I am a big fan of this author. This book had me gripped from the start. There is a lot of action and great characters packed into this book. I was totally blindsided by some of the twists. This is a really good thriller.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Having never heard of this author I was excited at what to expect from this book i certainly was not isappointed. It is a psychological thriller which had me hooked. The story is told from a variety of points of view. Many twists and turns and I certainly had no idea which way this book was going to go.
It will not be my last book by this author
Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest unbiased review.

Thank you very much to NetGalley, Bookouture and Kerry Wilkinson for the arc of The Wife’s Secret my review is honest and unbiased in any way.
Kerry Wilkinson is oneof my favourite authors so I was really looking forward to reading this! Charley Willis was only 13 when her celebrity parents were murdered in their home while Charley hid upstairs in the wardrobe in her bedroom. Now 15 years later she is marrying Seth Chambers a local vet but she disappears without a trace during the wedding reception. Was she abducted? Did she have second thoughts? Does he really know her? These are the questions haunting Seth in the aftermath of what should be the best day of his life.
The Secret Wife had me totally hooked the whole way through and when i had to put it down to do necessary life things I couldn’t wait to pick it up again. I love books that grip you so much that you’re dying to see what happens but you don’t want the book to end and this was one of those books!!!

The Wife's Secret is an interesting standalone novel and an original take on the "you don't know her as well as you think you do" trope. The story follows Charley and Seth who are newlyweds but not long after the wedding Charley disappears. I never include spoilers but let's just say that she isn't exactly who she said she was, and even though Seth is her husband, he really doesn't know the real Charley. What is this curse that has plagued her family for generations? Has it struck again, or is there something more tangible at play here?

As always, Mr Wilkinson's descriptive prose is engaging, and once it's got you in its grasp, it doesn't let you go until you've turned the final page. There is an almost expert use of misdirection sending the reader down towards plenty of dead ends, and there are lots of twists - unfortunately, most were predictable long before they occurred. It's quite a pedestrian-paced novel which slowly builds the tension right up to the final explosive surprise! The characters are just developed enough and are interesting - you really want to know what happens to them! Told from multiple first-person perspectives, it features a timeline that alternates between past and present which adds more intrigue to the whole book, and the short chapters make this a quick read, although as I mentioned earlier this isn't a fast-paced book, and it did get a little "sticky" in places where it didn't feel like we were moving anywhere.

You can always rely on Mr Wilkinson to provide an action-packed, exciting and highly entertaining story, and this one is no exception. Grab yourself a copy to read over a cold, Autumn afternoon! A well-woven tale that has more secrets, lies and betrayal that you can shake a stick at, but I did predict quite early on many of the twists. Those who only dabble in crime fiction may find this more unpredictable than I did.

Many thanks to Bookouture for an ARC. I was not required to post a review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

I make no secret of the fact that I am a huge fan of this author. Not only does he write great stories but, with his expert characterisation, especially the interaction and banter between them, coupled with all his little observations added to give more flavour, every new book of his I start gives me a warm familiar feeling. This book was no exception.
So, usually when a wedding goes awry it is due to the fact that one of other of the main participants fails to make it to the ceremony. In this book though, the ceremony happens, Charley and Seth get married but sometime during the reception Charley goes missing. Like all good main characters, Charley has a bit of a backstory. When she was a child, she witnessed the death of her parents; the murder remaining unsolved. Seth turns to Martha, Charley's older sister who pretty much brought her up after the deaths of their parents. Has the killer come back to claim the only witness to the attack, or is there more to the story than meets the eye. As Seth starts to try and work things out, it becomes evident that maybe all is not what it seems.
As often happens with me reading books by this author, I was sucked in from the off, held captive throughout and only released at the very end. As I do, I had various thoughts and feelings about what I was reading, often thinking I had it all worked out ahead of time and, again as usual I didn't manage to work it all out before the reveals. As clue after clue was unearthed, as more became known, I gasped, I wowed, I clapped my hands at a job well done, as slowly the pieces all started to come together.
It was deliciously jam packed with all the things I love about this genre of book. Secrets, lies, duplicitous behaviour and more than enough dubious characters to keep me guessing pretty much throughout. We flit between the present day, as Seth tries to make sense of what has just happened, and the past, the days before the original murder of Charley's parents. We see how she grew up, in the limelight of her parents' celebrity. The past sections complementing the present, adding colour to what is happening in the now. This method is used more and more these days and can be very effective when done well, as it is here. There is never any issue with who, what or when, the two timelines weaving their way along until they merge at the really rather shocking ending. Just goes to show that anything can happen behind closed doors.
All in all, a cracking addition to an already impressive back catalogue. Really can't wait to see what he serves up next time. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

An unusual thriller set just after the wedding. Lots of twists and turns,good characters,an enjoyable read.

I was blown away by this book! Pyschlogical thriller at it's best! One of the best books I've read in 2018. This book will stay with you long after you have read it. I did not see the ending coming. Definitely 5 stars.

Kerry Wilkinson has once again written a gripping book.
Slower paced than some of his other books, but full of twist and turns that lure you in and captivate you.

Thank you netgalley, Kerry Wilkinson and Bookouture for allowing me to read and review this book.

This book was a good book. but a bit too slow paced for me. I thought the writing was great, the characters well developed and the writing overall done smoothly, but that oomph I love in thrillers was missing. I think had it been just a bit more fast paced it would have been a 5 plus star read for me.
Will be recommending and using in daily challenge in Chapter Chatter Pub.

Great book, you can't beat Kerry wilkinson, I can thoroughly recommend to anyone who wants a good page Turner

"The Wife's Secret" is a very exciting book full of mystery and multi-dimensional characters. The plot and Main Character Seth pulled me in quickly and I read this book in a day!

I liked the characters and how different they all were. The author created the story from various characters points of view, and also from different points of time that make up the story. That was really enjoyable, and the pace of this story was perfect.

With the chaos, dysfunction and mystery, Kerry Wilkinson manages to really made me feel for one of the main characters (Charley)in particular, along with her sister.

I really enjoyed this book. My only discontent was that the ending left too many loose threads. It didn't really have an emotional "closure", which left me with an unsettled feeling when I put the book down. Even with that said, I will look forward to reading many other books from Kerry Wilkinson.

3.5 stars

The Wife’s Secret by Kerry Wilkinson is a psychological thriller.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Bookouture, and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

My Synopsis:
Seth Chambers marries the love of his life. At his wedding reception, his new wife disappears. Although they had known each other for a few years, Seth discovers he doesn’t know her very well. Yes, he knows her tragic past involves the murder of her parents when Charley was only 13 years old, and that she was raised by her sister Martha. He knows that she doesn’t get along with her brother. He knows that her parents had been celebrities, and that their murderer has never been caught. He knows that Charley gave away most of her inheritance. Other than that, he knows he loves her, and can’t quite figure out if she left him willingly, or has been abducted. Either way, why?

My Opinions:
Although this is a fairly fast read, I found the story moved slowly.

I did like the way the author told the story through different points of view and different timelines, which made it interesting, and kept you motivated to get to the next chapter. In this way we learned about Charley’s life from childhood to adulthood, and about her family. We felt the anguish Seth was feeling as he worried about his missing wife. That being said, however, I felt his reactions were lifeless. I would have expected a little more anxiousness, maybe anger at the police (who we didn’t really hear much from), maybe some outrageous act like going out to look for her himself….. Instead, he sat at home and waited. It didn’t feel right.

I did like the ending, and overall the book was good, the plot interesting, and the twist well-placed. For me, It just lacked a little excitement.

This is the first book I have read by this author, although I know he is a fairly prolific writer. I guess I have some catching up to do.

Oh what a great book! This is the first book I have read from this author but it certainly won't be the last. A real page turner that I couldn't put down. Even though I guessed one of the twists there were some I just didn't see coming! Can highly recommend this book.

Thank you Bookouture and NetGalley for the ARC.

It was the cover that appealed to me first with  this book, but having read a couple of Kerry's books in the past and enjoyed them, I was in high hopes that it'd be the same again especially as the blurb sounded really good.

I thought the storyline was great and had plenty of mystery and intrigued to keep me turning those pages pretty quickly. It didn't take long to be drawn into the story and be captivated by it.

I liked how the story was told from two different characters, Seth in the present and then Charley in the past, it added to the whole atmosphere of the story.

I did enjoy reading this for the most part, but I felt disappointed by how it all ended, for me I felt like there were parts of the story left unresolved/incomplete. I daresay that was the authors intention so as the reader can come to their own conclusions as to how they think the story should or shouldn't end, but I would have perferred a more concrete conclusion.

4 Stars - Charley was thirteen when her parents were killed, while she was upstairs hiding in the cupboard. After that horror, she went to live with her sister who was known as the wild child. The killer was never found. Now fifteen years later, it’s Charley’s wedding but after a few hours after she married to Seth, she disappeared and no one could find her! And that’s when that we find out more about the family curse!
She had plans for the future, why would you talk about all that and then disappear? How can someone disappear in a wedding dress? Did she walk away or someone took her? Is Charley the person he thought he knew? What is this family curse? Is it really a curse? What is the wife’s secret?
My first read by this author and it was really good! totally enjoyed it! It contains short chapters (always in my favor) and in such a way that made you turn the page to read the next one! Well-written, a bit slow with a great story-line! I should say I couldn’t guess her secret! It’s alternating between the past and the present. Told in multiple POV, 1st person. It’s a standalone novel and I’m looking forward to more of the author’s books! Overall, really liked it and hope you enjoy it as well!
Thanks to Kerry Wilkinson, Netgalley and Bookouture for the advanced digital copy in exchange an honest review.

What happens when you marry someone only to find out in the matter of hours that you don’t really know them? The story of Seth Chambers marring Charley Willis, but when Charley was known as Charlotte as a young girl her life was very different. After suffering a horrible tragedy she grew up into a complete different person but Seth questions of he married Charley or Charlotte!

This book gripped me right from the get go and was relentless until I read the very last page! It definitely covers all the basis a great psychological thriller should with its background of Charley to the sick plot twists that are discovered along the way! My first book by this author but definitely not the last!

This is the first book I've read by this author and I look forward to reading more. Great story that kept my interest throughout with a few twists and turns along the way. I highly recommend it.

The Wife’s Secret by Kerry Wilkinson is a psychological thriller that is told from two timelines and different points of view. But not to worry, coming from an excellent writer the story was very easy to follow as it switches back and forth building the past and present.

Charley Willis and Seth Chambers have just gotten married and should be happily celebrating their wonderful day. However, the couple gets separated at their reception and when Seth goes to look for Charley she is no where to be found. With no one knowing where Charley has gone eventually the police get involved.

Charley is not a stranger to the spotlight and police investigations. When Charley was only thirteen her parents were murdered in the family home while Charley herself was in the house. Charley had been found hiding in a cupboard upstairs in the home and the only witness to just what happened but the killer was never found.

While The Wife’s Secret was another very solid read from Kerry Wilkinson this one was not my favorite overall leaving me to rate it at 3.5 stars. I felt the story was a little slow going in places although as I said it is easy to follow as it goes back and forth between the past and present. But again perhaps due to reading too many thrillers I had part of this one figured out really early on so I wasn’t quite as shocked as I could have been. Still a nice read though and will definitely be back for more from this author.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via Netgalley.

It's not unheard of for a bride to get cold feet and not show up for her wedding, but when Charley Willis disappears after her wedding during the reception, no one knows what to think. Her new husband Seth Chambers can't think why she would run away - she was happy and looking forward to this day, they had not argued and as far as he knew she was not in trouble of any kind. He is sure she must have been abducted and, after fruitlessly searching the grounds and their home for her, he calls the police to report her missing.

Charley's name is well known to the British public as her parents were both famous as TV game show and lifestyle presenters. The family also become infamous when 13y old Charley survived a vicious attack that killed both her parents in their own home while Charley hid in the wardrobe. Taken in and brought up by her 22y old sister Martha (the feisty wild-child of the family), Charley has since then tried to put the past behind her and lead a normal life away from the glare of the media. But can she really leave the past behind?

Told in two timelines, by Seth as he hunts for Charley and by Charley as she recalls the past, the plot is intriguing and compelling as lies and secrets come to light. Well written with a suspense that builds to an unexpected ending, this was a very engaging thriller.

Published by: Bookouture (10th October 2018)



ISBN: 978-1786817075



Source: Netgalley



Rating: 5*



Synopsis:

Charley Willis was thirteen years old when her parents were killed in their family home and she was found hiding in a cupboard upstairs.

Fifteen years later, Charley is marrying Seth Chambers. It should be the happiest day of their lives, a chance for Charley to put her past behind her, but just hours after the ceremony, she is missing.

No one saw her leave. No one knows where she is.

One thing is for certain…Seth is about to discover he doesn’t really know the woman he just married. And his nightmare is only just beginning.



Review:

Oh WOW! I've not read one of Kerry's books for a while and how I've missed them! This deftly woven tale of intrigue caught my attention from the get go and completely ensnared me. I wasn't prepared for what was to unfold as the dramatic plot shared its darkest secrets, told from the perspectives of both Charley's husband Seth, in the present day, and Charley herself, via flashbacks.



With more twists and turns than your average rollercoaster, The Wife's Secret will have you reading way past your bedtime and questioning every disappearance you will ever hear about again. It's full of suspense, familial tension and the author's brilliant attention to detail make this truly outstanding.