The Housewife's Secret (Detective Dan Riley #7) by Anna-Lou Weatherley
Genre: Psychological thriller, Police procedural
Read: 7th January 2024
Published: 12th January 2024
★★★★★ 5 stars
DESCRIPTION:
I cast my eyes over the impressive meal I’ve cooked and the half-empty crystal wine glasses. As our guests smile graciously, I squeeze my husband’s shoulder. It’s vital I get his friends to like me. To believe this version of me. Because I’ll do anything to stop them learning the truth…
Ever since I met my handsome husband Dr Gabe Bonneville, I started playing the role of the perfect housewife. He works hard as a surgeon, so I look after our home, and throw elaborate dinner parties with champagne cocktails for his best friends Hugh and Anita. He’s my safe place and my chance to have the family I’ve always wanted.
I’ve managed to hide the mornings when I wake up and see a face in the shadows. I haven’t told Gabe the truth about the woman who raised me, or told him about the therapy I’ve been getting so my secrets stay hidden in the dark. I haven’t questioned his past so he doesn’t ask about mine. I see the way Anita looks at him sometimes, but I’ll never say a word.
Until the letter arrives at the front door. The beautiful, expensive card shakes in my hand as I read the neat black handwriting.
Someone knows I’m not just a housewife. And the lies I’ve told will be all that’s left when I disappear…
Fans of Lisa Jewell, Gillian Flynn and The Housemaid will be gripped by this unputdownable thriller and its non-stop twists and turns! A breathtaking ride from the very first chapter to the explosive ending.
MY THOUGHTS:
The perfect woman...the deadliest past...
I just love the Dan Riley series! Although I have yet to read the first couple of books, I've read every other since and have loved them all. I love Anna-Lou's style of incorporating the investigation with the rest of the story so that we're not all bogged down with procedural. She keeps that nice balance of both that keeps you coming back for more. And in doing so, each book can then be read as a standalone.
The reader is drawn in from the very beginning in the prologue leaving us wondering how it factors into the bigger picture...when it fact it is just a small part of the greater tapestry that it is to become.
Darcie Bonneville has the perfect life married to the perfect man, cardiac consultant Dr Gabe Bonneville, and they live in a beautiful and illustrious apartment in an affluent part of London. One morning she takes her dog for a walk and never returns home. The dog, however, does. And her husband arrives home to find the dog alone on the step but no sign of his wife.
DCI Dan Riley is on leave. Or about to go on leave. His wife Fiona has their bags all packed and the children ready...all they are waiting on is Dan to come home and they can leave for their holiday by the seaside. But then Dan's superior calls him in and alerts him to a missing woman whilst assuring him that they have it all under control. To go, enjoy his holiday and come back refreshed. But something niggles at Dan...and he knows he can't ignore his instinct. That being said, Dan has seven days to solve this case or his wife holds the threat of divorce over him.
Digging deeper into Darcie's life, Dan wonders whether her recent notoriety in saving a toddler's life has something to do with her disappearance now. But the deeper he digs, the more he discovers that no one really knows a lot about Darcie Bonneville...not even her husband. The woman has seemingly no past, no social media presence, no digital footprint. So what secrets does this housewife have that she doesn't want her husband to find out? And what secrets are they to have brought danger to otherwise perfect life?
This thrilling mystery keeps the reader enthralled from the very first page, immersing you in Darcie's life and what lead to her disappearance. Told in alternating chapters between the past and the present, Darcie's story gradually unfolds and leaves you questioning everything you thought you knew.
I wasn't overly surprised by the direction it took or the outcome because I must have had Dan's instinct telling me something was up from the get-go. But although I had it figured out, even down to the climatic twist that Dan unravelled, it didn't ruin my enjoyment of it at all. Half the fun is figuring it out and spotting the clues. And I kept my eyes peeled throughout.
I absolutely loved this book and devoured it in one sitting. Can't wait to see what's in store next for Riley and his team. Although, I do love that this is a psychological thriller first and police procedural second. My favourite kind.
I would like to thank #AnnaLouWeatherley, #Netgalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheHousesSecret in exchange for an honest review.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
Anna-Lou Weatherly is well known for her engaging and compelling mystery suspense novels. Instantly grabbing the attention of the reader, she delivers her stories in a straightforward style that really works for her material. Often writing about darker subject matter, too, she doesn’t hold back when it comes to more serious topics, really delivering gripping narratives. Her work is set in a league of its own when it comes to rich and immersive thrillers that allow the reader to escape into them.
Constantly keeping her audience guessing throughout, she’s a writer gifted in the art of compelling narratives with plenty of twists and turns. Pushing the boundaries of what the romance genre can really do, she allows her stories to speak for themselves essentially when it comes to telling them. Her books come alive off of the page, enveloping the reader and holding them there for the complete duration of the novel. Establishing her own style and tone, too, each book of hers is unmistakeably hers, as she really does have her own voice and approach.
When it comes to characters, she really embeds herself in their mindset, providing readers with a clear view of their perspective. This style gives her readers a front-row seat when it comes to the action, really making it engaging on all levels. Winning awards for her work, too, she’s written for many outlets, from Smash Hits to the NME, to Marie Claire, making her one of the most prolific writers within her area. There are plenty more titles planned for the future, too, as her writing career continues building from strength to strength.
Born in Southampton in England, Anna-Lou was raised in London with a passion for reading and writing. Nurturing this interest of her over time, she would hone and refine her skills as an author, discovering her own unique voice in the process. Studying further, she would continue to apply herself to her craft, building a profile for herself within the literary world.
Going on to work as the editor for several different publications, she would get to sharpen her writing skills for a mass audience. Drawing in inspiration from her surrounds, she would proceed to put much of it back into her writing and work. Currently still living in London to this very day, she continues to write regularly, with lots more set for release on the horizon.
Prior to writing fiction full-time, Anna-Lou Weatherly worked as an editor for prestigious publications such as Smash and J-17. Creating a big name for herself as a novelist, she would slowly come to find her own voice before writing her first complete novel. This would be titled ‘Ibiza Summer’ back in 2006, and it would give her an insight into her many writing processes and what she had to offer.
Before long, she would begin writing suspense novels and mystery thrillers, establishing a profile as a writer known for tension. Beginning her ‘Detective Dan Riley’ series with the novel ‘Black Heart’ in 2018, she would soon be on her way to being a hugely successful author. Winning awards for her work, she’s been in the industry for over ten years and counting as her career grows upwards and onwards.
When she's not writing, which isn't often, she likes to hang upside down on a pole - she's a qualified pole fitness instructor, and drink fancy wine (though not necessarily at the same time, that would be dangerous). She adores creating exciting, three dimensional, glamorous and flawed characters against a backdrop of exotic locations. Revenge, sex, sin, glamour, excess, crime and intrigue is her speciality. Her next novel, title to come, promises all the above and more!
Social Media links:
No comments:
Post a Comment