This book starts out with a bang! I was hooked right away, but then it was twist, after twist, after twist. So much that my head was spinning and at the end it took me a minute to decompress. It’s not really a “believable” story as it’s outlandish, but if you are into twists get this one now! It was just a little OTT for me! Liked her others better.

TW: mentions of school shooting.

This was my first read by Darby Kane. I was interested to read this book because I saw so many good reviews of one of her previous books - Pretty Little Wife.

I love a book about rich people behaving badly. This one was no exception. The main character has entered into a marriage with ulterior motives. We are not sure what she hopes to get out of it and we chip away as we go through the book. When the husband turns up dead, his new wife is the number one suspect. In order to clear her own name, she must try to find his killer. The book is told in multiple perspectives and timelines. I enjoyed the book and the ending was different than I anticipated. My one critique was that at times, I had trouble keeping straight which chapters were from each perspective.

This book kept me hooked from start to finish. STRONGLY recommend that you give it a read!

When Adison married Dr. Richmond Dougherty, a beloved surgeon and hometown hero, she had every intention of making his life miserable. Hell, she even thought she’d kill him. But when someone else beats her to it, and she is the main suspect for the murder, her world gets thrown into mass chaos.

It could be anyone: one of Richmond’s colleagues, any of the people in town who hate Addison (which is practically everybody), his ex-wife, one of their children … but figuring out whodunnit doesn’t prove to be as easy as Addison hoped.

This story has suspense, twists and turns, grand reveals, the works. You think you know how it’s going to end up, but let me tell ya … you truly have no idea. Up until the very end, Kane keeps you on your toes.

This was such a fun read! I love a good revenge story and this one did not disappoint.

Addison blackmails Richmond to marry her with the promise that she will take him down if it’s the last thing she does. She has one goal…ruin his life and take everything from him. But someone kills him first and now she is a suspect.

This was so interesting and different from anything I’ve read. I really didn’t know who was the killer as there were so many suspects in the mix. I liked how the author kept me on my toes and packed it full of action.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for my advanced e-copy in exchange for this honest review.

I'd give this 4.5 stars because I really enjoyed it.

Summary:
Jumps from past to present. Past being while Addison is married to Dr. Richmond Dougherty, which only lasted a little over three months, and present being the ongoing storyline after his murder. Don't get it twisted, Addison wanted Richmond dead, but she wasn't the one who killed him. Her devious plot by her mother that she is emotionally blackmailed into fulfilling leads to Addison marrying Richmond, through threat of her own blackmail against him, force a divorce to his current wife, taking all his money, and then ruining his reputation, then her mother would come in and make Richmond disappear. Well, her plan does not go according to plan because Addison finds Richmond dead at the bottom of the stairs before she was able to follow through. His ex-wife is nothing but skeptical and continuously is blaming Addison for his murder. She's insufferable, to be frank. Her son, is not much better but her daughter, is an alright kid. Addison is threatened, attacked, and her mother resurfaces causing a whirlwind of more drama to continue.


Feedback:
I read the whole book but I didn't totally understand what the blackmail that Addison's mother had against her. All I understood was that she killed someone with a knife as a child and her mother covered it up. However, I don't believe it was ever fully explained what happened there. If it was, it wasn't memorable enough for me to recall it now.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC opportunity!

Wow. This book was so well written, and the twists never stopped. Not until the very end.

I clocked who killed him pretty early on, but i think that was the point. But there was alot i never saw coming. Her mother’s involvement and how she was connected? Did not see that. Kathryn’s involvement? I didnt know it got that deep.

This book gives you so many twists and turns and ia exactly what i want from a good mystery thriller!

I absolutely loved this one! Darby Kane is one of my fav go to authors and they did not disappoint! I loved how twisted and attention grabbing this book was. The book sucked me in at the very beginning and had me hooked until the very end. Highly recommend this one!!

The opening scene of this book was very intriguing and left me hooked on wanting to know who was who and who did what. I really enjoyed the development of characters and appreciated how unlikeable some were. I appreciate when an author makes me feel anything, including dislike, as it shows good writing and allows me to discover different perspectives. I also appreciated that the storyline was different from many others in the same genre and found the twists to be a fun and unexpected ride.

4.5 Stars. Another exciting read. I was hooked from the beginning. The author kept my attention. Twists that I didn't see coming.

If you want a fast paced, edge of your seat psychological thriller, this is it! You all know I love quick short chapters, multiple POVs and alternating timelines and this one has it ALL! You couldn’t trust anyone is this book, it kept me guessing until the end and I loved it.

This was a book that I didn’t want to put down and was reading every chance I could get. This is definitely one to pre-order or put on your holiday wishlist!

I highly recommend this one, it was such a fun ride! Thank you to Darby Kane and William Morrow Books and NetGalley for the early copy of this one!

Woah!!!

The twists and turns in the book are so good. Once you figure one thing out another crazy thing happens.

Addison married Richmond using blackmail to do what she wanted. She planned to kill him. She comes home and finds him dead. Everyone thinks she did it. Only, she didn’t. The books details the investigation and other things that happen to catch Richmond’s actual murderer. I had figured out who actually did it pretty early on but the other twists were so good.

Darby Kane doesn’t disappoint.

There is so much going on in this book, I’m not sure where to start.
First there’s Richmond Dougherty, a narcissistic pediatric surgeon with a deep dark past. As we learn more about his past, it becomes evident that more than a few people would have motive to kill him. However, the main suspect in his murder is the main character and newest Mrs.Dougherty , Addison. From there the story unfolds and becomes more and more unbelievable while simultaneously dragging on. I really tried to like this one, but there was too much going on. It did remind me of the movie Heartbreakers.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was amazing. The timeline was done exceptionally well. I was cheering for the hero in the book as well as saying "what are you doing don't trust them!?". Really did not see that ending coming and wow what a roller coaster of emotions. I absolutely love books like this one. Bravo!

I want to thank the author and netgalley for allowing me to read this early.

This book started off very strong. It was an enjoyable read but just could not keep my attention throughout. Some of the twists were predictable but it was an easy read. I also enjoyed the dual point of views. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the EARC
3.5 stars

This is a well done domestic thriller done with multiple points of view. The mystery is entertaining, with a lot of twists that will keep you guessing. Many of the characters are not particularly likeable, their morals written in many shades of gray, but that works with the story. I read the book quickly, as I was very invested in finding out the secrets and lies!

I love domestic thrillers and What the Wife knew did not disappoint! I liked the multiple timelines and I loved our feisty main character. I thought the plot line was fun and enjoyed all the twists along the way. I flew through this and thoroughly enjoyed it, and don’t want to say anything that may give it away. Although it’s not nice to say, it sounded like her husband definitely reaped what he sowed. This was my first from Darby Kane but I will certainly be back for more. Many thanks William Morrow books for my eARC. What the Wife Knew will be published December 10th.

“They weren’t totally wrong. I wanted to kill him. Someone beat me to it.”

What the Wife Knew by Darby Kane is a creative domestic thriller where the husband wasn’t the hero everyone thought he was – and the new wife knew and was planning to take him down for it. But Addison wanted revenge, not necessarily for him to die, though she isn’t disappointed with the outcome. Unfortunately, being the new, much younger wife, it appears that Addison has been set up for his murder. And dealing with Richmond’s perfect ex-wife, and his two children, now is proving its own problems for Addison. The truth is you can never actually escape your past, and what happens when it all catches up to you?

There was A LOT going on in this novel with a lot of twists and turns as well. I’m not sure if any of the characters were actually likable, and the storyline from the past was a stretch. As an attorney, I kept worrying that Richmond’s attorney had a conflict of interest representing Addison (yes, conflicts can be waived but Richmond is now dead) but I enjoyed the attorney the most in this book!

I think this is worth the read to find out “What the Wife Knew!” Because let’s be clear, it’s a doozy! If I could convince someone to marry me based simply on what I knew to keep me quiet – I think that speaks volumes – though probably not a safe relationship! This book kept my attention and was a fast read. I liked the new approach to a psychological thriller but felt like there was just something out of reach, missing here. The book peaked in the middle at 5-stars, but then couldn’t keep up the suspense and momentum (the original Mrs. Dougherty is a little much).

This was my first book by Kane and I will be definitely reading Pretty Little Wife. As a trial attorney myself, I love how this author is now pursuing her dream of writing – and I hope to do the same someday! I would recommend this novel and after the book I read immediately prior to this one - this one was a breath of fresh air - 3.6 stars rounded up!

Thank you to NetGalley for this crazy domestic mystery arc! All opinions are my own!

“YOU WILL PAY.”

The tagline on the cover, “Who Murdered the Husband She Planned to Kill?,” succinctly sums up this thriller. “She” is 27 year old newlywed Addison; “the Husband” is 44 year old pediatric surgeon (and sociopathic narcissist) Dr. Richmond Dougherty.

The timeline jumps around, but we know immediately that Dr.Dougherty died in an “accident” after quickly divorcing Kathryn and marrying Addison 97 days ago. We also know through Addison’s flashbacks that their marriage was built on a blackmail of some sorts and Addison knows that the incident that made Richmond a local hero, a school shooting when he was 18, wasn’t what it seemed. We also know that even though Addison has her own nasty plans, someone else beat her to unalive-ing her snake of a husband.

The first person POVs are limited to Addison and, at the halfway point, we get the doomed doctor’s POV. Having the main protagonist be a morally gray character can be often off-putting, but in this case Addison is almost a saint among the horrible people that surround her. Elias, her lawyer, is ethically conflicted, as well, and it’s hard to determine whose side he’s on, but he grows on you, too. The author has the skill to get us to actually root for Addison early on as we learn more about her background and all the toxic family relationships that surround her. The ending was thought-provoking and thrilling. 5 stars!

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): NO Eye colors are not really mentioned.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO But autumn mums in heavy decorative pots have other purposes.

Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for a free advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

I got to listen to Darby Kane speak on a panel last year at the Las Vegas book festival and she was funny, entertaining, and fascinating - I loved hearing her talk about her process and how she came up with ideas for some of her books.

So I’ve been trying to read more of her work this year and plan to continue into next year. If you are looking for a fun thriller, I highly recommend this or any Darby Kane novel!! She’s definitely an author you should check out if you haven’t already!

Darby Kane’s novel, “What the Wife Knew”, follows 27-year old Addison, newly wed but also newly widowed. The story starts off with a bang, absorbing the reader into Addisons scheme of blackmailing millionaire Richmond Dougherty, and the following investigation into his murder. While Addison planned to be the one responsible for his demise, someone has beat her to it, but who?
There were facets of this story that were entertaining and I was curious to find out the end game, but overall, the characters were quite terrible people (with the exception of Portia) and I found the explanation of the whole sequence of events to be drawn out and a bit outlandish.
Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow publishing for an advanced reader copy of “What the Wife Knew” in exchange for an honest review. - 2.5 stars