JanB's Reviews > The Wife

4.5 stars, rounded up

A Traveling Friends group read, this is a well-written, intelligent domestic thriller/police procedural that restores my faith in the genre. I was engaged with this book right from the start. Complicated characters, perfect pacing, and solid plotting combined with the author’s knowledge and experience in criminal law makes for a riveting tale.

Jason, a married college professor, is accused of rape and sexual harassment. Not exactly shocking news in the current environment. But what is different here is I couldn’t decide if he was a jerk and deserving of all the vitriol heaped upon him by the press and on social media sites or if he was innocent. Who, if anyone, is telling the truth and who is lying? To ramp up the tension even further, there’s a murder, and all the signs point to Jason.

Angela, the wife, is standing by her man. She's an interesting character with many layers and a past she doesn’t want revealed.  The story alternated between Angela’s point of view and that of Corrine, the female detective. Corrinne is a smart cookie and I liked her character very much.

The author dribbled out information and dropped subtle hints along the way, which keeps the reader guessing throughout. The clues are all there but it isn’t until the end that it all clicks into place. Better yet, the ending makes sense and the twists are logical. There’s a lot to think about and discuss.

I don’t want to give away too much so I will end my review here. My recommendation: read it!