Dear Wife

Written by Kimberly Belle

Published by Park Row, June 25, 2019

My star rating – 4 stars

THE SYNOPSIS:

Beth Murphy is on the run…
For nearly a year, Beth has been planning for this day. A day some people might call any other Wednesday, but Beth prefers to see it as her new beginning–one with a new look, new name and new city. Beth has given her plan significant thought, because one small slip and her violent husband will find her.

Sabine Hardison is missing…
A couple hundred miles away, Jeffrey returns home from a work trip to find his wife, Sabine, is missing. Wherever she is, she’s taken almost nothing with her. Her abandoned car is the only evidence the police have, and all signs point to foul play.

As the police search for leads, the case becomes more and more convoluted. Sabine’s carefully laid plans for her future indicate trouble at home, and a husband who would be better off with her gone. The detective on the case will stop at nothing to find out what happened and bring this missing woman home. Where is Sabine? And who is Beth? The only thing that’s certain is that someone is lying and the truth won’t stay buried for long. Find it on Goodreads

MY REVIEW:

This book completely caught me off guard! I don’t hide the fact that mysteries, especially ones involving a crime and a detective, aren’t my thing. But there was just something about the synopsis that caught my attention. I’m so glad that I gave this one a shot! It had me reading faster than normal because I just HAD to know what was going on!

This book is told from the perspective of three people. Beth, who is on the run from her abusive husband, Jefferey, who’s wife Sabine has gone missing, and Marcus, who is the lead investigator in the case of missing Sabine. I really enjoyed how this was done! Beth’s character was probably my favourite though. She has an abusive husband (oh my, the things that he did to her was just heartbreaking!) and had worked for MONTHS in preparation for her escape. She thought of literally everything!! It was amazing to follow her along her journey as she set trails going one way, while she went the other. We were with her as she purchased fake identification, changed her appearance, and many other things I never would have thought of if I was to run away. Apparently I’d be caught quick! Jeffery was an interesting one. I spend the vast majority of his chapters bouncing back and forth between sympathizing and accusing. His perspective was really well written! He wasn’t a great person, but he never admitted he was. He admitted that there were some problems in his marriage with Sabine, but he still loved her. I actually wish there was more of him because he was so polarizing! And then there’s Marcus. His perspective was probably the shortest so I felt that I didn’t understand him as much. We did follow him as he pieced the life of Sabine together, and talked to potential suspects. All of this happening while we wonder how these people could possibly connect…..

As much as I enjoyed Beth’s perspective, I also questioned her at times. She was a VERY determined person! After spending years being beaten down mentally and physically, she gained enough courage to escape her husband. She put up with him for months as she slowly gained the courage and gathered what she needed for a getaway. The thing about her that I questioned is that she seemed a little too strong for a person being beaten down for so long. I’ve never been in this situation so I can’t even begin to speculate how a person should act, but she seemed very strong and aggressive once she got away. Yes, she was still hesitant to trust (obviously), but I guess I expected her to seem a little more afraid than she was.

Another thing that this book did well was the “husband did it” assumption. Jeffery was immediately suspected in the case of his missing wife. Even he came to terms with that only hours after he realized that she was missing. He knew that he wasn’t the greatest person ever, so he would be torn down a peg or two along the way, no matter how much he loved his wife. I think that it was interesting reading a book where the husband is an immediate suspect is actually acknowledged, instead of using it as a surprising plot direction that no one finds surprising.

Literally my only problem with this book – the ending. Ok, the ending was good! But it was just so quick! As soon as the pieces of the puzzle came together, it was over and done with within 2 chapters. Those were two fantastic chapters, don’t get me wrong, but I wish that it was prolonged a bit and explained more! Instead of continuing to drown me in the details of the escape and missing women, drown me in the details of how it all went down! It was really interesting and it was just over in the blink of an eye. Give me more!

All in all, this was a really fast read that would be perfect for the summer and the beach! It’s so easy to lose yourself in the details and the running, you won’t want to stop!

Thank you so much to Harper Collins Canada and Park Row for the chance to read this in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own and are uninfluenced.

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Until next time, happy reading!