction and part thriller, this book started out fast and kept its quick pace throughout. Claire Abrams wants a baby without genetic weaknesses that killed her firstborn son, Colton. She turns to genetic researcher, Dr. Robert Nash, for help in having a child without the mitochondrial disorder that runs in her family. Together with his brilliant and devious lab assistant Jillian, Dr. Nash is able to impregnate Claire with a baby, but his unauthorized research is discovered, so he has to go into hiding. He takes Claire with him and leaves Jillian to face the repercussions. Fast forward eleven years and we have a very angry and vengeful Jillian, fresh out of prison. The book is told in first person, from the POV of various characters and flashes from the past to the present. The short chapters made it an easy book to read, even though books with so much sci-fi usually do not interest me. The psychological thriller part of this book grabbed me and kept me interested until the end, even though I had predicted what that end would be. Fans of trillers with a scientific bent will really enjoy this book!
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”
Kira Pekioff hasn’t just done her research, she’s spun it into a real-life bioelthical dilemma that could be coming soon to a doctor’s office near you. Perfect for a book group — or to race through all by yourself… flat-out fantastic.
Timely, tense, and trailblazing… Peikoff’s seamless prose, very human voice, and whiplash pacing makes this psychological thriller one of the must-reads of 2019. Two mothers is one too many.