This story dives headfirst into a happy suburban family who seem to have it all. That is until the body of a young woman is pulled from the local lake. As Maggie struggles with the things she's found and her attempts to keep her family whole, a string of unfortunate events happen. Whodunnit is not revealed until late in the story and is surprising to say the least!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC!

This was my first book by this author, and I will be looking for more. This story is riveting and full of truths, lies and the unexpected.
Maggie and Len have a house full of people celebrating their 25th anniversary. Maggie has been making a slideshow of their life together, and when she retrieves the laptop, hidden away in the attic she discovers a bloody scarf reeked with perfume.
Later that night a young women is pulled from the river. She is found naked! The news flash on the TV shows images of the women including one where she wears a scarf, which looks exactly like the one she found. No one uses the loft except her and her husband. Her daughter has been away at school and her son lives with his girlfriend.
Maggie’s husband of 25 years is the kindest man and well respected, but she starts to wonder if she really knew him at all. This story shows us that one little lie can escalate and the consequences can be profound, even deadly.

Thank you author Anna Lou-Weatherley, NetGallery and Bookouture for this fabulous book. Available January 18th. #bookstagram, #bookreview, #booksconnectus, #stamperlady, #mysterytriller, #thelieinourmarriage

Anna-Lou Weatherley is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. Her books surprise me every time.

At the start of THE LIE IN OUR MARRIAGE we’re at Cassie and Len’s wedding anniversary party. Upon looking around her home, Cassie stumbled across a scarf that is not her own that has blood on it as well smell of perfume making it something that has recently been placed there.

Cassie soon sees a dead woman on the television wearing the very same scarf she has found in her home. Her husband denies any knowledge what could’ve happened but that just isn’t possible…. Right?

I would say this was a whodunnit because you really don’t know who is guilty. I spent the whole book thinking I knew who it was and what was going on and I was wrong! Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

Oh wow...this may be a crime thriller, a murder mystery filled with secrets, lies and all the usual stuff, but boy did I find it so incredibly sad by the end! I had tears as I read the final words that I could hardly see the page. They say hindsight is a wonderful thing...but it's also horribly unfortunate at times. And with it comes the haunting memories that fill you with "what ifs". That final chapter right down to the final words just made the entire story so incredibly sad.

It's a warm spring evening as guests gather in the beautifully manicured gardens to celebrate Maggie and Len's 25th wedding anniversay. There are speeches, memories recounted and fun times shared by all. Maggie watches her husband and remembers all the reasons she fell in love with him...how lucky she is to have been married to this wonderful man for twenty five years. And then she sees her children, Remy, busy taking selfies and her son Lewis with his pregnant girlfriend Casey she she counts her blessings at just how lucky she truly is. To have Len and her wonderful family gathered with their friends to celebrate this momentous occasion. And Maggie has something special planned for Len towards the end of the night.

With the party in full swing, Maggie quietly slips upstairs and into the loft for that special gift she kept tucked away under the eaves when she stumbles across something else hidden there. A silky scarf that doesn't belong to her. She holds it to her face and is enveloped in a sickly sweet perfume she's sure she recognises. But that's not all...amidst the silky pink material adorned with black skulls is a brownish abstract print...or is it blood? What does this mean? And who put it there?

Returning to the party, Maggie puts it from her mind...until she sees that same scarf just days later being worn by the woman whose body police had retrieved from the river the same day as the anniversary party. Surely not? But being linked to a murder victim and its very presence in her house leads Maggie to do some digging of her own...and she isn't sure she likes what she discovers. Paranoia sets in as Maggie begins to wonder about this Pandora's box she's opened. What is she to do with what she's discovered? How can she live with herself?

DCI Dan Riley is heading up the investigation into the body they pulled from the river and she is soon identified as Amelie Fox, a local instagrammer and influencer, with a vast social media following. He is joined by his "number two" DS Lucy Davis as together, with the help of their-behind-the-scenes team, investigate the young woman's death. We are not bogged down with procedure and red tape bureaucracy that adorns many other crime thriller series on the market but just enough to keep the pace moving and the story interesting.

Riley, as we know from past books, is married to Fiona with a daughter Juno who they affectionately call "Pip". But now Fiona is pregnant with their second child, another surprise by all accounts, which is hilariously alluded to by their forensic pathologist (recounted below).

"The sperm was still alive for some time after her death, and of course this gives us definitive DNA."

"Still alive?"

"Oh come on Dan - didn't you pay attention in biology class at school?"

My expression causes her to sigh. "No wonder both your wife's pregnancies were such a shock to you!"

But it doesn't end there. Weatherley's humour is peppered throughout, most of which by Maggie in relation to their neighbour Brenda who seemingly was always scantily clad with a cleavage even a blind man could see!

"Is she imagining it or is he staring at Brenda's cleavage? Hard not to really, she supposes, it was just so...there, in your face. It's a job not stare herself."

And Maggie's suspicious and overactive imagination have lead her to see things that may or may not be there...not least Brenda's cleavage. lol

"Maggie glances at Len but his expression hasn't changed. She's sure he's still slyly copping a look at Brenda's tits."

I just love Weatherley's humour that had me laughing in places. There's a strange sense of irony that that which had me laughing also brought me to tears by the story's end. And throughout the unfolding of discoveries Maggie made which left us desperate for the same answers, by the same token I thought it far too obvious. But who knows? The blindingly obvious could well be a red herring. And yet the twists kept coming.

I did find the pace slow off a little towards the middle with a bit of repetitiveness but it was still intriguing and I was still turning the pages wanting to know how it all panned out. I began to piece it all together just before Dan did. There is one character that you will just love to hate purely because he is a self-obsessed entitled misogynist who can't see beyond his own reflection. The chapters with him had me laughing out loud he was so obnoxious, which was good because other authors would write such a character in a way that would have me wanting to tear the pages to climb into the book and throttle him myself. Instead, Weatherley's depiction of him and the scenes he was in has me chuckling.

I love Anna-Lou Weatherley's style and this intriguing addition to the series is no different. I love how it's more than just another police procedural, that while it is an important part of the story, it goes hand in hand with the story that it is unravelling. I love how her stories are domestic thrillers enmeshed with Detective Dan Riley's investigative side. Procedurals alone can tend to be samey and a little stale, but Weatherley's style ramps it up a few notches to keep readers turning the pages as we watch everything unfold through both key players' perspectives.

I thoroughly enjoyed THE LIE IN OUR MARRIAGE as with this entire series. Having said that, I will add that despite being part of a series, each book can be read as standalones with Detective Dan Riley being the common link throughout. While some of his backstory recurs in each book, it isn't a main theme so readers won't be missing out if not every book is read. I still haven't read the first two, coming in only on the third book and I don't feel I have missed anything at all...except maybe only Weatherley's brilliant writing.

I would like to thank #AnnaLouWeatherley, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheLieInOurMarriage in exchange for an honest review.

This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.

Wow! What an amazing thriller. I don't think I've ever enjoyed a book so much. I told everyone in my household, other family members, and a friend about it. This book is so captivating. We have a family celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary. The main character, Maggie, went to the attic. She was looking at old stuff. She remembered the old days. Until suddenly she discovered a bloody scarf that wasn't hers. She smelled strongly of foreign perfume. In the meantime, the body of a young girl was fished out. Does that bloody scarf have anything to do with it? Our heroine is broken. She suspects that her husband is behind this murder. What else will Maggie discover? Is she right to suspect her husband?
Have more than halfway through the book, I felt who the murderer of 22-year-old Amelie Fox was. I couldn't wait to find out who the killer was. Was I right?
Reading "The lie in our marriage" I literally felt the terror of the main character. She didn't know what to do in this situation. Should she report to the police?
What she did shocked me deeply. Tears ran down my face. I couldn't control myself. Mother, what the author Anna-Lou Weatherley has done to me. I didn't expect that. I didn't know I would react like that. Plus for her.
Another hero is Detective Dan Riley. A very positive person. Despite his wife's advanced pregnancy, he works hard. There is no time to rest. He has to explain the death of 22-year-old Amelie Fox. The girl had a lot of fans on the Internet. She was a famous person. What did she do that she deserved to die? Did some fanatic kill his idol because she turned him down? Of course, I won't tell you that. I liked the investigation Detective Dan was doing. He was running an investigation that had a lot of pieces. Literally, like a puzzle piece. Did he solve the case? The case is not as simple as it looks.
This was my first encounter with this author's work. And I know it won't be the last. I liked her characters. As I read, I laughed and cried. I experienced a lot of different emotions. The ending made me burst into tears.
If you like strong and suspenseful thrillers, be sure to read "The lie in our marriage".
Fast-paced action, an interesting plot, wonderful characters and a tear-inducing ending make this book impossible to pass by indifferently.
I wholeheartedly recommend, mommy_and_books.

My wife recommended I try this book. I was sceptical at first as I don't normally read stuff like this, but it was a fantastic book!

The story was just amazing, usually, I'm pretty good at figuring endings out. It took me right up until the last second before all was revealed for me to guess it, so I was wrong pretty much the whole book.

The characters were so good, each unique, likeable and unlikeable in their own ways.

I'll definitely be reading more from this author, well done

Your Neighbours Wife is a fairly fast paced, twisty thriller that I couldn’t put down.
Tara Carver has the perfect life, successful business, nice house, gorgeous and caring husband, Christian, who stays at home to look after their son and a great friend who is always there for her.
Everything in Tara’s life is perfect until she goes on a business trip far away and makes a stupid decision and sleeps with a married stranger. Tara’s life starts to spiral out of control when she is back home as the stranger makes it clear he wants a life with her and won’t take no for an answer.
This was a tense and twisty read that I loved, I never knew which way this was going to go and I thought the ending was a befitting one and although answered all the questions you needed answering it still left you wondering.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

Maggie and Len are celebrating their 25;years of marriage. When Maggie goes to get her present for her husband, she finds something she never has seen before, a scarf, dotted with blood!

I thought I knew who did it, then thought I was wrong......then right.,,..then wrong.
Well told from a couple points of view story. I will be looking for more from this author!!

Thank you to Netgally and Bookature for my ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Another great book from this author. Very tense all the way through, with a totally unexpected ending . I loved all the characters in the family and the mothers part in this was heartbreaking . I cannot recommend this book or the author enough. Definitely will be recommending this book to my audience. 5 stars from me

This is book 6 in the series however can be read as a standalone.
I’ve read a couple of the previous novels but not all.
I’m sorry to say that this one just missed the mark for me,
The characters weren’t relatable, and some of the “speech” that was written, just felt a bit cringey.
The plot itself was a bit basic, and it felt like I’d read similar before. No particular plot twists or curveballs to keep me interested. I finished it because I don’t like leaving things once started.
I’m so sorry but this wasn’t for me.
Thank you for the opportunity to read it.

A popular young woman is found murdered, and one woman thinks her husband did it. She finds that everything points his way. She does not want her children to suffer due to this, and finds a better way out of the situation, or that is what she thinks.

The story was not really speaking to me, probably because I am not fond of reading stories about influencers and social media. This does not mean that it is not a good story, it is just that I have gotten tired of the subject. Luckily the whole book is not focusing on it, but there is quite a bit of these high fliers only interested in their looks and fame. Otherwise the story flows nicely, however I guessed the culprit early on. Not a bad read, but it did not really do it for me.

Detective Dan Riley #6

Well, I started off enjoying the book, but my interest waned. This was my first in the series of six. The chapters are told in Maggie's and Detective Dan's POV.

I liked Maggie's character, but her husband Len really annoyed me. His pet name for her was "my little chickadee" and I cringed every single time he said it, which was often! He even calls his daughter "sweetie chops" (please stop).

Maggie finds something in her attic and it opens Pandora's Box so to speak and she goes down the omg, what does this mean rabbit hole.

The book was heavy on sex themes (in my opinion) and the case involved an influencer, pornography, webcams, and lots of second guessing by Maggie.

The pace felt pretty slow and seemed to stall several times. Other than Maggie, I didn't care for the cast. This is a popular series so check out other reviews. This one was not the best match for me.

Told in dual POV, both in 1st and 3rd person, it’s the sixth installment in the "Detective Dan Riley" series but it can be read as a standalone. This is my first read by this author and unfortunately, it didn’t deliver. The plot isn’t something new and it was very predictable. I could guess it early on and it dragged a lot. All in all, it didn’t live up to my expectations but I hope you enjoy it more than me!

Thanks to Anna-Lou Weatherley, Netgalley, and Bookouture for the advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review. (Expected publication: January 18, 2023)

Maggie and Len Wendover are celebrating their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary surrounded by their family and friends in their beautiful home, meanwhile close by a young woman's body has been pulled out of the river. Maggie leaves her guests to go into the loft to get the surprise gift she has hidden for her husband but finds something that she knows doesn't belong to her, a silk scarf scattered with black skeletons, who does it belong to and what is it doing in their loft, but more importantly why is it stained with blood? Leaving it where she found it she returns to the party to toast their marriage and she sees a news report about the murdered girl, on the tv screen looking back at her the dead girl is wearing that scarf...

This story is a dual narration told from the perspectives of Maggie and Detective Dan Riley, who has been brought in to investigate the death of twenty two year old Amelie Fox, a beautiful and popular social media influencer, also known as Angel. As the story progresses Maggie uncovers something which leads her to make some terrifying assumptions and a decision which she can never revert. This is a well thought out plot with relatable characters and some surprising red herrings. My initial thought as to who was responsible was wrong, I did guess who the actual perpetrator was later on, though this didn't detract from my enjoyment of this fast paced story which gripped me from the start. I really felt for Maggie and wonder how many people could honestly say they wouldn't have jumped to the same conclusions had they been in her shoes. Another great instalment in this series which can be read as a standalone, I've read three of them and need to go back and read the others.

I'd like to thank Bookouture and Netgalley for the auto approval, I will post my review on Goodreads now and Amazon on publication day.

Maggie and Len are celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary. Maggie is throwing the ultimate party with close friends and family along with neighbors. When she slips upstairs to the attic to get the gift she had planned for Len, she uncovers a scarf she has never seen before and it looks like blood on it . Scared she hides it back where she found it and heads back to the party. Later she sees the news their pulling the body of a woman out of the river. When they show the woman’s picture Maggie is shocked because the woman is wearing the scarf that she found in the attic. Maggie begins to suspect Len and starts to dig does she truly know her husband? When the detectives find themselves knocking at her door how far will she go to protect her family?

I did enjoy this book but found it a little slow at times. The story itself was very good and certainly made me think a lot. I found that I put myself in the place of one of the characters quite often, wondering what I would so in the same situation. The ending was a good one however I did guess it fairly early on in the book.

All in all it was a good read and one I would recommend. I will certainly look out for more books by this author.

Thank you to the author, Netgalley and Bookcouture for allowing me to read this in return for an honest review.

#netgalley

I love a Dan Riley book, they are so easy to get into and he is so likeable as a detective. He is the constant that pulls these stories together.

Maggie and Len are a seemingly happy couple about to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary, that is until Maggie makes a discovery and suspects him of murder.

The clues point to him, but dig a little deeper and you'll see another suspect, but once the truth is revealed, Maggie has already made a choice that she can't come back from.

An absolute page turner, felt a bit like DI Dan myself as I cracked the case.

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book, this is my honest opinion.

3 1/2 stars out of 4.
I enjoyed the book but I found it was blaming the husband from early on in the book. I guessed who it was that committed the murder.

The Lie in our marriage was a fun detective novel. This was the sixth in a series I haven’t read but I didn’t really feel like I was missing a lot of key info. We get to know Det Dan Riley pretty well and I feel for him. Not only does he have to beg to see his son, he also has a murder to investigate.

<b>Note:</b> I received an advanced copy of this book from Bookouture via NetGalley.

On a warm spring evening, guests gather in a perfectly manicured garden to celebrate Maggie and Len’s twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. Maggie leans against the apple tree in the sprawling grounds of her beautiful home. She watches her fun-loving husband and darling children and her heart swells with pride. As the joyful party atmosphere disappears into the night, close by, the lifeless body of a young woman is pulled from a river.

Slipping upstairs to find the special gift she’s made for her adoring husband, Maggie stumbles across something else hidden amongst the dusty boxes of once-loved toys and family keepsakes…

A silky pink scarf printed with tiny black skeletons that doesn’t belong to her. She holds it up to her face, breaths in the sweet sickly perfume, its scent familiar, and tendrils of fear snake through her body. The scarf is stained with splashes of blood.

But as Maggie hurries to rejoin the party and pour herself a glass of champagne to toast the man she’s enjoyed decades of happy marriage with, she catches a news flash of the local girl’s murder. She stares at the girl with the beautiful face, long ice-blonde hair and, draped loosely around her neck, Maggie recognises it instantly. She’s wearing the scarf.

I don't know how I would react in a situation that Maggie found herself in. Personally, I thought it was a little weird, her reaction, but maybe that would have happened. Family first and all that. That being said, I still did not like Maggie as a character. She jumped to conclusions right away and avoided what really needed to be done. The detective side of this book fell flat for me, they were not engaging as characters.