My Wife is Missing

My Wife is Missing is another great novel by Dan Palmer. When the story opened with Michael Hart finding his wife and children missing from their hotel room in New York City, I assumed that they had left of their own accord. It's the classic disappearing act one spouse does when they want a divorce. I did not think much about it but knew that it would take alot for me to give up this premise.  I was totally surprised where Palmer took the story though. As usual, he came up with an ending that shocked me.

The publisher's summary:

A family vacation turns into a nightmare for Michael Hart when he discovers his wife and two children have disappeared from their New York City hotel room. Horrified, he fears they've been kidnapped. Michael's frantic search to find them takes a shocking turn when he discovers that his wife, Natalie, appears to have left quite willingly, taking their children with her. The police want to know why, and so does Michael. But there may be a reason why Natalie ran, something Michael can't tell the police - the truth about his past.

While untangling his deceptions might be the key to locating Natalie, Michael knows it could also be his undoing. To find his wife, he must now turn to the one person capable of exposing all that he's been hiding.  Natalie thinks she has Michael all figured out and has hatched a plan to escape from him permanently. One detail, though, threatens to derail her efforts: sleep - or more accurately- the lack of it. Since the moment the shocking revelations about her husband come to light, Natalie's insomnia has worsened to the point that she now suffers from delusions.

Dan Palmer writes psychological thrillers that never disappoint. My Wife is Missing is no exception. The suspension was kicked up a notch with each chapter and the twists were creative. The story is told from the viewpoints of Michael and Natalie but also from past to present. It is also action driven as well as character driven. The reader develops a feeling early on that neither Michael nor Natalie are who they seem to be. You don't know who to believe so as the action unfolds, the suspense builds. Michael is the character who is the villain, even though he appears to be the victim of a runaway spouse. His internal thoughts characterize him as such because he tells himself that he cannot let the police find out about all his secrets. As I was reading, I wondered whether the plot line came from the news headlines. I had this in the back of my mind but to give my blog readers some of their own suspense, I won't tell you. Read it for yourself.

This may be Palmer's best book to date.  It certainly is the most suspenseful. 5 out of 5 stars.