Member Reviews
This book was amazing! I was hooked start to finish. I did not figure out the big twist at the end and I was so surprised! In fact, I didn’t figure out any of the twists in this book really. Very well-written and hard to put down. This will be an instant bestseller for sure!
I gave this author a second chance because his last book wasn't for me. I’m glad I did!
I was completely hooked from page one. It reminded me a lot of Gone Girl and I honestly did not see the plot coming.
Natalie and Michael decide to go on a vacation trip with their two kids.
Michael leaves to get some pizzas and when he’s back to the hotel room, his wife and kids are gone. Her bags aren't there so it looks like she ran away.
The whole story is a mouse-cat hunting and I really liked the POV switching between Michael and Natalie. I had no idea who to believe in.
I switched between audio and physical and I highly recommend the audio version. What an awesome narrator!
WOW! I wasn't sure if I'd really get into this one but I've been trying to branch out lately. It sounded more action-packed than I usually like. It did have action but was still mostly a domestic drama/thriller.
We start the book with Michael. He's on a NYC trip with his family and they arrived hungry so he ran out for some pizza. As he returns to the hotel room, his family is nowhere to be found. Their luggage is gone. His is there.
He frantically starts searching. He seems to have good intentions but as more people get involved, more information starts to come out that doesn't paint him in the best light.
Our other narrator is Natalie, his wife. She's on the run with their kids. We don't know why, but she is also frantic. We follow her before her disappearance and during. We find out she's had a lot of stress and insomnia, to the point of delirium.
So we're asking ourselves if Natalie is paranoid and unhinged, running for her life, or is her husby really out to hurt her? Did he hurt others before? Who can she trust to help her get to safety??
We only know two things for sure: she's missing and he's looking for her. They'll have to cross paths eventually!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to listen and review. The narration was fabulous as well.
Realistic characters and situation. Grabbed me at the beginning and kept my interest. Enjoyed all the suspense. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook
𝕄𝕪 𝕎𝕚𝕗𝕖 𝕀𝕤 𝕄𝕚𝕤𝕤𝕚𝕟𝕘 🎧 𝔸𝕦𝕕𝕚𝕠 ℝ𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨
Author: @djpalmerauthor
Pub Date: May 10th 2022
3/5 ⭐️
Overall — this was an entertaining, twisty and fun ride.
Natalie and Michael Hart are having marriage trouble. Natalie has been under stress at work while managing two children and a household.
Natalie has insomnia and it's starting to take control of her life. She's experiencing hallucinations, constant doziness and paranoia. She is sure Michael is having an affair and lying about it. Her meds aren't working and Michael's deceptiveness are adding to Natalie's misery.
Natalie rapidly starts becoming scared of Michael and decides it’s time to run away and hide.
Thank you @netgalley & @macmillan.audio for letting me listen to this audio in return for my honest review. #netgalley #MyWifeIsMissing
Where to start. I always hate reviews that give away main plot points or overly use the word “twist”, so I’ll just say this- it’s a thriller that will keep you guessing. I really wish the author would have played up the mothers lack of sleep as a plot point to contributing psychosis and built up the tension a bit more. I was waiting for that pivotal tension to build and it never really did, but other than that I really enjoyed the story!
I liked this story more than I even knew I would in the beginning. You constantly are changing who you think did what and yet there’s still so many surprises when you least expect them. Such a good story and one I couldn’t stop reading.
My Wife is Missing: Audio
D. J. Palmer
Release date: May 10, 2022
Macmillan Audio
Michael and Natalie have been married for nineteen years and have two children: Addie, who is 10; and Brice, who is 6.
Natalie has been an insomniac for months and she is tired, depressed, and anxious. The marriage counselor suggests a getaway for the couple alone, but Natalie insists the children come along. They check into their NYC hotel room and the kids complain they are hungry. Natalie suggests Michael pick up pizza from a parlor a couple of blocks away. When he returns to the hotel, he finds Brice’s teddy bear in the hallway. He is never without his teddy. Then, Michael opens the hotel room door and discovers his family and their luggage is gone! Have they been abducted? What happened?
He finally gets one answer through the hotel’s video footage. They left on their own and got in a black sedan that was waiting at the curb. Why did Natalie leave him? Hence, the chase begins and continues as old secrets are revealed. Michael teams up, reluctantly, with a detective to find his family. And the chase goes on and on. Too long for me, but I’m an impatient soul.
The narrators are Natalie and Michael and the chapters go back and forth in time. I enjoyed this method of storytelling and I also enjoyed the narration. The narrator was superb. About three-quarters into the book, the real action begins and the story really takes off. The ending had many twists for which I wasn’t prepared. I suggest and recommend this book to those readers who enjoy a slow burn psychological thriller.
Four stars.
My Wife Is Missing by D.J. Palmer
Michael and his wife Natalie with their two kids go to New York for vacation. While in New York Natalie takes the kids and disappears. Michael leaves to get pizza and on his return his family is missing. Michael goes into a panic and wonders what happened to his family. He calls the police and finds out that his wife was not kidnapped she took off. Natalie is extremely tired and because of this fatigue she is not herself.
Natalie is afraid of her husband and tries to stay ahead of him and Michael is doing everything he can think of to find his wife. This book had some major twists that blows your mind and when you think you know what is happening your really don't. Michael has his own secrets and will this upend him or will Natalie get away and begin a new life without him.
This was a very good thriller you need to read to the end to get the mind blowing ending. The story pulls you in and you really empathize completely with Natalie. Who did what is the question to answer before you think you know who that is think again.
I recommend this book to anyone who likes a thriller that keeps you guessing until the end and it was a fast pace read. The trickle of the lies and the lack of sleep with its delusional spin in one persons mind eye. What you think you saw may not be exactly what you think it is.
The book was narrated by Karissa Vacker she did a great job with the narration. I was able to follow along with the story fairly easily.
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillen Audio for a free audio copy of this book for an honest review.
Michael Hart has taken his family to New York City for vacation. But when he returns to their hotel room on the first night after picking up pizza, they are gone. Trying to find out where they have gone, and why, uncovers more secrets and lies than Michael expected.
I really enjoyed this book. I thought I knew what the story was going to be going in, but I was glad to find out I wasn't entirely correct. This kept me guessing and listening as I got closer and closer to the end. I found this to be a fast-paced, emotional story that was well written.
The narrator, Karissa Vacker, was extraordinary. I found the pacing to be smooth and even and the voices weren't overly exaggerated. Just enough to distinguish the various characters.
Thank you to NetGalley and McMillan Audio for providing me a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
Available May 10, 2022.
MY WIFE IS MISSING by D. J. Palmer is a stellar thriller!! I’ve read all three of his previous books so I was really excited to read this new one! It’s about Michael who tries to find his missing wife and kids while also revealing secrets from his past. I really enjoyed this novel all the way until the end!
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Things I liked:
- dual POV - we get Michael and his wife Natalie’s perspectives
- Natalie’s POV has two timelines - before she disappeared and now
- unreliable narrator! Natalie has insomnia and suffers from delusions
- cross country chase as Natalie is on the run and Michael is in pursuit
- shocking twists and turns and an ending that surprised me!
- Karissa Vacker did a great job narrating the audiobook
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Things I didn’t like:
- only wished the audiobook had two different narrators to do each POV
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Overall a stand out thriller that’s now my fave of Palmer’s books and I can’t wait to read his next one! Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for my advance reader copy and Macmillan Audio via NetGalley for my ALC!
WOWZER!!! This book was one heck of a ride!! D.J. Palmer did an excellent job writing this book and loved Karissa Vacker narrating. The confusion will keep you wanting to listen to the mysterious family drama. Loved that the characters fooled me throughout the book. I really did NOT see the being coming at all. Definitely not what I expected!!!! I recommend this heart throbbing, action packed novel. Thank you NetGallery for the ARC! OUT May 10,2022
Insomnia. A Family Vacation. Secrets. Missing.
Natalie and Michael Hart had a perfect marriage once upon a time. But now, Natalie suffers from Insomnia and Michael has his secrets. There is a wedge between them, and they decide to go away together. But Natalie decides that a family vacation like the perfect time for them to reconnect. That is until Michael goes out to get food and comes back to their hotel, to find his wife and children missing.
Naturally he is worried and begins to look for them...
There is a lot going on in this book. Of course, I couldn't help but think, 'Seriously, what cop goes on a road trip with you?' Why would you allow this? Even if you have secrets, come on! So, be ready to throw some things out the window such as believability and just go with it.
Even though there were some things that I thought would never happen, I enjoyed this one. I overlooked somethings and chalked this book up as a guilty pleasure. There are quite a few twists and turns along the way. The book jumps around a little and it kept me on my toes. I had my theories and felt I had things figured out and I was wrong! I liked not knowing who I could trust or what was going to happen next.
I had both the book and the audio book and was able to go back and forth between the two. I enjoyed the narrator and thought she did a fantastic job with the voices. So much so that I preferred the audiobook over the kindle version.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Wow! Didn’t see any of that coming. Super satisfying ending with more than one twist. Sometimes, I thought Natalie was a little over the top but sleep deprivation will do that to you. Loved it—has an epilogue but I would’ve been okay without 75% of it.
🔊Song Pairing: Run for Cover - Gabrielle Aplin
💭What I thought would happen:
I mean I thought the title was quite explanatory. If I hadn’t been granted the advanced audiobook I wasn’t overly intrigued to read this based on the blah title and cover alone.
📖What actually happens:
Michael returns to his hotel bringing food for his family but upon his arrival he soon notices that his family is gone, poof! What happened to him?! Why is teddy in the hallway?
It is Michael’s sheer determination to find out where his wife went with his 2 children and why. Did a psycho stalker take them? Was there a misunderstanding? Why don’t the police believe him?
🗯Thoughts:
This book threw me several curveballs and shooketh me to my limit. I didn’t want the ride to end until I was ready and the book delivered just that. Once I finished I just sat there for a minute or 2 just to take what I just heard.
This was my first from this author and I think I need to know what he’s all about. I was sucked in right away. As soon as Natalie went bye bye I was like oh hello!
The gaslighting that took place was infuriating and yet so realistic and relatable. In fact nearly all of this story was quite believable, something I love about quality thrillers.
If you want a domestic thriller, pick this book up!
This started off strong and then just got too weird.
Review copy provided by publisher.
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This was a twisty domestic thriller that kept me guessing from the start to the end! Told in multiple POVs from a husband and a wife and in a dual timeline narrative. The story starts with a husband coming back from an errand to find his wife and kids missing. We slowly learn what happened and why. Full of secrets, lies, infidelity and murder, this book has it all and will leave your head spinning with a great shocking twist at the end. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advance review copy!
Talk about a fast paced twisty ride!
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.
💭 Like all of Palmer’s books, I was hooked from the start. Natalie is an insomniac while Michael has a mysterious past. Both make for a disaster of a marriage. Natalie is sure Michael is having an affair, or is it all in her head? You can just feel Natalie’s anxiety! So many secrets and it was so fun watching it all come together! Did not see the ending coming.
This book was a wild ride, and it stayed that way down to the last page. I had a lot of confidence that I knew what was really going on until I changed. Then, just as I got comfortable with my new choice, it changed again, and again, and again. I had the audio book of this ARC, and I was actually listening to it before I went to sleep each night. I just couldn’t put it down. All the good stuff is this book: Murder, lies, secrets, adultery, love, family, friends who turn out not to be friends, etc. I was kept off balance until the very last page. This is a good read. Just hold on tight , because you are going to be off balance the entire time! This is the first book that I have read from this author, but I’m looking forward to many more. Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this ARC in return for my honest review.
Overall I enjoyed this story. The narrator is great and helped me get through the slower parts. It was a quick start with a woman leaving her husband for an unknow reason. The story unfolds to figure out what that reason is. I think it went on for a lot longer than needed at times. I definitely did not see the ending coming and that ending saved it for me.
Thank you to Macmillan Audio, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for access to this ARC.