What the wife knew by Darby Kane

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for this advance reader copy!

This book had me at chapter one wondering how the author will weave this web of past and present. Chaotic and cryptic, as I flew through the throng on chapters it faded as the story pushed on. I loved the initial hook and propensity of the story but it honestly kept me saying What in the world.

I was engulfed in the story as it unfolded and I was constantly watching the secrets and lies getting whiplash from the crazy!

What a wild ride!!

Thank you William Morrow / Harper Collins for early access to this psychological thriller.

Details were important in the book. Being written in a non-linear timeline with multi-person point of view. The past had a big part of what drove this book. And do you think people are truthful when a murder is committed?

This book starts out like no other suspense I’ve read. People normally don’t say they want to kill their husband. But the new, young wife does and she has a baseball bat.

Her name is Addison, not only is she young but beautiful. Addison manipulates the wealthy doctor into leaving his wife and marrying her. But why? No one knows? Dr Richmond Dougherty, well respected and highly regarded pediatric surgeon, who has numerous accolades and awards. Not to mention a hero who saved classmates during a school shooting. But is there something Addison knows? Is he everything they say he is?

So, when the great Dr ends up murdered there is a lot of speculation. New wife? He has money. Old wife? Bitter divorce. Children? Angry over the whole situation. Unhappy patient? What don’t we know?

I liked how there were so many possibilities to solving this crime. It wasn’t simple and obvious. The characters were spelled out for you. They were built as the book progressed and they had layers.

Mystery/suspense plots can be obvious but I appreciate when you have to pay attention to all details and read to the very end. in my opinion, those are the best ones.

You are here because you LOVE LOVE LOVE Twisty domestic thrillers. In the thrillers, the wife is always downtrodden and pitied early on.

NOT HERE! Darby Kane has taken this trope and flipped over and over and over to make a fantastic, sharp and zippy thriller that will leave you with your mouth wide open!

Dr. Richmond Dougherty is a surgeon. Rich, white, beloved community member and still known as a hero from a school shooting when he was a student. When he dies from a fall, all eyes are on his very unlikeable new wife Addison. Who is Addison, why did he abruptly marry her (leaving his wife of 20 years). Did she kill him?

Nothing is what it seems but Kane makes it believable and presents characters that are interesting and complicated. She is a go-to for me and she should be for you! Grab your wine, turn off your phone and open this book!
#williammorrow #whatthewifeknew #darbykane

This book had a fast pace and rather abrupt, quite direct writing. It wasn't terribly appealing to me. Just a basic read. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance reader copy.

*What the Wife Knew* by Darby Kane starts strong with a twisty, page-turning plot that kept me hooked. The quick pacing was a plus, but the story eventually spiraled into too many directions. Unfortunately, the characters and their motivations fell flat for me, leading to a disappointing finish. Overall, it’s a 2-star read.

What the Wife Knew tells the story of Addison Dougherty, widow of a renowned pediatric surgeon. Unfortunately, due to a few suspicious accidents prior to his death, everyone believes Addison is the killer.

Addison knows Richard’s secrets, and even though he is dead they continue to haunt her. When she becomes the next target, she knows she has to find out who is the real killer. Before it’s too late.

I have enjoyed Darcy Kane books in the past, and get this one read easily and was interesting as well. She is definitely good at writing the unhinged character! I rate this book 4 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and provide an honest review of What the Wife Knew. I will share this review on Goodreads.

I was all in when the book first started - fast past and engaging, making the reader want to figure things out. Then towards the middle it just got really slow and I was ready to be done

The twist at the end was a twist for sure, but also twisted and not necessarily in a good way. Wasn't for me

I’m not really sure where to begin with this review. There are so many twist and turns with this book that it had my head spinning.

When Addison’s new husband ends up dead the whole town thinks she is to blame especially Richmond’s ex-wife Kathryn. Someone is trying to frame her and she needs to figure out who before it is too late. There are plenty of people with motive, but all eyes are on her.

What are you wiling to do for money? This book is full of examples of how far some people would go for money. There are manipulative parents, abusive relationships, revenge plots and much more. You will find yourself trying to figure out who did it half way through the book, but the information you find out at the end I was a twist I did not see coming.

This was my first book from this author would definitely read another. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fine mystery novel but it didn’t blow me away.

Thank you to the publisher for a Netgalley of this one.

Darby Kane gave us an absolute page turner. Addison and her husband, Richmond, clearly do not like each other. And we find out why in pieces.

What I really enjoyed is how there were a few times I was wrong, but also a few times I was right. I felt compelled to put the pieces together and get to find out what the wife knew!

Addison finds her new husband, renowned pediatric surgeon, Richmond Dougherty, dead. Someone got to him before she did.

I was excited about the plot for this one but it fell flat for me. I had a struggle trying to get through it. There were too many characters introduced, too many twists, and too many moments when I thought “huh what is going on now.” I will try more of this author’s works but this one just was not for me.

“We both know that some secrets are both too dangerous to share and too big to hide… without help.”

What the Wife Knew comes out 12/10.

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

I love revenge stories and the premise sounded like it was right up my alley.

When esteemed pediatric surgeon Richmond Dougherty is found dead, his very young, attractive second wife is the #1 suspect.

Except Addison didn't do it and now it looks like whoever did kill her despicable husband has their sights set on Addison.

The first quarter of the narrative moved smoothly despite all the typical tropes found in these genres:

Addison is a pretty young woman with a traumatic upbringing who has learned to survive by using her wits and street smarts.

Richmond Dougherty is a disgusting, arrogant, egotistical a**hole and his first wife isn't quite likable either.

I read mostly mysteries/thrillers so I wasn't surprised by all the 'twists' and revelations since I guessed most of them.

I've noticed most thrillers tend to do this to readers; throw every silly and ridiculous twist plus the kitchen sink at you.

But it lands poorly, at least for me, because as each twist unfolds, I find it more and more difficult to suspend disbelief.

There's very little suspense or urgency; we get nothing but scenes of mouthy dialogue like an episode of The Real Housewives of New York.

Even the flashbacks become mundane, Addison and Richmond trying to outdo the other and see who gets the last word.

There are plenty of red herrings and subplots like the malpractice suit that are meant to distract the reader (or pad the word count, you decide.)

Also, I couldn't understand why Addison would allow people to keep walking in and out of her home?

At the end, it was comical when people kept walking in and out, info dumping and interrupting the 'showdown' between Addison and Kathryn.

I wanted to like this more but when it turned into a Lifetime drama reality show, I abandoned all hope.

This book fell very flat for me because all of the characters were unlikeable. It was not a fun read.

Loved this book! I’ve read the author’s other books but I think this one may be my favorite. Thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for the ARC!

NetGalley Review — my rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

"What the Wife Knew" by Darby Kane is a WILDDDDD ride. WOW.

Addison sets up Richmond under the guise that she's got dirt on his darkest secret. What does she want? Marriage and the money that comes with it. Now what exactly does the wife know?

Holy yah. That was a good one. Lots of twists and turns that kept going until the very end. I really enjoyed it and Kane will always be a must read for me.

Parts of it took some getting into which is why I couldn't give it a 5 but, yah, def a 4.55555 because man, it was good.

Big thanks to @williammorrowbooks for the ARC! This one comes out December 2024 so stay tuned!

#netgalley #whatthewifeknew #darbykane #arc

This was my second book by Darby Kane and I had high hopes when I started this one... and Kane soared right over those hopes! This book was so good! It left me wanting more after each chapter, i definitely read passed my bedtime on this one.

This one started off very strong and before I knew it, I was halfway through the book. My biggest issue with this book is how it went completely off the rails in the last 25%, especially since it didn't need to. The twists caused the story to go in a really bizarre direction and I felt like I had whiplash from page to page. Similarly, I think too much additional plot lines and red herrings were introduced that were never followed through which was especially disappointing giving the very serious themes.

A minor sidenote - but I couldn't understand why Addison kept allowing those people in her house. The final "reveal" scene was written very strangely... I kept expecting more because of how non-bothered every character was acting but nothing ever came from that.

This one was a miss for me. The story did not capture my attention, and it ended up being too far fetched. And I was not able to connect or care about the characters. I wish I had liked it more!

Thank you very much to NetGalley and William Morrow for the advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Yet another propulsive twist fest from Kane. Another read in one sitting.

Addison just married Richmond. It wasn’t for love. It was more for revenge. Now Richmond is dead and everyone is coming for Addison…except she really didn’t kill him. But now someone is trying to make her the prime suspect and they will make sure she dies before anyone can realize she’s innocent.

I have a new Kane favorite! This was a dangerously exciting thriller full of twisted dysfunction, WTF! secrets and evil lies that will keep you guessing and craving more as you fly through the pages. I can't think of one negative comment. This book was pure perfection and completely irresistible to put down. It was well-written, incredibly enjoyable, and I loved all of the characters...even the ones that you're supposed to hate. Tension and the need to know more enveloped me like a wet blanket while I chewed off all of fingernails waiting for the reveal. I loved every minute of it, and I think most readers will, too. I highly recommend it to everyone!

Thank you to William Morrow for granting me early digital access in exchange for my honest review!