The New Wife by J.P. Delaney
Genre: Psychological thriller, Suspense
Read: 26th July 2023
Published: 20th July 2023
★★ 2.5 stars
DESCRIPTION:
When Finn Hensen gets a call from his sister Jess to say their father has died, neither is heartbroken. Their parents divorced many years ago, after which their father, Jimmy, continued to live a bohemian lifestyle in sun-soaked Mallorca.
Ownership of his beautiful but dilapidated farmhouse in the mountains now passes to Finn and his sister. The only problem is that Jimmy recently remarried and his new wife, Ruensa, is still living there.
The pair agree that Finn should go to Mallorca and tactfully take possession of their inheritance. When he arrives, however, Finn is surprised to find that Finca Siquia has been completely transformed into a chic Mediterranean bolthole by Ruensa and her twenty-seven-year-old daughter, Roze. The Spanish police, meanwhile, are asking awkward questions about Jimmy's death . . .
Are Ruensa and Roze the helpless victims of circumstance? Or will they stop at nothing to get Finca Siquia for themselves?
MY THOUGHTS:
Your place in the sun comes with a problem...
Oh how I was excited to delve into a new J.P. Delaney thriller after being enraptured by both "Playing Nice" and "My Darling Daughter" which were exceptional to say the least. Unfortunately, this one didn't hit that same mark for me, sadly. I'm not sure what it was but I have found that books where the stories are set abroad (and generally in the Mediterranean) have a strange sense about them. It could have something to do with the language or the way the law is interpreted there or whatever. I think I've only read one or two that were really intriguing from start to finish. I could count them on one hand.
This one started off interestingly enough but then it started to veer off into stranger territory and by the final 10 percent I was going "what the...?" The author toyed with the idea of a "My Cousin Rachel" kind of tale about inheritance and whatnot but, although I've not read du Maurier's book, I can't say it was a complete success. I guess I can see what he was aiming for but I think it missed the mark and I much prefer his devious tales of the previous two thrillers of his I read and loved.
THE NEW WIFE is a slow burn story. It's not really a thriller, despite its genre, which kind of makes it a strange read in itself because I'm not sure how to categorise it. Reading the many other reviews on this book I see will put me in the minority because I really can't say I liked it despite ploughing on to finish it in the hope that it would deliver a twist and thus redeem itself...but that was not to be. When the twist came, I thought nicely played and then it just went off tangent into even stranger territory and then I was going...just no. Conversations taking place with his dead father? Hallucinations in the pool, in the mountains and in bed? Were any of these real or were they just imaginings? I couldn't quite tell. And then the abrupt end to the narrative with a twist that gives us what? Unanswered questions? Loose ends? No. Thanks, but no thanks.
Aside from the fact I did not enjoy this book, I would still read another by Delaney because I know he is capable of such clever tactics that deliver thrills and chills in equal measure. And for that, I will keep coming back...and hope his next one will deliver that same twisted thrill factor.
I would like to thank #JPDelaney, #Netgalley and #QuercusBooks for an ARC of #TheNewWife in exchange for an honest review.
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