Addison is 27 and a widow. She is the much younger second wife and her husband just dropped dead. Was the death suspicious? Many people think so including the cops, the ex wife. There are many characters that we meet including Richmond’s former lawyer who lives a bit too close and Addisons Mom plays a big role. Addison grew up with a dysfunctional home life. We learn about Addison marriage and the loveless marriage based only on blackmail. This book has all the juiciness - greed, murder?, dysfunctional family relationships , oh and a suspicious murder spree that was possibly foiled based on the hero Richmond. I really enjoyed how this unfolded and wondered how it was going to all play out. I must admit I never would have predicted the ending and who dunnit and some other juicy revelations.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for providing this book, with my honest review below.

What the Wife Knew was very twisty, but had far too many twists for its own good! Getting into the mystery of Richard’s death and why his new wife, Addison, who stood to inherit everything would hate every day of her marriage so much was fascinating. What lost me a bit was the mystery and unfolding of the murderer and Addison’s own stake in it. Specifically her Mother’s role. That piece was vile, but also just a lot happening.

A great more unique thriller / mystery read but I could have lived without some of the final twists of the knife!

DK has been writing amazing novels for years and this one is just proof that they aren't going to stop making absolute mind benders anytime soon. This one for me personally had me wanting to never put it down. Everything from the characters to the mystery of it all was just amazing.

𝐈'𝐝 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐈 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐞, 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐣𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐚𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐞𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝.

I wanted my first read of April to be a really good one, but nothing was holding my interest. As soon as I read the first few pages of Darby Kane's upcoming thriller, I was hooked and knew I had found the one!

I absolutely loved Addison's character. She is the much younger replacement wife of renowned surgeon Dr. Richmond Dougherty, who is not only known for his skill in the operating room but for also being the survivor of a high school tragedy that made him a national hero. Addison has been married to Richmond for 97 days before a fall down the stairs killed him. Addison is devastated because SHE was supposed to have done the deed.

With all the dark humor reminiscent of the classic tale 𝑾𝒂𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑹𝒐𝒔𝒆𝒔, the reader will be delighted to find out why these two people who absolutely loathe each other are now bound together in supposed wedded bliss. Addison has forged the path to Richmond's demise for years, and she won't let his meddling ex Kathryn derail her from obtaining her revenge.

This was devilish good fun with plenty of twists and surprises along the way. Filled with characters you will both despise and root for, WHAT THE WIFE KNEW is a darkly comedic tale of revenge, the shift of power, and what it means to be a woman scorned. Thank you so much to William Morrow for the early copy. This title will publish December 10, 2024.

Triple wow once again! This book really gave my brain cells a workout with its hurling twists and complex dysfunctional family relationships that I needed to fully absorb. I can honestly say that this has become my favorite Darby Kane novel to date! I've enjoyed her previous works as well, and interestingly, I've never been keen on reading psychological thrillers focused on unlikable and unreliable characters. However, this time, I can make an exception because this book is just too intelligent and deliciously intriguing, even though most of the characters cannot be considered decent human beings and are mostly despicable entities disguised in human furs, including the victim, Richmond Dougherty, whose innocence becomes hard to define as his past is revealed throughout the chapters. Before reading his point of view, we already get a picture of this narcissistic, cheating, manipulative man who would go to extreme lengths to secure a win.

Now, let's delve into the main plot, which mostly revolves around Addison, only 27 years old and an unlucky widow of Dr. Richmond Dougherty, who passed away after only being married for 97 days, which felt like an eternity of entitlement. A survivor of a school shooting at a young age and hailed as a hero for saving his fellow student friends at the expense of stopping his own brother, Richmond was a shining star as a pediatric surgeon, with everyone singing his praises. When he leaves his longtime wife, Kathryn, to marry his younger wife, Addison, nobody blames him except the second wife, who may have been manipulated into a forged marriage. After his death under suspicious circumstances, questions arise within the community, loyal to Richmond and his first wife Kathryn, who has deep connections in society and the police squad. Kathryn plays the martyr card from the beginning, pointing fingers at the second wife as a person of interest.

Addison knows two things for sure: she despises Richmond Dougherty, whom she was forced to marry as part of a revenge plan that turned into a dangerous cat-and-mouse game until the end, and she is not the person who killed him.

She is also certain of two more things: she must find the killer before the biased police officers, influenced by Kathryn's statements, throw her behind bars, and she must carry out her plan to tarnish Richmond Dougherty's reputation. But how can she accomplish this dangerous task when Richmond's enemies are closing in to take a piece of him, and someone is obviously targeting her to silence the secrets she knows? Everyone in town wants to see her fail, including Richmond's ex-wife and two elder kids. And another opponent decides to reveal herself, making things even more complicated, as this person is so close to her and may have already ruined her life, leaving Addison with compromised options and the feeling of being trapped in her own inherited mansion.

Overall, this is a smart, riveting page-turner, filled with a web of lies, scheming, and twists that you never see coming. Every character in this book harbors big secrets and hidden agendas, and nobody can be trusted. While you may have questions about Addison's past as a con artist at the beginning, as you learn more about her tragic history, you understand her motivations, and she becomes the only character you may root for amidst the rest of them committing jaw-droppingly despicable acts that would make any decent human being cringe.

I'm awarding this book 5 stars, even though the characters completely irritated me, because the pacing, cohesion, and conclusion of the book were executed perfectly. I truly enjoyed every bit of it.

Many thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for providing me with this addictive thriller's digital review copy in exchange for my honest opinions.

I am obsessed with Darby Kane’s thrillers. The mystery and the intrigue and the unexpected twists leaving me guessing in a really enjoyable way. What The Wife Knew is no exception!

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced digital copy.