The New Wife by Sue Watson
Genre: Domestic thriller, Psychological thriller, Suspense, Mystery
Read: 13th December 2021
Audio Links
Published: 19th November 2021
★★★★ 4 stars
DESCRIPTION:
You can never truly know what goes on behind closed doors…
My darling son, Sam, is marrying his childhood sweetheart and I couldn’t be prouder of the man he’s grown into. Walking out on his abusive father all those years ago was the best thing I ever did. And today he stands, tall and handsome, saying ‘I do’ to my dream daughter-in-law. If I hadn’t pushed them together all those years ago, he might never have found a girl as perfect as Lauren. It’s true what they say, mother always knows best.
But weeks later, Lauren is dead and police cars fill the driveway of their idyllic countryside home. As they question Sam, I sense he’s hiding something. Why won’t he look me in the eye? And who does he rush off to meet as soon as the police are gone?
Desperate, I do what every good mother would do: I let myself into Sam and Lauren’s bedroom. What I see, I will never be able to forget. My son’s beautiful new wife was hiding a dangerous secret. Can I clear my son’s name? And could my life be in danger now too?
A completely gripping, utterly twisted thriller that will leave your jaw on the floor. Perfect for fans of Gone Girl, The Wife Between Us and The Woman in the Window.
MY REVIEW:
I am excited to be taking part in the #BooksOnTour #BlogTour for Sue Watson's latest domestic thriller THE NEW WIFE.
One of my go-to authors, Sue Watson never fails to disappoint. And her new domestic/psychological thriller is something of a game changer in that it wasn't exactly what I was expecting. For one, I could at least tolerate all the characters...lol...when in the past, Sue has had a knack for creating just one entirely annoying character that just gets right under my skin from the get-go. In THE NEW WIFE, while some characters were distasteful, none of them riled me as some of her past ones have...thankfully. Which made reading a far more pleasureable experience than spending half the time wanting to throttle one of them!
Single parent Georgie has raised her son Sam alone after she left his abusive father and turbulent marriage behind. For over twenty years, Sam has been the entire focus of her world. But now he is a grown man and at 26, is marrying his childhood sweetheart, Lauren, and Georgie couldn't be happier. Georgie relives the moment the two children met on their first day of nursery school at just 3 years old when, after a tantrum at the prospect of being left, Lauren is silenced by a young Sam telling her to "stop making that noise". He then offers her his outstretched hand and leads her to the corner to play where the two children remained for the rest of the day. It is a memory that is often relived, and often embellished, with the passing years. And over the years the two families have grown closer and become one big happy family - affectionately referred to as "the Jackmoores" with the combining of their surnames Jackson and Moore. Georgie reflects on past memories and realises that sometimes people do get their happily ever after.
But then the dream becomes a nightmare when three months later Sam calls Georgie in the middle of the night with the devastating news that Lauren is dead. As Georgie arrives at the isolated cottage on Dartmoor, the blue lights of police cars illuminate the night as she enters to find a distraught Sam being questioned by the officers. But not before she catches a glimpse of Lauren laying lifeless at the bottom of the beautiful spiral staircase they had so loved made from marble, blood oozing from her head. It is an image that she will never forget.
Then when Sam is later arrested for his wife's murder, Georgie makes an attempt to band the family together and fight for his innocence. But it seems she has underestimated her best friend. Helen is in no mood to protest Sam's innocence when she is convinced of his guilt! Georgie is shocked to discover Helen actually believes this and no amount of talking to her will bring her round. In fact, every attempt she makes just falls on deaf ears I don't know why she just didn't give up. Helen was grieving the loss of her daughter and wanted no part in Georgie's fight for the man she believed killed her. So instead, Helen drowned her sorrows in "mother's ruination"...gin minus the tonic. And it seemed Helen would listen to no one. Not even her devoted husband Tim who did his best to protect her.
But Georgie wasn't about to give up. She began her own investigations into Lauren's murder...questioning Sam in prison and Lauren's best friend Sadie...in an attempt to find something, anything that will provide even an ounce of reasonable doubt of Sam's guilt. But it seems of all those who knew the couple may believe in his innocence, no one else was willing to stand up and speak on his behalf. Georgie thought she could count on Tim but he was busy juggling an angry drunk Helen.
Just when Georgie thought she couldn't count on anyone else, help comes from an unlikely source which provides a different aspect to Lauren's death. But is it enough to free Sam? And can Georgie uncover the truth before it's too late? And what will happen when she finally does? Is Georgie prepared to learn the truth about the family she thought she knew and the secrets they all kept? But with all secrets comes lies and oh, what a tangled web was woven!
THE NEW WIFE is an intriguing thriller which will keep you guessing right up till the end? Can you guess correctly? I tossed a few suspects about before settling on one which proved to be correct.
This clever whodunnit style of domestic thriller is a little different to some of Sue's previous ones but it was a thrilling read all the same. Even though none of the characters were particularly likeable none were overly irritating either. But there was just enough of "something" to make me not like pretty much all of them. And everyone is hiding something...but what exactly?
A fast paced read, THE NEW WIFE is told solely from Georgie's perspective as she fights to clear her son's name and prove him innocent of the crime for which he's been charged. Throughout the story, Georgie is left to fight Sam's corner alone despite the camaraderie the two families shared up to this point, so it makes sense that she is the sole narrator. And you can feel her desperation, helplessness and sense of aloneness throughout.
Overall, THE NEW WIFE is a quick thrilling read that will keep you guessing and entertained throughout. Perfect for fans of Shalini Boland and K.L. Slater.
I would like to thank #SueWatson, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheNewWife in exchange for an honest review.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
Sue Watson was a TV Producer at the BBC until she wrote her first book and was hooked.
Now a USA Today bestselling author, Sue has written sixteen novels (many involving cake), and many have been translated into several languages. Sue is now exploring the darker side of life with her latest thrillers OUR LITTLE LIES, THE WOMAN NEXT DOOR, THE EMPTY NEST, THE SISTER-IN-LAW, FIRST DATE and THE FOREVER HOME out on 4th June.
Sue explored the darker side of life for her latest book 'Our Little Lies,' a dark, psychological thriller completely devoid of cake. She's hoping this change in direction will be reflected on the weighing scales.
Originally from Manchester, she now lives with her family in leafy Worcestershire where much of her day is spent writing – and procrastinating. Her hobby is eating cake while watching diet and exercise programmes from the sofa, a skill she’s perfected after many years of practice.
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