Book review: The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

If this sounds like the stock ingredients for another classic tale of scorned wife hell-bent on revenge, then think again because this intriguing, thrilling, mind-bending collaboration between authors Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen will keep you guessing to the very last page.

This stunning story of unreliable narrators and chilling secrets – a gripping, psychological thriller with film rights already sold to the creators of The Girl On the Train – unfolds on a veritable snakes-and-ladders board of twists, turns and trickery.

A love triangle like no other you will have witnessed, The Wife Between Us moves along at a rate of knots and will defy every expectation you may have about jealous wife novels, confound every assumption you make about the characters’ motives, and knock you for six when the truth is finally revealed.

When Vanessa met successful Manhattan hedge fund manager Richard, they fell deeply in love and were married for seven years. He was orderly, attentive and caring, and she adored him until he left her for another woman, someone younger, more desirable and a carbon copy of how Vanessa used to be.

Vanessa now lives in a small apartment with her boozy aunt, works in a department store and spends her days immersed in painful memories, trying to decipher how it all went so wrong. Of course, she isn’t blameless because she was never the woman Richard thought she was.

Meanwhile, Nellie is now engaged to Richard, nine years older than herself and the man of her dreams. He’s charismatic and accomplished, and provides her with the security she has always craved.

But as their wedding draws closer, Nellie starts receiving unnerving, anonymous phone calls and can’t shake off the feeling that someone is not just watching her but following her wherever she goes.

No one knows the truth about what really happens within a marriage, even a seemingly happy one, but Vanessa is certain of one thing… she will do whatever it takes to stop Richard’s wedding before it’s too late.

Hendricks and Pekkanen expose the complexities of what appears to be an enviable marriage as they explore themes of friendship, obsession and passion in a veritable whirlwind of shocking revelations and hidden secrets.

But what impresses most is the sheer entertainment value as readers try to read between the lines of a multi-layered, multi-character narrative, work through the intriguing sub-plots, and then second guess what’s really happening before racing through to the final reveal.

Chilling, thrilling and devilishly clever, The Wife Between Us is a tasty treat!

(Macmillan, hardback, £12.99)