This twisty and smart domestic thriller will give you a shock that has everyone talking at The Pulse!

Dr. Dougherty, a celebrated surgeon and survivor of a national tragedy, is found dead after a fall. Whispers turn into accusations as suspicion falls on his widow, Addison. Their whirlwind marriage lasted only 97 days, marked by two "accidents" that seem anything but. As the spotlight intensifies and the town divides, Addison remains undeterred.

Driven to expose the truth about Richmond, she finds herself targeted. A chilling message scrawled on her wall reads: "You will pay." But Addison won't back down. Her plan to expose Richmond may have been disrupted by his death, but she's determined to finish what she started.

This book had me glued to the pages. I raced through it, loving the sharp wit of Addison. The story cleverly flips between Her and Him chapters and also switches between timelines, revealing a past shrouded in secrets. This fast-paced, shocking story will keep you guessing until the very end. Dive in and see what everyone's talking about!

Thank you William Morrow for the ARC!

Another wicked domestic thriller by Kane. I am always up for her books.

When a successful pediatric surgeon dies from falling down the stairs, his newest wife Addison is under suspicion. After all, they had only been married ninety-seven days. Now Addison has a nice home and bank account. Number one problem is she is UPSET, because she wanted him dead.

Dr. Dougherty’s ex wife Kathryn suspects Addison, she is determined to get back what she deserves.
Both these women have something to lose, so its no surprise they don’t get along and are determined to get what they want, no matter the cost.
This is a nail-biter and one I won’t forget soon. Their marriage is NOT what it seems and this one makes it so fun as you discover what is really going on.

Dr. Richmond Dougherty is a renowned pediatric surgeon, an infamous tragedy survivor, and a national hero. He’s also very dead—thanks to a fall down the stairs. His neighbors angrily point a finger at the newest Ms. Dougherty, Addison. The sudden marriage to the mysterious young woman only lasted ninety-seven days, and he’d had two suspicious “accidents” during that time. Now Addison is a very rich widow! Good book! This book had suspense, intrigue, action, murder, mystery, and a few crazy twists and turns! The storyline was very interesting and kept me glued to my kindle! I definitely recommend reading this book! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for an ARC of this book! There were times I could not put it down. The twists had me wanting more. I will be purchasing this and recommending it at my library! Thank you again! I cannot wait for the next book by Darby Kane!

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for an ARC of What the Wife Knew.

Halfway through I thought for sure this was going to be a 5 star read. It jumps right into the middle of the action, I really liked the main character, and the plot was very unique! After that point, though, things really went downhill. Ultimately, there were just too many minor characters whose story lines didn't contribute to the bigger picture, and the two big reveals at the end felt unimaginative and a bit lazy. So much potential but this didn't quite deliver for me.

3 stars.

Summary: Addison is a newlywed…and now a widow. Her husband, Richmond Dougherty, was a celebrated surgeon who changed lives and made millions. Richmond Dougherty was also a liar and a nasty piece of work who was trying to kill Addison. Now he is dead and Detective Sessions is focusing on Addison as his prime suspect. Addison is also public enemy number one in her wealthy suburban enclave where the ex-wife, Kathryn, is proclaiming to everyone that Addison definitely murdered him. While Addison hides out in her mansion and tries to stay off the detective’s radar, the real murderer is clearly out to get her next. Threatening messages show up and then there are the break-ins. Addison knows she needs to figure who really killed Richmond before they get to her.

Thoughts: I couldn’t help but reflect on my cosmic good fortune to be born to my parents as I read this novel. Addison is not acting in an ethical or honourable way when she seeks out and marries Richmond Dougherty, however one might argue that she had little choice given her upbringing by a narcissistic and amoral mother. The more the reader finds out about Richmond Dougherty, the more you wonder why someone didn’t kill him sooner!

Most of the novel is told from Addison’s perspective, with periodic chapters from Richmond. Many of the characters are quite unlikeable, although some are simply misunderstood. Almost to the very end, the reader is second-guessing who can be trusted. And there are great plot twists all throughout which will keep you engaged. A top-notch thriller! I loved it.

Thank you William Morrow and Darby Kane for the gifted digital ARC!

It was an honor to get to help reveal the cover of this book along with the rest of my friends at Thriller Book Lovers the Pulse. (Hereinafter referred to as Pulse Pals). This one has us all super excited and we're very grateful to William Morrow for the opportunity to read and review this early!

I feel like if you've enjoyed Kane's previous thrillers you will also have a good time with this one. It's nonstop madness from page one, and it kept me flipping pages until I figured out what everyone's secrets were.

The ending has a twist that is sure to get people talking, I won't spoil anything but suffice to say Kane *went there* with this one.

What the Wife Knew pub date is December 10!

This was a great psychological thriller by Darby Kane!

Addison is newly widowed from a man with a stellar reputation as a pediatric surgeon and a hometown hero when he was younger. She was his second wife of only a couple months before his untimely demise. She married him in a calculated revenge plot that would take this story is 100 directions!! So many twists and turns I did not see coming all the way until the last page!

Thanks to Netgalley and William Morrow books for this eArc!

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow Books for the ARC of What the Wife Knew by Darby Kane. Addison sets out on a revenge trip against Dr. Richmond Dougherty who is a well-respected and renowned surgeon. She intends to take him down and wreck his life. It is crazy from start to finish as we find out she might not be the only one after the doctor. The first 2/3 of the book was fantastic as the plot built and background details were revealed. While I was hoping for a more clever ending, this is a solid thriller, and I finished in an afternoon.

This is a great quick read but with no likeable characters. I found myself hooked and I have very enjoyed this book. From the beginning you know the husband dies but it revisits the past and does Multiple POV. It was so fascinating to learn the husbands POV and see how the characters connect. There are so many twists and shocking moments. I really wish though that there was one more likeable character. I think the personal main character was decent, but I did not necessarily root for her. I also felt that it was a bit unrealistic with how she handled the husband. I did find it so fun to read and will reread it, but this was a solid 3-3.5 for me.

Publication date: December 10th, 2024
Page number: 368
Audio length: n/a
Narrator: n/a
Genre: domestic thriller
POV: multiple
Setting: suburban home

97 days after getting married, Addison’s husband The national hero and pediatric surgeon Dr. Richmond Dougherty falls down the stairs and dies. All suspicion turns to Addison who would benefit financially, but Richmond‘a death prevented Addison from completing her plan that she had been working on for years of to ruin Richmond herself. After Richmond’s death, Addison’s safety is at risk.

The story is fast paced and would make a good beach read. It is the story of family dysfunction. All of the characters are unlikable and unreliable. There were many twists- but perhaps not all of them were needed- some of them seemed to be a distraction from the building tension.


Thank you to author, publisher, NetGalley for advanced audio copy. This is an honest voluntary review.

We’re feeling awfully lucky over here at @thrillerbookloversthepulse because we got our grubby little hands on @hkdimon’s upcoming release, 𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑾𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝑲𝒏𝒆𝒘 and lemme tell ya—Killa Kane is on the loose! (Kinda feel like that needs to catch on…anyone? Bueller? 🥴) #killakane

First off, the tone of this narrative is just spot.on. Absolute perfection. 👌🏼 Addison’s character is both devilishly entertaining and complex; you can’t help but root for her. This is how you do a revenge plot. Well done, Ms. Kane. Well. Done. 👏🏻

Many thanks to @netgalley and William Morrow for the #gifted digital review copy! 𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑾𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝑲𝒏𝒆𝒘 is out December 10, 2024!

A terrific, fast paced, very cleverly plotted mystery. I disliked the chapter headings as HIS or HER. They were off- putting in my opinion. Tell us who the chapter focuses on. The characters were overblown a bit but they fit the pulse of the novel… wild and crazy. The story was a little far fetched but enjoyable and I loved it.

Rating 3.75

This book had such potential to be 5 stars. It started out strong and immediately had me intrigued. I was thinking about all of these different outcomes and who the real murderer was. But when I got to about chapter 40 I was thinking dang, how much is left in this book? Which is never something you should be thinking about when you're only halfway through. This book has 70 chapters which is WAY too many. The author could have cut about 25 chapters and still gotten their point across. The ending didn’t feel as satisfying because by the time I got there I was just ready to be finished with this book. I also guessed the ending pretty early on so there was no shock factor for me. I do appreciate that the author tried to add in some additional twists but at a certain point it becomes too twisty and doesn’t make sense. Overall, this was a good book but the pacing goes from fast to slow and the writing can feel a bit repetitive. I would still highly recommend it.

In Darby Kane's latest domestic thriller, Addison Dougherty faces the chilling truth that someone attempted to kill her husband multiple times before ultimately succeeding—an outcome she doesn't mind. Dr. Richmond Dougherty, a renowned pediatric surgeon and local hero, meets his demise under suspicious circumstances, leaving his young widow under intense scrutiny. As accusations fly and tensions escalate, Addison remains determined to uncover Richmond's secrets, undeterred by threats against her life, as she pursues her plan to dismantle his legacy.

The characters seemed a bit stereotypical and there were perhaps a few too many obvious misdirects. But it's a quick read, you will certainly be surprised by something along the way, and fans of Freida McFadden won't be disappointed.

Thank you William Morrow and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Addison, the newest Mrs Dougherty, finds herself front and center of a murder investigation, since her dear husband, Richmond, was found at the bottom of their steps, dead. We learn that Addison is out for revenge on Richmond, that their marriage wasn’t what it seems, and we slowly learn why.

This book was told in two points of view, Addison and Richmond, both in the past and present.

I absolutely loved Pretty Little Wife and The Engagement Party, however this book fell flat for me. It was honestly underwhelming. The idea behind the book intrigued me, but the twists fell flat. There were some outlying characters in this book that I felt didn’t need to be there as their storylines seemed pointless.

The reason I gave It a 3 vs something lower is that the book did keep my attention and I did root for Addison along the way. I finished the book fairly quick, so in my eyes it wasn’t a total dud.

A complicated plot of extreme lengths some people will go to in order to exact their revenge. Addison married but not for love, not dreaming someone else is ahead of her in the revenge plot against her husband.

An improbable scenario designed to tantalize the reader. Intriguing, even shocking, to think this could be someone else’s reality.

I genuinely believe that Darby Kane is one of those authors that get better and better with each book. So many times authors find what works for them, stick tightly to that, and their books become borderline repetitive. While Kane has found her niche, her dark humor and near pitch-perfect timing shine through much more with each passing novel. This one-without a doubt- is my favorite of her books. I don't suppose I should root for Addison, but it's impossible not to.... without giving away too much, it was lovely watching her make her way ti her happy ending, even if she didn't get there the way she had originally anticipated. Addison is a smart, strong woman who came from a disastrous childhood, and like a Phoenix, she rose from the ashes and took control of her life, even if the origin of her "plan" was manipulated by her mother. I could probably go on about this book for much longer, but at this point it appears I'm writing my own novel.... let's just sum this up by saying that I'll definitely by recommending this to ALL readers, and I'll obviously be waiting with bated breath for future novels written by Darby Kane.

This novel brings to light what people will do for money. A mentally abusive mother, unloving marriage, and being accused of murder puts the protagonist fending for herself. It's a thriller that doesn't lack in twists.
I rate it 3.5 stars (rounded up to 4). The protagonist seemed to repeat her thoughts a lot in regards to her mother's manipulation and the twists became a little much for me. I'd still recommend to others looking for a quick thriller to read.
Thanks to the publishers for an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Darby Kane's latest novel, "What the Wife Knew" is one of her best books to date. Domestic suspense thriller at it's very best. Quick, great read.