The Wife's Secret by Kerry Wilkinson
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Read: 18th October 2018
Purchase: Amazon
★★★★ 4.5 stars!
I had been eagerly awaiting it's release so I could sink my teeth into it, having thoroughly enjoyed "The Girl Who Came Back", this book is my second of Kerry's ample offerings and definitely will not be my last. You know how when you find an author that just hits it every time with each book? That's how it it is with Kerry Wilkinson. I LOVE the two I have read so far.
So...what to say about THE WIFE'S SECRET??
Your wedding day should be the happiest day of your life, right? Well, for Seth Chambers, that sadly is not the case when his newly-wed wife Charley vanishes from their wedding reception without a trace! Is it a prank gone wrong? Has she left of her own accord? Or is there a decidedly more sinister reason?
Let me just say, we jump right into the deep end here at the wedding with Seth, so we get the full impact of his desperate search for Charley. And the ride doesn't stop until the last page!
Charley Willis was the daughter of a famous TV power couple who, 15 years ago, were brutally murdered whilst she, Charley, hid upstairs in a cupboard. The killer was never found. Just 13 at the time, she went to live with her older sister Martha in London, whilst the family home was left to rack and ruin and tied up in legal limbo by of their greedy uncle trying to get a slice of the millions left by his brother. Now it's her wedding day, and just a few short hours after the ceremony, she disappears without a single trace.
Does it have something to do with her parents' murders 15 years ago? Has the killer come back for her?
When he and Charley met, they agreed they didn't need to share each other's pasts - what's past is past and what matters now is the present and the future. Their future. But as the story progresses, Seth begins to wonder if they had made the right decision. Just how much did he know about Charley's past? And just how well did he know Charley at all?
THE WIFE'S SECRET unfolds throughout two timelines - Seth's POV in the present and Charley's story, along with her sister Martha, beginning from her childhood through the murder and leading up to the present day. It is very cleverly woven together with just enough revealed at a time. The flashbacks are insightful into Charley's past though the twists and turns that are to come are ultimately shocking and revealing. A lot of family drama is involved showing that you can't always be sure of what really goes on behind closed doors.
I liked Seth and I sympathised with him in his predicament. He really was clueless as to what had happened to his wife - both past and present. As the story unfolded I could really feel the sense of his pain and confusion.
I loved Martha. She was bold, brassy and everything her parents hated but she was her own person. She took Charley in and became her legal guardian after their parents' murders. She understood Charley. She knew what it was like to live in "that house". I really felt for the sisters when Martha left to move in with her boyfriend - who later became her husband (and whose name escapes me right now...lol) - as they hadn't been apart since the murders.
I also liked Seth's sister Emily and Charley best friend Alice, as well as Seth's mum who was only in it for a short time, but I could sympathise with the siblings and their mother's suffering dementia.
So who did I not like?
I did not like Charley or her brother Liam. I didn't trust Liam from the start. Something about him did not sit well with me and he kind of made my skin crawl. Charley and Martha had very little to do with him, so when he reached out to Seth after Charley's disappearance, I'd wondered had he mended his ways? Either way, I just didn't like him.
And Charley? Well...I liked the child Charley but not the adult Charley. I don't know why. I just think she took Seth too much for granted and expected him to just accept things as they were without explanation. How did she expect him to feel? I thought she was presumptuous and selfish. But sadly, I guess her childhood also played a part in making her that way.
There were so many other characters that played a part but these were the ones that stuck out the most.
For such an amazing story, I found the ending a little lack lustre and maybe a little disappointing. I guess I anticipated something a little more shocking with that WOW! factor, but then I guess it could just be me not liking Charley a whole lot - since she is the focus of the story. But still, having said that, it was still an amazing thrill ride and a shocking page-turner.
It gives me pause to think that while so many books these days have a similar tagline to this one - “A gripping psychological thriller with a heart-stopping twist” - some don’t live up to the hype. While others rise to the occasion and earn the tag. THE WIFE'S SECRET certainly does that.
And let me just add - I love the short chapters! I wish more writers would do this. It gives the reader just enough to keep them interested whilst turning the pages wanting more.
Don't let this one pass you by. It is a brilliant riveting psychological thriller that will leave you wanting more. Highly recommended!
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