I really enjoyed this domestic suspense/psychological thriller! The pacing was spot-on, and I was hooked from start to finish. While I did find a few twists a bit predictable, there were still plenty of surprises that kept me guessing. The suspense and tension kept me engaged throughout, and I loved considering all of the possibilities along the way. The exploration of trust, deception, and manipulation within a marriage was a key highlight. I enjoyed Addison’s cynical and sarcastic nature. Her snippiness really added to the story in my opinion.

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲:
🔪 Clever whodunnits
🗺️ Extensive revenge plots
💁🏻‍♀️ Sarcastic, witty FMCs
🪢 Twisted, dysfunctional families
🎤 Dual POV and alternating timelines
💵 Rich people behaving badly
🚫 Unlikeable characters

A solid read for anyone who loves domestic thrillers with a bit of mystery! I appreciated its suspenseful and fast-paced nature. Highly recommend to fans of the genre.

This is really a fun thriller- whodunit type book. I stayed interested and thought I knew what the twist was and was over here patting myself on the back for guessing right until 97% and it was WRONG. I enjoyed reading this book.

Thanks Netgalley for the earc!

This was such an interesting story! There were so many twists I felt like I had whiplash. This story
Kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. As someone who has some rough relationships with my parents, I appreciated the inclusion of a not so picture perfect parent-child dynamic. Some of those elements felt very relatable. I look forward to the next Darby Kane book.

I am so grateful I was able to take a chance and read What the Wife Knew early thanks to NetGalley!
I love the many suspenseful aspects of this book, yet there was a moment, about 60% in, that it felt a bit too dramatic. *gasp* I don't usually feel that, but I think it went on a bit too long as the answers began to come through. While we were learning the pieces to the puzzle, things got wild, then wilder, then even more outlandish...it went off the rails a bit for me, and drew too far away from the original story and the first half of the book that drew me in.
Overall, it is a fun, SUPER twisty read! It is a fast read with a wild ride, and fun from start to finish!

Darby Kane creates an interesting main character forced into marrying a man so her mother can get revenge. It's a novel I devoured as it engages you with so many twists and turns. Addison must navigate the family drama of the man she marries and her dysfunctional mother. As the past and the present come together all the questions are answered. I did not predict the ending and am left to contemplate how Addison will continue her journey and keep her secrets. A fun fast mystery that I would recommend to anyone.

I loved this book, it was a new author so I was highly interested in reading this for sure. It did take me a bit longer due to some other reasons. But I am overall satisfied. I am looking forward to seeing what other books will be published by Darby Kane as well. This book is an absolute must read thriller!

✨ The Vibes ✨
Luckiest Girl Alive meets The Last Mrs. Parrish

📖 Read if…
✨ You love domestic suspense
✨ You’re looking for a twist you won’t be able to guess
✨ You like snarky characters

Darby Kane has been one of my favorite domestic suspense writers since I devoured Pretty Little Wife back in 2020. Since then, she’s become my go-to for when I need a story full of snarky characters that will keep me entertained until the very last page.

This is one of those books that’s hard to discuss without giving anything away, but what you need to know is a husband is dead after his wife attempted to kill him. The only thing is she’s not the one who killed him. From there, buckle up because the story gets wild and goes places I never expected.

One thing I love about Kane’s thrillers is how sassy and snarky her characters are. It’s so fun to be in their heads as they work through the mystery themselves, and I really enjoyed the character of Addison. She had a bite to her that made you root for her (even when she was doing some pretty questionable things), and having her POV as the main one really moved the story forward. I’d absolutely recommend this to anyone who’s looking for a new domestic thriller!

What the Wife Knew is available now. Thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book started off really good but then I lost interest. I found things weren’t that believable , I also had higher expectations for a thriller . It seemed like things were getting dragged on. Thank you William Morrow Paperbacks and NetGalley for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I love Darby Kane so much, and What the Wife Knew just might be my new favorite by her! I have read every book she has written under this pseudonym as well as Moorewood Family Rules under her real name, and this one took the cake. I kind of loved that each chapter is labeled as her or him, and jumping between the past and present kept suspense and tension high. The twists made my jaw hit the floor, especially the big finale, and I don’t think I saw a single one coming.

The audiobook is narrated by Helen Laser & Andrew Eiden and both of them had fantastic narration. I was completely sold on them as Addison and Richmond, and I would highly recommend listening to the audiobook any day. It kept me even more engrossed in the storyline and I didn’t want to put it down for even a minute. I ❤ domestic thrillers and this was both captivating and twisty as hell. I also didn’t notice any repetition as I had in Kane’s last book which was a win for me in itself.

Read this if you love family drama with lots of snark, books that you can’t help but want to binge, and truly despicable characters.

I read this in under 24 hours. I was hooked from the funeral scene. Wow. Highly recommend for mystery fans!

Meet Dr. Richmond Dougherty he’s not only a renowned pediatric surgeon, but also an infamous tragedy survivor, and a national hero and now he’s dead! Only married for ninety-seven days it’s not looking good for the SECOND Mrs. Dougherty, Addison, you see before his death of falling down the stairs , he had also experienced TWO other suspicious “accidents”. Now Addison is an extremely wealthy widow, and she’s left wondering who killed him, because she had plans of completing the job herself, and now someone beat her to it and has left clues to set her up for the murder. Dr. Richmond had left his longtime wife, Kathryn, to marry younger Addison so the town had already hated her and now with his death Kathryn is playing the martyr. Addison is certain of two things: she must find the killer before the police officers are influenced by Kathryn's statements, and throw her behind bars, and she must carry out her plan to tarnish Richmond Dougherty's reputation all before the real killer completes their mission. This was a twisted cat and mouse game and I loved it!!

Y'all! Why was this book so good? I've been struggling to read since the beginning of the year, I've started many books but not finished a single one. The same can't be said for WHAT THE WIFE KNEW. I actually stayed up waaaaay past my bed time finishing this and I finished a mere 7 hours after I started reading.

This MC? I fucking love her. Right off the bat we start at a funeral scene that was just *chef's kiss* perfection. The opening line was an instant A+++ that immediately made me go "daaaaamn girl." and I knew I was hooked. The other characters here, while not nearly as loveable (save for a few) were very well done. The people we were supposed to hate? We hated them. And boy were there plenty of those to go around?

The thing about this book is that it never went too far with it's twists and turns, ya know? Everything was logical, nothing was so outlandish that it threw you for a loop, but the plot reveals were so so good that I was just eating it up with a spoon.

Such a fantastic read to be my first finished book of the year!

3.5
I was so excited to receive an e-arc of this book! I enjoyed it overall, there were some great twists. Some of it was a bit predictable but I still enjoyed it. The pacing was a bit slow for me, otherwise I would have rated a bit higher.

What the Wife Knew by Darby Kane is a gripping thriller that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. The story revolves around a woman who uncovers dark secrets about her husband's past, leading to a series of shocking revelations. The plot is well-crafted, with plenty of twists and turns to keep readers guessing until the very end.

However, some readers might find the frequent time jumps a bit disorienting, as the narrative shifts between different timelines. Despite this, the book's engaging characters and suspenseful storyline make it a compelling read. If you enjoy psychological thrillers with complex plots, What the Wife Knew is definitely worth a read.

It captured my attention the entire time. It did start out slow, but it got so much better. Will read more by this author in the future!

This was a great domestic thriller. While not especially, memorable, it really was enjoyable! Easily a book you could binge if you are looking for a vacation read or quick weekend book!

The premise of this book IMMEDIATELY grabbed my attention. I didn’t mind the flashbacks, I generally enjoy dual POV, and the morally grey characters kept me turning the pages! I genuinely did not anticipate where this plot went and how things wrapped up. Fast paced, plot driven, one of the best thrillers I’ve picked up in a while!

This was a good thriller, not the best I’ve read though. I feel as thought the beginning of the book started off strong but then I feel as though it was dragging and didn’t quite hit the mark for me. This is actually my first book by this author and I would definitely give her another chance.

Rating: 5 ⭐️
Pub Date: December 10, 2024
How I Read It:📱

Synopsis

Dr. Richmond Dougherty is a renowned pediatric surgeon with a past that made him infamous and a hero. But he’s now dead after falling down the stairs. Everybody suspects his new wife, Addison, murdered him, but she didn’t; somebody got to him first. But who? Addison starts digging and finds Richmond had more skeletons in his closet than she thought and now she’s in danger too.

My Thoughts
This book was so good! The characters were not the nicest of people, but you do end up feeling bad for a few of them and even rooting for them in the end. I did like Addison’s character a lot. She was evil when she needed to be, but deep down, she was compassionate and caring. Her best personality trait though was her sarcasm; I just loved it! Everytime somebody showed up at her house, I couldn’t wait for the dialogue! There were definitely an interesting cast of characters in this book! The author had me continually guessing as to who killed Richmond, and there were a lot of added parts that kept the mystery going. All in all, I love how the mystery unfolded. I’ve loved everything I’ve read by Darby Kane, and this one, like her others, did not disappoint! If you’re looking for a good, page turning thriller or need to get out of a reading slump, grab this book!!

❗️Of Note
Death

Themes
🫣 Suspense
🔪 Murder

Ratings
Characters: 5 ⭐️
Pace: 5 ⭐️
Enjoyability: 5 ⭐️

Thank you William Morrow | William Morrow Paperbacks and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book!

What the Wife Knew by Darby Kane is a masterclass in psychological suspense and domestic intrigue. From the very first page, Kane weaves a gripping narrative full of twists, turns, and razor-sharp tension that will have you questioning everything you think you know. This book is a true page-turner, delivering unexpected thrills while also exploring complex relationships, secrets, and the lengths people will go to in order to protect themselves.

The plot centers around Holly, whose seemingly perfect marriage begins to unravel after a shocking event forces her to confront the lies and hidden truths in her life. Kane excels at keeping the reader on edge, expertly blending suspense with emotional depth as Holly navigates a web of deception and betrayal. The story keeps you guessing, with clever misdirections and shocking twists that only heighten the suspense. Each new reveal feels earned and adds another layer of complexity to the already intricate narrative.

One of the standout elements of What the Wife Knew is its character development. Holly is a deeply compelling protagonist—flawed, relatable, and brimming with emotional complexity. Her internal struggle and evolution throughout the story make her an engaging character to follow, and her actions and motivations feel authentic. The supporting characters are equally well-drawn, each playing an essential role in the unfolding mystery. Kane does a fantastic job of creating characters who keep you on your toes, making it difficult to trust anyone fully.

Kane’s writing is sharp, atmospheric, and precise, with a pacing that maintains tension throughout the book. The alternating points of view add depth and intrigue, providing insight into different characters’ perspectives while gradually unveiling the layers of the mystery. The ending is both satisfying and unexpected, delivering a shocking twist that ties the entire story together in a way that feels both believable and emotionally resonant.

What the Wife Knew is a must-read for fans of domestic thrillers. It is brilliantly written, with a plot that will keep you guessing until the very last page. The complex characters, layered suspense, and jaw-dropping twists make this an unforgettable read. If you love a book that keeps you on the edge of your seat and leaves you thinking long after you’ve turned the final page, then this is the thriller for you. Five stars all the way! I was given an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my review.