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Title: Missing Wife

Author: Sam Carrington

Publishing Date: 25 June

Summary:

Missing Wife is a psychological thriller. Louisa is a new (unplanned) mum at 40. Emily is her teenage daughter. Brian, her husband is busy with his work. With, tiredness and sleep deprivation engulfing her Louisa feels she’s losing control over life. To make things better (or worse) Tiff (her best friend) and Brian throw a surprise fortieth birthday party. That night, that party changes everything for her. It brings a man from her past, Oliver and a dark secret along with it. The secret is so strong that might push her over the edge. What happens next is inconceivable by her. It throws her life in a complete spiral.

Will she lose her sanity and her memories or will she lose everything?

My take on the book:

The theme revolves around guilt, betrayal, and revenge. When these are mixed, it can become a dangerous concoction.

There’s isn’t much before the party. There’s story development and giving a backdrop to Louisa’s memory loss. The story moves from days in the weeks, sometimes in the mornings or in the evenings (am/pm style). There’s an air of suspense that lends a direction towards the party. This makes up around first 20-30% of the book.

After the party, the Louisa doesn’t much remember of it, so that’s one part of the mystery and but there’s another mystery that branches out from it. And starts intertwining as it progresses. The ending comes as a surprise and leaves the reader startled.

This is my first book by Sam Carrington. I enjoyed the style and writing of the author. Intricate details of the surroundings and the house was food for the imagination. I admired the way the author wrapped up the mysteries at the end.

With the story and the climax getting full marks, the characters slumped. They didn’t get enough space to breathe. Louisa, Tiff, Oliver, and Brian are the major figures. But Brian and Oliver were more of support roles. They did not have enough depth for me to empathise. Brian is Emily’s father but there’s seldom any interaction registered between them. The story had the potential to explore Oliver’s part but wasn’t unexplored. The reason being, the book wasn’t from Louisa’s PoV, it was,  it was a third-person narration. But while reading the book I felt I was reading from her PoV. So Louisa and Tiff (somewhat) got space but no one else. That’s the downside of the book even though it had huge potential.

Regardless, I loved the author’s style and the mystery and has intrigued me enough to buy her other books.

For this one though I will rate it 3 stars.

Thanks, NetGalley and Avon book for giving me a free copy of the book in exchange for my honest review of the book.