The Other Mother: A Novel

Mary Higgins Clark Award-winning author

“An atmospheric and harrowing tale, richly literary in complexity but ripe with all the crazed undertones, confusions, and forebodings inherent in the gothic genre. Recommend this riveting, du Maurier–like novel to fans of Jennifer McMahon.” — Booklist (starred review)

From the author of the internationally bestselling The Lake of Dead Languages comes a gripping novel about madness, motherhood, love, and trust.

When Daphne Marist and her infant daughter, Chloe, pull up the gravel drive to the home of Daphne’s new employer, it feels like they’ve entered a whole new world. Tucked in the Catskills, the stone mansion looks like something out of a fairy tale, its lush landscaping hiding the view of the mental asylum just beyond its border. Daphne secured the live-in position using an assumed name and fake credentials, telling no one that she’s on the run from a controlling husband who has threatened to take her daughter away.

Daphne’s new life is a far cry from the one she had in Westchester where, just months before, she and her husband welcomed little Chloe. From the start, Daphne tries to be a good mother, but she’s plagued by dark moods and intrusive thoughts that convince her she’s capable of harming her own daughter. When Daphne is diagnosed with Post Partum Mood Disorder, her downward spiral feels unstoppable—until she meets Laurel Hobbes.

Laurel, who also has a daughter named Chloe, is everything Daphne isn’t: charismatic, sophisticated, fearless. They immediately form an intense friendship, revealing secrets to one another they thought they’d never share. Soon, they start to look alike, dress alike, and talk alike, their lives mirroring one another in strange and disturbing ways. But Daphne realizes only too late that being friends with Laurel will come at a very shocking price—one that will ultimately lead her to that towering mansion in the Catskills where terrifying, long-hidden truths will finally be revealed....

Praise for The Widow’s House: “Foreboding and moody.... As you’re pulled deeper into its crumbling corridors and gothic history, you’ll never guess where its true threats lie.” - Miranda Beverly-Whittemore, New York Times bestselling author of Bittersweet and June

“Blends a perfect gothic premise...with modern mysterious twists.... I couldn’t put it down but I didn’t want it to end.” - Wendy Webb, bestselling and award-winning author of The Vanishing

“Spellbinding and delicious.” - Kirkus

“Gripping.” - Publishers Weekly

“Chilling.” - Library Journal

“An atmospheric and harrowing tale, richly literary in complexity but ripe with all the crazed undertones, confusions, and forebodings inherent in the gothic genre. Recommend this riveting, du Maurier–like novel to fans of Jennifer McMahon.” - Booklist (starred review)

“This engrossing novel will keep readers eagerly turning the pages.” - Publishers Weekly

“In the spirit of Du Maurier’s Rebecca…A gothic thriller deliciously riddled with dark motives and shadowy paths.” - Kirkus Reviews

“An engaging read that will appeal to readers of Shari Lapena or Michelle Richmond.” - Library Journal

“Carol Goodman is, simply put, a stellar writer.” - Lisa Unger, New York Times bestselling author of The Red Hunter

“Chilling...Goodman’s affinity for the dark psychological plot excells in THE OTHER MOTHER.” - South Florida Sun Sentinel