The Other Mother by Carol Goodman

Carol Goodman has created a new psychological thriller in which two women, Daphne and Laurel, who are very different in style and sophistication, meet at a new mothers’ group and form an instant bond. Daphne is stressed and doubts her ability to take care of her daughter and her husband is unsupportive and critical, even threatening to take the child away at one point. Laurel is funny and disarming, all that Daphne wishes she could be. Both of their daughters are named Chloe (although Laurel spells her daughter’s name as Chlöe) and they both have careers in librarianship. As Laurel says, “We are destined to be friends.” However, the reader soon finds out that there is something disturbingly amiss – Daphne has taken her Chloe to a remote estate, pretending to be Laurel. There she begins to work for a famous writer and settles into her new, hidden life. Through twists and turns, Goodman reveals dark secrets worthy of a Daphne du Maurier novel, leading up to a climactic finish.