A Family Vacation Turns into a Nightmare

Michael and Natalie are having marital problems. She thinks he’s having an affair. He’s worried about her because of her severe insomnia. They see a counselor who suggests they go away together to reconnect. Michael is eager, but Natalie has a different idea. Why not take the children? They’d love New York City, and it would give them a chance to enjoy family time.

When they arrive at the hotel, Natalie sends Michael out for pizza because they’re all tired. When he returns the family and their suitcases are gone. Frantic, he looks for them. Suspecting foul play, he contacts the police, but it appears Natalie left of her own accord. Now Michael is frantic to find her and starts on a cross country road trip with a detective who drops hints about Michael’s past.

The story is fast paced, the plot interesting, and twist at the end unexpected. These are all good points, but there are other aspects that keep the book from being outstanding. The characters are not easy to relate to. Natalie seems completely out of control at times making bad decisions and having hallucinations and delusions. Michael is easier to like, but he is hidden behind his concern for his past.

The book is a bit long, but if you like psychological thrillers, you may enjoy it.

I received this book from St. Martin’s Press for this review.

MY WIFE IS MISSING by D. J. Palmer is a twisty and gripping domestic suspense novel that kept me flipping the pages from beginning to end. Natalie and Michael Hart plan a trip to New York City with their two children, Addie and Bryce. Michael hopes that this time away will help with their strained marriage. Natalie has been struggling with severe insomnia and it is affecting every aspect of her life. The extreme lack of sleep is causing her to have delusions and the stress is causing her work to suffer, too. The family vacation quickly becomes a nightmare when Michael returns to their hotel room with pizza and finds Natalie and the children and all their belongings missing. He fears they have been kidnapped until video surveillance shows they left willingly. Why would Natalie leave him and take the children? He doesn’t know that Natalie has uncovered secrets and lies from Michael’s past that have her on the run. So begins a thrilling cat and mouse game with twists and turns around every corner. Told from Natalie’s and Michael’s points of view and going between before and after the disappearance, the reader is taken on a wild ride leading up to the shocking conclusion. I enjoyed this riveting story and highly recommend it. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read and review an early copy.

𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐫 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐚 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐧 𝐯𝐚𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧? I have not, but usually it's a fear when you have little ones.  The sudden panic, heart racing, thoughts all over the place of what could happen?

This was Michael when his family ventures to NYC on a much need vacation. He leaves to grab a pizza, comes back, and his family is nowhere to be found.  At this point, I'm telling him call the police, call family, go looking, find a cop on the street, do something or all of the above. When I tell you everyone was suspect for me in this one-Michael, Natalie, Audrey, Tina, and the Dectective Kennett. I questioned every single event or thing that happened from the beginning; however, I must say I called it and was right about part of my theory. The twists that happens in this was mouth opening for sure.

𝑴𝒚 𝑾𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝑴𝒊𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 is told from dual timelines and POVs, so it was literally putting pieces to the puzzle together while reading! I will say that the beginning was a little slow for me. Very different from his other fast-paced books I've read. I felt that the first half did seem drawn out a bit, but once I hit one of the twists, my mind was racing and all over the place, questioning trying to piece everything from the beginning together.

You know I can't tell you too much on the story so that I don't give you spoilery, but I will leave with this quote....

"love could be a twisted person's reason for murder, a punishment for rejection."

This is my 3rd book read by DJ Palmer, and I am not mad about how the story unfolded. He is definitely an auto read for me!

4.5 / 5 stars, rounding up here on NetGalley

THOUGHTS: So good! I loved the premise and the alternating POV. I also like having an unreliable narrator. This one kept me turning the pages, I wanted to find out the ending as quickly as possible. I did figure out one of the twists, I kept saying to myself “_____ is it!” and it went that way. There were other twists though, and I was truly shocked. I will definitely read this author again.

OH MY GOODNESS!!!! I finished the new book My Wife Is Missing by D. J. Palmer last night as I was trying to wind down for sleep. My mind kept whirling for a while after I shut the light off. What a brilliant book this is. I haven’t read anything quite like this one in a long time.

This book is so believably twisty! I loved every second of it. A husband and his wife take their two children to New York City for a vacation. They are so excited to share their special city with their children. While Michael is out picking up pizza for dinner the first night, Natalie packs up the children and they make a run for safety. Michael comes back to an empty hotel room with only his luggage left behind. He immediately thinks someone has abducted his family. Police are called and a look at the security cameras tell them that Natalie has left with the children of her own free will. Why?

There are several factors working here. One is that Natalie has been suffering from insomnia and she also thinks Michael has been having an affair. She has started to have visions and delusions. Has she imagined things or are they real? You have to read this book to find out. There is so much to this story that I want to tell you but, I can’t! That would be giving away all the fun stuff. It is really more fun to discover all of the ins and outs of this story on your own.

I have truly enjoyed the other books I’ve read by this author but, this one is simply genius. My mind went in so many directions and yet I did not see a lot of it happening. I was surprised and I am sure you will be too. This book is not predictable at all. Just the opposite. So many times I thought I knew what was coming only to be blindsided with reality.

If you like Psychological Suspense at it’s fnest or Domestic Thrillers, then this is a must read! D. J. Palmer is brilliant! I haven’t read all of his books but, this has to be his best to date. I started my blog on April 3, 2020 and The New Husband by D. J. Palmer was my very first review on my blog Phyllis Jones Pisanelli Reviews.

I recieved a complimentary copy of this book from the author, #Netgalley, and #St.MartinsPress. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Michael and Natalie Hart, plus their two children, son Bryce, 6, and daughter Addison, 10, are staying in a hotel in New York for a few days for a little vacation. Natalie has not been doing well lately and is unable to sleep. Michael has gone out to get pizza for them to eat in the room. When he returns, his family is gone.

Thinking someone may have taken them, he searches the hotel but when the hotel cameras show Natalie and the children leaving willingly, he realizes she has left him and taken the children. Why would she do that?

Natalie is afraid of Michael and is sure he has done something very bad. She fears for her life and the lives of her children.

Michael is determined to find them snd pairs up with a police detective who appears to have some free time and just wants to help him. Thus, the race is on. Will she escape or will Michael find them?

This is a tightly wound story that makes both parents appear to be guilty of murder, but are they? I kept going back and forth thinking that one or the other was guilty and ended up being shocked at the end. It’s a bit long and could probably have been edited more, but then the author couldn’t have made the reader dither back and forth about who the killer is. An interesting book that I believe readers will enjoy.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Natalie Hart has disabling insomnia, and too many sleepless nights have left her exhausted and anxious. Her handsome husband, Michael, seems to be a devoted spouse and loving dad who dotes on their two adorable children, ten-year-old Addie and six-year-old Bryce. Unfortunately, the Harts' marriage is deteriorating. Nat suspects that Michael has been cheating on her, and she is tired of his secrets and lies. Furthermore, after finding the body of a murdered acquaintance, she decides–-for their own safety—to take her son and daughter to a place where Michael will not find them.

In "My Wife is Missing," D. J. Palmer offers Michael and Nat's perspectives in alternating chapters and, in a series of flashbacks, the author traces the history of their relationship. Most of the action is devoted to Michael's search and Nat's desperate attempt to keep Addie and Bryce calm during their journey. Michael believes that Nat's sleep-deprivation is warping her judgment, while Nat thinks that if Michael were to track her down, he might try to harm her.

Although Palmer attempts to mislead us with numerous red herrings, most readers will soon realize that there are hidden layers in this tale of infidelity, betrayal, and murder. It is too bad that the characters are so thinly drawn. Their behavior is irrational and impulsive (for example, Nat drives for hours with her children in the back seat of their rental car while her eyes are closing from fatigue), and the conclusion, in which Palmer bends over backwards to surprise us, is so contrived that it borders on the outlandish. "My Wife is Missing" is a disappointing novel that lacks cohesion and plausibility.

Wow, what a ride! I made the mistake of starting this in the afternoon and that blew my plans for dinner and going to bed at a reasonable hour. I have no regrets. I usually don't like books with more than one point of view but I'm glad I took a chance on this one. The main characters, husband and wife - Michael and Natalie - are full of secrets. Not only that, so is just about everybody else in this thrill ride of a book. Needless to say I didn't see the ending coming. I will say no more for fear of spoilers.
My thanks to the publisher St. Martin's and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

D.J. Palmer sure knows how to write a story that keeps readers turning pages. I love the blend of family drama with a bit of a mystery and suspense, and as the reveals come in, whoo boy has this couple been keeping some secrets. Readers get to see both perspectives- Michael as he searches desperately for his wife and kids after what seems to him to be a sudden and shocking disappearance, and Natalie- both in that moment and in the months leading up to it. As a mom who has struggled with insomnia, reading some of Natalie's scenes were so stressful- what she was going through would have been A LOT even without the added discombobulation of not sleeping. There were some moments through the middle that did lag a little bit, but a wild ending is worth sticking around for.

I am going to be recommending this to SO many people. What an adrenaline rush! I'll admit, the first part of the book kind of felt like a Gone Girl rip-off, but then it went in a different direction. I was surprised by the ending, in a good way. DJ Palmer is 3 for 3 for me!

My Wife Is Missing by D.J. Palmer is an entertaining, twisty, fast-paced read that I could not put down. There were a lot of twists and past secrets that came to light that kept me turning the pages rapidly. I can't wait to read more from the author soon.

When a woman disappears with her two children, one husband will do anything to find them--even confront the secrets of his own past--it's a twisty thriller that had me right to the end. This book didn't disappoint at all! Very much recommended.
Many thanks to #NetGalley and #StMartinsPress for an ARC release date is #May10th2022

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Whelp...I'm writing this review because I stayed up waaaay too late to finish this intense book because the suspense was killing me! My mind is blown after reading this. This book is not what I thought it was going to be--
AT ALL. I loved D.J. Palmer's writing style. Loved the alternating POVs between Michael and Natalie and how some chapters went between past and present. I was wrong about so much in this book. This book was just so brilliant! So many twists, so many lies so many secrets..you do not want to miss out on reading this one!!

This book was decent and entertaining enough to read during my commute. I didn't see the twist coming, which feels like a first for me, so I did enjoy it. Easy read with a good ending, but overall it was just okay.

D. J. Palmer has a way of story telling that sucks you into the story from page 1. I had loved and enjoyed reading The Perfect Daughter last year and couldn’t contain my enjoyment to see his new book releasing this month!

Thank you St. Martins Press and NetGalley for the gifted galley of My Wife Is Missing! This book is a perfect domestic thriller with so many twists and turns that it gets you hooked completely and you wouldn’t be able to put down the book

I was up late couple of nights as I was so intrigued and gripped into the storyline that it was hard for me to put it down and go to bed!

Natalie and Michael’s marriage is going through tough times and on suggestion from their marriage counselor, they go on a trip to NY. To Michael’s utter surprise when he returns back to their hotel room on first night what he sees is that, his wife and children are missing! It’s a real Roller Coaster ride from here on and the ending was such an unexpected one!

This book hits your nearest book shelves on May 10, 2022 and it’s a perfect summer mystery read that everyone should read once!

DJ Palmer put out another hit! My Wife is Missing is a nonstop cat and mouse chase that keeps you guessing til the end.
We know where Natalie went, and we slowly find out why she was running. All the secrets come out in a time jumping narrative that puts the pieces together. No one is innocent except the poor kids that are being dragged along.
On top of her paranoia about her husbands fidelity, Natalie is dealing with Insomnia. As the suspense builds, so do her symptoms. As she questions her sanity and her reality, the final twist is revealed. It is so unexpected and shocking, and perfect.

This was my second D.J. Palmer book and let me tell you he is officially become an auto buy for me. Both books of his have blown me away.

I loved this book. It was such a wild ride. All the twists and turns were great. I was trying to figure out the pieces of the book while listening. There were so many characters with secrets. Natalie was having issues with her insomnia, it was hard to trust her at times. It felt like there was something underneath the surface of some of the characters that was just dying to come out. I had theories throughout the book. Some were close and some were completely off. I love it when an author can surprise me. I think the writing was great. If you like thrillers go ahead and preorder yourself a copy! It is worth it.

Listening to books has become more of a thing in my life. I love being able to listen, and sometimes follow along, to books. Especially thrillers, it sometimes makes it more intense. A narrator can make or break a book for me...and well this narrator was fantastic!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, D.J. Palmer for my advanced copy. along with Macmillan Audio for my audio. The review is my own.

My Wife is Missing by D.J. Palmer
This was a wild ride and I was here for it.
What do you do when you go on a typical family vacation all for your family to disappear when you arrive? What can insomnia truly do to the mind?

While I had so many different possible endings in my head, I could have never put this one together on my own.

4 thrilling stars. Releasing tomorrow, May 10th!

When Michael’s wife goes missing while on vacation in New York City, along with his two children, he is desperate to find them. Unfortunately the authorities' hands are tied and they are unable to help him. Thankfully one officer is willing to help Michael, and is even willing to travel halfway across the country to seek them out. Can Michael unravel the mystery surrounding the disappearance of his family?

When Natalie learns some of the secrets that her husband is desperate to keep buried, she feels the need to make a tough decision inorder to protect herself and her children. She is willing to do anything, believing that her best bet is to run to somewhere safe, somewhere where Michael cannot get to her or to their children. Can Natalie escape from those looking for her and protect her children from their father?

My Wife Is Missing is a fast-paced novel full of twists and turns. Natalie is a likable character who the reader can tell loves her family. The story unfolds along two timelines seen through the eyes of the two main characters. Michael and Natalie. I greatly enjoyed the style, not only because I could see the events from the two perspectives, but also because Palmer could reveal details about the past at the perfect times, creating suspense and causing me to question my perspectives and assumptions about the characters.

I highly recommend My Wife Is Missing by D.J. Palmer to any reader of thrillers and suspense novels; it is sure to keep you guessing. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, NetGalley and D.J. Palmer for gifting to me an advanced copy of My Wife Is Missing, given in exchange for an honest review; all opinions are my own.

Many thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of the latest thriller by D.J. Palmer. Karissa Vacker is one of my favorite narrators and she did a wonderful job with this book. 5 twisty stars!

Michael and Natalie take their children on vacation to NYC. Michael goes out for pizza and comes back to an empty hotel room. His wife and children are gone. When he contacts the police and they find video, it's obvious Natalie left under her own control. Natalie has been suffering from insomnia and hasn't been herself - is that the reason she left? Or does Michael know the real reason?

This was another fabulous book by D.J. Palmer - the twists and turns just kept coming. I couldn't stop reading it and loved that I had no clue how it was all going to play out. Definitely a must read!