The Demise Of The Soccer Moms

Available as an eBook or in paperback at Amazon US, Amazon UK, and Barnes & Noble. Available as an eBook at: Sony, Kobo, iTunes, and Smashwords.

Haunted by fear after witnessing a brutal attack on her mother and the disintegration of her parents’ marriage, Amy Lewis is determined to protect her own marriage from even the hint of a threat. Her fears for herself and her twin daughters are enflamed when a woman in her neighborhood is murdered.

Charlotte Whittington simply wants a safe neighborhood for her daughter and a second chance to follow her dream of expressing her artistic vision through photography. She quickly realizes that she’s forgotten how stifling suburbia can be.

Friendship means more than anything to Rachel Matthews, but when her close-knit group of soccer moms starts to unravel, Rachel is forced to choose between the man she loves and her best friend.

In a world where suburban women, tormented by obsessive fears for their children, are on a collision course, not all of them will survive.

Reviews

5-star review from Red Adept Reviews — “…I was swept along, unable to stop reading.”

Rod Serling & a “Recommend” from Amazon readers.

Readers at Amazon US, Amazon UK, and Goodreads are calling The Demise of the Soccer Moms a page-turner. Well, not in those words, but they can’t put it down:

• “I read it all day yesterday and could not go to bed until I knew how it ended!”
• “… I found myself wanting to go back as soon as I set the book down.”
• “Once I started I could not put the book down.”
• “This book was great to read and hard to put down.”
• “… the storyline is amazingly full of tension from the very first page.”
• “Taut story that had me anxious to see what would happen next.”
• “Once I started reading I really got intrigued and hated having to put it down.”
• “Once I was hooked, I couldn’t put it down.”
• “I found it to be a compelling read, and stayed up late to finish it (always a good sign).”

“Grant calls her style of writing Suburban Noir, and I would recommend it to all who enjoy a good psychological thriller made more menacing by its everyday setting. Grant avoids overblown descriptions of gore, leaving much to the reader’s imagination, and the story’s all the better for it. I’m giving it a “good” rating, and look forward to Grant’s next book.” — Jane Steen, The Book Book, May 3, 2011. Click here to read more.

“The story was well-paced and kept me turning the pages, and I thought that Rachel especially was well-written as a character.” — E-Finds: Books, Music, Video & Other On-Line Finds, April 9, 2011. Click here to read more.

“Amy Lewis struck a nerve with me like no other character I have ever read about. I’m angry with her. I was angry with her when her true secret was revealed and everything she did after that made my anger multiply. The ending of this book killed me.

But… all of this is a good thing. I like reading books and developing relationships with characters that make me think. The Demise Of The Soccer Moms is Cathryn Grant’s first novel and her characters are well developed and the storyline is amazingly full of tension from the very first page. On the surface you may think that a book about soccer moms can’t be suspenseful or entertaining, but you’d be wrong.” – Sabrina Ogden @My Friends Call Me Kate, March 14, 2011. Click here to read more.

“Demise of the Soccer Moms has an intricate and tightly written plot centred on three main characters; women whose daughters play for the school soccer team.” … “Most telling is that I would like a sequel.” –Suzanne @conboy-hill-fiction, Feb. 20, 2011. Click here to read more.

“Cathryn Grant’s debut novel works on many levels. If you want suspense, it’s in there. For me, it built until I had to fight to keep from looking ahead for relief. Yet, the author’s story-telling skill made me slow down to savor the reading experience.” –Linda Cassidy Lewis @Out of My Mind, Jan. 10, 2011. Click here to read more.

“The threads of parental competition, anxiety and wanting the best for your kids, while drawn with an intentionally heavy hand, will resonate with other suburban soccer moms while we simultaneously nod with recognition and thank our lucky stars that we don’t live in Grant’s suburban noir nightmare. (Or do we?)” –Natasha @Nancy Drew Too, Jan. 10, 2011. Click here to read more.

“…I rushed through the book in a few hours. As I had expected, the suburban environment was well drawn, and I was intrigued by the small group of female characters, especially Amy and Charlotte who appear to be opposites.” – Dorte Hummelshøj Jakobsen @DJ’s Krimiblog, Jan. 4, 2011. Click here to read more.

Free Sample

Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two

The main characters in this noir, suburban world:

• Rachel Matthews – A woman obsessed over her son’s peculiar behavior and more devoted to her friends than to her adoring husband.

• Amy Lewis – A traumatic event in her childhood left her brimming with anxieties. A newcomer’s provocative style stirs up the cruel voice of Amy’s father and intensifies her paranoia.

• Charlotte Whittington – Living in suburbia isn’t her first choice, but it’s the best place for her daughter right now. All she wants to do is feel safe and pursue her artistic desires, but Amy Lewis views her as a femme fatale who doesn’t belong in their Silicon Valley community.

Cover concept by Gretchen Mach & Lydia Schufreider, design and photography by Lydia Schufreider.