The Wife Book Review

Book review by Dinh.

Read synopsis here.

Review:

This is my first book by author Alafair Burke and I am happy to report that The Wife did not disappoint!

Burke is an author I would love to check out more. She has written eighteen crime novels and she was nominated for the Edgar Award for her book, The Ex.

Here’s what I loved about The Wife!

Plot

Wow, this story line is just fantastic!

I liked how it starts off in the prologue as a sexual harassment case that went wrong, and the accuser, Kerry Lynch is missing.

The story unfolds with detective Corrine questioning the main character, Angela Powell, about her husband Jason’s whereabouts.

What unravels in midst of the sexual harassment case against Angela’s husband, is a murder. Does Angela stand by her husband or does she chooses to protect herself and her son Spencer?

Author’s style

I loved that the story was a steady pace and before I knew it, the ending just sneaked up. I was pulled into the story and was intrigued about Angela’s past. It kept me turning the pages and before I know it I hit the twists and turns at the end!

The Wife is well written and easy to follow with how it’s structured.

The book is written with Angela’s perspective as well as third person perspective so it gives it an interesting overview of the story. I liked that we get inside Angela’s head and also detective Corrine’s. This approach to story telling worked well here.

I loved how we get bits of Angela’s past. It’s all revealed slowly and the big twist at the end is a good one! It makes sense after you think about it. The author does a great job in concealing her past and bringing it up when necessary to draw you in.

One of the strong point of this book is that it reads like a real crime case. I liked reading the criminal procedures and learning how things are done. We have a sexual harassment case that turns a murder case so the legality of the case changes.

Find Alafair Burke: Website | Facebook | Twitter

Characters

I found the main character Angela interesting but I couldn’t relate to her. Though we get her perspective, I didn’t feel or got attached to her. Her response to her husband’s infidelity was not what I expected. I would have liked to have rooted for the protagonist.

I thought Corrine the investigator was a great character. She was thorough and was kick-ass at what she does. I liked that she investigated all her leads and had an inkling of who killed Kerry Lynch.

Ending

This is one of the best ending in a book I have read recently. I just didn’t see the ending coming! That was one big twist and turn!

My Final Thoughts:

I enjoyed The Wife and loved how it all came together at the end. Oh, what a great ending!

I will be checking out her previous book, The Ex!

If you like crime novels that is suspenseful you should give this book a go.

Get your copy here. Or, listen to the audio book for free with an Audible trial.

Belong to a book club? Check out The Wife book club discussion questions!