Wow! That was a wild ride! Just when I thought I'd guessed what was going on, the author threw in another plot twist. I had a love/hate relationship with most of the characters and I think that was intended. There was always the "why don't you just...". Overall, I really enjoyed it and will look for other books by Darby Kane.

This is a dark, quick thriller that leaves you guessing (on some things) until the twisted and disturbing end.

Lila Ridgefield is tired of being abused by her husband (who is a loved and highly-respected high school coach,) but when she finds a disturbing video of her husband with another girl, it’s the last straw, and she decides to do something about it, and attempts to make his death look like it’s self-inflicted. But now her husband is missing – really missing. Lila knows where she left his body, but it’s not where she left it, and police and the community are focused on prosecuting her for his disappearance. In the same community, though, there are also three women who have gone missing recently, and reporters are asking if all these disappearances are connected… and so is Lila.

When I say that this was a dark book, keep in mind that if you can’t stand books with torture or child abuse, steer clear or skim those parts. They’re not explicit (thank you, Darby Kane,) but they’re definitely in there. And for being dead from the beginning of the book. Lila’s husband was creepy, especially as Lila learns more and more about him and his past.

And the ending itself is worth the read. I knew who did everything from the moment the specific character was introduced (there's definitely a formula for these books,) but it was definitely worth the satisfaction of reading how it all ends.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and Scene of the Crime from William Morrow Publishing in exchange for my honest review. It did not influence my opinion.

“Shouldn’t a dead husband stay dead?” is a great tagline and grabbed my attention right away. Trying to piece together why Lila would want to kill her husband and the case of his now missing body was a wild ride. Is he still alive and plotting is his revenge or is there something more sinister happening?

Lila doesn’t really pretend to be a bereaved wife, which was a change from many thrillers involving missing or dead spouses. Her behavior frustrates and baffles the police because her missing husband is beloved. But Lila knows more than anyone else and the evidence she left with his body should have been discovered by now, but instead she’s left hunting for her husband as someone is leaving her notes about what she’s done.

There’s not too much to say without revealing any plot points you won’t want spoiled and I recommend going in as blind as possible and just enjoy the wild ride. For fans of twisty dark domestic thrillers, Darby Kane’s debut should not be missed!

I had so much anticipation for this book but It started out a bit slow for me - high school teacher and coach goes missing and immediately the focus goes on his wife-Lila. Lila is odd and there was something off about her character that I couldn't put my finger on.......but Aaron her husband was a horrible excuse for a human! Trigger warning/Spoiler alert- for me as a teacher it was hard to read about the sexual assault done by Aaron to multiple female students. There aren't too many characters to keep track of, making it easy to follow and really learn about each main character.

Around 60℅ through things really started to pick up! From them on it moved quickly and I couldn't put it down....I needed to know what happened. The twists and turning at the end were engaging and interesting until the last page! Definitely worth a read if you are a fan of psychological thrillers and suspense!

When December hits, and you need a quick read - this is it. What an entertaining story filled with flawed and complex characters.

Everything is not as it seems. The book starts out with the wife finding out her husband's dirty little secret, And it crushes her - all his bad flaws are obvious, and they all add up to this horrible picture of her husband. What will Lila do? Who will survive this discovery?

As you keep reading you find out Lila is not as a pushover as she seemed in this opening chapter. She is strong, cold, smart woman that has a plan of her own to get out of this horrible married life. But her plans go awry, when her husband disappears. And someone knows all about her secrets. As Lila rushes head to head with the police to find her husband, we learn so much about her past and how she became to be in this what it seems loveless marriage. It's a three-way game of cat and mouse.

It was a smart story, even if I figured out the game here really early (that little giveaway made me MAD). But it was still a very compulsive read. I just kept wanting to turn the pages and get to the end and find out how everything will unravel. In the end I had so much respect for Lila and the police officer for how this story ended.

A great debut novel for a thriller. If not for the obvious red herrings and a bit of pacing issues here and there, this would have been a 5 star read, It is still a favorite for the month of december, and the author will be on autobuy for future novels.

Lila and her husband Aaron have an unconventional marriage. They are young and attractive, and should be having the time of their lives as an attorney and teacher, but they do not love each other. When Lila finds out a horrible truth about Aaron, her life is upended. The novel is a bit slow, but when the answers come out in the end, it is worth it. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to be an early reader in exchange for my review.

A debut thriller for this psuedonym of an award winning author, HelenKay Dimon. And it SHOWS. I was pretty much hooked from the get go but it took til about halfway in that the hook grew barbs and there was no letting go. Just when you think it went sideways, it actually went chevron and my head was zinging from all the back and forth. Loving every bit of it!

I was super happy to be right in a few distinct things... but it took a lot for me to get there AND I still didn't foresee this, this and THAT. OoOoooOOO, this is one twisty goodness of a ride. Put on your seatbelt and helmet. Safety FIRST my friends! It was an absolute pleasure being in Lila and Ginny's heads. I really grew to care about them both and fascinated to see how everything was going to play out. Lila with her history and missing husband..... Ginny with her role in the police department and a boss who doesn't give her enough credit. Phewww... she certainly could hold her tongue and I applaud her for that.

It's SO hard to write a review about a book that has so many little (and big) things going on because I want to shout out about the genius behind a lot of it but I can't because spoilers and I can't do that to y'all. For me, this was a highly entertaining read and a story that starts out very interestingly and then culminates into a little bit of madness. Domestic suspense done incredibly well. If you need a binge worthy read, grab your adult beverage, pint of ice cream, fuzzy blanket and slot out a few hours.

Lila Ridgefield thought she killed her husband. He disappeared before his body can be discovered. Is he still alive? This thriller will keep your interest as you discover the truth along with Lila.

A debut thriller from a romance writer. Not a bad start to a new genre. Lila is no longer content in her marriage. Her husband is controlling and now he is missing. It isn’t like Aaron to skip work without notifying anyone. Ginny, the detective assigned to the missing person’s case, is trying hard to find out what happened.

The book pays a little homage to Gone Girl, and while I didn’t really like any of the characters, I didn’t despise them. As the facts slowly unwound, I was surprised more than once and I’m the one who usually figures out the mystery.

A solid twisty mystery that I’d highly recommend.

Dang! Gotta love the twists and turns of the assorted protagonists on both sides of the investigation into the disappearance of Lila Ridgefield's asshole husband. Kane manages to craft the rare thriller where readers will empathize with both the accused and the law enforcement pursuing them. Chilling and relatable.

I will leave a review on Amazon or B&N on Dec 29, 2020

This was my first book that I have read written by this author, and all I can say is WOW! Once I started reading the book it was very hard to put down, it had so many twists and turns and at times I wasn't sure whom was responsible for what in the storyline. I didn't realize this was a debut book for this author, you would never know that from how well written this book was.

I received a ARC from NetGalley and the publisher William Morrow but am under no obligation to leave a favorable review, all opinions expressed here are my own.

A thank you to NetGalley for sharing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is one of those novels a middling for me. I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it nearly as much as it appears the majority of other reviews did. I found Lila, the protagonist, an interesting character - definitely appreciated her icy exterior and how once she reached her 'I've had enough' point, she became hell bent on revenge. Her backstory was impressively unique, which for me, proved to be the primary interest in the story. Her relationship to the three men in the story, however, perplexed me as it seemed contradictory to her character - trusting of some, suspicious as others and none of them were particularly believable. I found the psychological thriller angle less than thriller as thrilling as it wasn't difficult to determine whodunnit. But, again, I'm in the minority here and again, I didn't not like it so much as to prevent me from reading more by the author. I just wish I had been a bit more wowed.

I want to thank Net Galley and the publisher for allowing me to receive an ARC of this debut novel.
I thought this was a really good book for this new author. It kept me turning the pages to see what was going to happen next . It was exciting to see who was behind all that was going on with these missing women. The wife in the story has her own agenda to help the victims. I won’t say more or it will be a spoiler . Really good book.

I was really impressed with this debut novel by Darby Kane. Lila kills her overbearing, narcissistic husband, but wasn't he supposed to stay dead? You'll have to read to find out if he did, what happened and why!

Told mostly in 3rd person, this is a detective procedural type story so if that isn't your thing, then this may not be for you. I really enjoyed the mystery and slight thrill (I wouldn't call it a thriller exactly) of the storyline. You're given many red herrings that keep you guessing on what really happened.

If you enjoyed Pretty Girls but want something not quite as graphic, I highly recommend this!

Pretty Little Wife implies a nonserious, effervescent, perhaps flighty woman, everything Lila Ridgefield is not. From the first chapters we know that Lila has discovered that her husband Aaron Payne, a high school teacher and coach, has seduced at least one of his students and that Lila has killed him. On the morning after she left his dead body in his car behind the high school as an apparent suicide with proof of his affairs, she dresses impeccably and waits for the police to inform her of his death. That doesn’t happen. Instead she is visited by the high school principal who wonders why Aaron didn’t teach this morning. His car is not in the school lot. Lila is sure he is dead. Where is he?

Lila has prepared for a different scenario. Now she must play a cat and mouse game with Detective Ginny Davis, who is also investigating the disappearance of college student Karen Blue. Department pressure is on Davis to solve one of the cases. She interviews Lila, her neighbors, co-workers and brother-in-law and finds nothing linking Lila to a crime. But Lila still has a plan. However, her desire to control the investigation leads her to a surprise confrontation that could cost her life.

Nothing is what it seems to be in Pretty Little Wife, a suspenseful, gripping domestic thriller. Difficult topics drive the plot. The grooming and abuse of girls by a trusted older teacher and coach and the effects of childhood trauma are upsetting parts of this mystery. The media is almost a full character itself. A podcast shines light on crimes that might be forgotten, the media stakeout outside Lila’s house is relentless and the change in attitude toward Lila as the case progresses is disturbing. This is a thought-provoking read. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins and Darby Kane for this ARC.

Wow! This book was amazing. I love when books grab you in the first few pages! Lila is a wife with an abusive husband. When her husband turns up dead, the real questions about both Lila and her husband's past start to unravel. I highly recommend reading this one! It was a great thriller.

Thank you so much @WilliamMorrowBooks & @NetGalley for giving me this eARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased review (Release Date | 29 December 2020)

SYNOPSIS | Lila stumbles across a cellphone that she didn't know her abusive husband (Aaron) owned containing sexually explicit videos of him and multiple of his young female students. The story jumps forward & Aaron is missing, but the real mystery is that he isn't where Lila left him to be discovered.

WHAT I LIKED:
- multiple twists that are VERY twisty
- that fact that Lila is an unlikeable & unreliable main character but I was still rooting for her to not get caught
- hooked from the first chapter

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
- I wanted the podcast element to play a bigger role
- the ending. The story was a victim to one too many plot twists.

Mini Thoughts

I wanted to love this book.  It started off strong.  Lila is married to Aaron who is an emotionally abusive jerk behind closed doors.  Out in public he's the husband all the ladies wish their husbands would be more like.  An adored high school teacher and coach that appears perfect in every way.  When Lila discovers Aaron's secret tapes she knows she has to be the one to stop him from hurting other.  Yes, Lila killed Aaron and parked his vehicle in the high school parking lot with his body inside.  Unfortunately someone else moved the body so it wasn't found the next day.  A popular podcaster picks up on the missing husband and wonders if it's related to the missing women.

That's what drew me into this story: a missing presumed dead husband, a podcaster trying to figure if all the missing people are tied together, and a wife who thought she killed her husband but now she's not so sure.  There was a lot of build up in the beginning, but then the story fell flat for me.  I felt this book could have been shortened by 100 or more pages.  Thankfully it picked up in the end with a good twist thrown in.  

This one publishes on 12/29/2020

Book Rating: 3/5

Pretty Little Wife is the debut novel by Darby Kane. From the cover, I had no idea what to expect but this ended up being a totally entrancing and complicated reading ride! One of the things I frequently wish for in the domestic thriller/suspense genre is layered characters but I am often left disappointed...but not here! Kane's characters are multifaceted and I found myself working to unravel them just as much as the mystery of the story unfolded.

I actually had to put this one down for a couple of weeks when I just didn't have the headspace because it is quite complex...but I am so glad I picked it back up. As the title "Pretty Little Wife" might lead you to believe, this book is basically a story of "nothing is at it seems" and gosh, is that an understatement.

The characters are l realistically portrayed. Family histories and hidden secrets all come into play and it all ends with a totally dazzling and satisfying conclusion. This was definitely of my favorite domestic thrillers of 2020 and I can't wait to see what Darby Kane writes next.

Thank you to William Morrow for the gifted copy in exchange for my honest review. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own. You can read this and other book reviews at genthebookworm.com

It was the perfect plan. When Lila Ridgefield killed her husband Aaron she placed his body in his car and parked it at the school where he taught. She also placed evidence that he had sexual relations with several of his students. Then she just had to wait for a call from the police that someone had killed Aaron. Instead the car disappeared along with the body and Aaron became a missing person with Lila as the prime suspect in his disappearance. Aaron was a popular teacher but at home he was controlling. Lila accepted his restrictions until she stumbled upon the truth, that he was damaging the lives of young girls. Events in Lila’s own childhood left her broken and she refuses to allow Aaron to destroy another girl. If Aaron somehow survived Lila’s attempt on his life then where is he and will he come after Lila?

Detective Ginny Davis has the lead on this investigation and is under pressure to solve it quickly. Aaron has become the latest subject on Nina Simm’s Gone Missing podcast. She had been reporting on the disappearance of three young women in the area and now questions whether Aaron’s disappearance could be connected. There is currently a task force assigned to the women’s disappearances and Ginny’s superior needs a solution before control of their investigation is also turned over to the task force. While attention has been concentrated on Lila, Aaron’s brother Jared is also suspected. Jared is Aaron’s heir and would receive a considerable trust fund on his death. Ginny also discovers that Lila has been seeing Ryan, a college professor familiar with criminal psychology. Could Ryan have acted against Aaron?

Knowing that Lila is the killer from the outset does not diminish the suspense in Darby Kane’s novel. She constantly manipulates the evidence and her characters keep the reader questioning the outcome. Lila comes across as cool and uncaring, but when her background is revealed her reactions are understandable and you can feel sympathy for her. Public opinion brands her a murderer but as facts are revealed she is later seen as a hero. Kane keeps you guessing to the end and what an end it is! This was a book that I could literally not put down. I would like to thank NetGalley and Harper Collins for providing this book for my review.