The Silent Wife by Ruth Harrow
Genre: Psychological thriller
Read: 20th May 2023
Published: 14th May 2023
★★★★ 4 stars
DESCRIPTION:
A vanished wife. A crumbling marriage. And a web of explosive secrets.
Pregnant and living an Insta-perfect lifestyle, Sarah seems to have it all. But one evening halfway through making dinner, she vanishes into thin air leaving behind her keys, her handbag and James, her bewildered husband.
The pans are boiling over and the smoke alarm is screaming, but he is alone in the house.
Keen to get their picture-perfect life back on track before their followers start wondering where his wife is, James desperately tries to find her.
But her sister Kate is the only one who knows Sarah has run like this before. And she's terrified for her sibling and for the unborn child she is carrying.
The more Kate digs for answers, the more questions she has about her sister’s life – it seems Sarah may have been hiding a terrible secret. Even more worrying, Kate is now having her every move watched.
Someone out there wants their deadly secrets to remain hidden. How far will they go to make sure those secrets stay buried?
The Silent Wife - a gripping psychological thriller with a killer twist. Perfect for fans of Freida McFadden, K.L Slater and Daniel Hurst.
MY THOUGHTS:
A vanished wife...a crumbling marriage...and a web of explosive secrets...
This is the second thriller by Ruth Harrow I've read and she certainly knows how to pull you in. Although slow to start at first, it soon picks up pace as the reveals come and twists are thrown our way.
Sarah has a seemingly perfect life with her adoring husband James, her stunning house and in Insta-perfect life. But behind the facade is an unstable wife living a lie she no longer can. So in the middle of making dinner one afternoon, after a quick phone call to her sister Kate, Sarah silently slips out the door and disappears.
Kate is busy making deliveries for her monster-in-law's business where she is but a humble employee alongside her husband Chris, when her phone continues its ringing. Unable to answer as she is driving, she lets it go to voicemail. When she picks it up she is shocked to hear her sister's whispered voice full of apologies and regret. Leaving nothing to chance, Kate ditches her deliveries and drives over to her sister's illustrious Victorian home to find her husband in his home office out the back and the smoke alarm screeching its dire warning. Dinner, it seems, is burnt. And Sarah is nowhere to be seen.
Worried for her sister and her safety, Kate searches the house for clues to whatever Sarah may have taken with her. But it seems she has left everything behind - keys, phone, purse and all her clothing - taking nothing but the clothes on her back. Her husband James is distraught that she appears to have vanished without a trace, even more so that she has walked away willingly. Why would she have left a perfectly good life and husband who adored her? Unless she has fallen into old habits once again...habits that only Kate knows about. Kate is the only one who knows that Sarah has run away like this before, whenever she has felt crowded or doesn't want to face up to responsibility. And she believes that this is what has caused Sarah to run now. The looming possibility of motherhood has probably shaken her to the core, having just revealed her pregnancy to the world on Instagram shortly before her disappearance.
Kate's own life takes a battering as she focuses on trying to find her sister and there is no compassion or understanding coming from her husband Chris, and even less from her mother-in-law Anne. He shows little care for his wife during a time when you would think he would stand by her and even help her. No, he spends most of his time running errands for his mother and is at her beck and call rather than worrying about his wife and marriage.
So Kate's search for Sarah is primarily done alone with James lending a hand where needed. But Kate knows Sarah best and so it is a search she must undertake alone. But whatever answers she uncovers, should she share her findings with James? Or keep them to herself? Because the more she digs the more secrets she seems to find and she isn't sure what to believe. Exactly what is it that Sarah has been hiding?
But someone wants their secrets to remain hidden...how far will they go to make sure those secrets stay buried?
THE SILENT WIFE is a chilling read in parts. While it does start of slow with seemingly no real direction, it soon picks up as it becomes clear what's happened to Sarah. While there are only a handful of characters, none of them are particularly likeable but some even less so. This story is a perfect example of a narcissistic personality disorder, gaslighting and the secrets and lies told to maintain the facade. It does make for uncomfortable reading in parts.
I really have to question Kate's decisions throughout much of the book. And I want to slap her husband too. Honestly, what was wrong with the man? But Kate...why could she not believe her sister? She should know her sister better than anyone and yes, given her past, know how unreliable she could be. But really, she seemed perfectly lucid to me and yet Kate still refuted her claims. But her bad decisions didn't end there...but I will. You will need to read the book to shake you head at the stupid decisions she makes and circumstances she lets herself fall into.
Overall, a chilling read that was compelling with a steady pace throughout.
I would like to thank #RuthHarrow, #Netgalley, #InkubatorBooks and #ZoolooTours for an ARC of #TheSilentWife in exchange for an honest review.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
Ruth lives in the UK with her husband, two children and chocolate Labrador, Rolo.
Her seventh psychological thriller is coming soon.
Social Media links:
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads
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