Excellent book! I hated to put it down. I don’t want to give any spoilers, but if you like psycho thrillers, you’ll like this book!

I received an advanced readers copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I have just finished reading the last page of Nora Murphy’s debut domestic thriller, The Favor. I never like to give away too many details in my reviews for fear of ruining someone’s reading experience. This is one of those stories where you will be immediately pulled into and invested in the lives of the two main characters, Leah and McKenna. Are they living the same lives? Are they in danger? Who does what? The story alternates viewpoints between Leah, McKenna, and Detective Harrison. I very much enjoy books like this because you get to see the story unfold from the different viewpoints. A heavy theme done in a suspenseful, fast paced way. I look forward to more Nora Murphy books in the future! Thank you to St. Martin’s Press - Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the ARC!! Mark your calendars for May 31, 2022 to get your copy!

A great read by a debut author. Two professional women married to professional men living in the best of neighborhoods have something in common. A subject that people tend to ignore but could be happening right next door to you. I was pulled in from the first chapter. The author gives a great recap about this subject with her own thoughts at the end. I really look forward to more by this author. Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the ARC

There is no such thing as a perfect life. Leah goes to the liquor store, a different one each day and buys the vodka she needs to get thru her day. She sees another woman, also blond, wearing trendy clothes who is buying wine and snacks. On impulse she follows her and spies on her as she joins some friends on her patio. Then her husband comes home and Lean can see even at a distance how the woman becomes scared and small as soon as the husband appears. She knows because it echoes her own life with her lawyer husband who is abusive. Told in alternating voices we find out about the lives of Leah and McKenna;; one a lawyer and the other a doctor, and the ways they have lost control of their lives after being married to controlling men.

This is a thriller and there are dead bodies, but I won't say more so as not to ruin the plot. This book made me feel tense and anxious as I read it; I have always felt tense when reading about women who are trapped in a terrible situation. The book deals with spousal abuse and the fears and circumstances that keep women from leaving their marriages. Part of the book is narrated by a police detective named Jordan and I found him to be an interesting and intelligent character. This book does not have a lot of twists and turns so it may not be for readers who want a ton of surprises. It is however, well written with lots of details of the lives of Leah and McKenna and how they arrived at the circumstances they find themselves in. The author also includes some resources for women facing domestic abuse at the end of the book. I will be excited to read further books by this talented author. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free ARC of this book in exchange for a review.

What an interesting premise for this intriguing and promising debut novel. Two women, who are complete strangers, are living parallel, miserable lives. Ultimately they do each other a favor. The story is told from the first-person perspectives of the two women and a detective, in an alternating timeline between the previous nine months and the present. I really enjoyed how the author dealt out the details of how each woman came to be in her current situation, and how their lives became full circle and entwined in the end. This story is vigilante justice at its best!

The psychological and emotional character development was superb and made the story pop with urgency. I highly recommend this book for all readers, to bring sensitivity to this burgeoning social message.

I was most impressed with the author's portrayal of domestic abuse as crossing all economic levels, and how it can be so well camouflaged. Also well portrayed were some of the few reasons why the abused 'don't just leave,' as many often wonder. It is obvious the subject is one of great importance to the author, who practices family law. Many helpful resources were provided in the end notes for those who are struggling with intimate family violence or who wish to support someone they know who is facing the same.

Thank you Nora Murphy, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for this ARC. On Leah's daily trip to the liquor store, she sees McKenna who has the same mannerisms. Something makes Leah follow McKenna home. She soon finds out that McKenna is in the same abusive relationship that Leah is. They have no control of their lives, their husbands have made them cut off all ties to the real world - friends, family and job. What Leah does next is only to help McKenna. Can she return the favor to Leah? I read this book so fast! Two professional women that slowly lost all control to abusive husbands is too often a reality. #TheFavor #NoraMurphy #May2022

Great story of paying it forward. It chronicles the lives of 2 domestic abuse wives that don't know each other but recognize similar circumstances. While neither woman can make the necessary changes for themselves, they both feel compelled to intervene in the other's life. This is a very well written story that brings to light the many ways that domestic abuse is started, masked, and progresses. It leaves you wishing the worst on these manipulative husbands and praying for an incompetent detective. However, is also makes you more aware of the dire situation that women can slowly spiral into without being aware until it is too late, and ways that you can reach out to help. Incredibly well written novel!

WOW – I mean wow. I started this book, flipping pages wildly until I finished only hours after picking it up. Anyone who has read a book about abusive controlling husbands might expect the tense claustrophobic suspense of Behind Closed Doors or any number of other similar books, but controlling abusive husbands is where the similarity ends. The Favor, a debut novel by Murphy, is a super quick read, a little different from the heart pounding suspense thriller that I often enjoy. I should caveat that anyone who is familiar with a 1951 Hitchcock film based on a book by Highsmith (my favorite duo combo) will know how the book will play out practically from chapter one. This did not diminish my enjoyment by even an iota. The difference between the noir film and this book is the motivation of the characters. No verbal contract between two strangers, but rather recognition, fear, and an unspoken empathy is what motivates. I’ve already given too much away, and I hope this won’t detract from a reader’s pleasure so I will limit the description to the above and add only that the police procedural aspect was equally entertaining as a Detective endeavors to unravel the mystery behind the murder of two men, husbands of two women who live in the same community, with no apparent connection between them, other than the similar circumstances of their widowhood.

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books and Nora Murphy for an ARC of this thoroughly enjoyable read! I will be looking for more books by this author in the future.

I want to be careful in my review not to give away too much of the plot of the story! Leah and McKenna are two women living similar lives with equally awful husbands. The two lives of the women become irreversibly entwined by shocking crimes even as they remain virtual strangers. This book includes detailed descriptions of physical and emotional/mental abuse so please know that going in. It was hard for me to read at times but the author handles the topic with care. I felt stressed every minute of this story but also could not stop reading until the end. I imagine there will be readers who struggle with the end of the book but I really liked it. It was not what I was expecting and I appreciated the choice the author made to wrap it up in the way she did. This was a fast read (because I had to know what happened) but just be aware of the difficult topics before you start.

Thank you to Nora Murphy, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Leah is doing her weekly shopping trip at a liquor store and sees a stranger, McKenna, who reminds her of herself. They are professional women who appear to be beaten down. Leah follows McKenna to see where she lives. Leah becomes curious about McKenna and becomes a bit obsessive about observing her. She sees that McKenna’s husband is abusive. She knows this behavior well because her own husband is controlling and abusive. To save McKenna from future pain, she takes action and tells McKenna that “I’m someone like you”. McKenna decides to repay the favor.

Sometimes I tell my friends that I'm tired because I had insomnia when in fact, I had a great book and a complete lack of respect for the next day. The Favor is one of those books where tomorrow took a back seat to the story. I finished this book in one sitting and it was worth the extra caffeine I needed the next day.

SPOILERS.

McKenna and Leigh both desperately need help. But because of their husbands, they have no one to turn to or lean on. Until their paths happen to cross at the liquor store. They both need the same thing as they are mirror twins of each other. Without saying a word, Leah understands McKenna's need and helps her. And then McKenna returns the favor. By saving each other, they save themselves.

Amazing debut novel! I am eagerly awaiting the next book from Nora Murphy. Thanks to NetGalley and the author for the ARC.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-ARC of this debut thrilled by Norah Murphy.

I really enjoyed this thriller I read it in a day, and had a tough time putting it down. I'm looking forward to more from this author!!

This is a debut book by Author: Nora Murphy. Upon reading her bio she has studied survivors of domestic abuse / violence and her debut novel addresses this issue. When the book begins we have Leah, once a educated attorney who has now quit her job and every day goes to a different liquor store to buy alcohol. We don't know why she has quit her job and suffers from alcohol problems but one day she sees another woman at the store who reminds her of herself.

This throws her off and she begins to follow her and soon learns that this woman, McKenna, is a perfect mirror image of herself. Both are victims of domestic abuse from abusive, successful husbands and both are trapped in a horrible marriage they can't escape from. Not only are they victims of abuse but their husbands have blackmailed them to not escape their marriage.

The book is unsettling in descriptions of abuse and as both women start to take control of their situations and settle it their own way. Along the way they start to become investigated in a hard police investigation and the book turns quickly into a police procedural novel.

The prose and pacing are great. You start to get into Leah's,and McKenna's shoes and feel trapped with no solutions just like them.

A few negatives are character development. Leah and McKenna are created with distinct personalities but the two husbands are just carbon copies of their selves. It's like the author just wanted to make a blanket evil personality. Plus the police procedural was just boring. There are no twists..... Just a straight A to B procedural that just ends abruptly. It actually took away from the theme of the book.

But still a great written, debut novel which I recommend overall.
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Book given free for honest review

3.75 - 4 STARS

Switching between past and present and told in alternating POV’s, “The Favor” is a domestic abuse story centering on two well-educated, accomplished women trapped in marriages to controlling, abusive men. While the two women—Leah and McKenna—are complete strangers, they are familiar in their shared misery and plight. Unusual circumstances bring these two women into each other’s orbit, and a deadly quid pro quo ultimately ensues.

While “The Favor” is an engaging story with relatable female characters, I hesitate to label it a “thriller,” as it didn’t offer up any surprises, and was, in fact, pretty predictable. That said, I found the writing to be very good, and I did appreciate the atypical ending. Despite the lack of any true suspense, I did enjoy this debut novel by Nora Murphy.

The Favor is Nora Murphys debut novel surrounding domestic abuse, and I am so pleased to say I thoroughly enjoyed this read. Domestic abuse is an extremely heavy topic so I wasn't sure it was going to be for me, but the way Nora writes, immediately sucks you in.

I did get alittle confused at times because this story has 3 point of views and it jumps around in different times, past and present. But it was interesting getting to see the pov of our MC Leah and McKenna and Detective Jordan Harrison.

While I enjoyed reading this, I didn't get the thrill vibe from it. I was left with the suspense of what was going to happen next. While I was routing for our MC, I didn't have a doubt in mind where the story was going for them.

Thank you so much NetGallery and Minotaur Books for the ARC of the Favor, set to release May 31st, 2022.

This was a great debut novel that had me on the edge of my seat. I had a lot of sympathy for Leah and McKenna, and how difficult it can be to get out of domestic violence situations. In the end, I was thinking about how justice is not always justice. I look forward to reading more books by this author!

* Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.
Excellent character development. Two strangers living almost parallel lives. Abusive and controlling husbands bind them in a pact though they have never actually met. I enjoyed this book despite the heavy subject matter.

This was a fast paced read - totally gripping read and one that was hard to put down.

I enjoyed this overall even though I figured out the twist fairly early on!

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Leah is out on her almost daily vodka run when she sees another woman, McKenna, who reminds her of herself. Both are married to successful men and want for nothing materially, but there is much more going on behind closed doors, and Leah starts to become obsessed with McKenna and things quickly escalate.

I was sent a widget for this book and I am not sure that I would have requested it on my own. It was more women's fiction than my usually mystery/thriller genre. That said, it was a well written novel that I read fairly quickly. It was sort of predictable, but it was interesting to watch how successful women can be so mental beaten down and manipulated by men. I agree with other readers that were impressed that this was a debut novel. It was well done.

This is an amazing debut novel well deserving of 5 stars. The author is a lawyer who understands intimate partner violence quite well. It’s always refreshing to read a book that’s also informative. The Favor manages to be thrilling and interesting while also being spot on regarding these unfortunate relationships.

Thanks for the advance review copy.