I was excited to read this book and was disappointed. I gave it a 4* cause i did finish in one day. Parts of this book was slow and i got lost in it some. I think I would still recommend this book.

DNF at 30%

I was reading this, confused out of my mind, thinking that I was just dumb for not comprehending it. Turns out, this is the second book in a series.

Thank you to NetGalley and The Borough Press for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review!

This was a good mystery/thriller! I really enjoyed the story of this one and was immediately captivated by the plot. This was a great read!

full of secrets that keep you guessing up until the end!!
Artemis thought she was escaping her past by moving to London, only to be found hung in her home.

So tense a true page turner.drew me in from first pages .The characters the story is so well written so involving will be recommending.#netgalley #the second woman.

This was a very slow moving novel. I could not really connect with the characters. There were also some scenes that made me uncomfortable. Still, o recommend this for fans of thrillers!

WHAT A thriller this book was, full of secrets that keep you guessing up until the end!!
Artemis thought she was escaping her past by moving to London, only to be found hung in her home.
You'll have to read the rest to find out, because I hate giving spoilers!! But trust me, you won't be disappointed!

I really enjoyed this book! It pulled me in from the prologue and kept my interest up until the end. I felt the end was slightly predictable but I still felt the author tied the mystery of the story together nicely and effectively. Thank you Netgalley and Harper 360 for this ARC!

(3.0*)

The Second Woman by Charlotte Philby follows two women, two deaths, from two different timelines. It is a very complex and detailed story, that tells a haunting, thrilling tale full of choices that could have been made and tons of secrets are revealed.

It is actually the third book in a series. Which, I would never knowingly select book three in a series as my place to start, but I was unaware that this book was not a standalone (as it doesn’t state it’s part of a series on Goodreads nor Netgalley). That being said, it does change things a little; it explains why it was a little more complex and tricky to follow in some areas.

Other than that, I believe having two different timelines/narratives in a story is something I will always be drawn to and I am always willing to check out how an author executed it. And I will say this one is done well enough to show similarities and differences between the two timelines.

When looking more into this being third in a series , I concluded that Charlotte Philby did indeed write two books prior to this (Part of the Family and A Double Life), but both books actually follow different women, but yet, they do still connect to one another in slight areas. So to me, it sounds that it would fine as a stand-alone. The Times said, “Following on from Part of the Family and A Double Life, this finely worked novel concludes Charlotte Philby’s triptych about the choices women might make when under pressure”.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper360 for an ARC in exchange for a review.

The Second Woman by Charlotte Philby
This is Ms. Philby’s 3rd espionage/mystery book and I have read the other two as well. The 1st book, I read out of curiosity given her last name. It was a good read, and the books have gotten better from the 2nd to the 3rd with more nuance and character development. This is especially true of the female characters as well Ms. Philby is a woman and thinks like a woman- I suppose. This is very much a positive as most political or espionage novels are written by men and the male characters are the stronger written. In this case it is the women who shine in depth and detail and for me as a male makes for very interesting reading.
If I find one flaw with the book and only occasionally is the constant moving forward and backward over a 40 year time period. One moment we are reading about a woman who is 40 and is murdered and then a short time later we are reading about her birth. Perhaps this flaw would have meant less to me in a paper version of the book. Physically moving forward and backward in a novel to re-read a section is much easier for me with a paper version of the book.
Nonetheless, I recommend this book to anyone- male or female who like a gripping story of love, murder, mystery and a bit of espionage.

Interesting but not really my cup of tea. Well written I just personally couldn’t get into the story. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book was a wild ride. Once things started rolling, they didn’t slow or stop once, even through the end. Every chapter was a new twist, a new surprise, a new character you realized you couldn’t trust. Even after finishing it I’m honestly still not sure I know!

I will admit; it took me awhile to get into. There are a lot of different narrators, and the timeline jumps nearly every chapter. This book is part of a series, which I didn’t realize until after I’d read it. I still enjoyed the book but it probably would have been less confusing initially if I had read the others first 😅

I also did really enjoy that most of the significant characters were women! And as it goes on, more and more become key characters. The story is fascinating and I think that being confused was a good part of what kept me so invested 😂

(CW/TW: mention of suicide in the book and synopsis, mention of SA multiple times in the book)

When the apparent suicide of a young woman begins spiraling an investigation, it unveils startling similarities to another suicide two decades prior - of the woman’s mother-in-law, whom she never met.

Today: in England, we have Anne: a young mother who recently lost her husband, David, leaving her alone with their young twin daughters. Her death is ruled a suicide, but behind closed doors is an intricate and ever-changing investigation into something almost unbelievably sinister.

Twenty years ago: in Greece, David found his mother Artemis hanged in their family home. Scarred by the experience, and with nobody to turn to but his cold father, David finds himself increasingly entrenched in the very business that ended his mother’s life - whether he chooses to accept it or not.

Told from multiple perspectives over the course of two decades, The Second Woman is a complex and disorienting tale of the significance of the choices we make, and the long-lasting repercussions of dangerous mistakes.

Artemis and Anna, two women who fall in love with Witherall men. Two women who end up dead, by apparent suicides. Why did they kill themselves, or did they?

Artemis lives on an island in Greece. She is a loner, spending her days sketching up by the house she grew up in. Now dilapidated and abandoned. She goes alone because its where her families tragedy occurred years before. An earthquake swallowing her sister into the earth, Artemis only 5 then, unable to save her. It has haunter her ever since. She is there one day when a man approaches her, Clive Witherall. Clive is a successful and secretive, entrepreneur. He has purchased some property nearby and they strike up a relationship. It isn't long before he suggests they have a child together, and they do, a son, David. She has longed to escape the island and when he whisks her away to his mansion in London, at first, she is thrilled. But all too soon she realizes she's trapped. In a foreign country with no one and Clive is constantly working, If he's not traveling for weeks on end, he's holed up in his office at home. As things progress with them and the business, Artemis realizes she must escape this life. She starts to question things and in the end, she's found hanging in their Greek vacation home.

Many years later, David is taken with a woman named Anna. They soon find out that they are pregnant and end up marrying. He has unknowingly married someone who is spying on him. His father warns him but he refuses to believe it. However, as the years go by he sees that she is not who he thought she was.. After the twins are born, Anna appears to struggle with post-partum depression. Eventually David sees that she is a liability and she too is found hanging in her London home.

The story darts back and forth between decades, locations and points of view. As we go between these, we learn of the suspicious natures of their deaths. When an inquest is made into Annas death, we find links to a criminal organization and connections to those involved in gun running and human trafficking. The story itself is intriguing with betrayal and love being a constant theme. With so many moving parts and characters it a highly complex story with lots of twists and turns, this story will keep you entertained for sure. Its the third book in a tryptic series and can be read as a stand alone.

I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review

I loved this one. Very fast paced, had me turning pages as I tore through it – I had to see how it would end. The characters were well rounded and the narrative felt believable. Gave me chills. Solid five

Thank You Harper 360|The Borough Press,
For this eARC!

I enjoyed A Double Life by Charlotte Philby, I had to give this is a go!
And it was better than ADL.

The Second Woman by Charlotte Philby

1990s London, Artemis ends up leaving the Greek island she has known her entire life, she wants to start fresh, start a new life with her husband who is a very successful entrepreneur. She thinks she has escaped her haunting past... That is until she is found dead! Hanging from the stairs of her family home!

Two decades later, there is an apparent suicide from an heiress that oddly enough died the same way Artemis unexplainable death.
The investigation finds similar links to the cartel, when a NCA officer Madeleine starts to uncover the lives of these two women and it is deeper than she could have ever imagined!

Mini Review:
After reading A Double Life I instantly fell in love with Philby's work.
She can grab my attention and lock me in till the end of a story! And that's what I lobe most!

The Second Wife was an extraordinary, intense, interesting, entertaining read.
I couldn't stop reading.
This story was beyond intriguing. And I sucked up every bit of it.
Very suspenseful and engaging.
Wonderfully written plot and story line.
Well written and intriguing characters.
Lots of suspense and twist that kepp you engaged.
This puzzling, complicated thriller is totally addictive. It is impossible to put down.

Thank you again publisher, NG and Author for the chance to read this advanced ebook copy!

Mmm mmm I just don't know?! This book had suspense, intrigue, action and a lot of double crossing people! Im not sure how I feel about thud book?! It was a decent storyline but quite a lot I felt lost?! Im still not to sure what I read lol all and all thus book was just ok for me! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!