Laura Moher's Reviews > What the Wife Knew

"What the Wife Knew" by Darby Kane is an engrossing puzzle of a read mostly told from the point of view of Addison, a young woman who married an older man. We get a few flashback scenes from his POV, and from the beginning it's clear that they bear murderous levels of animosity toward each other. So of course when Richmond, the husband, is murdered, Addison becomes the prime suspect in the eyes of the whole town that had idolized Richmond and despised his newcomer, homewrecker wife. The only thing is, not only did Addison not do it, she's also now in danger herself.

Bit by bit Darby Kane dribbles out clues to how and why this mismatched pair was together in the first place, and what role their pasts--and their family members--play in this tense mystery. The story is an enjoyable page-turner. I especially appreciated getting to know the enigmatic Addison, who at first seems cold and heartless.

The only thing that did not work very well for me was the writing of the last bit of the book. Whereas the rest of the story moved along nicely, the ending seemed a bit mired in navel gazing and exposition. Still, I gobbled the story up and would rate it 4.5 (rounded to 5) stars...and will probably look for more Darby Kane stories to read!

Thanks very much to the author and publisher for the advance copy on which I based this honest review.