Mothers' Instinct [Movie Tie-in]

Soon to be a major US motion picture starring Anne Hathaway and Jessica Chastain, Mothers'' Instinct is a dark, twisty domestic thriller in which the bond between two couples--best friends and next-door neighbors--mutates in dangerous and deadly ways in the wake of a tragic accident. David and Laetitia Brunelle and Sylvain and Tiphaine Geniot are inseparable friends and next-door neighbors in a pretty, tranquil suburb. Their sons Milo and Maxime, born in the same year, grow up together as close as brothers. But when Maxime is killed in an accident, their idyllic world shatters. Maxime''s parents, Sylvain and Tiphaine, are consumed by grief and bitterness, while David and Laetitia are wracked with guilt for their role in the tragedy. Soon the couples are barely speaking, although they maintain a polite facade. Then a mysterious series of "accidents" begins to happen to Milo, raising Laetitia''s suspicions. Are their former best friends trying to punish them by threatening their son? As an increasingly paranoid Laetitia frantically tries to protect Milo from harm, the little civility left between the two families curdles into outward hostility. Is Laetitia just imagining things? Or are Sylvain and Tiphaine secretly conspiring to exact their revenge . . . and if so, who will pay? In her American debut , blockbuster Belgian author Barbara Abel plunges into the deepest, darkest corners of her characters'' hearts and minds to explore the limits of friendship, the overwhelming power of maternal love, and how far hate, fear, and vengeance can drive us. Tense and blood-chilling, with a surprising final twist, Mothers'' Instinct will keep you on edge until the final page. Translated from the French by Susan Pickford

Autorentext

Barbara Abel is the author of fourteen thrillers, including Mothers' Instinct and After the End. She lives in Belgium.

Klappentext

The inspiration for the major motion picture starring Anne Hathaway and Jessica Chastain

“Had me in its grips from the first page to the astonishing and jaw-dropping ending.” —Samantha M. Bailey, USA Today bestselling author of Woman On the Edge

A dark, intense domestic thriller about next-door neighbors whose close friendship is upended by a tragic accident, from the queen of Belgian crime.

There is no love like a mother’s love.

Tiphaine and Laetitia are inseparable friends who live next door to each other in a tranquil suburb. Their sons, born in the same year, grow up together as close as brothers. But when one of the boys is killed in an accident, the mothers’ idyllic world shatters. Tiphaine is consumed by grief and bitterness for her lost son, while Laetitia is wracked with guilt. Soon the best friends are barely speaking.

Then mysterious “accidents” begin to happen to Laetitia’s son, raising her suspicions. As an increasingly paranoid Laetitia frantically tries to protect her son from harm, the little civility left between her and Tiphaine curdles into outward hostility. Is Laetitia just imagining things? Or is Tiphaine secretly conspiring to exact revenge for her loss . . . and if so, who will pay?

Translated from the French by Susan Pickford