The Stranger's Wife

The Stranger's Wife is a riveting psychological thriller with a surprise ending. It is the 3rd book in the Detective Dan Riley Series, a police procedural mystery. It reads easily as a stand alone novel and is the first book that I have read in the series. It was published on January 16, 2020.

Beth and Cath are leaving their husbands. One is wealthy and having an affair with a man who gives her the kind of love that her cold, detached husband does not. One is living hand to mouth, suffering at the hands of a violent partner who would rather see her dead than leave him. You may think you know these women already and how their lives will unfold.  Beth will live happily ever after with her little girl and her soulmate. Cath will go back to her abusive husband and these two women will never cross paths.  But you will be wrong.  On the 3:15 p.m. train from London to Bristol, Beth and Cath are about to meet and discover they share one shocking thing in common.

A clever plot and suspenseful writing make this novel a page turner.  I read it in about two and a half hours and loved every bit of it.  I thought that is was a pretty good read until I got to the ending.  I was not prepared for how the plot was resolved and was pleasantly surprised by how the loose ends were woven together.  The story alternates between the point of view of Beth, Cath and Dan Riley. Cath's story did not take off until the midway point but was essential to the plot.

This was a relaxing read and I am putting the earlier two novels in the series on my TBR list.  5 out of 5 stars.