The Secret Wife was my first book by Emily Shiner and I was excited for a mystery/thriller.

Unfortunately this book didn't work for me. I struggled to finish it and had a hard time connecting to the characters and storyline.

Missing children...a secret wife...hidden relatives...kidnapping...stepchild...romance...mystery and intrigue. This book is a quick read with characters who are likable-some of them-while others are not. This book was sent to me by Netgalley for electronical review of the story. It was different...it was difficult to guess who did what...who was the enemy???? Who were the good guys? Why were the children used as pawns? The ending? Don't try to guess...I look forward to other books by this author.

This book is largely about a family keeping secrets. It keeps you guessing until the last page. Highly enjoyable thriller that’s well put together.

Good book! This book moved along great! It had suspense, intrigue, and lots of twists and turns! But the ending kind of fell flat?! The storyline was very interesting and kept me on the edge of my seat but then it just died lol I mean I guess it was ok but I don't it could have been so much better I think?! its still a really good book and totally worth reading! I definitely recommend reading this book! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

Thank you to Inkubator Books and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Secret Wife by Emily Shiner is an unputdownable, fast-paced domestic thriller that is perfect for fans of Kiersten Modglin and B.A. Paris. The plot is told from two first-person POV's: Cara and Michael. From the outside, they look like the perfect couple. They have two girls together. Everything seems perfect. One day, Michael takes their girls on a camping trip, and one of their daughter unexpectedly goes missing. Who could have taken her? What secrets is Cara hiding? And what about Michael?

Here is a gripping excerpt from the Prologue:

"I'm in the middle of a small clearing, but the woods around me are so thick that it's hard to see more than a few feet in any direction. That's why I'm so quiet, listening as I wait for any sign of movement. I heard when the family got to the campsite, then heard them all rustling around looking for sticks for the fire.
It wasn't until their father left the girls that I knew I'd finally get the chance to do what needed to be done.
Standing, I creep through the woods, picking my way around a patch of brambles that pluck at my jeans, and step carefully over a rotten log that looks like it's been on the forest floor for years."

Overall, The Secret Wife is a domestic thriller full of twists and turns. I could not put it down. I had to keep reading to find out what happened next, and I ended up finishing the book in a day. One highlight of this book are the many twists and turns in the plot. I was genuinely surprised by some of the twists. I did take off 1 star though, because I felt that there were too many twists, and the ending wasn't quite satisfying. It reminded me of Kiersten Modglin's The Arrangement, because the plot just kept getting crazier until it went off the rails. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of domestic thrillers in general, you can check out this book when it comes out in December!