Mother of the Accused by Leanne Treese

Release:May 13, 2021
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Moxie Publishing, LLC
Source: Suzyapproved Book Tours
Find it at: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, B&N,TBD

After the tragic death of her husband, Meredith Morgan spends a decade raising her son, Zach, alone. On the verge of Zach’s graduation from high school, Meredith moves in with her fiancé, Dr. Reed Edwards, excited to begin a new chapter. But, when there is an accusation on Zach of sexually assaulting the daughter of a prominent lawyer, Meredith’s life spins out of control. But Reed’s ex-wife does not want their daughters in the same house as Zach. Meredith’s best friend distances herself and her sons from the fray. Only childhood friend and lawyer, Peter Flynn, remains by Meredith’s side.

As Peter and Meredith team up to prove Zach’s version of the events, long buried feelings resurface, complicating and already difficult circumstance. Meanwhile, evidence mounts against Zach and Meredith faces the ever-increasing likelihood her son is guilty. Struggling to cope with the idea of Zach behind bars, Meredith learns just how far a mother will go to protect her own.

About the Author:

Leanne lives in New Jersey with her husband of twenty-five years and their three wonderful children. When Leanne is not cheering her kids on in their activities, she keeps running, watching Philadelphia sports, and spoiling her two beloved dogs. Favorite locations include the Jersey shore, Martha’s Vineyard, and any place that sells books or coffee, preferably both. A passionate student, Leanne’s dream life would include going back to college and majoring in everything.

Leanne is a graduate of Lafayette College and The Dickinson School of Law. Also, she is a former attorney. Her debut novel, Their Last Chance, was a 2021 winner in the Book Excellence Awards contest. In addition Their Last Chance will be featured in the June 2021 Kirkus Review catalog as one of the 2021 Indie Books Worth Discovering. Leanne is also the author of the novelette, Loved Locked.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

Mother of the Accused Review:

“Mother of the Accused” is a gripping contemporary thriller about what happens to a mother when her son gets accused of a heinous crime.

It is never an easy situation when you find out your loved ones are in trouble. Your primary instinct is to protect them no matter what and do your best to get them out of the situation. The author beautifully takes this theme and applies it to this emotional tale.

Moreover, the author wrote the main characters nicely. Meredith is a strong character who does her best to fight for Zach. The author portrayed her emotions realistically, and I felt she acted the same way I would have if I were in her role. Similarly, Peter is great as the emotional support. I loved the budding romance between Meredith and Peter. Another reason why I liked this book because the author paces the romance nicely but does not let it overshadow the plot. As Peter and Meredith get closer, we also see how inferior Reed feels for his nonchalance attitude towards the story.

Speaking of which, I enjoyed the plot of the story too. The author throws in quite a few twists and turns as Meredith and Peter investigate what happened that night. We meet new characters and get shocking revelations of what is happening. The author also tells the story suspensefully and, at times, makes you wonder if Zack is, in fact, guilty. The secondary characters like Nate and Donna also add nicely to the mix.

Overall, “Mother of the Accused” is a nicely penned emotional thriller that makes you wonder how you would have reacted in a similar situation.