THE LIAR’S WIFE
By Samantha Hayes
The Liar’s Wife starts as an interesting, yet typical kind of thriller – single young woman Ella leads a simple life, is involved in an accident, then wakes up in a hospital with a stranger claiming to be her husband. The story doesn’t stay typical for long. We find out that the husband is no stranger, yet we don’t really know who he is. What we do know is that there’s something very, very wrong and that there are many secrets and lies wrapped around Ella, her husband Jacob, and their past.
Suspense builds in the novel even as aggravations with the storyline occur – WHY doesn’t she get help from the neighbors when she has the opportunity? WHY didn’t she tell the nurses to keep Jacob away from her? We know something devastating happened in the past that Jacob is threatening her with, but is being silent really worth the cost? And the baby situation – seriously?
With several twists and turns and a red herring or two tossed in to keep things confusing, the story builds to a wild ending that I barely and only partially figured out right before it is shared in the book. I’m not sure how realistic the overall story is, but it was fascinating enough to keep me hanging on until the very end. Great suspense throughout and all in all, a gripping story.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookoutre for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Reviewed December 2018
House of Black and Blue 