The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

 

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Macmillan (8 Feb. 2018)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1509842810
• ISBN-13: 978-1509842810
• Product Dimensions: 15.3 x 2.8 x 23.4 cm

 

 

 

 

 

Synopsis

When you read this book, you will make many assumptions.

It’s about a jealous wife, obsessed with her replacement.

It’s about a younger woman set to marry the man she loves.

The first wife seems like a disaster; her replacement is the perfect woman.

You will assume you know the motives, the history, the anatomy of the relationships.

You will be wrong.

The woman before…Vanessa and Richard fell deeply in love and were married for seven years, until he left her for another woman, someone younger and more desirable.  She now spends her days immersed in painful memories, trying to decipher how it all went so wrong.  Of course, she isn’t blameless, she was never the woman Richard thought she was.

…the woman after Nellie is engaged to the man of her dreams.  Caring, charismatic and accomplished, Richard provides her with the security she has always craved.  But as their wedding draws closer, she can’t shake the sense that someone is watching her, someone is following her.

The wife in between…No one knows the truth about what really happens within a marriage, even seemingly happy one.  But Vanessa is certain of one thing, she will do whatever it takes to stop Richard’s wedding before it’s too late…

 

Review

The Wife Between Us is Pan Macmillian’s lead commercial fiction title for early spring 2018, and after reading it this weekend I can understand why.  The thriller genre is very popular at the moment, with each new release being billed as ‘the next big thing’, and there are a lot with plot lines around ex wives, new wives, and revenge.  However, The Wife Between Us is different, it turns this plot line on its head and then spins it in so many different directions you will be left reeling by the time you finish this book.  2018 has started with some brilliant thrillers, and this is one to add to the list, and for me top of the list.

The book is separated into three parts, for reasons you will learn when you read this book, and narrated by Vanessa and Nellie.  Vanessa is now the ex wife, her life is falling apart and she is struggling to cope with Richard getting married again so quickly.  Nellie is in her twenties, she came to New York to escape her past and start anew.  Richard is her knight in shining armour, he can protect her from her past, give he a new and comfortable life, and give her the love she craves in her life.  In their narration we see two different sides of Richard, seemingly the perfect gentleman, nurturing, and protective, but also controlling and vindictive.  This is a very twisted love triangle.

The writing of Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen is wonderful in its fluidity and cleverness of the plot.  I really can’t say too much about the plot as I don’t want to give anything away.  What I can say is that there are several revelations that I really didn’t see coming, and just when you think you know where this is going, and you know the characters, the writing takes you on a different path.  It is fast paced rarely giving you time to catch your breath, and the tension will compel you to read on to see just where this is going.

The Wife Between Us is an erudite and chilling psychological thriller.  It is a fabulous read, with a plot line full of suspense and tension, and three seemingly troubled characters; a perfect mix for a perfect read.