Ah, another book about a missing wife. I think the book was slow until about the end. There should be more development and less context clues and background information in the first half. Solid and strong ending!

I was lucky to receive an ARC of this book through NetGalley!

Sadly this wasn’t for me. None of the characters felt quite believable and there was a lot of telling, not showing. All side characters could’ve been one and the same. The dialogues felt forced. Fast paced and the short pages were a hit though.

This was a fast paced psychological thriller and an intense emotional rollercoaster. I couldn't put it down, and read in in a day. It went in a total different direction than I thought and woah! Main character Luke is a widower who remarried very soon after his 1st wife's death. When his new wife Ashley & her daughter disappear without a trace, he has questions and finds out along the desperate search for them that she may not be who he really thought she was.

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc!
This was the first book I’ve read from Chad Zunker, I LOVED it!! I was sucked in and keep reading and reading! Fast paced and just enough twists and turns to give you some answers but still guessing. I honestly had no idea where the story was going and couldn’t come up with any guesses as I read, and I was ok with that because it kept me glued to the pages to find out more! Great book and I loved it! Highly recommend!

Excellent thrill ride. I was intrigued from start to finish. So suspenseful and fast paced. This was my first from Zunker but it won't be my last.

3.5 ⭐️!

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for giving the opportunity to read an review this book!

This was a very fast paced read with short chapters. I read this in one sitting.

I liked that this author kept you intrigued, making you want to read just one more chapter.

The build up to the ending is great.

If you like mystery thrillers containing FBI and CIA then this one is for you!

This was my first Chad Zunker book, I really enjoyed the pacing of this thriller and was hooked immediately. I felt like I was part of the investigation alongside Luke.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas. & Mercer for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Wife You Know by new to me author C.Zunker, published by Thomas & Mercer, is a pageturning, nailbiting thriller of its finest.
Widower Luke has pretty soon remarried. When his new wife Ashley and her daughter disappear without a trace, he has questions.
A story that had me right from the start. Literally unputdownable, raw and gritty gives goosebumps, has twists that had me guessing till the last page.

I LOVED this book!!!! I don't normally read books anymore, I just listen to them, but I saw someone recommend this one, so I grabbed it. It was well worth every moment I sat reading it. If I do read a book it takes me days, not this one. I pretty much read it in one day. I recommend you do that as well. It is a fiction book and it is somewhat far fetched, but it is fiction after all. Imagine that what little you know about your spouse is mostly a lie and you can't find them anywhere, what would you do. Then all of a sudden it's possible that she killed people, Do you think they could have possibly done that? But did you really think they would do any of the stuff they did? Well that's the life Luke is living, he risked everything, including his life to find his wife and step daughter. Once again I really loved this book. #TheWifeYouKnow #NetGalley

Everything he knows about his wife is called into question when she mysteriously vanishes in a breathtaking novel of suspense. Widower Luke Driskell didn’t expect to fall in love and marry again so quickly. But Ashley and her daughter, Joy, are special—a quality borne out when Ashley rushes into a burning day-care center to save the children. Immediately she’s a social media sensation and hero. Then, just as suddenly, Ashley and Joy disappear into the bitterly cold night. With no trace of their whereabouts, Luke begins a panicked investigation. Alarmingly, he can find no proof that the woman he loves even exists. Left just a hidden stash of fake IDs. Different names. Different cities. Same haunted face. Now the devastated husband has only Who did he marry? What is she hiding?

I love this authors books and have never been disappointed in any one that I have read. Firstly great short chapters that make you do that one more chapter before bed when you then end up reading another ten. Straight off the bat, the book starts strongly drawing you in, I did find it got a little slower in the middle but that was ok and the last part of the book really led things to a fantastic ending. This book also did have a feel of being directed to a slightly younger audience which is unusual for Chad Zunker, but again that did not bother me, I was still engaged throughout. I thought the plot was strong and the characters all fell into place to play their part in creating a very enjoyable book. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. Four stars.

Luke is devastated when his wife vanishes into the freezing night. He searches frantically for her, only to discover that he may not have known her as well as he thought. Despite his efforts, he cannot find any proof of her existence.

The story in this book is an exciting adventure, packed with action and suspense. It will grab your attention from beginning to end with numerous unexpected surprises that will keep you engaged until the very last page. The complete truth won't be revealed until the very end.

In my personal opinion, I have some conflicting thoughts about the book. The tone of the story seems to be geared towards a younger audience, so it may not resonate with everyone. Moreover, I found the protagonist, Luke, to be less believable in his problem-solving skills, and his behavior was not very rational. The narrative mostly centers around Luke, but I would have preferred to read more about the heroine and her emotions regarding her predicament. If you are into stories about the FBI, CIA, chases, and global affairs, this could be the book for you. I appreciate the clean language used in this book.

Thank you, NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for providing me with an eARC. All opinions are my own.

Absolutely fantastic plot! Could not put the book down once I began reading it. Cannot wait for it to be released. I will recommend it to everyone I know!

After risking her life to save some children in a fire, Ashley suddenly disappears from the hospital with her daughter Joy, leaving her husband Luke to wonder what went wrong. As Luke meets dead-end after dead-end, he finally finds a secret about Ashley’s past that makes him question everything he knew, or thought he knew, about his wife.

Another really good 4 star thriller from Net Galley! I’ve been going through ARCs like no one’s business recently. This was interesting for sure and while it had some similar thriller themes, I was very engaged the whole time. I liked the pace of the book. It moved quick and read fast so I felt like I didn’t even have time to question what would happen next. I kind of liked that! There were some questions I still have that are unanswered which bothered me a little. I also think it would’ve worked well to have split POVs while Luke is learning about who Ashley really was, and to see her thought process into her decisions.

A man on a mission to find his wife and stepdaughter slowly realizes that his wife may not be who he thought she was. This was a fast-paced, emotional rollercoaster. It went in a completely different direction than what I was expecting. The character development was done amazingly well with the backstory, giving insight to their marriage. I loved that this was all from the perspective of the husband, leaving the reader with the mystery of his wife and her disappearance. The reveal in the end was so out of left field with a bit of a heartbreaking story. This was a good one, four stars.

Thank you Netgalley and Thomas and Mercer for this ARC.

This was a very enjoyable book! It hooked me from the very first page, and had me constantly needing to know what happened next. I loved the twists and turns, and it had a great ending. I definitely recommend, and would love to read more from this author!

The Wife You Know follows widower, Luke Driskell who hadn’t planned to fall in love as fast as he had with his new wife, Ashley and stepdaughter, Joy. Everything seems to be going great until his wife lands in the hospital after heroically saving all the children at a daycare centre, causing her to be the centre of attention by the nation’s media stations. The next morning, Luke discovers that his wife and stepdaughter have vanished. As he attempts to locate them, Luke begins to unravel the lies that surround his new wife and stepdaughter. Ashley and Joy aren’t their real names and he isn’t the only person searching for them.

This book was fantastically paced and I was hooked from the very first page. I loved feeling like I was investigating the mystery alongside Luke. I feel like this would be a great movie.

While trying to avoid giving spoilers in my review, I do wish I was able to get some closure surrounding the people that were to cause of the disappearance and lies told by Ashley. I understand why there wasn’t but now I’m left thinking about the what-ifs and the scenarios of what will happen after the events of the books have taken place.

However, I think this is a fantastic Thriller and I can’t wait to read more by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for providing me with this ARC. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I’m a longtime fan of Mr. Zunker and always look forward to his new books. This is relatively short mystery packed with heart stopping anticipation as a man searches for his wife and step-daughter. Luke is a widower who has found love again. He in a successful business and quite wealthy. They have an enviable home in the Vail, Colorado area. Ashley calls him from the hospital after a heroic fire rescue has upended her privacy. When she disappears from her room along with her daughter Luke is confused then baffled then frantic. He will stop at nothing to find them but is he putting her in danger? Did someone kidnap them? If not why did she leave? He contacts the police, the FBI reaches out to him, but not everyone is an ally. Luke begins to trace her past in a state of panic, flying across the country. Luke feels like he’s being tailed. Who and why? The journey Luke takes to find Ashley is over the top, maybe implausible and perhaps not entirely believable. This was inconsequential to me, that’s why I read fictional thrillers – to escape. Ashley’s secret backstory was well contrived and not easy to guess. There are lies built on deep dark secrets with many agencies and people involved. It kept me guessing, an enjoyable plot with unique characters.
A digital advance reader copy of “The Wife You Know” by Chad Zunker, Published by Thomas & Mercer, was provided to me by NetGalley. These are all my own honest personal thoughts and opinions given voluntarily without compensation.

Many thanks to both Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an early copy of The Wife You Know, by Chad Zunker. Expected publication: February 27, 2024.

Everything Luke knows about his wife is called into question when she mysteriously vanishes. Alarmingly, he can find no proof that the woman he loves even exists.

I have loved both of the series written by Mr. Zunker: Sam Callahan and, also David Adams. This is the second standalone of his I've read and the second book I haven't liked as well as Mr. Zunker's two series. I struggled to like the main character. Luke's supposed to be intelligent and mega-rich but he kept doing the most illogical things. Eye-rollingly illogical.

As I was reading, I kept feeling like the content did not seem to be intended for a mature audience. It had a more youthful tone to it.

Still, it was a fast read, with a storyline filled with a missing spouse, the FBI, the CIA, and an utterly adorable child named Joy!

Great characters with a solid plot that was paced nicely and wrapped up beautifully!

I really enjoyed the unique storyline and how I was given just enough information to feel like I knew a little something along the way but didn’t know the whole truth until the end, which was concise and fulfilling.

Overall fast-paced, quick read! I was hooked from the beginning to end, but didn't experience much of a thrill. The story moved so quickly that I didn't have a chance to become invested in the characters. Difficult to explain, but the premise felt cliché but also very specific at the same time. I felt the general plot could've benefited from greater detail and elaboration.