JENNIFER VAN DER KLEUT

PETALUMA --

Copperfield's Books welcomes award-winning journalist and Bay Area native Jennifer van der Kleut to Petaluma in celebration of her propulsive debut thriller - .

Join us for a chilling reading and discussion followed by an audience Q&A and book signing with photo opportunities.

This is a free event, registration recommended.

A woman ends up pregnant after a casual fling, but the father's girlfriend has much more sinister intentions in this plot-driven suspense debut.

A modern spin on Fatal Attraction meets The Hand that Rocks the Cradle, perfect for fans of The Last Mrs. Parrish.

Still recovering from a devastating breakup, 34-year-old Savannah Mitchell has finally managed to put her life back together when she gets the shock of her life—after a brief fling with a man named Max, she is pregnant.

When she gets in touch to tell him, he reveals that he’s just gotten back together with his ex, Madison, and he will need time to break it to her. Surprisingly, Madison isn’t upset—in fact, she’s excited, and wants to help.

Max insists Madison has the best of intentions, but Savannah finds her efforts—popping by uninvited, demanding lifestyle changes, and pretty much trying to take over the pregnancy—anything but helpful. When Savannah finally stands up for herself, Madison’s treatment of her goes from casually cruel to downright dangerous.

All Savannah wanted to do was form a friendly co-parenting relationship with the father of her child—but his new girlfriend obviously has much more sinister plans in mind.

She has no plans to co-parent at all.

Author: Jennifer van der Kleut (née McBride) is an award-winning former journalist of both print and digital publications, including the DC affiliate of ABC7 News. A graduate of San Jose State University, she spent most of her life in the San Francisco Bay Area before moving to the Northern Virginia suburbs of DC, where she currently lives with her husband and two sons. For nearly a decade, she was the lead singer of the Bay Area-based band SweetDuration, and performed with artists like Jason Mraz, Big Country, Chantal Kreviazuk, and Stabbing Westward. When she’s not writing, she loves going to the beach with her family, going to concerts with her girlfriends, and getting lost in the pages of a book.

Praise for The Better Mother:

"Twisted taunting and utterly intoxicating." -- Best Thriller Books

"Fans of Frieda McFadden, rejoice: a new thriller queen has entered the villa. The Better Mother, Jennifer van der Kleut's debut, is a fast-paced, wild ride that kept me up way past my bedtime; once I opened it, I couldn't put it down." --Liz Lawson, New York Times bestselling author of The Agathas series

"A fling. A baby. A 'helpful' ex with chilling intentions. In The Better Mother, Jennifer Van Der Kleut takes the idea of co-parenting and turns it into a taut, sinister game of control and obsession. Smart, shocking, and relentlessly suspenseful debut--I couldn't look away. Motherhood has never been more dangerous." --Kaira Rouda, USA Today bestselling author of Jill Is Not Happy and We Were Never Friends

"The Better Mother is every expectant mother's worst nightmare. Intense gaslighting, creepy stalking, and a heart-pounding climax combine to make this a compelling page-turner that will leave you wholly unsettled ... and wondering who you can really trust." --Kathleen Barber, author of Truth Be Told

"The Better Mother is what would happen if Knocked Up had been written by Mary Kubrica- engrossing, twisty, and totally unputdownable. Full of complicated characters, Jennifer van der Kleut's debut is a masterclass in tension. I couldn't put it down!" --Laura Leffler, author of Tell Them You Lied

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