Having read another book by D.J. Palmer I was really looking forward to this one. And I was not disappointed.
I believe this story is best read without much prior knowledge, so I won't tell you much about it. As you can guess by the title the wife (Natalie) goes missing with the children. The husband (Michael) is desperate to find them.

Great storytelling and great characters. The feeling of suspense didn't stop until the ending.
A few times I said to myself "I knew it". Some of my guesses were right and some weren't

Where are Natalie and the children? Why are they missing? Did they go willingly or did something more sinister happen? What will be the end game?
Read it for yourself and find out!

Many thanks to netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the arc

“My Wife is Missing” is the best mystery/thriller I’ve read so far in 2022. I was hooked from the first page until the last. I am shocked by the ending-I could not guess the twist at the end, which I loved! This book follows a man who like the title suggests, returns to his hotel to find his wife (and kids) missing. What follows is a switch between his viewpoint and hers, at various timeframes to show how and why she went missing. I struggled between 4 and 5 stars for this book because on one had, I thought some of the connections were a bit too unrealistic to give it 5 stars, but on the other hand, I couldn’t tear through these pages fast enough and would suggest this to everyone, so I’m rounding up from 4.5 stars to 5 stars ⭐️. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy for review.

Michael and Natalie's marriage is in trouble, except Michael doesn't know it yet. They set out on a family trip with their two kids to New York, settle into the hotel and Michael heads out for pizza. When he gets back, his family is gone without a trace.

This story got it's hooks into me pretty early on and kept me entertained. Toward the end it dragged a little for me, it could have ended a little sooner than it did. The characters are definitely unlikable, it was actually pretty hard to decide who to root for. The twists were pretty good - though I did figure one out early. This is good for those that like a bit more of a slow burn with unlikable characters throughout!

Thanks NetGalley, DJ Palmer and St. Martin's Press for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

What It's About: Michael Hart is looking for his wife, Natalie and their children, Bryce and Addie when they disappear from their hotel room during their family vacation in New York City.

My thoughts: Oh wow, what a pageturner! This is a book that you want to read in one sitting! It was fast-paced with non-stop action and suspense, and I enjoyed every minute of it!

We get to see the pieces of the puzzle through the POV of Natalie and Michael. There was a good amount of twists, and layers and layers of secrets and lies that kept me invested in the story. I did figure out whodunit at the end but it did not deter my enjoyment of reading this book at all! It was intense and thrilling from start to finish!


Pub. Date: May 10th, 2022


***Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this gifted review copy. All opinions expressed are my own.***

Michael and Natalie Hart planned a family trip to NYC to help their foundering relationship. Michael’s first hint that something is wrong is finding his son’s beloved teddy bear on the floor outside their hotel room. Inside, he finds his family gone—along with their luggage. While his mind goes immediately to foul play, he learns that not only did Natalie leave willingly with their children, she had planned this disappearance carefully.

As Michael’s races to find his family, he is assisted by an NYPD detective who strangely has nothing better to do than spend his vacation helping Michael search. Flashbacks reveal more about the months leading up to Natalie’s disappearance while also revealing more about Michael’s past.

As with his other novels, author D. J. Palmer throws lots of curve balls. I challenge anyone not to fall for all the red herrings. Totally unputdownable suspense. #MyWifeisMissing #NetGalley

Auhors synopsis: "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. Horrified, he fears they’ve been kidnapped. Michael’s frantic search to find them takes a shocking turn when he discovers that his wife, Natalie, appears to have left quite willingly, taking their children with her. The police want to know why, and so does Michael. But there may be a reason why Natalie ran, something Michael can’t tell the police—the truth about his past."

And so I was hooked. Thinking I could read a few pages and stop, I was greatly mistaken. This is a story that will keep you page turning searching for the truth. Did someone kidnap his family? Is Natalie an abused woman? Or is there something much deeper that explains the nightmare this family is living?

My Wife is Missing is absolute wild and twisty ride. I went back and forth over who was the villian. And I changed my mind several times as I furiously kept reading and turning the pages. This is my first D.J. Palmer book. What rock have I been under? The writing, the suspense and twists....a total WOW! With 20 years of secrets and lies from Michael and many other characters, this is a must read for those who love twisty psychological thrillers. Run away, but you cannot escape the past. It always catches up with you!

Many thanks to NetGalley, D.J. Palmer, and St. Martin's Press for this twisty race to uncover the truth. I absolutely loved ever word, sentence and page!

(4.5/5)
So I got the ending totally wrong. It was a complete surprise and one that I did not see coming AT ALL! A great twist there and several others throughout the book. The writing by D. J. Palmer is so very well done. You don't know which character to believe and when you think you have it figured out.....wrong! This story is gripping from the start and one you won't want to put down. So good.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press & Netgalley for the review copy.

My Wife is Missing is a fast-paced book filled with many twists and turns. DJ Palmer will have your head spinning trying to decipher how this story will end. I highly recommend this book.

A magnificent psychological suspense. The author is a master of suspense and keeps the reader guessing who the real killer is until it is revealed. Michael is a man with many secrets but he loves his family. Natalie is woman under a lot of stress and being pushed over the edge. The story is told from the point of view of Natalie and Michael in both the present and the past. You can feel the tension as builds and the characters reveals their intentions. The story also has romantic undertones for several of the characters including Michael and Natalie. All together a wonderful and hard to put down read.

My Wife is Missing by D. J. Palmer
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A family vacation turns into a nightmare for Michael Hart when his wife and children disappear from their hotel room.
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What I liked:
-This book hooked me from the beginning and I didn’t want to put it down!

-I loved the slowly emerging story as the POV switched from present to past to present again.

-There were a few surprises at the end of the story that I wasn’t expecting!

-A solid thriller! The intensity simmered throughout the story yet not enough to stress out my blood pressure. It was perfect for me. 👏🏼👏🏼
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4.5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 This is a thriller to definitely add to your TBR. I can’t say much more about because *spoilers*, but this is a GREAT one to go into blind. Thanks St. Martins Press and Netgalley for this digital copy to read and review!

Honestly, like, what did I just read/listen to. This book was wild.

Alternating pov, a small dual timeline, and two unreliable narrators! I was making guesses the entire time and I wasn't even near the truth. Maybe pieces of it but WOW, Palmer really knows how to layer the deceit and then blast everything you think you know in the end.

This one you need to be sort of blind going into. I will say it wasn't a 5 star for me because of one subject matter, cheating. Gah, why does that always have to be the go to lately for drama? It really was the driving force behind some actions and gave me pause several times, so I really had to push through to get to the better parts.

If that doesn't bug you and even if it does, I would still recommend for a thrilling read.

The narrator for the audio did a wonderful job in my opinion. It added to the reading experience.

Thank you SO much to St. Martin's Press, Macmillan Audio and D.J. Palmer for the gifted copies of this book for review.

Thank you @netgalley @stmartinspress for my e-arc and physical arc of MY WIFE IS MISSING by @djpalmerauthor ! This one publishes next Tuesday, May 10!

Just like the short goodreads synopsis, I think it’s best to go into this book mostly blind. If you were lucky enough to receive a physical arc copy, the back cover has a longer synopsis, but I think going into this one blind is actually better!

That being said, I’m not going to say much about the plot, because there’s lots of small tidbits that add to the bigger picture of this book. This is a cat and mouse type thriller, in which the husband is searching for his missing wife and kids.

In this type of situation, it’s usually the husband that everyone looks at first. While this husband is far from perfect (he has a dark past he kept hidden from his wife), the twist at the end, will have you second guessing everything!

I did not suspect who the “culprit” was at all, which makes for a great thriller in my books! The ending does get a little intense, which also makes for a great book.

I recommend this one to any thriller fans, and if you have read any of this authors previous books and enjoyed them, pick this one up on or after pub day!

Michael and Natalie Hart and their two children have just arrived in New York for a long overdue family vacation. When Michael goes out that same evening to get pizzas and beverages for his family he arrives back at the hotel room and finds his son's beloved stuffed animal in the hallway outside their room and senses something wrong because Bryce and his Teddy are glued together day and night. Michael panics when he find his family missing and he calls the police immediately because he can only think that they've been kidnapped. The police downplay Michael's concerns and tell him all the signs lead to that his wife has left him and want to know why Natalie would abruptly leave him from a vacation without a note or any sign that something was wrong so of course they are looking at Michael as the bad guy. Natalie has been suffering severe insomnia for months now to the point of experiencing delusions and irrational thinking at times but Michael still never thought she was that unstable but he is very worried because he has been keeping some very dark secrets and even though he feels that Natalie couldn't know everything that he has hidden from her he realizes he must find her right away before any harm can come to their precious children.

This was a very enjoyable and entertaining book. The chapters would flick back and forth from Natalie to Michael in their present and past so the reader is able to get a good view of both characters and their personalities. There was a lot of tension and mystery involved and several other characters will play major roles in their stories for better or worse. The author did a great job keeping my attention throughout the book so I look forward to reading more books by D.J. Palmer who is a terrific storyteller. Now when you read this story don't expect complete realism or you will be disappointed, just accept the book for what it is and you will have a good time (imo). The parts I didn't care for was there seemed to be a lot of repetition of thoughts throughout the story and I found that made it a little tedious at times. Also, their daughter had asthma and it was bad enough that Natalie worried incessantly about it yet she was ill prepared for handling bad attacks which seemed to happen frequently at the drop of a hat. So, as the mother of a child who has always had asthma, I couldn't believe that Natalie didn't own a nebulizer machine (especially in this day and age herself) since that can ward off many, many hospital visits which can be traumatic to the child experiencing this sometimes life and death illness. Also when a child has asthma as severe as Addy had in the book then she would have been on other daily medications as well and it seemed Natalie only had the regular inhalers available. So these parts involving asthma really bothered me since I was personally and unfortunately experienced with this chronic illness. With that being said, if a reader is not experienced with with ins and outs of this condition then this will not affect the story in any way. The book has many twists after the halfway point and it was hard to put it down until it finally reached an unexpected ending. I definitely recommend this book to any domestic/thriller lover who wants t read something a little different.

I want to thank the publisher " St.Martin's Press" and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC and any thoughts or opinions expressed are unbiased and mine alone!

I have given this entertaining book a rating of 3 UNUSUAL AND SURPRISING 🌟🌟🌟STARS!!


Title: My Wife Is Missing
Author: D.J Palmer
Pubisher: St. Martin's Press
Publication Date: May 10, 2022

D. J. Palmer's latest novel, My Wife Is Missing, contains suspense, lies, and mysterious intrigue. There are many curveballs in this book that have readers on their toes and quickly turning pages. It's a gripping story that takes you on a fascinating journey.

Synopsis:
Michael Hart and his wife Natalie are on a beautiful vacation with their two children in New York City. Natalie is a bit exhausted from the trip and stays behind at the hotel with their children while Michael goes to a local restaurant to purchase a pizza for their dinner. The hotel room is empty when Michael returns from the restaurant with the pizza. Michael is stunned to discover Natalie and the children have vanished. Were they kidnapped? Did Natalie take children on purpose? Was it planned? If so, why?

The characters in this well-written story capture the readers' attention. D.J. Palmer's plot is exciting and high-energy. Mystery readers won't want to miss My Wife Is Missing on May 10th. (4⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, for allowing me to review this outstanding book. I appreciate your kindness.

Holy roller coaster ride! I did not expect the plot to take me on such a wild ride. I felt like I was reading a Lifetime movie.

I love D. J. Palmer’s books. My Wife is Missing is not one of my favorites. It was way to long. As you know from the blurb what is the premise of this book.. Natalie is sleep deprived and suspects her husband Michael of cheating on her. There are twists and turns at the end of the book and all is revealed which does redeem the book. As I said before I loved all of D.J. Palmer’s but this was not or should I say I was disappointed. I was so happy to get an ARC off his latest book. If the author shortened the book I would have given it more stars. I received this book from Net galley and the publisher for this ARC for an honest review. (less)

What’s it about (in a nutshell):
My Wife Is Missing by D.J. Palmer is a jaw-dropping psychological thriller about the disappearance of Matt Hart’s wife and children and the secrets that led to that disappearance.

Initial Expectations:
Based on the book blurb and title, I’m expecting a fast-paced, intense read full of shocking twists and turns – my favorite type of thriller! I read The Perfect Daughter by D.J. Palmer last year, and if My Wife is Missing is anything like it, I anticipate picking my jaw up off the floor by the end.

Actual Reading Experience:
The opening scene sets up reader expectations perfectly. It made me feel all of the dread and intensity, then shock and surprise as I quickly made my way through the tale. My Wife Is Missing is a fast-paced roller coaster ride that held me in its grip literally from the first scene to the end. I loved how that first scene really reflected everything to come. It contained a glimpse of the perception vs. reality issues, the intensity, and the dread of uncovering things that I was not sure I wanted to discover while at the same time not being able to resist finding out more.

The narrator and timeline switches can get a little confusing at times. Still, the story flows perfectly between Matt and Natalie’s points of view and the past and the present stories. All are necessary, relevant, and endlessly fascinating. Plus, it takes all of these elements to uncover the truth behind what happened and who did it.

I loved the perfect amount of twists, turns, secrets, and misdirections. My head swam, trying to process it all. The point I started at was utterly different from the next moment and entirely different from the next point until the ride finally came to a stop. These sinfully delicious changes kept those pages flipping as I yearned to learn the truth behind it all.

And that ending! I loved that this spectacular ending, which I didn’t expect or even suspect, wrapped up the story in a satisfying way. I’m not sure how I felt about the epilogue, as it is disturbing, and I’m not convinced of its necessity. Still, I loved the revelations of all the secrets surrounding the main characters. Of course, I had to pick up my jaw off the floor, as I anticipated, and I loved that most of all.

Characters:
Natalie Hart is an accomplished young wife and mother who suffers from insomnia. The insomnia symptoms make it hard for her to tell reality from hallucinations, and all she knows for sure is that she and her kids are not safe.

Michael Hart is Natalie’s husband. He is beside himself when he returns from getting pizza, and his family is nowhere to be found. He will stop at nothing to get them back to the safety of their home.

To Read or Not to Read:
If you love psychological thrillers that keep you on your toes and satisfy your need to be surprised, My Wife Is Missing will delight you from start to finish.

I was excited to receive an advanced reader copy of D.J. Palmer's new book from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press. This is the fourth book I've read by D.J. Palmer and the other three were all five star reviews. Unfortunately, this one just didn't do it for me. The characters were annoying and unlikable, the pacing was slow, and by the time of the big reveal, I really didn't care who had done what to whom. I will continue to read this author based on his past books. If you are new to D.J. Palmer, I recommend starting with Saving Meghan, The New Husband, or The Perfect Daughter. Not recommended

DJ Palmer will be an author I always request to read, buy and talk about. I love that he is local to the Boston area and am always entertained by his books. My Wife is Missing is no different. Michael and Natalie are husband and wife, and are having issues. Natalie is suffering from insomnia and thinks Michael is cheating. Chaos and twists ensue from there! I really enjoyed it overall, though there were a few things that frustrated me about Natalie and her friends (as far as choices that were made). I did not see a few of the twists coming and was pleasantly surprised by the ending.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this in exchange for my honest opinion.

Michael and Natalie Hart arrive in New York City for a family vacation. They arrive at the hotel hungry, so Michael goes to get takeout and returns to find that his wife and children are missing. The story follows Michael and his wife Natalie in alternating timelines and perspectives leading up to their disappearance.

This had a good start and an exciting ending, but the middle was a little slow for me. I did enjoy it so I think it was just a result of what I had going on in my life at the time and being too busy to read. I thought this was a little different spin on a common story trope.

Thanks to NetGalley for the free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. This book is available on May 10, 2022.