This book can be reviewed in two halves. The first one had me somewhat intrigued yet questioning where this was going. Somewhat messy and not defined, when you reach 50% of the book, it takes speed, and the story starts to make more sense. While some parts move fast, in the second half, others last forever. Some parts of the story still don't add up; even when the book keeps you interested until the end, some areas are still open for interpretation. I do not regret reading this book because it does deserve flowers for a story that keeps you engaged. I think that it needed some editing, yet the story is good the characters are all complex and have many layers. Family complexity does not start to describe it.

This is a story of the ultimate in sick manipulation and greed by Lizzy, Richmond and Richmond’s ex-wife. I admired Addison for not turning out like her mother but I thought she was far too generous toward her at the end. There was little doubt in my mind who killed Richmond but the story was told in such a way as to keep you glued to page after page until the end. It is the ultimate in psychological thrillers!
4.5 Stars

What did I just read? WHAT THE WIFE KNEW is a brilliantly crafted thriller with twists, turns, and perfectly placed bombshell reveals. Kane nailed it with this book.

There wasn’t one minute while reading or listening to this book that I wasn’t hooked. The characters weren’t surface-level. There were layers and complexities to them, which allowed the story to propel forward. Addison and her husband are just the first in a full cast of characters to pull you in. Then you have the way the author unraveled the mystery through the dual perspective and the moving back and forth in time. This could have gotten muddled or caused the momentum to slow down, but it didn’t. Every chapter that flew by as I was reading informed the current day situation and kept me on the edge of my seat clamoring for more.

Darby Kane, you have a brand-new fan. I cannot wait to read your next book and some of your previous ones. Bring on the juicy domestic thrillers!

Audiobook Note: Narrators Helen Laser and Andrew Eiden brought to life this book. The inflections, pace, and dual perspectives were spot on. The time I spent listening to Kane’s novel was absolutely enjoyable.

Addison married her husband 90 days ago and now he’s dead and she’s a rich widow. Addison hated her late husband Richard and wanted him dead but she didn’t kill him. She’s being framed and she wants to figure out who did this.

I wasn’t a fan of this one. Addison is extremely unlikeable. She married Richard to blackmail him for past transgressions. The problem is everyone in this book is unlikeable. It was really hard to connect with any of the characters or care who killed Richard.

Thank you to netgalley for a copy of this book.

Wow! If you are looking for a fun whodunnit, look no further! Did the new wife want her husband dead? Heck yes, she did. Did she unsuccessfully try to kill him those two times? Nope. Did she succeed in killing him the last time? Again, a big NO! But someone did. Darby Kane is the queen of domestic thrillers as far as I'm concerned, and this did not disappoint!!

Sordid.
Neurotic.
Sadistic.
Calculating.
Devious.
Demented.
Selfish.
Arrogant.
All those words describe the characters in this novel. My eyebrows were raised so high I thought they were permanently arched!
I kept wondering what DID the wife know? That depends on which wife you’re referring.
It’s truly twisted and a good read!

Addison is determined to destroy Dr. Richmond Dougherty's perfect life. First step marry him, check. Second step reveal his secrets......oops he fell down the stairs and died. However, Addison swears she didn't kill him, but the cops think she did. Addison is determined to still destroy Richmond's life, but all the secrets surrounding Richmond, his practice, his ex-wife, and kids all start to unravel.

I enjoyed the twist and turns of this book and never knew what was coming next. The family drama and ex-wife got to be a little much for me at times, but otherwise I really enjoyed this book and couldn't wait to see what wild thing was going to happen next.

Thank you Darby Kane, William Morrow, and NetGalley for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Darby Kane does it again! A page turning mystery that leaves your jaw on the floor!!

Addison is the second wife to the great hero Richard Dougherty, but nothing is as it seems. Richard and Addison both have secrets they are keeping but when Richard winds up dead, whose secrets will spill first?

The first line in this book drew me in. By the end of the first chapter I was hooked. Some of this book was a little predictable but made me second guess myself up until the very end!

Thank you netgalley for a ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

DNF. This book from the start was hard for me to get into. I gave it 100 pages before I decided that it wasn't the book for me.

Pediatric surgeon Richmond Dougherty has survived tragedy before, but this time is different. He’s found dead at the bottom of the stairs. People in his life immediately suspect the woman he married a mere 97 days ago, Addison, who now finds herself with quite the sum of money. Addison finds herself pitted against Dr. Dougherty’s first wife as the investigation presses on amid increased pressure. When Addison starts receiving threats, she vows to forge on with her plan. Will law enforcement unravel this mystery in time?

This was a bingeable story that I found to be pretty well-paced. There was quite a bit going on, and twists as far as the eye could see. We have a full cast of unlikeable characters and rich people with hidden agendas. Give this one a try if you enjoy revenge plots and a sarcastic main character. There were one or two too many twists for me, but overall it was an engaging and quick read.

Thank you to Darby Kane, William Morrow, and NetGalley for the advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

5 stars! Great read! Loved every minute!!! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. Why a thriller! I read it in one sitting! And am making it our book club pick for April! 3 people, lots of drama, and tons of secrets.

This was a surprisingly thrilling domestic thriller, and I really enjoyed it! It’s packed with manipulation, revenge, and plenty of twists and turns. The short chapters make it so binge-worthy, you could easily finish it in a day!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! Another page turner from Darby Kane! This book was full of suspense and twists and turns and had me on the edge of my seat pretty much right from the start. Just when I'd think I had things figured out, a huge twists would be thrown in leaving my jaw dropped. I don't even know how to give a better synopsis beyond what is already provided by the publisher without giving spoilers because there were so many plot twists. I would have given this five stars if I hadn't correctly figured out a few of the mysteries in this one a bit before they were fully revealed.

If you want to cancel all your plans and get lost in a book, this is the one for you! Such a great read and I can't wait for her next book!

I would like to thank NetGalley and William Morrow for providing me with an advance e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review. Look for it now in your local and online bookstores and libraries.

As romance readers we inevitably get sad when an author jumps ship to a different sub genre or another genre entirely. What we rarely talk about is when an author jumps ship to another genre and is really, really good at it. Case in point, HelenKay Dimon, who has written romances I've enjoyed but whose work writing thrillers under the name Darby Kane are just next level. What the Wife Knew is one of those books that starts with the author mashing her foot on the accelerator and not taking the pressure off until the final page. I'd been dragging my feet on starting it, but once I did? I didn't come up for air.
Dr. Richmond Dougherty was a national hero, survivor of an unspeakable tragedy as a teenager and now a renowned, celebrated pediatric surgeon. He is also now very much dead, thanks to an "accidental fall" in his opulent home in Rye, New York. Local suspicion immediately falls on his younger, mysterious and pretty second wife, Addison. They were married less than 100 days before his death and she kicked society mainstay Wife #1, along with their two teenaged children, to the curb. The irony being that if people knew the truth about Addison she'd look more guilty, not less. What nobody knows about their marriage? It was a ruse. Richmond had secrets, the kind of dark, damaging secrets that would ruin the carefully constructed farce that was his life. Addison somehow knows all his secrets and blackmails him into a marriage in order to utterly destroy him. Someone killing him throws a wrench in her plans and now the unimaginative police are looking her way.

This story employs one of my least favorite suspense writing tics, that of the non-linear timeline, but Kane makes it work and milks it for maximum effect. The majority of the story is told from Addison's point of view, but we do get a few chapters of Richmond which further fleshes out what a sack of human garbage he was. Kane also employs short, snappy chapters and it succeeds in keeping the reader invested and off-balance for the majority of the book. What did Addison know, when did she know it, how are all the players involved in this very messy drama connected to the final outcome of Dr. Dougherty?

Despite him being dead, Richmond's paragon of virtue reputation is still very much alive and Addison, while somewhat thrown off balance by his death, still has her mission to dismantle the whole web of lies. Leading the charge to stop her is Wife #1, Kathryn, his two surly kids, various town residents siding with the influence of Wife #1 and the partners in Richmond's medical practice. The only person who might be on her side is her husband's former lawyer, and really - can she trust him? The gated home she shared with Richmond soon becomes a revolving door of unwanted visitors hurling accusations and then the threats start arriving - You Will Pay. Addison still has plans for Richmond, dead or not, but it certainly seems like someone else has plans for her - namely to pin a murder she didn't commit to her chest.

The whole affair thrums along at a fast clip and while the ending devolves a bit into One Shocking Reveal After Another!, did I mind? Reader, I did not. Thrillers are called thrillers for a reason - they work for me when they're fast, furious and suck all the oxygen out of the room. Kane does that here by employing enough deadly secrets, messy family dysfunction (boy howdy!), and plenty of rich, privileged assholes getting exactly what they deserve (for a change....) to keep those pages turning. Just an all around dynamite read - start to finish.

Final Grade = A

Wow - this books sucks you in right from the start and lands you straight in the middle of the drama. I love when books start like this! I was all in for the first 60% of this book. The second half started to slow down a little for me. The characters weren't overly likable so I didn't find myself getting invested there and really rooting for anyone. And then there was twist after twist... after twist... after twist. At some point, I felt like that became too much. If you are someone who loves domestic thrillers and wants to constantly be on the edge of your seat - this is a book for you!

I had high hopes for "What the Wife Knew"--a whodunnit thriller about the mysterious death of a rich doctor with several possible suspects. Unfortunately, the story ends up convoluted and too far-fetched for my tastes.

Book: What the Wife Knew
Author: Darby Kane
Format: Digital
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Review Score: ⭐️⭐️1/2 (rounded down)

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!