An intriguing domestic noir with fantastically drawn characters. Lots of twists and turns to keep you suspicious of every character and their motivations. A really enjoyable read!

As a psychological thriller fans I am so thrilled with the description of this book. The story is not new theme for thriller reader and the plot kinda slow. The characters are interesting enough to make me finished the book but the ending is anticlimax and unsatisfied.

Thanks Netgalley for providing me with this copy.

The Second Wife

I absolutely loved this book. It is a psychological thriller, and it grabs you by the throat immediately.

I devoured it.

The writing, the plot, the characters. I loved how the author hooked us all at the beginning and then allowed each character to have their own narrative and voice.

The relationships and back stories for each character make this book a must for me.

I read a pre-release Kindle version of this, and can’t wait to get an in print version for my bookshelf.

Definitely recommend, if you like a book that draws you in, and makes you care about the characters. You will not be able to put this one down.

Having spent 4 years in jail for a crime she didn't commit, Mia (a violinist) has landed her dream job working for an established composer, Robin Featherstone, but is employed as a cleaning attendant.

Tamsin, Robin's much younger second wife, notices the way her husband watches Mia when she's working, and she isn't happy about it. One morning, she overhears Robin talking to Mia about changing his will. Unsurprisingly, she's upset about it. Why is he confiding in a simple cleaner and not his loving wife? The following morning, Tamsin fires Mia without warning on the pretext that she's neglecting her responsibilities.

A few days passed and Mia receives a call from Robin's solicitor informing her that Robin has had an accident and passed away, he has appointed her his sole heir!!

What follows is a story about family greed, pure and simple greed coming from the wife, ex-wife, a son, and daughter (she's the worst!!). They are all livid with rage. But could greed lead to murder?

This is my second book by Miranda and I enjoyed it greatly, the characters are real and engaging. I found it a bit slow, but steady with unexpected twists.

Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for this ARC.

This author never fails to deliver and this book is full of twists and turns and is a satisfying read - good characters and a surprise ending make it a perfect psychological thriller

An interesting plot, with a twist at the end I definitely didn't anticipate! I liked that Mia was a violinist!

Omg thi is exactly how domestic noirs should be written! It such an easy read and every page is a pleasure. I couldnt put it down n devoured it in a day! It's got plenty twists and turns and is really clever written so you will never see that ending coming. The perfect summer beach read

Absolutely amazing! So many twists and turns! I really enjoyed getting to know the characters, wondering what could possibly happen next. Very well written with an excellent plot. Highly recommend this hard to put down read!

This was a light and fun read that kept me interested. I liked the interconnection of all the characters and pace of the novel. Would recommend to my friends!

Thank you Netgalley and Inkubator Books for this ARC.

Robin the very wealthy composer, Tamsin the young new wife, Claudia the ex-wife, David & Brooke the two bratty children and Mia the cleaner and inspiring violinist...who killed Robin? And why did Mia inherit everything?

I really did not put that ending together. It was extremely well executed. The writing style was very easy to follow, the plot was amazing, and the character building was superb even so that you kept thinking they all might have had a hand in it.

A very enjoyable book indeed!

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a murder mystery that was easy to finish in one sitting. The plot somewhat reminded me of The Inheritance Games. A cleaning maid is left with the home owner’s inheritance instead of his wife, which makes everyone question who killed him. It was a good page turner with a few twists, but the ending wasn’t that satisfying.

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

The Second Wife by Miranda Rijks is a psychological thriller that will appeal to adult fans of The Inheritance Games or Knives Out. The story alternates between the perspectives of two women. Tamsin married a much older man, and she's constantly insulted by his family and called a gold-digger. When Robin dies suddenly, everyone is shocked when he leaves all of his money to someone else.

Here is a chilling excerpt from the Prologue:

"I know what it's like to feel ill. Very ill. How your body becomes separate from your mind, overcome with terrifying sensations that, whoever hard you try, you can't control. How your limbs become uncoordinated, like useless appendages on a rag doll, a,nd your head feels so stuffed full of cotton wool, all your senses are muffled, and the only thing you can hear is the irregular beating of your heart trying to very desparately to keep you alive.
I know what it feels like because I felt it then, and I'm feeling it again now."

Overall, The Second Wife is a psychological thriller that would make a fast read for someone looking for something quick.. Although the synopsis for this book sounded good, I had to take off a few stars, because I felt like nothing happens for a large portion of the book. It felt very boring to me. Also, the ending was completely unsatisfying and made me regret reading this book. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, you can check out this book when it comes out in May.

A captivating suspense read of a family full of greed, hate and self-preservation at deadly costs. There's new wives and jealousy laced with paranoia and suspicion. I had a difficult time putting this one down and read into the night.

This is a well written book. With greed and family fights at its centre. It shows how bitter and how hurtful people can be when things happen in the family. It is well written but I really didn't like any of the characters and that meant I didn't gel with it as much as I would have wanted too.

Greed and infighting in the this family are the basis of the Second Wife and what a read. A fast paced thriller which I devoured in one sitting. Full of unlikable but strong characters, a good story and with more than a few surprises. This author always brings something special to her books and this one does not disappoint.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I wanted to love this but just didn't. Was an OK read didn't really draw me in. The storyline was easy to follow with a few twists. Unlikable characters and just fell a little short for me.

Thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an early release of this book.

Thanks to Netgalley and Inkubator Books for providing this arc. The Second Wife by Miranda Rijks

I've read other books by Miranda Rijks before and they never really held my interest until this one. I had trouble putting this down! There were so many unlikable characters in this book that were against Mia that I couldn't help but root for her. In my opinion, the book also had so many twists that it kept me guessing until the end.

Drama thriller showcasing greed and family angst. A typical fast paced read by Miranda, which,as per her usual books, leaves you wondering throughout who's the bad guy.
Robin's family feel his new wife Tamsin is a gold digger, but no-one is more surprised than her that on his death he's left his entire estate to the cleaner. What secrets is Mia hiding and why would Robin leave her everything?
Can the estranged family put aside their differences and work together to contest the will and what will be the final outcome.
I have read a few of Miranda"s books know and just when I think I know what to expect she throws in a few red herrings to completely twist my thought processes, this book is no exception
Many thanks to Netgalley and Inkubator Books for the opportunity to read this advanced copy, my opinions are my own and I'm under no obligation to leave them

I was really intrigued by the blurb and the cover, and I liked the idea of the husband being a composer for film and television. But sadly, this book wasn't for me. The characters, particularly the second wife, just seem to act out of nowhere with little motivation or logic, which made it hard to care about what was coming next. I also found the dialogue stilted at times. Overall, not a bad book but not to my taste. Others may have a different experience.

I love domestic thrillers so this was everything I wanted and was anticipating. This was so much fun. I loved the premise and I thought while the characters were unlikeable they were still very interesting to read about.