"Written with a wonderfully convincing authority... The resolution of Leroy's novel has a fairy-tale aspect, but fairy tales can be very absorbing... I was eager to find out what happened next. I dreaded the worst and I hoped for the best - and I won't tell you which happens."
Margot Livesey: New York Times

This novel was named one of the New York Times Book Review Notable Books of the Year

“Written with the intense pace of a thriller and the brooding concealment of a mystery novel, (The Perfect Mother) is the story of a mother’s over-intense love for her child.

The masterfully drawn disintegration of the Lydgates’ marriage creates a growing sense of unease. Leroy's dialogue reveals her subtle flair for portraying marital fissures, and these scenes are pitch perfect…

Leroy ultimately plumbs the complicated depths of motherly instinct to deliver a novel of great suspense. Did Cat intentionally hurt her daughter to get attention? The answer will be a hard-won surprise readers won’t soon forget.”
Andrea Hoag: Minneapolis Star Tribune

“This is a gripping medical mystery from an assured writer who could be the next Minette Walters. Highly recommended.”
Library Journal

"The novel reads like a thriller and is brilliant at portraying the slow, steady disintegration of a seemingly ordinary life when secrets are unearthed and dark suspicions spread."
Michael Shelden: Baltimore Sun

“The author builds her story beautifully and smoothly to a resolution that is highly satisfactory, redolent of healing and hope. (The Perfect Mother) is a brilliant read.”
www.bookloons.com

"As Cat becomes ever more driven, Leroy gives her daily life a lurking undertone of menace that adds an element of psychological mystery....creating delicious uncertainty about the heroine."
Kirkus Reviews

"It's a premise familiar from some of Hitchcock's best movies: Seemingly upright people, through no fault of their own, see their lives unravel before their eyes. Margaret Leroy's (The Perfect Mother) taps the compelling emotions inherent in that storyline."
Seattle Times

"With wonderfully descriptive writing and psychological insight, Leroy crafts a mesmerizing tale of love and fear."
Harriette Angsten: www.wordsmitten.com

"A captivating and beautifully written book that was inspired by the author's own experiences."
Now magazine

"A compelling read... Beautifully written and keeping the reader guessing as to what the truth really is, you will be intrigued and fascinated until the end."
lovereading.co.uk