REVIEW: The Man She Married by Alison James

The Man She Married by Alison James

Genre: Domestic Thriller

Read: 28th February 2020

Goodreads

Purchase: Amazon

(publication date: 13th January 2020)

★★★★★ 5 stars

WOW! This intriguing thriller is not only based on but also has us pondering the question "Just how well do you know your husband?" It also takes identity theft to such a frightening level that combined with everything else, makes THE MAN SHE MARRIED incredibly hard to put down.

Alice Palmer meets Dominic Gill in a lift. She's at Ellwood Archer to make arrangements for her catering company. He is there for a job interview. The first thing she notices are his eyes - warm topaz and mesmerising. But Alice is hesitant. After being jilted a week before her wedding once before, Alice never thought she would ever meet "the one". But Dominic is attractive, charismatic, kind and charming and despite all misgivings, she accepts his offer for coffee...which then turns into dinner...then dating...until he surprisingly proposes to her three months later.

Their wedding quickly follows on 1st April (I couldn't help but note the irony of the date) and, despite the absence of his family which is easily explained with his mother being ill with a heart condition while his estranged brother remains behind to care for her, Alice couldn't be happier. So what if she sees - and ignores - some serious red flags? They are happy, in love and life couldn't be better.

Even when Alice inadvertently discovers a bank statement with a mysterious reference to "Galea", even when he continues to make excuses as to why they can't meet his family, even when she catches him in a lie and he easily sways her with his charm, even when she follows him to a flat in North Acton, even when she finds a speeding ticket for somewhere he wasn't meant to be, even when their anniversary weekend turned into anything but romantic, even when he turned into someone she didn't recognise, even when she was approached by a mysterious woman with an accent who claimed to have information on who her husband really was...Dominic explained it all away and Alice dismissed any misgivings she may have momentarily had.

But now, it is Valentine's Day and Alice is preparing for a romantic evening for them both. With the fish prepared, the wine uncorked and a text from Dom to say he would be leaving the office in 30 minutes, Alice enjoyed a bath and prepared herself for her husband...and the amazing news she had for him. She was pregnant! Unable to contain her excitement, she snapped a photo of the positive test result and WhatsApp'ed it to Dom, eager for his response. But it never comes. So she calls her friend JoJo to tell her the news. Then an hour passes, two hours, three...something is wrong. She calls Dominic but there is no answer.

Furious with him for spoiling such a momentous occasion, she changes into sweat pants and is dozing when the doorbell rings. She opens the door to police and some devastating news. There's been an accident...and Dominic is dead.

Alice accompanies police to the hospital mortuary with JoJo by her side to see the man she married dead on a slab. There is no doubt it's him. With a small nod, she confirms that yes, it is her husband Dominic. Yet when his estranged brother Simon walks in, he insists "That isn't Dominic Gill. That isn't my brother."

So who was the man Alice married??

The journey then takes us to Australia where we meet a different set of characters in a different set of circumstances that become all too familiar as the deception and lies begin to unearth just what and who Dominic is, or isn't. The consequences are devastating as the truth is slowly revealed.

The man she married was not the person Alice thought he was. And if he lied about that, what else did he hide from her? And how can she find out the truth if all she has to go on is lie after lie?

I have to say, I could have shaken Alice at how completely oblivious she was to the red flags she saw - and ignored - to the many holes in Dominic's story. I could see them as plain as day and just felt like yelling at her "Open your eyes, woman!" But she accepted his plausible explanations and often excused his behaviour. But whatever his reasons, nothing prepared me for what lay beneath his lies and layers of deception.

Told from the alternating perspectives of Alice and Dominic in THEN and NOW chapters that give us, the reader, a clearer picture of things, THE MAN SHE MARRIED is a complete and complex tale filled with twist after twist along the way. Reading from Dominic's perspective gives us greater insight into his past and just who he really is. But who is he, really? Is he a conman? Is he a psychopath? But one thing is certain...despite his charm and his good looks, he is dangerous...very dangerous. And Alice is his perfect cover. This clever tale weaves together his story into Alice's and leaving behind nothing but questions.

Fast paced and gripping from the very first page, THE MAN SHE MARRIED is shockingly dark in parts with twists and the evil that one man does. I must add, that sexual assault features in a couple of small parts of the story for those that may be triggered. It is not a huge feature, but it is there.

After the author's previous thriller "The School Friend" (formerly "The Friendship Pact"), of which I was half-hearted about, I wasn't sure what to expect from THE MAN SHE MARRIED. But this...this is a thriller on a whole other level! It is original, it is twisted but it is brilliant! Just when you think you know what's going on, something else happens to turn it all around again!

A definite recommendation for thriller fans!