3.5 stars!
Michael Hart’s world is turned upside down when his wife, Natalie, and his two children go missing from their hotel they are vacationing at in New York City. Natalie suffers from insomnia and they have been struggling in their relationship lately. When it is revealed that Natalie took the kids on her own volition, Michael sets out to find his wife and uncover why she took off.

The beginning of this story had me hooked. The set-up was gripping as you start out rooting for Michael, but that quickly turns once you learn more about the circumstance of Natalie’s escape. There were lots of twists and turns that kept you guessing about who to trust. Natalie’s insomnia made her extremely unreliable, which made the reader unsure at parts if she was living in reality or not. I did find Michael and Natalie to be unlikeable, which led to me not really being that invested in the plotline. I also found the methods of the detective, Kennett, to be questionable. It was a page turner at the start, but I think some of the length could have been trimmed! The ending was very cinematic. Thanks to @stmartinspress, @netgalley and @macmillan.audio for my review copies.

Natalie can’t sleep, her insomnia is becoming debilitating. Lack of sleep is causing her to black out, have dreams in the middle of the day and hallucinate. When she suspects her husband, Michael of having an affair, she has no idea the secrets that will come to light as she digs deeper into her marriage and her husband. When she goes missing on a family vacation in New York, Michael is frantic, but is he frantic fir the right reasons? Is Natalie in danger or has paranoia pushed her over the edge? Told in the alternating voices of Natalie and Michael, the reader knows that there’s more to the story, but is Natalie an unreliable narrator is Michael? Only time will tell in this fast paced story that had a coupe of blind corners and some hair pin curves! D.J. Palmer just keeps getting better and better!

This book pulls the reader in immediately with a powerful start. When Michael Hart discovers that his wife and children have disappeared from their New York City hotel room while he was out picking up dinner, chaos breaks loose. The book is told from several viewpoints - - Natalie (current day), Natalie (before she disappeared) and Michael (current day). As the reader, you are much like a detective - - trying to sort through the evidence and details that are being provided to come to a conclusion. The tough thing is trying to determine if you can rely on the evidence or not.

Even though this book felt like it drug a bit in the middle to me, the author still does a wonderful job with it. You aren't sure exactly what to believe is truth and what could be hallucination or misinterpretation because of Natalie's insomnia. In the end, some of the twists I thought I had pegged weren't quite right which thrilled me. I love to be surprised.

Overall, I recommend this book. I would just encourage anyone sitting down to read it to invest in a wee bit of patience and let he author unwrap the story gradually. Even though it made me crazy at times when I was reading it, the slow development of things really did lend to the flow of the novel. At least in my opinion, it did.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to review this book and the opinions contained within are my own.

I received a complimentary audiobook ALC for MY WIFE IS MISSING by D.J. Palmer – thank you to St Martin's Press and Netgalley!

MY WIFE IS MISSING begins with a family vacation to New York. When Michael goes out to get pizza, he returns to an empty hotel room with no word from his wife. He immediately fears that something has happened to them, but cameras show that his wife and their two kids left on their own. Michael may know why she left, but they aren’t things he’s likely to volunteer to the police.

I have enjoyed all of the books that I have read from D.J. Palmer and this one was no exception! The story had me immediately intrigued to find out what was happening! We are following Michael originally, but we begin to get chapters from his wife Natalie’s perspective too. Michael clearly has secrets he’s trying to keep under wraps and it is soon apparent that Natalie has uncovered some things that give her more than enough reason to be on the run. The reader is slowly let in on some of the dirt and it makes for a very intriguing and engaging read.

This is a good book to go into without a lot knowledge about the plot. It definitely kept me trying to figure out where the twists were going to come into play! The audio really worked well for this book too!

This book takes you on quite a roller-coaster! Just when you think you know what will happen next, Palmer throws a surprise your way. Lots of secrets - new and old. The personalities of the characters often make you question who to trust. The story is written in alternative views - past and present. A wife disappears with her two children on a family vacation to NYC. The husband, struggling with their disappearance and doing everything he can to find them (while his wife is doing everything she can to stay hidden!) Although some of the story is unrealistic, he did not detract from my enjoyment!
Thank you netgalley for my advanced reader copy!

My Wife is missing was a twisted domestic thriller. Natalie runs off with her and Michael’s two kids on a family trip to New York. Natalie’s been suffering from insomnia or has she? Definitely one of the best thrillers in a while. Did Natalie murder Michaels mistress or is Michael a murder that Natalie is running from. And that ending I truly didn’t see coming!!

While on a family vacation, Michael Hart's wife and children disappear. While searching for them, his past rears its ugly head and may bite him before he can find his family. Can he find them before something happens to them?

Read if you like:
✫Domestic suspense
✫Psychological thrillers
✫Dual POV
✫Cat and Mouse thrillers

Rating: 4.5★

Summary: When his wife and kids vanish on a family trip to New York, Michael Hart is distraught, fearing they have been kidnapped or worse. When the police are called in, they determine that Natalie left of her own volition.

As Michael investigates to get to the bottom of where they have gone and why, his long held secrets threaten to come to the surface, especially once he begins to rely on a suspiciously helpful detective with ties to his past. And as Natalie tries to vanish with their kids, her insomnia makes her unable to determine fact from fiction, with particularly detrimental consequences.

Thoughts: This book was a rollercoaster of twists from start to finish centered around a great game of cat and mouse. I was hooked from page one and did not want to put it down until I had all the answers. I had no idea who the good guy was, nor the bad, which is ultimately my favorite kind of thriller.

Palmer’s character development was excellent, particularly for a thriller where characters usually takes a backseat to the plot line. I connected with Natalie, with all of her insecurities and all of her physical and emotional manifestations of sleep deprivation, while also connecting with Michael, yet another morally grey individual I wasn’t sure whether to root for or despise.

The pace of this book was also excellent. Unlike some books I have read recently that save all of the reveals for the ending, Palmer does a great job of spreading out his revelations throughout the book, and then quickly turning everything on its head. I think this is the main reason this book became impossible to put down.

What prevented it from being five stars was that the ending felt a bit too contrived for me. Otherwise, I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it to anyone who loves thrillers.

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

Michael Hart takes his family to New York City on a vacation, only to find them missing when he brings some pizza back to the hotel room. The opening of this mystery/psychological thriller grabbed me right away.

The first complication is that Natalie isn't all that stable -- she has insomnia and some other issues that may or may not be related to her sleep deprivation. There is a dual pov to help fill in the blanks, and at times both characters are unlikable.

Since this is a mystery, I don't want to spoil anything, so I'm not going to get into the details of the plot. There's more to things and bigger reveals as the story moves along. The middle is a bit slow and repeats and the big payoff is in the last twenty five percent of the book. There are secrets. There are twists. The question becomes which one do you believe? Even though some of the plot elements were a touch unrealistic, it did keep me guessing.

Overall, I did enjoy this story and it worked for me as a mystery/psychological thriller as long as I didn't spend a lot of time questioning things and just went with the flow of the story, which was okay by me.

Wow! This book was so good! Clues to what’s really going on in Michael and Natalie’s marriage that has caused Natalie and the children to go missing are dropped slowly bit by bit keeping you riveted to the pages. D.J. Palmer has successfully written another fast paced, twisty thriller that will keep you guessing and thinking, ‘Wow, I didn’t see that one coming!’

The plot of this psychological thriller was intriguing. I could Natalie to be a very annoying character. It could have been a shorter read. The twist at the conclusion was surprising, but it took too long to get there. All in all, it’s a very entertaining mystery. *this honest, voluntary review is based on a complimentary copy from NetGalley*

This was an entertaining, well-written book. It held my interest and I wanted to find out what would happen next. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others.

My Wife is Missing by DJ Palmer was an edge of my seat read full of suspense and twists and turns! The story starts as we see how the Hart family’s life has gone wrong and waiting to see how it would all end! When they take a family trip, Michael is shocked to see his family is gone after leaving to get food. But were they kidnapped or did Natalie leave on her own with their children? Then we learn Michael has secrets that can cost him everything and Natalie is trying to determine what is real or not? Who can we trust? What follows will keep you guessing and captivated until the very end!

Happy reading!

—Pub Day Book Review—

Title: My Wife Is Missing
Author: D. J. Palmer
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
@stmartinspress
Genre: Thriller/Domestic Suspense

I have enjoy this author’s previous books, so I was grateful when the publisher @stmartinspress honored my request via @netgalley to read and review this title.

Michael and Natalie’s marriage has been out of sync. Natalie has been dealing with Insomnia. Despite these things they decide a family trip away with their two young kids to NYC is just what they need. Shortly after they arrive Michael goes to get carryout pizza for the family. When he returns, his wife and kids are gone. The only thing left is a his son’s beloved teddy bear left in the hallway. Did they leave willingly in a rush (and why) or did someone take them!?! Dun… Dun… Dun…

Rating: What a roller coaster ride. The chapters are narrated by Michael in present and Natalie narrates both in the past and the present. Both are pretty unreliable. Natalie especially because of the Insomnia. And Michael because you don’t really know if he is good guy or a bad guy. I was invested in this story until the ending. The ending was stupid, came out of nowhere and kind of had me rolling my eyes. Sorry 😬. ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Happy Pub Day! This Book is out today - 5/10.

This was a really good book. Lots of plot twists and turns that kept me page turning till the end. This author is a favorite of mine, and he did not disappoint. A most excellent read.

**Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and D.J. Palmer for an ARC of this book!**

A pretty solid and twisty thriller...IF you can get past the heavy-handedness and if a hefty dose of repetition doesn't lull you to sleep!

Natalie and her husband Michael have taken kids Addie and Bryce to NYC for a quick trip. When Michael returns to their hotel from a pizza and salad run, however, his wife---AND kids---are nowhere to be found. Obviously, Michael panics and turns to the authorities to help suss out their location. As a policeman aids Michael in his search, we begin to find out a bit more about Natalie...namely, that she's been suffering from insomnia for a LONG time, to the point of paranoid delusions, and this has caused some significant bumps in their relationship as of late. Natalie's constant state of sleep deprivation hasn't shielded her from some unpleasant realities...such as Michael's sudden long hours at the gym, coupled with a lack of action in their bedroom. Her suspicions have led her to take this opportunity to run...but will Michael be able to catch her? And has been Michael been keeping ANOTHER secret, one more dark and dastardly than Natalie even knew? Will either of these two make it home safe and sound....or at least, safe from one another?

After the long slog that was The Perfect Daughter (I STILL remember how frustrated I felt trying to get through that book...talk about a week that felt like a year!) I was a bit hesitant about picking up another Palmer book, but I was so hoping I'd feel as satisfied as I did after The New Husband, my first introduction to his work...and I am grateful to say I enjoyed this book! While simple enjoyment might not seem like an accomplishment, feeling satisfied with this read renewed my faith in this author and confirmed that I want to keep reading his work.

The pacing was fairly steady, with just enough unanswered questions and movement from Natalie as the chase commenced to keep me interested. There is a "Before She Disappeared" timeline, but it wasn't confusing (thankfully) and helped fill in the blanks as to what Natalie's motivations were and why she felt compelled to leave. I had been clued in that an unreliable narrator was at play, so I did jump back forth several times as to whether said narrator was Michael or Natalie. I also always enjoy Palmer's characters: authentic without being boring, and usually not TOO over the top.

The areas where this book lacked however, were some of the devices Palmer chose to use...namely Natalie's insomnia as the driving force behind all of her decisions and the one thing that always undermines her credibility. As some other reviewers have previously pointed out, her insomnia is mentioned A LOT, almost ad nauseum. Yes, we know, she doesn't sleep. (This may make me especially salty since I have an infant and also haven't had a full night of restful sleep in over a year....but I digress.) It was hard to feel the gravity of how insomnia affected Natalie because Palmer did more telling and showing, and since his novels are generally third person, it was hard to climb in Natalie's head and really FEEL that discombobulated feeling.

While I did figure a couple of twists out (at least partially) there were a couple interesting banks here and there that I didn't predict and that was enough to keep the narrative lively for me. There is a section at around 75% that drags for a bit, but the ending picks up again and has one nice fake-out moment before the last loose ends are tied. While the plot itself didn't feel the most fresh or unique I'd ever read, it was just entertaining and steady enough to keep me turning pages and keep me invested. Perhaps I just was so relieved to not take a week to finish this one or the fact that I was coming off a read I did NOT enjoy elevated this in my mind...it's hard to say. Either way, I'm glad I was able to stay awake long enough to finish this one...and I'd best be off to go catch some shut eye!

4 stars

This book is told in 3rd person from alternating POVs of Michael, Natalie as well as Natalie before her disappearance. I absolutely loved the alternating POVs throughout. The chapters were short and engaging. I had no idea who to trust or what to believe which left me turning the pages and reading way past my bedtime. There were multiple unexpected twists coming and I definitely didn’t see any of them coming. Definitely recommend if you like thrillers!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for proving me with an ARC and teddy bear in exchange for an honest review.

I have had the pleasure of reading and enjoying quite a few of D. J. Palmer’s books. The author’s work never disappoints, so I was super excited to receive a copy of his newest effort My Wife Is Missing. A big Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the advanced digital copy of the book. My Wife Is Missing is a high-octane, nonstop, twisty thriller. Once I started reading this book the storyline quickly grabbed my attention, kept me captivated and turning pages up until the very end. A suspenseful, tangled, edge of your seat mystery that will definitely keep you guessing! A great summer vacation read.
•
Book Synopsis: A family vacation to New York City turns into a living nightmare for Michael Hart. His wife Natalie and their two children have gone missing from the hotel room they are all staying in. When he goes out to pick up dinner for his family, upon his return to the hotel there is no sign of his wife and children anywhere. He only finds his son’s favorite little teddy bear lying outside the hotel room. Security camera footage shows Natalie and the children exiting the building willingly. What is she scared of and what does she really know about her husband?

Natalie thinks she has Michael all figured out and has devised a plan to escape from him for good. There is one thing that could hinder her plan and that is her severe insomnia. Where and who can she can turn to for help? Can she even trust her own sleep deprived instincts at this point? Her husband is now on a panic-stricken chase to find them. But he will have to reveal his own hidden secrets and deception if wants to locate his family.

In My Wife is Missing, Michael, his wife Natalie and their two children are celebrating spring break in New York City. On the day they arrive, Michael goes to pick up some pizza alone. When he returns, his family and their luggage are gone. After a frantic search, Michael has to admit his marriage isn’t perfect—but whose is? Since Natalie is battling a dire case of insomnia, Michael worries that she could be delusional.

While I have enjoyed a previous book by this author, My Wife is Missing gave me a distinct feeling of deja vu. I’ve read seemingly hundreds of versions of this plot before. I kept plugging along hoping a great ending would make the time I spent reading worthwhile. It failed.

Unfortunately, My Wife is Missing is a miss for me. 2 stars.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for a digital review copy of the book.

WOW ... One of The Best Thrillers I Have Read in a Very Long Time

This is a Psychological Thriller. The beginning of this book pulled me into it so fast, and It kept me wanting to read it. This book has one of the best endings that I have read in a long time, and I really did not see it coming. This book takes you on one wild crazy ride that I enjoyed so much. The characters were developed slowly throughout this book which really worked for this storyline/plot. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (St. Martin's Press) or author (D.J. Palmer) via NetGalley, so I can give an honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.