A domestic suspense about Leah and McKenna. But they have not met yet. A story about obsession, supposed perfect lives and what happens when push comes to shove. An original thriller that kept me in suspense until the very last word.

A domestic suspense about Leah and McKenna- though they haven’t met. A story about obsession, “perfect” lives and what happens when push comes to shove. An original thriller that kept me in suspense

I’d like to thank Nora Murphy, for giving me the opportunity to live vicariously through this book. “The Favor” was like living “The Favor” dream without actually participating in any crime, Unless, of course, it’s a crime to get so much satisfaction from what takes place here. It takes incredible talent to be capable of writing about something incredibly painful, yet making it both sweet satisfying justice and still keeping the seriousness of the topic that it is, in tact. She writes this with heart and she writes it in a way which makes us truly feel understood. She gives a voice and vigilante justice to us through fiction and I’d say that’s some awesome fiction because, I personally could never commit a crime, but damn it felt good to pretend for a bit.

It’s not always easy to read the scenes, but I’ve found that reading books with content as this has, has been making me stronger.

I’m so afraid of giving anything away and that cannot happen. I wouldn’t want it to happen with any book review I wrote, but this one is a bit tougher to avoid spoiling so I’m going to hope the author and the the publisher will bear with me a bit longer for me to pull my thoughts together.

I finished this awhile ago, however 20 years of abuse, 13 years post separation, 6 years post divorce and 5 months post 3rd time in court, four weeks post 4th time in court and I’m still caught in his abuses. It’s shocking how they manage to do it. It’s shocking that from years and miles apart they can still do everything they can to destroy you. With that said, just the last few weeks and also over this past week, I’ve been back to court and also dealing with the closure of another major ordeal as a result of said abuse. Saturday the 5th of March was brutal and I’ve been unable to write any of this prior. Please excuse my sharing of this and my beginning a review then finding I’m still at a loss for being able to type my feelings out on this one. I thought I was ready to type this after I just jumped another huge hurdle of it all on Saturday, but I need a few more days. Another thing I don’t want to do is to glorify. First time ever I’ve read others reviews which are written in a manner which make them seem they’re more focused on a “fancy” (such a lame word) review than should be written for this title. As a victim, I was very disturbed and hurt by that. I don’t want to do the same because, as fun as this book is, it’s also very serious and very real for some of us and I’m welling up with tears at one review which was the most unjust to this story and the subject matter.

I highly highly highly recommend this story!!

Thank you deeply to @StMartinsPress @MinotaurBooks @NetGalley and to the author @NoraMurphyBooks for the copy of this book, which I requested to read in exchange for my honest review, and as always my reviews are not influenced regardless of where I receive a book.

A million thanks to the author for your special note to me on Goodreads and for your note in your book in: “Author’s note” on domestic violence. It is written with great knowledge and with respect for all phases of DV. That note at the end is critical and makes your story all the more special to have read. That you put so much heart and care of the subject matter into such a painful topic. ~* Thank you*~

#BestBooksOf2022 #MustReadsOf2022 #MysteryBooks #ThrillerBooks #SuspenseBooks #Reading #Books #GiftABookForward #BookishGratitude #RelatableBooks #NetGalley #TheFavor #StMartinsPress #MinotaurBooks #Goodreads

I thoroughly enjoyed this book about two women who don’t know each other. They have so many similarities, including their shoe size, 8.5. We see the POV of these strong intelligent women as well as a detective.
Many thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for introducing me to Nora Murphy. I’m eager to read her future books.

I loved this book. Leah and McKenna are strangers bound together by what happens behind closed doors in their homes. Leah notices McKenna in the grocery store and is struck my how similar they are. From looks to behavior, Leah becomes a little obsessed following and watching Mckenna and one night steps in to rescue her. Told in alternating pov’s this book kept me engaged and flipping pages. The writing is clean and keeps the book moving right along. I loved the characters and how the relationships were portrayed.

4.5 stars, raised to 5! Leah and McKenna are living in a suburb between Baltimore and DC. Both are married to very successful men. Both are victims of spousal abuse. Neither knows the other although both were equally successful in their burgeoning careers, Leah as an Attorney and McKenna as a Pediatrician. Both have been forced by circumstances and their husbands to leave their careers. When one of their husbands is shot and killed in his home the local Police begin to thoroughly investigate. This is the story of that investigation and its results. Each chapter deals with a separate day and is narrated by Leah and McKenna. Some are also narrated by the Detective. It is very well plotted and well written. It makes me think of Strangers on a Train pushed to the next level. Thanks to Net Galley and Minotaur Books for an ARC for an honest review.

Thanks so much to the publisher and Net Galley for a chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
In the US- One in 4 women will suffer from abuse be it physical, sexual, financial or emotional from a domestic partner. Many of us wonder- why don’t they just leave? This story delves a bit on the why ( wish it went deeper) the solution is not that simple- especially when one married to charming successful man. No one would believe you, ( one in five homicide victims was killed by a domestic partner). In addition, the monster may hurt your loved ones as a way to get back at you.
Leah has been married for 4 years to a man who controls everything in her life, and has beaten her down physically, socially, professionally and mentally to point where she abuses alcohol as her only means of escape. One day while on a vodka run, she spots another woman McKenna, who she instantly recognizes as a fellow abuse victim. She follows her home and discovers that she lives in the same well to do area of town. Leah begins stalking the woman- wanting to make sure that the other woman is ok. One night she catches McKenna’s husband brutally beating her- and she knows she must take action. She does a favor for McKenna and asks for one in return. What happens next is a taught thriller - as she Leah tries to outsmart the police while planning to escape her own husband, just as his violence escalates.
Look around you- One in four- it’s happening to someone you know.
Recommend

This debut thriller was a fast read, predictable but satisfying. The author does a great job of showing how intelligent, educated, successful woman can find themselves trapped in their own lives. Rarely am I rooting against the investigators to uncover the truth, but in this book I certainly was.

The Favor is a well written with two lead characters that seem to be leading parallel lives. I found this book engaging right from the start and it really pulled me in. Unfortunately, there is domestic abuse in this story, so if that is off-putting, you should skip it. For me, that is a trope that has become over-used. However, this book was compelling as you root for both Leah and McKenna. Recommend.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This book was okay, but it really felt like it dragged. You sort of keep waiting for a climax but there was never one. It was all written at an even tone that remained throughout the book. It told a story (a very sad but common one) but it wasn’t engrossing at all.

I was lucky enough to win an advance copy of Nora Murphy's latest, THE FAVOR, through a Shelf Awareness giveaway. Thanks for the sneak peek!

I was offered this book by NetGalley and Minotaur Books so I accepted the offer and read it. I can't say enough about how happy I am that I had this opportunity. What a great read. It contains some mystery, a crime (or two), and some domestic issues between husband and wife. I won't give spoilers but it does contain some physical and psychological abuse here and there.

Leah and McKenna do not know each other but their lives are intertwined from the beginning. They are married women who have a lot in common but since they don't know each other, they obviously do not know this, until LATER! For the most part, this book takes us through a full blown police investigation step by step. At one point in the middle of the book I didn't really want more police investigation but rather more interpersonal relationship activity between the characters. However, it does not get boing and it is quite interesting. Nora Murphy does a great job building these characters and pulling us into the room as things transpire like we are a fly on the wall.

I loved this book and recommend it to all mystery and thriller book lovers as well as those who love investigative reads. Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for this opportunity.

Review of Uncorrected Digital Galley

The two women have never met, but one day Leah Dawson sees McKenna Hawkins in the liquor store. She recognizes something in the other woman and follows her home. It isn’t long before she realizes that both of them are leading parallel lives.

Albeit reluctantly [and partly under suspicious circumstances], both lawyer Leah and pediatrician McKenna have stepped away from their jobs, leaving them at home . . . just as their husbands desire.

Their lives are perfect. Or are they?

=========

With an attention-getting opening that pulls readers in from the outset, this compelling narrative speaks to the horrors of domestic abuse. Well-defined characters and captivating parallel stories for the two main characters keep the pages turning. The sensitive, yet realistic, telling of the tale is both heart-wrenching and revealing.

Told from multiple points of view, the major focus is on Leah and McKenna; late in the narrative, some chapters focus on the viewpoint of Detective Jordan Harrison. Told primarily in the present, the narrative also steps back in time, slowly filling in the backstory for both Leah and McKenna.

Throughout the telling of the tale, there is an undercurrent of apprehension that keeps the reader feeling unsettled. Isolation, manipulation, and fear keep the women trapped, even as they ultimately discover their empathy for each other. It’s intense. It’s emotional. It’s frighteningly real.

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this eBook from St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books and NetGalley
#TheFavor #NetGalley

The Favor was a smart, well written debut that unfortunately is based on domestic.abuse. Two women both seemingly the same life down to their controlling husbands. A chance encounter has Leah intrigued with McKenna as they both do a shop for various wines and spirits on a Friday. Leah thinks that McKenna could be Leah but after curiosity prompts her to follow Mckena, Leah realizes just how similar they are. What follows next is an interesting plot that deals with these woman’s similarities and what indeed turns out to be a rather big favour for both of their futures. I look forward to reading more from Nora Murphy!

I really enjoyed this book! The Favor is a well written, quick read that draws you in right of the hop. Leah and McKenna are smart and strong characters stuck in terrible situations and you pull for them to be the victors. Looking forward to more books from Nora Murphy!

Thank you to Netgalley and Minotaur Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review..

**Trigger warning for domestic abuse though, so be mindful of this.

The Favor by Nora Murphy is a compulsively readable novel that I devoured on one sitting!! Leah and McKenna are two women I was rooting for from the start. Smart, successful women who both slid into domestic abuse, inch by inch. Highly recommend- and don't miss the author's note at the end!!!

Domestic abuse is not always visible until too late. You are trapped until another person sees that you are just like her and does something about it, a favor. That's when changes start to happen, unexpectedly and hopefully for the better. This story takes you on that emotional ride of ups and downs.

I received this review copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
This was an okay book. It was a quick, easy read. I’m sure some will be triggered by the subject matter. The plot was less than original and the characters were pretty cookie-cutter in my opinion.
I’ll round up to 4 stars but really I’m only giving it 3 1/2.

Dang, I found myself questioning my moral code with this one! Two women, both in terrible marriages. The lengths they go to help each other is just incredible. Would make an awesome movie!