Cassie is a high flying lawyer while her former rockstar husband stays at home with their baby. Their marriage is rocked when he is accused of murdering a woman that may have been his mistress. Cassie defends him in court but is she fooling herself…?
The Good Wife is a wonderful mix of psychological thriller, murder mystery and courtroom drama.
Cassie and Theo’s marriage started off as a whirlwind romance but they have settled into domesticity. While Cassie works, Theo cares for their daughter and meets a nanny Elise at the playground one fateful day. Their fledgling friendship ends in murder as Elise is killed at Theo’s studio and he instantly becomes the prime suspect.
I loved the emotional turmoil that Cassie faces. She really doesn’t know if she can trust her husband yet she decides to defend him in court. The evidence against him mounts up and she is forced to accept the threat to her marriage as well as her career.
The book is written from Cassie’s first person perspective in the present and Theo in the past. His view shows us how Elise kept pushing for more and he resisted. Could he finally have snapped to save his marriage? There are also hints about Cassie and Elise’s teen friendship as well as other secrets which may impact on events as well. The ending was a little predictable but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
There is a powerful theme which runs through the book about gender roles within a marriage and surrounding parenthood. Cassie feels like a failure for being a working mum and is worried about the bond with her daughter. Theo is seen as almost exotic by the other mums at the playground which shows how society judges men and women even in modern times.
The Good Wife is a tense and dramatic psychological thriller with strong narrators.
I have previously reviewed Her Perfect Bones and One Child Alive from the Rockwell and Decker series by Ellery Kane.
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Title: The Good Wife
Author: Ellery Kane
Pub date: Oct 25th 2022
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DESCRIPTION
My husband has been accused of something terrible. But what I’m about to do is much worse…
I’m sick to my stomach when I hear about the young woman found dead outside my husband’s music studio the night of our wedding anniversary. She and Theo were close, so when the police knock on the door as our daughter sleeps peacefully upstairs, I think they’re just trying to rule him out. But then I see the panicked look in his eyes…
“That’s not possible. I just saw her—”. I watch my perfect husband freeze. Just moments earlier, he had told the cops he hadn’t seen her. Why is he changing his story?
Most women would leave him—take their child and run for the hills. But I won’t. Theo and I have been together a long time. I know his secrets. And he knows mine… well, most of them. I’m the best lawyer in this town and I’m his only chance. I will defend him, whatever the cost.
As the police begin to pick apart our relationship, they don’t paint a pretty picture, and even some of our so-called friends begin to tell stories. My whole life has been a lie.
Can I really trust the man I love?
And when push comes to shove, can he trust me?
Fans of Gone Girl, The Girl on the Train and The Housemaid will love this spine-tinglingly tense psychological thriller with a mind-blowing twist!
Author Bio:
Forensic psychologist by day, novelist by night, Ellery Kane has been writing–professionally and creatively–for as long as she can remember. Just like many of her main characters, Ellery loves to ask why, which is the reason she became a psychologist in the first place. Real life really is stranger than fiction, and Ellery’s writing is often inspired by her day job. Evaluating violent criminals and treating trauma victims, she has gained a unique perspective on the past and its indelible influence on the individual. And she’s heard her fair share of real life thrillers.
Ellery lives in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, a picturesque setting that provides the backdrop for many of her novels. If you don’t find Ellery interviewing murderers behind prison walls or pecking away at her latest novel, she is probably at the gym landing a solid jab-cross to a punching bag; riding bicycles with her special someone; or enjoying a movie the old-fashioned way–at the theater with popcorn and Milk Duds.
Ellery was previously selected as one of ten semifinalists in the MasterClass James Patterson Co-Author Competition, and she recently signed a three book deal with Bookouture for her new Rockwell and Decker mystery thriller series. The first book is scheduled for release in 2020.
If you’d like to receive a notification when new books are released, please sign up for Ellery’s newsletter at ellerykane.com. Ellery also signs e-books on authorgraph.com.
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Farmer Gwenna takes in a German Jewish girl who managed to escape to Britain. Lotti’s mother died on the journey and her father has possibly been deported to a camp. The little girl is mute and scared but the situation intensifies when Gwenna is assigned Germn POWs to work on the farm…
The Girl With The Yellow Star is an historical novel set during WW2.
Our hearts are instantly captivated by the sadness of Lotti’s young life. She saw her dad hauled away and now her mother dies in a terrible accident. Gwenna is determined to give the little girl love and stability but has no experience of children. She has her own heartache at her failed marriage followed by widowhood.
The social and gender norms of the era make Gwenna stand out. She is a widow running a farm and people doubt her knowledge, strength and morals. I really liked her character and was eager for her to defeat the odds and survive in a male dominated world.
I enjoyed the tension and mixed emotion that surrounded the issue of German POWs as this has not been covered in other WW2 books that I have read. Gwenna’s husband died earlier in the war and she struggles to see beyond the mantle of enemy that they bear. Yet Max is her only chance to help settle Lotti so she has no choice but to trust him.
The characters have careful nuances which make them more realistic. Gwenna in particular has a range of subtle layers that are developed over the course of the book. I felt that Lotti was quite immature but perhaps this is intended due to the traumatic start in life she has had.
The Girl With The Yellow Star is an emotional historical novel with a unique angle on WW2.
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The Girl with the Yellow Star: An absolutely gripping and heartbreaking WW2 historical novel
“We have to wear the yellow star! It’s the rules!” the little girl sobs. But her mother presses a desperate finger to her mouth. “Darling, today is different. We are going to leave our stars behind and go on a long journey. We must be very, very quiet, and pray nobody finds us until we are safe in England…”
Cornwall, England, 1943. When her husband is killed fighting in the Navy, grief-stricken Gwenna Devoran tries to fill the void in her life by offering shelter to two Jewish refugees in her farmhouse high on the Cornish cliffs. But at the train station, ten-year-old Lotti is waiting all alone in her neat red coat.
Lotti’s mother died protecting her on the journey. Now Gwenna is all this little girl has. Traumatised Lotti won’t speak a word: and when an order comes for German prisoners-of-war to work the farm she’s in more danger than ever. What will happen if the Germans find out Lotti is Jewish?
When Gwenna overhears Lotti chattering happily to German captain Max Reiner, showing him her teddy bear, her heart stops. Shocked to hear Lotti finally speak, Gwenna is terrified for the little girl she’s grown to love. But perhaps she can she trust the kindness in this German officer’s gentle voice and bright blue eyes…
As Lotti heals a little more each day, Gwenna risks everything to spend more time with Max, certain he doesn’t believe in the Nazi cause. But then a rumour starts in the village: Max himself fired the torpedo that killed Gwenna’s husband.
Devastated, Gwenna’s heart is torn between loyalty to her country, the memory of her husband, and love for the little girl she secretly hopes could become her own. With Max desperate to prove his innocence, does she dare to trust him? And should she fight for the three of them to become a family – or will the war tear them all apart?
An absolutely heartbreaking, gripping and beautiful story about how love shines brightly even in the darkest times, and the incredible sacrifices people make in wartime. Fans of The Nightingale, All the Light We Cannot See and The Tattooist of Auschwitz won’t be able to put this down.
About the author
Natalie Meg Evans has been an art student, actor, PR copywriter, book-keeper and bar tender but always wanted to write. A USA Today best-seller and RITA nominee, she is author of four published novels which follow the fortunes of strong-minded women during the 1930s and 40s. Fashion, manners and art are the glass through which her characters’ lives are viewed. Each novel is laced with passion, romance and desire. Mystery is never far away.
An avid absorber of history – for her sixth birthday she got a toy Arthurian castle with plastic knights – Natalie views historical fiction as theatre for the imagination. Her novels delve behind the scenes of a prestige industry: high fashion, millinery, theatre, wine making. Rich arenas for love and conflict. Most at home in the English countryside, Natalie lives in rural Suffolk. She has one son.
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TRIGGER WARNING: physical and emotional abuse, animal cruelty, miscarriage, severe mental health issues
Katie is a literary agent looking for the next bestseller. But she has her own book to write about the notorious nun Heather the Commune Killer who has been writing to her. Katie also has her own issues from the past to contend with…
Hear Me Cry is a multiple timeline and perspective novel around two womens’ lives. There are some big and disturbing issues discussed which I did find upsetting at times.
The book is relentless in absorbing us in the lives of Katie and Heather. Katie’s marriage was full of abuse and her child was taken from her. Now she returns to the marital home but is haunted by the ghosts of the past. Heather portrays herself as an innocent victim, trying to survive while others control her and limit her choices. I felt emotionally invested in both sets of experiences as well as the third perspective of a kidnap victim (we don’t see where this fits in until the very end).
The tone of the book was very dark and atmopspheric. There are spooky and sinister elements as well as overtly violent and oppressive behaviour. This makes the book hard to read at times and difficult to ‘enjoy’ but I was completely immersed in the plot and characters. The ending made total sense yet was not at all what I expected. It drew together all of the plot strands and made me re-evaluate my impressions of the characters and plot.
Hear Me Cry is gripping but disturbing.
Book Blurb
A nun hiding a chilling secret. A literary agent, Katie Kovacs is ghost-writing her mysterious memoir, and delves into her grisly past. What secrets will be revealed?
Heather Parnell runs away from a commune in the 1970s and in a disastrous catalogue of events, is involved in the death of three elderly people. She becomes the focus of a media storm, who name her, The Commune Murderer.
Katie has her own demons. Haunted by an abduction she witnessed as a child, Katie believes she is being stalked. Her six-year-old son went missing years before, and Katie was convinced her husband was responsible.
Will she ever find out what really happened to Oliver?
Will she finally unearth the truth about Britain’s most notorious female killer?
SHE INVITED HER INTO HER HEAD, NOW SHE CAN’T GET HER OUT .
Author Bio
Eileen Wharton is an Oscar winning actress, Olympic gymnast, and Influencer. She also tells lies for a living. Her first novel was published in 2011 to worldwide critical acclaim. And she’s won awards for exaggeration. It did top the Amazon humour chart so she’s officially a best-selling author. She currently has five ‘lively’ offspring ranging from thirty-three to fourteen years of age, and has no plans to procreate further, much to the relief of the local schools and police force. She lives on a council estate in County Durham. Eileen has never eaten kangaroo testicles, is allergic to cats and has a phobia of tinned tuna. She’s retired from arguing with people on the internet.
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Jennifer’s marriage to Cole has had some rocky moments but things seem to have settled at last. They are preparing to host a huge party when he has a terrible car crash and dies. The next day Sara turns up claiming to be Cole’s lover and clutching a baby. She states that she owns the family home and insists on moving in…
The Girlfriend is a domestic drama and psychological thriller set in the UK.
Cole and Jennifer have bounced back from his affair, have renovated their home and enjoy a lavish lifestyle. This facade crumbles when he dies and the truth is revealed. The premise of the book is fascinating and makes the reader wonder how they would react in the same circumstances.
Jennifer refuses to leave the house but has no legal power to prevent Sara moving in. There is a fabulous tension created and maintained over the course of the book. Both women are scheming for their own survival. The majority of the book is written from Jennifer’s first person perspective in the present day but we also see Cole, Miller (their son) and Sara’s viewpoints now and in the past.
Despite the extreme circumstances, I felt that the characters behaved authentically and I could understand their actions even if I didn’t approve of them. There are lots of twists in the final quarter of the book and I wasn’t expecting any of them!
The Girlfriend is an entertaining and dramatic psychological thriller.
Book Description:
My husband’s dead. She’s at my door. She owns my home…
The doorbell rings, just days after my beloved husband’s sudden death. I don’t recognise the woman on our doorstep, with her buttery blonde highlights, a diamond bracelet identical to my own and a bouncing baby boy in her arms.
As I show her inside, I notice her eyes grow wide as she takes in our spacious hallway, and the big squashy sofas that we all used to pile on. She glances at the silver-framed family photos and my little daughter hiding behind my skirts.
She looks at me, her blue eyes serious. ‘I’m sorry’ she says. ‘I know this will be hard to hear. But I am your husband’s girlfriend. And this is his son.’
My world implodes. And then she tells me that she owns our home – and that she’s not going anywhere…
An utterly gripping psychological thriller from the number one bestselling author of The Marriage. If you like Gone Girl, The Girl on the Train and Lisa Jewell then you will be hooked by The Girlfriend.
Author Bio:
For many years, Kim sent her work out to literary agents but never made it off the slush pile. At the age of 40 she went back to Nottingham Trent University and now has an MA in Creative Writing.
Before graduating, she received five offers of representation from London literary agents which was, as Kim says, ‘a fairytale … at the end of a very long road!’
Kim is a full-time writer and lives in Nottingham with her husband, Mac.
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1896, Alardyce House, Scotland. The heir to the house Robert is celebrating his engagement to his childhood love Jane. But his mother Amy realises that her son has a dark nature like his biological father and fears for his young fiancee…
The Cursed Heir is the second book in the Alardyce trilogy. The events from the first book The Missing Girls of Alardyce House are quickly caught up on in the first chapter so I would advise reading the books in order or reading this as a stand alone.
Amy is devastated when she realises that her treasured son has the same sadistic tendencies as his father. She is made aware of his violent behaviour towards one of the maids and fears what he will do next. It also brings back awful memories of her own torture from the first book.
This book is full of conflict as Amy battles with her own conscience as well as her son’s proclivities. As a parent, she wants to think the best of her child and loves him dearly. Yet he also scares her and she fears for the safety of others.
There is a lot of darkness and adult content in this book as it contains instances of violence as well as several sex scenes. I enjoyed the sinister atmosphere and mentions of ghosts and witches, but Amy’s fears are very real and human.
The Cursed Heir is a dramatic novel full of history, emotion and danger.
The Cursed Heir
Edinburgh 1896. At Alardyce House, the family are gathered to celebrate the engagement of the heir to the estate, Robert, to his childhood sweetheart. But what should be a precious memory for his mother Amy, is marred by darkness. For Robert’s biological father was a demon and a criminal, and now Robert is coming-of-age, disturbing reports are beginning to emerge about his behaviour.
Amy is torn between her love and loyalty to her son, her hope that she can save his soul, and her growing sense of dread that the streets of Edinburgh aren’t safe when Robert is in town. Meanwhile the increasing distance between Robert and his stepfather Henry threatens the peace of her loving marriage.
The Alardyce family is riven by secrets and scandal, but will this most cursed heir of all, be the one to ruin their reputation forever, or can the power of a mother’s love save them all?
If you love Emily Organ, Kate Saunders and Ann Granger, you’ll love The Cursed Heir. Discover bestselling author Heather Atkinson and you’ll never look back…
Please note this book was previously published as Corruption of the Son.
Author Bio –
Heather Atkinson is the author of over fifty books – predominantly in the crime fiction genre. Although Lancashire born and bred she now lives with her family, including twin teenage daughters, on the beautiful west coast of Scotland. Her gangland series for Boldwood, set on the fictional Gallowburn estate in Glasgow begins with the title Blood Brothers.
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