In What the Wife Knew, author Darby Kane introduces Addison, a woman whose husband, Richmond, is murdered—an event she finds upsetting only because she didn’t get the chance to do it herself. Through a mix of flashbacks and present-day events, readers uncover the dark dynamics of their marriage and the manipulative games that drove Addison to despise him. As she digs into the truth behind his death, Addison faces scrutiny from the police, tension with Richmond’s family, and ominous threats from an unknown harasser.

While the premise is intriguing, the story’s pacing feels off-balance. The early sections move slowly, making it difficult to stay fully engaged, and some of Addison’s choices seem out of place given the high stakes of it all. That said, the second half brings a solid dose of tension and unexpected reveals, making the journey worthwhile for those willing to stick with it.

What the Wife Knew is a thriller with a compelling concept and some standout twists, but it’s held back by a sluggish start and inconsistent character decisions. If you enjoy slow-burning mysteries with a big finish, this one might be for you.

Thank you to William Morrow for my free review copy.

Started out strong but then so drawn out. The twists were good but man it seemed to drag on. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

3 stars

I enjoyed this read, but the pace seemed slower that her previous novels. Overall, it was a good story, but if I were to recommend a Darby Kane book, it wouldn't be this one.

Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read an early copy of this book. Book was fine, really good if you like the genre! I would read more from this author.

Addison has married Richmond, even thought it’s the very last thing she wanted to do. At her mother’s insistence she had to do it in the name of revenge. Though she really doesn’t understand why the need for revenge she always ends up doing her mother’s bidding. Hopefully she will be able to live through this and maybe even end up ahead of the game for the first time in her life. However, ex-wife Katheryn doesn’t know want to see that happen.

The last Kane book wasn’t my favorite, but this one is reminiscent of what I love about Kane’s writing. There was just enough suspense to keep things interesting.

Addison’s husband was murdered, but she’s only upset about it because she wanted to do it herself. We know from the beginning that Addison hated Richmond Dougherty, but the book slowly reveals the truth through flashbacks: why she married him, and why she hated him, and the twisted mind games they played during their short marriage. And in the present, Addison delves into the mystery of who killed her hated husband, while handling suspicion from police and Richmond’s family and dealing with an unknown person harassing her.

I had a hard time really getting invested in this one, and I found the pacing to be uneven. It dragged in places, which isn’t what you want from a thriller. I also occasionally found Addison’s behavior odd or unbelievable considering the circumstances <spoiler> (why was finding the bat not a higher priority for her? She had DAYS to find the thing.) </spoiler> Once it really got going, it was pretty good, with some unexpected twists in store, but it took way longer to get to that point than I would have liked.

CW: Harassment, gaslighting, spousal abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse, verbal abuse, mind games, misogyny, psychopathic character, entitled behavior

Easy, quick domestic thriller. Wife is trying to figure out who tried to kill her husband twice before succeeding. She was the one who was supposed to do it. Seemed like an interesting plot, but I felt it wasn't executed very well. Way too many characters.

3.5⭐️

This was a slow start for me, but once it got going good- it was full of twists, turns and dysfunctional family relationships! Every character in this book harbors secrets and hidden agendas- no one can be trusted! Although the characters are quite unlikable, the roller coaster ride this story took me on was very entertaining.
If you are a fan of psychological thrillers with unexpected turns and tons of family drama, you will love What The Wife Knew!

I've been a fan of Darby Kane books for a few years now, so I was thrilled when I got the opportunity to read and review this title from Netgalley. I was even more thrilled because I was not disappointed at all. This book was fast paced and kept me thoroughly engaged from the first page to the last. Every single character was flawed, with even the most liked being in a morally grey area and it worked so well with the plot and pacing of the book. As far as Darby Kane books go, this title is definitely one at the top of the list. I look forward to recommending this to other mystery readers.

Wow another page turner by Darby Kane. It was fast paced and I loved it. The only things I will say that made it a 4 star instead of a 5 star is that the characters were a little unlikeable and some of it felt as though it couldn't actually be true. But, go into it knowing these two things and I believe you will love it.

Thanks to William Morrow and Netgalley for the ARC of this book.

I'm honestly unsure how to feel about this particular novel. I feel as though this book could have had a great storyline but there was so much to it that the "wow factors" started to not "wow" and kind of became a "another surprise....?" The characters were pretty cringy and I did not like a single one. The story was written well, but I feel as though it could have been done better with less of the "wow factor".

𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: 3.75⭐️
𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: mystery/thriller 📚

𝙼𝚢 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜:
I enjoyed this one but honestly none of it really felt believable

𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
dysfunctional family relationship
unlikable characters
cat and mouse games
lies on lies
revenge plots
all the suspense
domestic thrillers

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚍:
the plot was unique
The suspense made me not want put the book down

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗’𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛:
too twisty at the end
got a little repetitive

Wow, I REALLY enjoyed this new thriller from Darby Kane! There are a lot of twists, but they all make sense rather than feeling forced or completely out of left field, as some thrillers can be prone to doing. I really enjoyed the main character, Addison, and her growth throughout the story. All of the characters felt dynamic and real. They were complicated, much like people in everyday life are, and that was refreshing, as lately I have read too many books with one-note characters. The ending, while a bit predictable, still comes together in a way that is engaging and will keep you guessing who is responsible for which acts. I highly recommend this for a quick, fun thriller with a little more depth than the usual Frieda M book offers.

Great pace, and a stay-up-until-I-finish book. I enjoyed not knowing who the true villain of the story was and just watching it unfold.

I really liked this book! I read it one day. The twists were really great. The mom's reveals at the ending annoyed me a little but otherwise a fantastic read

WOW!! This book kept me turning the pages. So many people wanted pediatric surgeon, Richmond Doughterty dead, including his ex wife, current wife plus many more. Many times I thought I had it all figured out but then another twist happens. I kept me guessing until the end, oh to have so many enemies! What a ending I must say, I highly recommend.

Thank you Harper Collins and Darby Kane for an advance copy of What the Wife Knew. As a Pulse influencer, I had the opportunity to give this domestic thriller a go before its December release.

The story gives you a little bit of everything: a scorned ex-wife, stepchildren caught in the middle, toxic relationships, old money, a whodunnit and more. This one was a slow burn, but had several twists that I did not see coming. I wish the ending didn’t feel so rushed, but overall, a solid 4-star thriller to add to your TBR for later this year or early 2025!

Thank you for allowing me to read this book as an ARC.
The book felt a little slow in the beginning but then it took off. I loved the different perspectives and the protagonist became very likeable as the story moved along. The book was well written and built upon each chapter. The chapters allowed the main characters to develop as the story moved along and made it more interesting. I flew through this book and absolutely loved it. I never saw the twist coming either, it was a great surprise at the end! Darby Kane wrote his best book yet!

This was a slow burn until the last 25% where it got to the point where my head hurt from all the twists, but it worked.

Wow wow wow. I just sat down and read this in one shot. I still can’t believe the ending I read. I wish there would be a follow up to figure out where all of the kids lives go from here. This book was phenomal. I can’t wait to read the author’s next book.