The Favor, the first book by Nora Murphy, is a domestic thriller, but it is also a treatise on the proliferation of domestic violence in US society. Here the author takes an interesting viewpoint. Her two main characters are highly educated, formerly independent women who have both found themselves married to partners who want to subjugate them. I think so many of these stories emphasize women who don't see a way out, but in the case of these women, it would appear they have an easy out, so why don't they take it? This is the question the author tries to answer as she fleshes out her characters, and I think she does a good job of it.

Leah observes a woman in a liquor store who captures her attention, and she follows her home. She is intrigued by the woman and finds out more about her. Her name is McKenna, and as Leah secretly observes McKenna and her husband through their lit up windows, she eventually witnesses an incident of domestic violence. Leah's rection to this drive the plot forward.

Leah was further down her path of being an abused spouse, and had turned to drinking. For McKenna, this is a more recent development. Both women feel trapped. What happens to them next is the crux of the story.

The book is narrated by Leah, McKenna, and the detective, Jordan. At first Jordan's storyline, at least the personal stuff between him and his partner, seemed a little random. But the author used this information at the end to help tie up the ending.

My only complaint is that the two main characters spent a lot of time ruminating about their life, their marriage, and how they've ended up in this position. I thought it was a little too much and slowed down the story unnecessarily. But other than that, the author put forth a very interesting read and an unusual plotline. I'm always interested in the author, and what led them to write this book, and in this case, Nora Murphy is an attorney who has worked with and represented women who are victims of domestic violence. This is a well written book with an interesting story, and that puts forth information on an interesting societal problem.

A great, solid, psychological thriller that does involve domestic violence - trigger warning there.
2 women are strangers, but each have an abusive husband. The women coincidentally cross paths, and what ensues is a thrill ride of twists and turns.
At first, I sometimes got the 2 women confused as their stories were closely aligned, but it all worked out.

Highly recommend!

I really enjoyed this book. I didn't feel as though it was a thriller but more of a domestic drama. It was well written and the story flowed wonderfully. 8/10 would recommend. But ot if you are looking for a thriller.

A debut novel? I want more from Nora Murphy! The Favor kept me on the edge of my seat wanting more!!!

Two women, Leah and McKenna, living parallel lives- both are successful in their careers, both have successful husband, and both have abusive husbands. So well written.

Two women that are strangers, but living through similar hellish situations. Abusive marriages they can’t escape….until one day one of the women intervenes and changes everything.

I don’t like reading about abuse, it makes me want to go off on the abuser. A good author can make you so irate over a situation when they write the story properly.

Did anyone else get Girl On The Train vibes?

The Favour starts off really strong with two women living in parallel, abusive relationships. Leah sees Mckenna at the liquor store and knows that something is off in her home life. She follows her, and begins to check up on her through her house windows in the evening. When she sees something alarming one night, she steps in, changing the course of both of their lives forever.

I was expecting a twisty, dark thriller, but instead found I was reading a slow burn, character-based novel. I think if you go into it expecting that, it is well done. The women are dealing with very difficult scenarios involving their careers, their marriage, and fertility. I found the two women to be almost too similar. It was hard to distinguish their storylines at times! Quite a bit of information is repeated as it is passed back and forth between each woman and the detective. I figured out the plot early on, and was waiting for something more to happen that never did! As a thriller this was a bit underwhelming, but I will still look out for more by this author!

Thanks to Minotaur Books for my copy!

Is The Favor by Nora Murphy a thriller? I don't think so, but other readers might! To me, this was a domestic drama with a dash of detective fiction thrown in thanks to a detective's viewpoint that we get closer to the middle of the story. This book was really interesting to me since it's not a twisty read but rather focuses on domestic abuse and the intricacies of being controlled by a partner against your will. Both Leah and McKenna had promising careers and are strong and capable women until they each marry the wrong guy and will end up being connected in a way you would never expect. I thought it was a slower burn in general, but still perfectly paced, and even though I knew what was going on thanks to the 3 POVs, I just did not want to put it down.

I would also recommend the audiobook since it was well done and made me feel like I was getting to know Leah and McKenna even more. Dylan Moore, Leon Nixon & Sarah Mollo-Christensen voiced their respective characters perfectly, and I really wanted to learn more about the detective thanks to Nixon's narration and the lack of getting to know him as well as the female MCs. Maybe another book based on him will eventually surface? If so, I would read it in a heartbeat. The Favor was hard to read at times, and as Murphy mentions in her author's note, it brings up that age-old question of why women would stay when they realize the man they married isn't what he seems. I have never been in this situation but I'm sure it isn't as easy as you would think it would be, and this book really gets that point across. I wasn't really surprised by anything that happened, but I loved the ending and was impressed with how intuitive this author is.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

We love a book were people are behaving badly, don't we? Fast paced, engaging domestic thriller that asks how far would you go to help a complete stranger? The author did her research on domestic abuse and it shows in the writing. Included are resources for further information.

This book kept me enthralled from start to finish - I could not put it down! The pacing is superb. The book is told in 2 POV with a reference to domestic violence. Loved the unexpected ending.

I really enjoyed this book! It was fast paced and a very quick read. I enjoyed the whole concept of the book and I was pleasantly surprised with the ending. I would recommend this as a light read, despite the nature of some of the subject matter.

This review was also published on Goodreads.

Leah and McKenna have never met but they will. Both women are married to seemingly great husbands and have great lives. However, their lives are different than they appear when behind closed doors. Both women suffer physical and emotional abuse, gaslighting, isolation, and financial control at the hands of their husbands. Leah happens to see McKenna in a liquor store and recognizes that she is in the same situation as herself, and decides to help her. The story goes from there and is definitely clever and keeps you drawn in until the very end. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy.

Debut novel for Nora Murphy and while the plot was excellent and many will enjoy this thriller I had a hard time getting into it, but that was just a personal issue with the style of writing. The favor is a twist on Strangers on a train: Leah and McKenna share something in common; although they don't know each other. When Leah sees her in a liquor store she recognizes herself in McKenna and becomes obsessed with helping her -- but how far will she go?
Included is an Author’s Note with resources and information pertaining to domestic violence for those who may personally need it or know someone who does.
** trigger warnings for domestic and psychological abuse
Thank you Netgalley and St. Martins Press for a copy of the book to review.

Strong Strangers on a Train vibes from this one. What do you do when you find someone in your shoes that you could save? Do you let them meet your same fate or do you try to prevent them from ending up like you?

Great debut novel from a new author. Looking forward to more!

ARC from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

While I loved the alternating perspectives, I didn't feel that the story was all that suspenseful or thrilling. It was pretty straightforward, and once the first "twist" happened, there wasn't much else that I couldn't predict. I also felt that the book became repetitive as it described the abuse each woman faced, which while important to understand for the storyline became a bit tedious to read.

This exciting book tells the story of two women with the same secret lives. I found the first half of the story very compelling. The second half moved a little slowly for me. All in all it was an interesting book.

The Favor definitely kept me intrigued from beginning to end. I loved the way the timeline shifted and the way the author writes! Thrillers are one of my favorite genres and I love when a book can keep me guessing and just enjoying the twists, turns, and thrill. Loved this one!

Great thriller. I loved how the book was written and the over all feel of the book. I definitely didn’t want it to end. I recommend this to friends and family especially if you like thriller genre.

Wow, what a great debut novel! I could not put this one down! I look forward to reading more by this author. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

The way the story starts will have you rapidly turning the pages, I was hooked. The back and forth on the timeline got me confused a bit but the characters keep you focused. This deals with domestic violence so this may not be for everyone. A good book club discussion on what should the two women have done differently or were they correct in what happened to their husbands. 3.5 stars

I really enjoyed this novel, personally I would highly recommend it. It was interesting and entertaining. It kept me wanting more throughout the entire book!