The book chilled me up from the inside out.

Sophie was called to visit Caroline, wife to Dominic and mother to young Lucy. It had been 25 years since the friends had seen each other. Sophie had gone through the deaths of her parents, and needed a break. Off she went and found things a bit bizarre. Caroline was moody, Dominic was weird, and young Lucy didn't speak. Not a word. Until Sophie found a secret. A clue, just like the Agatha Christie books, the 2 friends used to read in childhood.

Having read many books by author Jill Childs, I loved the dark vibe that surrounded me as soon as Sophie met Caroline. I loved how the author had detailed Sophie, insecure in some ways, but extremely loving. Her interactions with Lucy bespoke of her loving heart. The author's talent lay in the subtle puffs of chiller air that she imbibed into the story. A shiver coursed down my spine many a time.

The writing was so compelling that my mind plotted where the story could go. There was a wickedness in the air, with clues at the right corners. Danger seemed to be impending on every page. The story forced me to read it with bated breath, there was a shadow which evaded my grip and kept urging me deeper into the story to find it and learn its secrets.

The story could feel to be slow burn, but it actually wasn't. The whole air had the old fashioned feel to it, of something lost and something yet to be found. It send out those teasing feelers, daring me to keep reading, and get to the final secrets. Then what could I do?

I plunged deep, stayed afloat barely, and completed the book on one sitting. Almost in a single breath. I could get some parts of the story due to the clues laid bare, but it still had the power over me. I couldn't stop reading.

A fun compelling breakfast read!!

The suspense escalates further into the book once you realize the sinister happenings that lead to the poor three year old Lucy's withdraw and total shutdown and refusal to speak.
Lucy, three years old standing at the barred window in the cold damp attic that is her bedroom, more like a prison in the mansion. Every night at that window screaming in terror, why? What did she witness that was so traumatizing?

When Sophie comes for a stay at the request of Lucy's mother Caroline who was best friends with Sophie as young girls, is determined to find out what is going on with the child as she becomes very fond of the little girl. What happened to Caroline, why is she so cruel to the little girl, and why does she not remember things?

The plot takes a major twist and turn once Sophie discovers the safe hidden in the floorboards in the little beach house Caroline used as her art studio. What is in the safe changes everything, and Sophie realizes her life is in danger and she must also save Lucy.

Thank you netgally for giving me the chance to read and give an honest review of The First Wife.

Love all books from this author and this was a brilliant read, a bit of a different type of read as her previous books.

It was definitely a page turner and kept me on the edge of my seat throughout, all with interesting characters and I can certainly recommend.

Well done Jill I look forward to your next read.

DNF @ 22%

At 22%, nothing has really happened in the book. The first chapter alone was 19% and there were plenty of times where it could have been broken up into shorter chapters. I feel like the plot would have been interesting, but the author seemed to fill the book (or the first 22% anyway) with SO much descriptions about what everyone was wearing and the surroundings (every room) the characters were in, right down to what was hand-embroidered on the quilt on the bed. This all seemed like "filler" to me.

The plot "hook", the daughter Lucy, is barely in the book so far. It just didn't keep my attention.

Oooooh as we all know it takes a lot for a thriller to shock me but The First Wife has an unbelievable twist that I just didn’t see coming!
Dark, creepy with a dash of gothic charm I was gripped from the beginning. The relationship built between Sophie and Lucy was beautiful and as mentioned the ending shocked me! The perfect thriller / mystery.

The First Wife by author Jill Childs is a brilliant mystery/thriller with a lot of awesome character and a strong domestic plot line! Intriguing and twisty! Does not disappoint!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

With her own life on pause, Sophie is happy to accept an invitation to visit her old friend Caroline. The fact that Caroline is staying at her family’s glorious beach house is just the icing on the cake. Sophie expects some girl time as the old friends get reacquainted, but Caroline seems like a shadow of her old self, tense, nervous, and always disappearing somewhere. Caroline’s daughter Lucy has problems of her own, the girl has selective mutism and seems afraid of her own shadow. There are plenty of secrets in this home, but uncovering them will come at a cost. This book has a hint of the Gothic, a little Victoria Holt that will delight fans of the genre