The Good Mother
Shortlisted for the 2021 Ned Kelly Awards for Best Debut Crime Fiction
A fast-paced, explosive thriller from an electrifying new voice
She's protected them from the truth. Can she save them from her past?
Sarah Calhoun is a regular Sydney soccer mum, but she's keeping terrifying secrets from everyone she loves . . . and her past is about to catch up with her.
When two men from Northern Ireland hunt her down, she's forced to return to Belfast to testify at a murder trial. Caught in the crossfire of an obsessive policeman, driven by a disturbing past, and a brutal IRA executioner, Sarah faces an impossible choice: lie and allow a killer to run free, or tell the truth and place her children in the line of fire.
With her family and innocent people at risk, Sarah must find the courage to fight for the truth. But righting the wrongs of the past just might cost her everything . . .
'Show me a soldier who would fight harder than a mother to save her son.’
Praise for The Good Mother
'No matter how far you run, and where you hide, the past can still reach out of the grave and grab you by the ankles. This story wouldn’t let me go.'
MICHAEL ROBOTHAM, author of Lying Beside You
'A fierce, action-packed story of redemption and the unbreakable bond between a mother and her son. Rae Cairns has created a world that feels terrifyingly real and you can't help but cheer on Sarah her tough but vulnerable protagonist. The Good Mother is a wild, original ride from start to finish!'
SARAH BAILEY, author of The Housemate
‘This taut, propulsive debut celebrates female strength and speaks to the extraordinary courage and resilience of mothers everywhere. A brilliant achievement - there should be more crime novels like this.’
ANNA DOWNES, author of The Shadow House
‘An absorbing story that packs a powerful punch, The Good Mother is the very best kind of page-turning thriller. A rock-solid five-star read!’
SARA FOSTER, author of The Hush
‘Fans of Dervla McTiernan will love this rollercoaster ride of a crime novel where a violent past returns to threaten an uneasy peace. I inhaled it!’
AOIFE CLIFFORD, author of When We Fall
'With this stylish, gripping debut Rae Cairns claims her place among Australia’s most promising new crime writers.’
SULARI GENTILL, author of The Woman in the Library
‘All the ingredients of a gripping page-turner. I was hooked from the first page until the final twist. A brilliant debut from a writer to watch.’
TIM AYLIFFE, author of The Enemy Within
‘Surprising, moving and utterly heart-stopping. A stunning, thought-provoking debut from a brilliant new talent.’
KATHRYN HEYMAN, author of Fury
‘A tautly woven, high-stakes action thriller with a fierce and unbreakable heroine. Fuses the lingering fault lines of the Northern Irish conflict with the lengths a mother would go to protect her family in a cracking and deftly-plotted thrill ride.’
DINUKA MCKENZIE, author of The Torrent
‘By turns warm, frightening and compulsive, The Good Mother is compelling from first page to last. Cleverly wrought and beautifully written, the characters will get under your skin, the plot will drive you deep into the night, and the fear will follow you home. Rae Cairns is the new Dervla McTiernan.’
LORAINE PECK, author of The Second Son
‘Once a suburban mum, now a cornered lioness: what won’t Sarah Calhoun do to save her son? This heart-felt and heart-stopping thriller is a gem of a debut novel.’
GREG WOODLAND, author of The Night Whistler
‘An absolutely gripping debut about family, loyalty and morality that will keep you hooked.’
PETRONELLA MCGOVERN, author of The Liars
‘A fast-paced thriller… tears the reader from their comfort zone and holding their breath page after page. Highly recommended, five stars!’
JOANNA NELL, author of The Tea Ladies of St Judes Hospital
'A smart, sexy thriller that races along at a cracking pace and builds to a white-knuckle ending. Rae Cairns has absolutely nailed it!’
CASSIE HAMER, author of The Truth About Faking it
‘A thrilling debut, full of shocking twists and unforgettable characters, some heroic and others terrifyingly malevolent. The explosive ending left me breathless.’
SHANKARI CHANDRAN, author of Son of the Sun God
‘Action, danger, love and sacrifice … it’s all there! The Good Mother is a thrilling read that will have you burning the midnight oil. A compelling and first-hand insight into Northern Ireland through the eyes of the strongest of people - a mother who will do anything to protect her children.’
MELISSA DOYLE AM, journalist and author of Fifteen Seconds of Brave
‘Rae Cairns has delivered a compelling tale of love, power and betrayal, the momentum rising with each chapter as she hurtles the reader to a spine-tingling conclusion.’
SUZANNE LEAL, author of The Deceptions and co-host of BAD All About Crime podcast
‘Strap yourselves in for a fast ride as Rae Cairns takes readers on a journey full of twists and turns. Past and present collide in this compelling and thrilling debut.’
ALLI SINCLAIR, author of The Codebreakers
‘Cairns skilfully blends a gripping, high-stakes plot with flawed, relatable characters who we can’t help caring about. Once started, this book is impossible to put down!’
LISA IRELAND, author of The One and Only Dolly Jamieson
‘A gripping page-turner that had me cheering on this feisty heroine.'
PAMELA COOK, author of All We Dream and host of the Writes4Women podcast
‘One of those rare books you’ll want to read twice. The first time for the tight writing, psychological insights, and narrative twists and turns. The second time to ponder the question: what would I have done?’
PENELOPE JANU, author of Shelter from the Storm
Where to buy The Good Mother
Also available in-store at
Big W
Reviews of The Good Mother
THE GOOD MOTHER
AUDIO BOOK
Latest…
The Good Mother makes the Better Reading Top 100 Books List for 2023
The Good Mother, my debut novel, snuck in at number 98 on the Better Reading TOP 100 books for 2023!
Heartfelt thanks to all the gorgeous readers who loved Sarah’s story and voted! It’s such important news for my book because Big W use this list for their Top 100 shelf throughout the year.
Thank you Better Reading for being such a fabulous support to readers and writers! It’s brilliant to see that 10,000 people voted and that 55% of the Top 100 were books by Australian authors.
Thanks also to @jeannefrites @rkivers and the team @harpercollinsbooksaustralai for getting The Good Mother into readers hands
Click here for the full Better Reading Top 100 list.
RESEARCH
Sarah, the main character in my novel The Good Mother is a Sydney mum who returns to Northern Ireland to protect her family. In order to get an insight into the characters and settings, I used photographs from my trips to Northern Ireland and Bronte Beach, and even went to a range for target practice.
For more insights into the research I did for The Good Mother, including my photos from Northern Ireland 1997 and the inspiration behind the novel, click here.
Watch Rae do some intense novel research!
The Good Mother Q&A
Rae Cairns in conversation with Melissa Doyle
Journalist Melissa Doyle interviews Rae about the story origins of The Good Mother. Rae shares anecdotes of what it was like to live and work in Northern Ireland during the ‘Troubles', and together they delve into all things research and writing. This interview is an excellent insight into the inspiration for and writing of The Good Mother, as well as some of Rae’s experiences as an aid worker in 1997.