The Book:
Six Weeks to Live by Catherine McKenzie, 2020
The Characters:
Jennifer, who has terminal brain cancer
Her triplets Emily, Miranda, and Aline
Ex-husband Jake
The Plot (from Goodreads):
Jennifer Barnes never expected the shocking news she received at a routine doctor’s appointment: she has a terminal brain tumor—and only six weeks left to live.
While stunned by the diagnosis, the forty-eight-year-old mother decides to spend what little time she has left with her family—her adult triplets and twin grandsons—close by her side. But when she realizes she was possibly poisoned a year earlier, she’s determined to discover who might have tried to get rid of her before she’s gone for good.
Separated from her husband and with a contentious divorce in progress, Jennifer focuses her suspicions on her soon-to-be ex. Meanwhile, her daughters are each processing the news differently. Calm medical student Emily is there for whatever Jennifer needs. Moody scientist Aline, who keeps her mother at arm’s length, nonetheless agrees to help with the investigation. Even imprudent Miranda, who has recently had to move back home, is being unusually solicitous.
But with her daughters doubting her campaign against their father, Jennifer can’t help but wonder if the poisoning is all in her head—or if there’s someone else who wanted her dead.
The Twist:
Jennifer had Munchausen by proxy when the girls were young. She poisoned them to need medical attention. She went to an inpatient medical facility to get treated, but hid her diagnosis from everyone.
When one of her sons gets hurt while under Jennifer’s care, Emily puts the facts together and realizes what her mother had done. She also realizes that the lead poisoning she had as a child made it impossible for her to have children naturally (she had her twins via IVF).
She decides to give her mother a taste of her own medicine, and systematically poisons her mother’s food with a lead-based cleaning solution.
The Ending:
Jennifer figures out it was Emily just before she dies. Emily gives her a fatal dose of morphine to make sure Jennifer dies this time before she can tell anyone.
The Review:
This is my second Catherine McKenzie book, and I have loved every word of both.
Six Weeks to Live does an amazing job of exploring familial relationships, how a family copes with grief, and how we don’t always know those who are closest to us. I loved Catherine McKenzie’s development of these characters and their relationships with each other, especially from the triplet angle. These characters are compelling and relatable, and I was eager to learn more about them from the first chapter.
While the character development was my favorite part of this novel, the plot was also extremely well done. There were so many different layers of secrets and subplots, and I couldn’t wait to see how it would all come together. I did guess the culprit, but the clues came together so smoothly that I didn’t mind.
I would recommend Six Weeks to Live to anyone that enjoys a good family drama, with complicated relationships and layers of secrets–some of them deadly.
Six Weeks to Live will be available on May 5, 2021. Many thanks to Edelweiss+ and to the publisher for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Check out my reviews of Catherine McKenzie‘s other books here:
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