I have read and enjoyed all of D. J. Palmer’s books. This book hooked me from the start.

A marriage that is already on the rocks as Natalie suffers incurable insomnia that has lasted months leaving her drained, foggy and hallucinating. The husband Michael questioning if she is capable of taking care of their two kids. Michael plans a vacation to release some of the stress that Natalie is having. On his way back to the hotel from picking up a pizza, he discovers his son’s favorite teddy bear on the floor near the elevator. He finds his wife and kids missing and unable to reach her on her cellphone, he starts to wonder if they have been kidnapped.
The first quarter of this book was fast paced but then started getting repetitive and boring because nothing was happening. I found myself skimming through the last half.

A big thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC In exchange for my honest review.

This started off so well and dragged in the middle (just a tad) but the ending was fantastic!
I’d like to have seen the insomnia theme a bit more integrated and not just leaned upon. I think it could have produced some heavier tension. Since it was a large part of the synopsis I certainly expected more delusions and red herrings.
The transit parts, both when the wife was fleeing with the children, and when the husband was looking for her, got to be a bit tedious.
I loved the suspense and the suspicion on both sides of the fence, both husband and wife could have been guilty of so many things.
The end wrapped up perfectly for me. Will definitely be reading more by this author.

During a family vacation to New York, Michael Hart's wife and two children disappear. Frantic, he contacts the police, but when it appears that she left willingly, he's determined to find her. What made her run? Could she have discovered his darkest secret?
The story alternates chapters between Michael, Natalie in the past, and Natalie now on the run. The story starts out fast paced and exciting, but then drags a little in the middle until the plot twists at the end. And just when you think the story is winding down...bam! Another twist at the very end. It's hard to say more without spoilers, so I'll just say overall it was an enjoyable read with an exciting end.
I received an advance reader copy of this book. The views and opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and given voluntarily.

A family vacation turns into a nightmare for Michael Hart when he discovers his wife and two children have disappeared from their New York City hotel room. Michael’s frantic search to find them takes a shocking turn after he views security footage from the the hotel where they were staying only to discover that his wife, Natalie, appears to have left quite willingly, taking their children with her. Michael is afraid to involve the police, because he has some secrets from his past that he is hiding.... but those same secrets may be the reason his wife ran in the first place.
This book was so good. It was non-stop action from start to finish. Because Natalie has been suffering from a severe case of insomnia and experiencing delusions as a result, you don't know which of the narrators to believe - Michael or Natalie. Then it is topped off with a couple of shockers at the end for good measure. If you are a fan of thrillers, then you are definitely going to want to check this one out.

My Wife Is Missing by D.J. Palmer is one of those books that combines family drama with psychological thriller. The novel starts with Michael returning with dinner to the family hotel room in New York City, only to find his wife and two young children have disappeared, leaving behind nothing but a cherished teddy bear. Telling you what happens after that would be impossible due to a plot that has so many subplots that you must read this book for yourself. My Wife Is Missing will take you on a thoroughly unpredictable ride. Each chapter brings something new. Just when the reader thinks they are beginning to figure things out, off on another tangent the story goes. D.J. Palmer has a winner here: the plot is original and challenging, the characters are interesting and sometimes deceiving. I have immensely enjoyed this novel and would not hesitate to read many more books from this author. If you like your books to surprise and excite you, pick this one up. You will be glad you did. Highly recommended. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, NetGalley and the author for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A thriller at its best! This novel is fast-paced and exciting. The twists are unexpected and the reveals are well timed. The narrators are both unreliable and the characters are realistic and relatable. An “unputdownable” must read!

On a family vacation to New York City Michael Hart ventures out for pizza. When he returns to the hotel his wife Natalie and their two children are gone. After a frantic search he views the hotel security tape and sees Natalie and the children leaving the hotel with their suitcases. In chapters that alternate between Michael’s search and Natalie’s escape from a husband she believes is a murderer, D. J. Palmer’s story offers twist after twist. Natalie suffers from insomnia. Between her long work hours and lack of sleep, their marriage is suffering and she believes that Michael is having an affair. She is desperate to prove that she is right and in the process she makes a disturbing discovery about his past. When the woman she suspects that Michael has been seeing is murdered, she fears for her life and begins to plan her escape.

Detective Amos Kennett is with the NYPD. He interviewed Michael when he first reported Natalie missing. When he shows up at Michael’s home to offer his help to find Natalie and the children, Michael is reluctant to accept. There are events in Michael’s past that he has kept hidden and he suspects Kennett’s willingness to take the time off to help but Kennett has resources that may help find his family. Natalie is not only struggling with the fear that Michael will find her but also with a lack of sleep and the demands of two young children who want their father. Is Michael the loving husband trying to regain his family or the murderer that Natalie believes him to be? The final solution is not revealed until the very last pages and it will leave you stunned. I would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing this book for my review.

“My Wife is Missing” is the second psychological thriller I have read by author, D. J. Palmer. The book is a domestic thriller written in alternating chapters from the perspective of the husband, Michael and his wife, Natalie. The couple have two children, Addie and Bryce who join them on a family getaway to the Big Apple…until Natalie and the children go missing! What ensues is a chase to find Natalie and the children, but whose perspective is right?! Is Natalie delusional from the insomnia she has been experiencing for months or is Michael not the person he has everyone believing he is? They both portray convincing evidence of what is happening and the reader is left going back and forth deciding who to believe and what is really happening?!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

(The first novel I read by D. J. Palmer was “The New Husband” in 2020 and my review can be found on either NetGalley or GOODREADS.)

Natalie is pretty convinced her husband is having an affair. As it turns out Michael may be responsible for much worse things that infidelity. Natalie takes off with the kids in fear for her life and Michael will do anything to find her and bring her home where he believes she belongs.
I have enjoyed all of Palmer’s previous books, but this just took the place of my favorite one. There were several twists I didn’t see coming AT ALL! This one is hard to put down!

I have always been told insomnia is caused by a guilty soul. Natalie is an incredible insomniac. And Micheal and the children are feeling the stress. IN an effort to relax ---things go terribly wrong. There is a fine line between giving this novel high praise and NOT giving too much information. Where is Natalie? Where are the kids? and why are they gone today of all days? Why this city.
D.J. Palmer never fails at the twist. The twist you get comfortable with THEN BOOM another twist.
It will be hard to stop halfway so give yourself time to read and devour, while you make audible gasps.

My Wife is Missing
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Thriller
Format: eBook/Kindle
Date Published: 5/10/22
Author: D.J. Palmer
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Pages: 384
Goodreads Rating: 4.32

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read this novel early for my honest opinion.

Synopsis: Family vacation turns into a nightmare for Michael Hart when he discovers his wife and two children have disappeared from their New York City Hotel room. He fears they’ve been kidnapped. He shockingly discovered that his wife, Natalie, appears to have left quite willingly, taking the children. She may have ran because of his past, which he cannot tell the police. Since escaping, her insomnia worsens causing delusions. Who can Natalie trust when she can’t trust herself?

My Thoughts: The chapters are short, under ten minutes each. The story is told from the POV of the two MCs, Natalie and Michael. Natalie’s POV is told from two different time periods. The characters are were extremely well-developed, relaying the information exactly when needed. The story was creatively written and was amazing. The writing was mind blowing, as the twists kept coming, even when you thought they were done. This was a page turner for sure, kept me engaged and would be a bingable book. I finished in just a few days. I really enjoyed this book. This is released on Tuesday, 5/10/22, make sure you preorder your copy if you have not done so yet!!!!

Good plot and premise for the story. I thought that DJ Palmer did a great job telling the story in alternating POVs between the husband and the wife, and also using present and past tense to fill in the story so that over the course of the book the entire story is revealed. I also thought that the writing was great in that the reader gets snippets and then fills in their own imagination only to later get fed the truth.

It was well written. I found myself going back and forth on liking the characters and rooting for them. They are a flawed couple, which was refreshing because that’s real.there were several twists along the way, with a whopper at the end. Without saying much, I will say that the ending left me satisfied.

I received an advanced eBook copy from the publisher in exchange for my thoughts and opinions.

My Wife Is Missing kept me guessing. As I continued reading, I knew things weren't adding up or something wasn't as it seemed but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. Natalie has insomnia and is convinced her husband is having an affair. Eventually, as she tries to keep it together, she discovers something that causes her to fear for her life and the lives of her children. Her husband Michael will do anything to find Natalie and the children. He goes on the road to try to find them. But why did Natalie leave? What did she discover? How much of it is true? What pieces of the story are impacted by Natalie's severe insomnia? Who's lying? Who's covering up their lies? This one came together in a way I wasn't expecting, but it still ended up in a believable story.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the electronic advanced copy.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of My Wife is Missing by D.J. Palmer.

Michael and Natalie are on a long needed vacation is NYC. Natalie suffers from chronic insomnia which has made her forgetful and mentally clumsy, so an escape is just what the doctor ordered. But when Michael returns to their hotel room, hot pizzas in hand, he finds his family, and their luggage, completely gone. Convinced that there was a mix-up, or miscommunication, Michael doesn't truly start to panic until he sees footage of his family fleeing. Why on earth would they disappear in NYC, and even more pressing, why?

Natalie is desperately trying to find happiness and function despite her lack of sleep. But she's convinced that Michael is having an affair, especially after meeting a young new employee who has all of the attributes her husband would like. But there is something way more sinister lurking in Michael's past, something that makes Natalie want to run for her life.

This was pretty good. Maybe a bit overdone? It probably could have been cut down to three fourths of what it was to it's benefit. It was also a little anti climatic, but it was still a story that had me interested and guessing the whole time.

I've been a big fan of Palmer since the first book I read so I was excited to read this ARC. Unfortunately, this wasn't my favorite book. It started out well but I didn't believe or fully understand the ending. The story jumped between viewpoints and timelines which kept it moving. I understand how the epilogue gave closure to one of the murder plots but it didn't seem well connected. I was also confused about what was going on between Michael and Aubrey.

The story is about a husband, Michael, who discovers his wife and 2 children missing, after just beginning a family vacation. Michael and his wife, Natalie, are keeping secrets and it's only a matter of time until they catch up to them.

Natalie and Michael Hart’s marriage is in crisis. Counseling isn't helping much. Natalie suffers from insomnia which is causing anxiety and paranoia. With two children, she also has a stressful job. Michael has redirected his focus to working out at the gym. He seeks intimacy and may have gone outside the marriage to find it. Natalie recommends they take a family trip to New York City. They arrive at their hotel and Michael goes out to get pizza. When he returns to their room, Natalie and the children are missing. Their luggage is gone. Michael and a NYC detective go searching for them. First he fears they have been kidnapped but it appears Natalie has run away. But why? Natalie has discovered something about Michael that has her so afraid that she needs to escape to protect herself and her children. Is her fear real or part of her paranoia?

My Wife Is Missing is told by two unreliable narrators. And both Natalie and Michael's stories seem truthful. Michael loves his wife and is desperate to find his family. Natalie believes she has proof that Michael is not the man she thought he was. Author D.J. Palmer does an excellent job creating lots of suspense as the story unfolds and we learn about shocking events that took place in the past and a series of twisty revelations in the present. It's a heck of a ride. Hop on board, buckle up and enjoy it.

This was one thrilling journey! A family vacation turns into a nightmare for Michael when he returns to the hotel and finds his wife and children are gone.

After reporting them missing, an unwanted detective decides to ride along with Michael to find them. Michael is not thrilled to have the detective by his side and it certainly plays into the plot of the story. It is on this journey that we learn all the secrets surrounding Micheal and his marriage to Natalie.

There were several shocking moments in the story and it was one that kept me engrossed from about mid-way until the end. The beginning was a bit of a slow-burn, but this is totally worth staying with all the way through. I think readers will find this to be a very satisfying thriller!

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read an advance copy. I am happy to give my honest review.

My Wife Is Missing by DJ Palmer should be read when you have nowhere to be! I started this one at night in bed and stayed up way too late! I almost didn’t go to work so I could finish it. This book is a definite must read! The way the author crafted the chapters, alternating between narrators, made for a great thriller. I thought I had this one figured out multiple times and I was so wrong! I went into this book expecting one story and got another . DJ Palmer always has a way of throwing in red herrings that I usually don’t figure out. Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher of this book for the advanced copy of this book. All op unions are my own.

Something is very wrong between Michael and Natalie and now she's taken off with their kids Bryce and Addie to parts unknown. See, Michael has a secret and Natalie has insomnia, which is clouding her judgment and just about everything in her life. This moves back and forth in time to tell the story of this sorry couple of unreliable narrators. Natalie has a secret too and now she's on the run, being pursued by Michael but to what end? For either of them? Hard to review without spoilers, this is the sort of thriller where the reader is certain they know what's ahead and then, whoops, that's not what's happening. Palmer has a good way of making the unsympathetic interesting and with the twist that will have you nodding or shaking your head. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A fast entertaining read.

Holy cow. What a book.
I have read every D.J. Palmer book, and I can say with certainty that this is the best one in my eyes. I thought I knew exactly what was going on the entire time, until the final twists came that even I, an avid mystery and thriller fan, didn’t suspect. This book pissed me off in the best way. I rolled my eyes countless times during one character’s POV because I was that certain of what was going on. Bravo to Palmer for another outstanding novel that I absolutely did not want to put down, even when I was screaming at the characters.
Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an eARC as well as a physical copy in exchange for my honest review.