A twisted tale with a shocking end that you will not see coming.

Darby Kane writes with the pen the same way that a spider spins its web. With traps and tricks at every turn! This is one of those books that will NOT disappoint!

This was an easy listen with an entertaining plot that alternates between timelines as well as POV’s. It was a good popcorn domestic thriller packed with drama.

Solid 4 stars.

If you love Freida McFadden books, you need to check this one out. It's got all the twists and turns but has much better writing and fewer "you've got to be kidding me" moments.

The only thing keeping this book from 5 stars is the likability of the characters. Without giving anything away, I will say that I was rooting for one main character who really annoyed me during the book by the end of the story.

The majority of this book is told from the perspective of Addison, who we find out right away is married to a man she finds vile, but is in some kind of blackmail plot against him. Her husband, the renowned and loved Dr. Richmond Dougherty is a hero in his community, but a monster at home.

When Dougherty is found dead, all fingers point to Addison. While Addison may have some dark secrets in her past, she did not kill her husband (even though she was eager to see his demise). Who did kill him, and who continues to leave her threats?

This book leaves you guessing all the way through, and the plot gets thicker and twistier as you go.

I enjoyed reading this book and will definitely be checking out more of Darby Kane's work.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Trigger Warnings: assault, mother-daughter issues, domestic abuse

This book was absolutely amazing!! A very twisty-turny book about how far a daughter will go to gain the love and approval of her mother. It was a very fast read. Things are usually not as they seem on the outside and this book sure did prove that.

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This book follows a young woman married to an older man who ends up dead. She is suspected of his death because she is the second wife and there’s been problems in the past. We learned through her perspective that the marriage was not legit and there’s definitely a lot going on in the background of why she married him and what secret she has over him. She was planning to kill him, but she didn’t so she is on the hunt for the real killer to see who actually killed him and clear her name.

This book has multiple perspectives and jumps around in timelines as well. I liked the different perspectives and the jump in timelines. I think it was very fast paced and interesting. I listen to the audiobook and I really enjoyed the narrator and it kept my attention.

The mystery and thrilling aspects of this book kept me interested. I read it quickly and I would recommend if you’re looking for something that’s fast paced.

However, I do feel like the twists and turns were a bit unrealistic. I really did not like the ending and the final twist. I feel like the whole set up that this book was just not realistic and is not something that would actually happen.

So I would recommend this book if you don’t mind thrillers that are a bit unrealistic. It was very fast paced and I think the writing was good so I would still recommend to people, but it just was not my favorite.

Popular Dr. Dougherty is not only a much sought-after surgeon, but he is a national hero after he stopped a school shooter. With a backstory of resilience, Dr. Dougherty had it all. The perfect supportive wife, perfect beautiful children, and a grand home. Surprising to all in the community, the doctor divorced his wife and married Addison. After being married to her for a little over three months, Dr. Dougherty had a tragic accident in his home and his lovely new wife became very wealthy. Naturally, suspicious chatter started and focused on Addison.

I found this to be a decent domestic thriller with lots of backstories and cons. Somewhat predictable, this is still a good one to grab if you like this genre.

Great read! First read from this author. This book makes me want to read more from this author. Kept my attention and interest until the end.

Addison lost her husband suddenly, she becomes the prime suspect in his death. Addison isn’t who she said she is and neither is her husband. If it wasn’t Addison who killed him, who did?

Devious, Addison was devious and I ate it up. Her character was full of revenge and family grudges. Her calm disinterest in everything about husband was intriguing, gut wrenching and everything in between. The book bounced between past and present timelines with ease, the past set you up for the future wonderfully. You loved Addison, you grew to love other characters and you grew to despise some. Great book!! Super fast read, I couldn’t put it down!

Wow!! This book was great. Darby Kane does not disappoint! The characters were well fleshed out and there was a 'contemperary feel' to the story that I liked. The read felt like I was watching a great thriller, such as Knives Out. I did not fully predict the ending and while I suspected the villian, the hows and whys were a complete mystery. I loved how this book brought the main character through her own trauma and I especially loved the sarcasm; it gave the characters a sense of genuineness.

This story follows Addison, a young woman who becomes widowed after being married for only 97 days to her wealthy surgeon husband Dr. Dougherty. After his death, she finds herself engrossed in an intricate web of lies and deception. However she is also being accused of murder and although it was her intention to eliminate him - she is actually innocent.

The dead doctor and his first wife were complex and morally grey and while Addison was more relatable and sympathetic, she was also an anti-heroine. They were all were very intriguing but none of them were really likable, which made for some interesting situations. The twists and turns in this book are mind bending. It ends with a shocking finale that left me stunned. Overall, this is a must-read for fans of domestic thrillers and psychological suspense.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow Publications for the #gifted ARC!

Rating: 3.5⭐️

This book was... a lot. It sounded really interesting and I'm always down for a good "did the second wife do it" kind of thing. I also really love Darby Kane so I figured what could go wrong, right?

And a lot of this book was good. Addison was an excellent MC and there were times in which I couldn't figure out how she was going to get out of the pickle she found herself in. She has stepchildren that are hard to read, the first wife, who is totally crazy (at least according to Addison), and the cops are breathing down her back. I definitely love a woman that can hustle and I truly wanted to believe that she wasn't the one that killed her husband.

Towards the end, things got a smidge out of control and I found myself skimming through the final pages to get to the end. Nonetheless, this was a fun read that you may just enjoy.

Addison's husband Richmond is dead and their marriage is a sham, but she didn't kill him. She wanted to, though. So who beat her to it?

What the Wife Knew follows a young wife of a prominent surgeon in an uppity New England town who recently married only months prior - now her husband has "fallen down the stairs". She has a tight alibi, but everyone thinks she did it, including Richmond's ex-wife Kathryn. When strange threatening notes start showing up, followed by a break-in, Addison will wonder who knows her secrets and is trying to take her out also.

I give this book 3.5 stars. I liked the premise but the twists were ridiculous and kept changing over and over again. And a twist would be revealed and then it would be overexplained. I prefer books that show and don't tell. Lots of plot holes but overall, it was enjoyable except for maybe the last 50 pages.

2.5 ⭐️ As far as thrillers go, I think this one would best be described as a slow-burn thriller. While it started off with a bang, it quickly became very slow-moving. Lines were dropped here and there to try to build suspense, but it felt very repetitive with nothing really happening for the vast majority of the story. Even when a lot began to happen, it felt a bit forced and like too many “twists” were being attempted, making it lose the intended effect.

When Dr. Richmond Dougherty, a renowned hero and infamous tragedy survivor, dies from a mysterious fall down the stairs, everyone is quick to point the finger at his very new wife, Addison. After being married only 97 days, with Richmond experiencing multiple “accidents,” Addison looks very guilty. As law enforcement begins to investigate, multiple layers of family tragedy and years of lies begins to unravel.

Thank you to Darby Kane, William Morrow, and NetGalley for the ARC! All opinions are my own.

This was my first Darby Kane book and I'm happy I took the leap. The book starts with Dr. Dougherty's death and his new young wife is under suspicion. We find out early that she wasn't in love with him and had blackmailed him into marrying her, but she maintains her innocence in his murder.

The ending was good, and I appreciated that there weren't so many twists as have come up in some other books in the genre. The story didn't feel like it got out of control, just some good solid storytelling. I was a fan of the main character and you got to see her growth as a person and her relationship with the people around her.

I read it in a single sitting because I couldn't put it down. Overall, a fast-paced, very fun read!

Overall it was ok. A little drawn out and over the top at times but interesting, it kept my attention enough to finish.

Overall ok read

Thank you NetGalley for the copy.

This a great read until it wasn’t! I really enjoyed the start of the book but felt about half way it just went wrong! I’m not a fan of dual POV so it fell a bit flat for me.

What the Wife Knew by Darby Kane was a fun and quick read, full of twists and surprises! Our main character, Addison, was only recently married to Dr. Richmond Dougherty, a pediatric surgeon, but she is already a widow after his tragic fall down the stairs. It is obvious there was no love lost in this marriage and that it happened because Addison was holding something over her husband's head. This information would ruin his stellar reputation in their small town if released.

My favorite thing about this book was the main character Addison. The book is mostly told from her POV, with just a few short entries from her husband. She is smart, funny, and does not suffer fools...snarky, as others have said in their reviews, but in the best way. I loved her dialogue and the development of her character over the passing of the story.

This is a fast-paced small-town, twisty domestic thriller and I enjoyed every moment!

I rate it a most enjoyable 4 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley, Darby Kane, and William Morrow for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Complex family dynamics, drama, and murder. What else could you ask for out of a book? Some of this was predictable, but so much of it was not! Thoroughly entertaining!

What a surprise hit! This book is The Last Mrs Parrish meets murder mystery and I loved every second of it. Addison has been raised to complete one goal: ruin Richmond’s life. The first step is blackmailing him into marrying her. When Richmond is killed soon after, all fingers point to Addison. She hates him, but didn’t kill him. So who did?

This book is fast paced and the shorter chapters kept the story moving. The twists were plentiful and I will definitely be reading more from Darby Kane!

This was a fun read! I enjoyed the dual POV. I found one of the twists at the end to be super disturbing and unnecessary so that was a bummer.