I wanted to read this one as the synopsis sounded so intriguing, especially after the success of the TV series, Making a Murderer. What would you do if you gradually came to suspect the man you thought was innocent of horrendous crimes may in fact be guilty?

I enjoyed the majority of this book and it was an engrossing read. There was a nice ratcheting up of tension throughout most of the book, but then the ending kind of fizzles out after all that build up. It lost a star for that ending as I don't feel it did the rest of the book justice. Character-wise, I found Samantha sympathetic at first but as time went on, her neediness began to grate a little. Dennis was an enigma, still not totally sure what was going on there.

One additional thing I will mention is that although there was nothing too graphic, I would advise people that there are a few mentions of animal abuse/killing. It's something that I prefer to be warned about in advance.

Thanks to Netgalley and publishers Random House UK/Cornerstone for the opportunity to review an ARC.

We've all read about women who become involved with men on death row and wonder why they do it. This is the story of one of them - Samantha (from Bristol, UK) - who becomes increasingly fascinated and obsessed with the plight of Dennis Danson, the subject of a campaign and film regarding a possible serious miscarriage of justice some 20 years ago.

Samantha travels to America and visits Dennis in prison, and after a few weeks they become close and marry. Soon after, his innocence in the murder of teenager Holly Michaels is proven and he is released. But as they start their new life in the public glare Sam begins to wonder if Dennis is entirely innocent, and what about the other teenage girls who went missing around the same time?

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and it showcased some excellent atmospheric writing, with real characters (none of them particularly likeable!) However I did have trouble picturing Samantha - physically, she was not described well and I became frustrated with her mood swings, her ability to change opinions about everything and her vacillating relationships with some of the characters, especially Lindsay. Perhaps that was deliberate as she came across as needy, obsessive and a bit unstable. Dennis too had sudden mood swings and could switch on the charm or show his temper instantaneously.

I did 'get' the ending, which was fairly satisfying - the role(s) played in the incidents of 20 years ago were there if you cared to look for them. I was left wondering which character turned out to be the most manipulative and devious in the end.

I do recommend this book to suspense / thriller readers. It is one that will stay with me for a while.

4.0 out of 5 starsInteresting premise and worth a read

Format: Kindle Edition
I was unsure at first and would like to thank NetGalley for the chance to read and review this book. It took some interesting turns and I am glad that I read it right to the end. Infatuated school teacher and death row prisoner is not unheard of and the story of this obsession and the events that unfold is well worth a read

This book is about Samantha, a teacher from England, who marries a man on death row. The story is well told and the tension gets tighter and tighter towards the end. I wanted to understand why Samantha stuck with him, when Dennis was clearly not a likeable person from early on, hence not 5 stars. So, although there were flaws in her character, and the usual 'don't go there on your own!' moments. I really enjoyed this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

The synopsis of this book grabbed me and I was determined to read it. I was gripped from the outset and the story was quite slow until the latter half of the book, when the real drama kicks things up a notch.

The book is well written and there were a variety of characters who were all colourful in their own ways. I was a little confused at the inclusion of certain characters, who's actual place in the story was not discussed as much as I would have liked. I would have liked more of a back story on a couple of Dennis's friendships.

All in all, a great read and I am looking forward to more from this writer.

The Innocent Wife sounded right up my street. I'm always rather fascinated with what makes women want to write to killers behind bars so quickly requested this book. I liked it, but a few things unfortunately stopped me from loving it, which I really wanted to happen.

School teacher Sam has has been fascinated with the case of Dennis Danson (a man on death row since the age of 18, for almost 20 years now, after committing murder) after seeing a documentary on TV. Danson has always claimed he's innocent and he has many supporters (including big celebrities) who also believe he is. Sam starts writing to Dennis, and after many letters they end up falling for each other with Sam eventually flying out of the UK to visit him, when he then asks her to marry him.

Whilst a new documentary is being filmed on Danson, new DNA evidence comes about which proves he has in fact being innocent and leads to him being exonerated. When Sam and Dennis return to his home of Red River, Florida, suspicion starts to slowly niggle away at Sam. Has she made a massive mistake?

Neither character are particularly likeable. Sam was a little too much of a walk over for me - far too easily led that she really bugged me. Dennis was more thought out, one minute you really sympathise with him and then the next you fear what he's going to do. Definitely keeping me on my own toes in regards to whether he was or wasn't innocent!

There was a constant unnerving feel all through this book that definitely kept me page turning. The start was really strong, and I liked the added extracts thrown in from the book 'When the River Runs Red'. I felt there was a lot of unnecessary content thrown is which there was no need for when Dennis got out of prison, had no relevance to the plot which spoiled the pace for me as it became too drawn out. If we could of swapped those unnecessary parts and given more detail to the lead up of Dennis coming out of prison and the ending (both felt a little too rushed for me) then this would of made a great impact. I felt the last 20-30% of the book really upped the pace again and I thought "Yes, the ending is going to go with a bang" but it just left me a little deflated - I was rather confused over what it was all meant to be - sometimes a little simpler really works.

As I say, overall I did enjoy the book and the un-ease of it despite the little plot factors. It's clear this is a well written debut and I do think the author has real potential. I'll definitely give Lloyds next book a read.

I'd like to thank Netgalley and the publishers for my copy of this book, which I read in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I enjoyed this book very much, it kept pulling me back to reading it, always a sign of a good book.
I have often wondered about women who fall in love with prisoners on death row and this went some way to explaining it. A really good story that twisted and turned.

Great concept and loved the commentary on true crime documentaries and Twitter mob mentality etc. Was loving it most of the way through, but the ending completely let it down for me. Review to come on my YouTube channel.

A woman falling in love with someone on death row sounds like a something I have probably read in a trashy magazine, but I have never read it in a fiction novel. I enjoyed this novel, the plotline sucked me in from the beginning, and the characters were so well written, I spend half the story wondering whether or not Dennis was innocent or not. However, I believe the writing did waffle on a bit, and it could have been more concise.

The concept of this book is clever - a British woman, Sam, starts writing to Dennis, a man on death row for murder in the US, who she believes is innocent. What is clever about it is that, as the reader, you quickly realise that things are not as straightforward as they seem, You don't know whether Dennis is innocent or not - and sometimes, it seems, Sam isn't so sure either. She is a deeply flawed character, and this adds an extra dimension to their relationship and makes the book quite gripping. However, I didn't find her a likeable character and struggled to relate to her. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but for me it made parts of the book heavy going. It does keep you focussed, though, as the plot takes a few interesting twists and turns, and you rapidly realise that nothing is what it seems.

Death row, innocent or guilty? damaged people, buried secrets, difficult decisions and a past that just won’t go away. When Sam writes to and joins the campaign to get Dennis off death row she may just be biting off more than she can chew. Be careful what you wish for because you might just get it!

A book that keeps you enthralled and makes it hard to put down as you’re never sure what’s going to happen... just how I like them!
The story follows an American man who is imprisoned and on death row and an English woman who is lonely and perhaps desperate to change her life, who writes to and eventually falls in love with the prisoner. Then the story unfolds in a different way when he is freed and she has to adjust to a life with a man she hardly knows who may not be as innocent as she originally thought. Basically both are dysfunctional people and have a dysfunctional relationship.
It was a interesting behind the scenes look at what possibly happens in real life. I really enjoyed it.

Samantha lived her daily life as a teacher but behind closed doors she was fascinated by the story of Dennis Danson jailed 20 years ago for the murder of young girls. After watching a documentary on his case, she felt compelled to start writing to him, expressing her belief that he was wrongly accused and convicted, but imagine her surprise and thrill when he started writing back saying how much he enjoyed her letters. After months of writing, she took the bold decision to leave her life in England behind and spend a few weeks in America in order to visit Dennis in prison, and take part in a new documentary. In a very short her feelings, and love for Dennis grew and so when Dennis proposed she readily agreed. Her life was turned upside down with filming a new documentary, interviews, tv appearances - but also the hatred from the families of the murdered girls and those in Dennis's home town. She soon started to have her doubts about her new husband and started to feel frightened around him. Events take a dramatic turn when she opens an old memory box from his childhood. Will she run or support him..... will she even survive.

A great book that keeps you wondering about his guilt or innocence of a crime he always claims he never committed.

Interesting concept, with complex characters. None of the main characters were particularly likeable - the main female protagonist was weak and needy but this was necessary to justify how she ended up where she did. Exciting final chapter and the ending was not what you expected.

I thought this book was fantastic, it's such an interesting premise and reminded me in many ways of Making a Murderer. It was gripping and insidious in it's menace, no mean feat from a début author. I have already been recommending this to anyone who would listen, I can't wait for her next book!

With its contemporary setting and language, this book is a genuine "page-flicker" (when reading on a tablet). Everything about it is recognisable, from the incarcerated-but-could-be-innocent male character, to the milieu of social media fandom, discussions on forums and inevitable romantic involvement by a vulnerable woman. That familiarity draws the reader in too, despite feelings of uncertainty about the man at the centre - you almost want to believe that it will all work out, yet throughout there is a feeling of being unsafe. Will it or won't it all work out? It kept me guessing to the end. Highly recommended in its genre.

An interesting premise and I wanted to see how the story developed. I thought Samantha was a little unrealistically naive but perhaps there really are women like this. I didn't enjoy some of the sadistic descriptions and felt the ending was weak.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and read it in a couple of days. I was fascinated by the character of Samantha and thought that the build-up to Dennis's release was written very skillfully, with her unease growing as the release drew nearer. I also enjoyed the ending although it did feel a bit rushed - but I found it to be a satisfying conclusion. That said, I didn't warm to any of the characters, but that doesn't really bother me in a story of this genre. Recommended.

Sam becomes obsessed with the latest true crime documentary, not satisfied with just discussing it with other fanatics in online forums, she decides to write to the man himself. Dennis. Their correspondence goes back and forth and suddenly she finds herself flying to America and becoming his wife. New evidence and a new campaign sees Dennis walk out of jail a free man and into her arms. Together at last as man and wife, Sam starts to question his innocence.

I was intrigued by this book from reading the description, I've always found women who fall for murderers on death row interesting. This book highlights everything that could go wrong when these relationships move from behind bars!

I enjoyed the book but the author is clearly a fan of Making a Murderer and some of the storyline was clearly inspired by the case - this annoyed me a bit!! All in all I did enjoy the book and trying to figure out what was going on with Dennis, but I don't think it had any shock or real suspense about it.

I will definitely read another book by Amy Lloyd, but I didn't enjoy this book as much as I had hoped!

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC

This book completely absorbed me right from the start. It has fascinating but flawed characters and a great plot. A very realistic, disturbing, well researched thriller. The Innocent Wife is a terrific debut and I look forward to reading more from Amy Lloyd.
Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review.