The Mother I Did Not Know book cover by Thrive Collective Publishing. Features a tree-like structure of red cords with fingerprints at the ends, leading to a shadowy figure in a doorway.

The Mother I Did Not Know

Paperback
$18.99
$18.99
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The Mother I Did Not Know book cover by Thrive Collective Publishing. Features a tree-like structure of red cords with fingerprints at the ends, leading to a shadowy figure in a doorway.
  • The Mother I Did Not Know book cover by Thrive Collective Publishing. Features a tree-like structure of red cords with fingerprints at the ends, leading to a shadowy figure in a doorway.
  • The Mother I Did Not Know by K.B. Cordova, a psychological suspense novel. Features a tree-like structure of red cords with fingerprints, leading to a shadowy figure in a doorway.
  • The Mother I Did Not Know by K.B. Cordova, Book One of The Casita Series. Features fingerprints on red strings leading to a doorway with a shadowy figure.
  • The Mother I Did Not Know by K.B. Cordova, a psychological suspense novel. Features a doorway with a shadowy figure and a tree-like structure with fingerprints.
  • The Mother I Did Not Know book cover by Thrive Collective Publishing. Features a doorway with a shadowy figure, and a tree-like structure of red cords ending in fingerprints.
  • The Mother I Did Not Know by K.B. Cordova, book cover with fingerprints on red strings, psychological suspense.
  • The Mother I Did Not Know by K.B. Cordova, Book One of The Casita Series. Features fingerprints on red strings leading to a doorway with a shadowy figure.
  • The Mother I Did Not Know by K.B. Cordova, a psychological suspense novel. Features fingerprints on red strings leading to a shadowy figure in a doorway.
  • The Mother I Did Not Know by K.B. Cordova, a psychological suspense novel. Features a tree-like structure of red cords with fingerprints at the ends, leading to a shadowy figure in a doorway.
  • The Mother I Did Not Know book cover by Thrive Collective Publishing. Features a tree-like structure of red cords with fingerprints at the ends, leading to a shadowy figure in a doorway.
  • The Mother I Did Not Know by K.B. Cordova, a psychological suspense novel. Features a tree-like structure of red cords with fingerprints, leading to a shadowy figure in a doorway.
  • The Mother I Did Not Know by K.B. Cordova, Book One of The Casita Series. Features fingerprints on red strings leading to a doorway with a shadowy figure.
  • The Mother I Did Not Know by K.B. Cordova, a psychological suspense novel. Features a doorway with a shadowy figure and a tree-like structure with fingerprints.
  • The Mother I Did Not Know book cover by Thrive Collective Publishing. Features a doorway with a shadowy figure, and a tree-like structure of red cords ending in fingerprints.
  • The Mother I Did Not Know by K.B. Cordova, book cover with fingerprints on red strings, psychological suspense.
  • The Mother I Did Not Know by K.B. Cordova, Book One of The Casita Series. Features fingerprints on red strings leading to a doorway with a shadowy figure.
  • The Mother I Did Not Know by K.B. Cordova, a psychological suspense novel. Features fingerprints on red strings leading to a shadowy figure in a doorway.
  • The Mother I Did Not Know by K.B. Cordova, a psychological suspense novel. Features a tree-like structure of red cords with fingerprints at the ends, leading to a shadowy figure in a doorway.
The Mother I Did Not Know

The Mother I Did Not Know

$18.99
$18.99
Format

Pre-Order • Ships August 31, 2026

She thought she was returning to Abiquiú to bury her mother. The mother had other plans.

The Mother I Did Not Know is the debut psychological literary suspense novel from K.B. Cordova and Book One of The Casita Series. Mari Vega, a Spanish-American attorney from Santa Fe, returns to the family casita in Abiquiú to settle her mother's estate. What she finds is not a clean inheritance. It is a stack of clinical case notes, an off-record file labeled in her mother's hand, and a Genízara lineage no one in the family ever named out loud.

Told in dual voices, the clinical and the off-record, the novel braids twelve sessions of grief, suspicion, and slow revelation against the high-desert landscape of northern New Mexico. The truth Mari uncovers is not what her mother lied about. It is what her mother chose to carry.

What's included with your pre-order from Thrive Collective Publishing

  • First-edition printing of the debut novel (paperback and hardcover)
  • The Reader's Companion delivered to your inbox: character family tree, Santa Fe and Abiquiú map, author notes on the case-files form, and the first chapter of Book Two as a preview

The Reader's Companion is a direct-order exclusive. Pre-order direct to get the full reader experience.

What makes this book different

A New Mexico setting that earns its place in the story rather than serving as decoration. A Genízara identity reclamation arc that respects the historical and cultural weight of the lineage. A case-notes structure that lets the reader inside both the controlled professional voice and the private one underneath. A protagonist whose competence does not protect her from what is coming.

Inside the book

Twelve sessions across two narrative voices. A protagonist who is good at her job and bad at the silence between answers. A mother whose story is told only through what she chose to keep. A casita in Abiquiú that holds more than it should. The first book in The Casita Series.

Best for

Literary suspense readers. Book club picks. Readers of Celeste Ng, Lisa Jewell, and Tana French. Anyone who appreciated the layered, atmospheric pull of Where the Crawdads Sing and is hunting the next slow burn. New Mexico readers. Hispano and Genízara readers looking for representation that does the homework.

Edition details

Paperback and hardcover editions. By K.B. Cordova. Published by Thrive Collective Publishing. Ships August 31, 2026. The Casita Series, Book One.

About K.B. Cordova

K.B. Cordova writes psychological literary suspense set in northern New Mexico. She writes about secrets that travel further than the people who keep them. She lives in Santa Fe.

The Mother I Did Not Know is her debut novel and the first in The Casita Series. Visit her author page for more.

Advance praise

Quotes from advance readers and reviewers will appear here as they come in. To request an advance reader copy for review, email info@thrivecollectivehq.com.

Pre-order questions, answered

When will my book ship?
All pre-orders ship by August 31, 2026. Direct buyers from Thrive Collective Publishing ship first, before any Amazon orders.

What do direct buyers get?
Every direct pre-order is part of the first-edition printing and includes the digital Reader's Companion delivered to your inbox. The Companion is a direct-order exclusive.

How is the ePub delivered?
ePub orders are delivered by email immediately after purchase via Shopify Digital Downloads. Compatible with Apple Books, Kobo, and any standard eReader. For Kindle, order the Kindle edition on Amazon.

What is the Reader's Companion?
A digital PDF companion piece for The Casita Series. Includes the character family tree, a Santa Fe and Abiquiú map, author notes on the case-files form used in the book, and the first chapter of Book Two as a preview. Delivered to your inbox after purchase.

What does first edition mean?
Pre-order copies come from the first printing of the novel. Later printings are noted on the copyright page. A first printing only happens once.

Can I cancel my pre-order?
Yes. Email info@thrivecollectivehq.com any time before August 24, 2026 for a full refund. After that date, books are in production for your specific order.

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