*received for free from netgalley for honest review* this was a very wild read for sure! there was some obvious things but overall a pretty good read.

Caron stabbed and killed her husband claiming to be the victim of domestic violence. Was she or wasn't she? Is she the victim or the villain?

The timing of this book release with the Johnny Depth vs Amber Heard trial will pay in its favour. The media and topic of domestic violence and fake stories are circulating and this story fits the theme because you are continually questioning what is true.

Caron portrays herself as a victim with the scars to prove it. Did she murder her husband in self-defence, or is something more sinister happening?

She’s killed her husband—and now she must convince the police that she is not the villain but the victim . . .

Caron Rivers appeared to have it all, but things were far from fine. With Bill dead, she is free to tell her story. But the police may not believe it.

The story starts with Caron going at the doctors, again, after her husband "accidently" pushed her too hard and she took a tumble. she goes to see a therapist that day and she slowly starts to open up... until she ends up in the police station with her husband's blood on her hands.

This story has the makings of a great story, with a twist halfway through the book, but it fell flat to me. The first half of the books drags on, while the second half, pick up speed until the very end. I was a bit disappointed with this book, as it had the right pieces, it just felt like it lagged on longer then necessary. I would be interested to read another book by this another.

I'd like to say a huge thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

The beginning starts of really quick and immediately grabbed my attention. Unfortunately, it struggled to hold my interest after. I am usually a fan of police procedurals but this one became very repetitive. Each detective had to re-hash the details of the case and it became very unnecessary. I like small reminders of the facts when reading mysteries, but 3-4 thought monologues after each "reveal" was too much. Towards the end, there got to be so many red herrings. I'm not sure the purpose other than trying to hide what I thought was a very obvious ending. I think I would have enjoyed this book more if it was first person POV from Karen. The epilogue was so interesting compared to the majority of the book and I would have liked to see more of the book like it.

Reading Between the Wines book review #40/135 for 2022:
Rating: 2 🍷 🍷
Book 🎧: The Victim
Author: Gillian Jackson
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers
Available now!

Sipping thoughts: I had such high hopes for this book, but nothing really happened that was a huge surprise. The blurb makes it sound like there is going to be a huge surprise or mystery and it just wasn’t that for me. I do think this book is for someone as there is a lol of police procedural things that one may like.

Cheers and thank you to @DreamscapeAudio and @NetGalley for an advanced copy of @TheVictim.

#TheVictim #DreamscapeMedia #NetGalley #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #fiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #MysteryAndThrillers

Thank you to #Netgalley, #DreamscapeMedia and #gillianJackson for an advanced listener copy. My opinions are my own and made voluntarily.

So, I always love a good "it's always the husband" trope. But this one, wow, the plot twist. Cora plays "the victim"- her husband is dead, by stabbing, and she is being questioned. She plays that she had to do it because he was abusive, and she defended herself the only way she knew how.

This book is labeled psychological suspense, but there isn't much suspense to this one. It read more like a police/lawyer drama. This doesn’t make it bad in my eyes, because as a lawyer in training, I love all things true crime. I enjoy detective shows, and this book was very descriptive with the police and detectives, and I loved that aspect. I was involved with the investigation and the lives of the police just as much as I was Caron Rivers' life!

The world building was wonderful, and I absolutely loved the narrator. I may need to read The Abduction and The Accident, also by Gillian Jackson.

3.5 stars

Caron stabbed and killed her husband, and claims she was the victim of domestic violence. Was she or wasn't she?

My favorite part of the story was the police investigation. The investigators were well-developed characters and I was just as invested in their lives as I was in Caron's.

The conclusion wasn't a huge surprise but the journey there was interesting enough to hold my interest. I decided to round up from 3.5 stars because I found it well-written with no eye-rolls, even th0ugh the book would have been better if the long monologue was eliminated

Just a quick take as this is a difficult book to review without spoilers. The narrators of the audiobook were excellent.

Is she the victim of domestic abuse or a cold blooded killer? I enjoyed listening to this story and going back and forth between believing her and then believing the investigators and back again, right until the very end.

I thought after reading the description for this that it would be a fast moving, entertaining domestic thriller, which is my favorite genre. However, this read more like a police procedural and there was too much detective work for my liking. It felt like I was watching an investigation instead of the clever cover-up of a psychotic wife and the killing of her husband. I thought this was enjoyable but not at the top of my list of favorite thrillers. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Victim was a great read by Gillian Jackson. Caron Rivers seemed to have it all; a beautiful house, a loving spouse, and a happy marriage. But not everything is as it seems behind closed doors. She killed her house and now has to convince the police that she is the victim. But the police quickly find out that not everything so cut and dry. IU enjoyed reading this book and cant wait to read more by the author.

Who is really the victim here? The dead husband or the abused wife who is saying it was self defense? There are so many questions that arise during this book that it does keep you guessing until the very end.

I don’t have much to say about this book. It was just ok. I read a lot of domestic thrillers and I don’t feel like this book did anything super different or unique. It is definitely a good one for someone who is new to the thriller genre though and I think it will give them a good introduction to it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape media for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

Really enjoyed this book.. it was unusual enough to pique my interest immediately, and smart enough to keep me reading into the small hours. Really good book.

When the "twist" came, I was ready for the story to end. The story started out strong but lost some momentum halfway through, but by the time the "twist" came, I was ready for the story to end. Side character stories and flashback memories were told that I didn't care to hear. They almost detracted from the main plot. The narration was good.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 Rounded up to 5.
This book had me guessing the whole time! Did Caron kill her murder her husband or was it manslaughter? Was she a battered wife or the attacker?
I listened to the book in my car and I made excuses to drive around to finish it. The narrator’s voice was British and very pleasant.
I would have liked to hear more of Caron’s side of the story and I would have liked to have known who Daisy’s father was.
I want to thank the author, Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for a complimentary copy of the audio book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

I was so excited for this book, but unfortunately it just felt really predictable. I was waiting for some crazy twist to happen, or even the victims perspective, but I didn't feel like any of the "twists" were a surprise.

This psychological suspense thriller and at times very emotional audiobook come to us on the verge of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard defamation case playing out in front of us. I was just a few chapters in and knew where the story was headed and thought that there might be a big twist but The twist never came. It was a little predictable for me. The domestic violence description was heartbreaking. The narration was good 👍
3.5 stars overall

I enjoyed this book, although I did not love it. Some of the story felt a little choppy, although the premise was very interesting. I was intrigued at the beginning, but it seemed to fall a little short. I would certainly give this author another try, though.

This story started out strong then seemed to lose steam halfway through, but the time the "twist" came I was ready for the story to be over. There was a lot of side character stories and flashback memories that were told that I just didn't care to hear about. Almost like it took away from the main story. The narrator of the audiobook was good.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the ARC audiobook for my honest review.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media, Gillian Jackson, and Netgalley for this audio in exchange for an honest review. The narration was well done. It kept me interested to see it through to the end. Although I did feel like it was a little predictable, I still enjoyed listening to it. 🌟🌟🌟 solid stars.

this was a story i definitely still am struggling to the find the right words describe. no matter when you THINK you know what’s happening your mind is changed with new information. it’s a wild ride throughout the whole story. the introduction alone is what pulls you in i feel like but all that transpired throughout is the real pull. definitely worth reading!