From the bestselling author of Girl Last Seen comes “a spine-tingler” (Booklist) of a psychological suspense, perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell and Jessica Knoll. Local police have announced that they’re closing the investigation of the suspected drowning of 37-year-old painter Colleen Westcott. She disappeared on April 11, 2010, and her car was found parked near the waterfront in Cleveland two … was found parked near the waterfront in Cleveland two days later, but her body has never been found. The chief of police has stated that no concrete evidence of foul play has been discovered in the probe.
I close the online search window, annoyed. These articles never have enough detail. They think my husband’s first wife disappeared or they think she is dead. There’s a big difference.
My phone rings, jarring me away from my thoughts, and when I pick it up, it’s an unknown number. The only answer to my slightly breathless hello is empty static.
When the voice does finally come, it’s female, low, muffled somehow. “Where is it, Claire? What did you do with it? Tell me where it is.”
A woman. A real flesh-and-blood woman on the other end of the phone. She’s not just in my head.
A wave of panic spreads under my skin like ice water. It’s Colleen.
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The Starter Wife was a captivating novel! I enjoyed the underlying story behind the scenes. Claire is married to Professor Byron Westcott who is a lot older than her. His first wife Colleen died by suicide years ago. Claire tries to maintain their perfect marriage, but at the same time he never stopped loving Colleen. Claire can’t get over her jealousy of Colleen. Mysterious things start to happen to Claire as she starts losing control.
Just when I think I have this story figured out it throws another wrench in the mix. A story of a love so strong that nothing or no one will stand in its way. A woman so bent on having her perfect life, perfect husband that she will do anything to achieve it. Nothing is going to stop Claire from what she truly believes is hers. Hers to do with as she sees fit. Hers to attain at any and all cost.
Claire fell so in love with Byron Westcott that she lost all reasoning. All common sense. She was young and dumb for sure. She completely redid her life for him. She went from being a dowdy teen to being a ver good looking young woman with a college education on top of it.
Byron Westcott loved only Colleen. Colleen was his world. His entire existence. His reason for being. He would have done anything for her. They had a love that was meant to last a lifetime. But it was not to be. Colleen went missing and that almost destroyed Byron. No body was ever found and it was presumed she committed suicide. Byron will always mourn Colleen even when he finally moves on to a life with Claire. But will things be good between them. Will he be faithful to her? Will she be enough to help him get over his loss?
This book is one that has so many twists and turns you may get lost. You may think things are heading in one direction and find out you was so far off base that you are totally shocked. I sure was. I thought I had things figured out. I really did. I was so wrong. This book is full of some very shocking twists and turns but it will keep you wanting more. You will want to know what happens next. You will want to know what exactly happened to who and why. Each time you think you have it something else will happen. To the very end you will wonder…
Who is Claire. What happened to Colleen. Who is Byron and what has he done. Who is who and what is happening. I really enjoyed reading this book. It sure kept me on the edge of my seat for almost two days. It’s a great psychological thriller. It’s one I highly recommend to anyone that loves a book with many twists and turns.
The characters are likable in a love/hate kind of way. Each one playing the part beautifully. This author was new to me and I definitely look forward to reading more of her books. This is a page turner for sure.
Thank you to #NetGalley, #Grand Central Publishing for the ARC of this book. This is my complete and honest review.
A big 5 stars. I loved it.
Well, shucks…I was hoping to love this book as much as Woman Alone, but the story felt a little forced. There was just too much of a long twist for me to fully understand what was really happening in the end. I loved to hate Claire and Byron, but I also felt that outside of the twisted story-line that something was missing to connect me closer to the characters. Halfway through I second guessed Claire’s motivation, which hindered my connection to the story. But, I’m looking forward to reading another books by Ms. Laurin.
I was hooked from the first page of this book. Wife, Colleen, mysterious “disappears” and years later, the husband, Byron, is remarried, but clearly still loves the first wife. Did the husband kill Colleen May or did she really commit suicide? Claire, the new wife, does some strange things, like faking her identity at a fertility clinic so she can have a baby. She starts asking questions about the disappearance of the first wife. This story is told from Claire’s perspective and a the perspective of the “stalker” who is obsessed with Byron.
This book was very confusing. It is told in 2 parts, the first being Claire, the second Tracy. Claire and Byron are married. She is much younger than Byron, and his second wife. His first wife, Colleen, died earlier – a suspected suicide, although her body was never found. Someone is obsessing about Byron, and you get the sense that something sinister is going to happen to Claire. But, you are being deceived!
I won’t put spoilers here, but I wasn’t entirely convinced about this storyline. While I understand that obsession is real, this novel set to confuse and to blur the voices.
#TheStarterWife #NinaLaurin
Claire Westcott is crazy as a betsy bug. Maybe that’s a spoiler, although truthfully, it’s not hard to figure out. She is not least bit sympathetic, nor is her husband. Her longing and worship of college professor Byron leaves the scratching their head and wondering why. That’s not a criticism of the book. Hating these two people works to move the story along. Is he a serial philanderer? Is she slowly losing her tiny little mind? Do they deserve each other? All that and more keep the pages turning.
There are a couple hiccups. The emails from the titular starter wife and observations of the stalker did not work for me. That is strictly opinion, and not a criticism of the book. On the whole, the book ties up everything in a satisfying if not compelling ending.
Personally, I love a crazy narrator. If nothing else it makes me, in my bipolar glory, feel like I am navigating the world with amazing normalcy. Claire reminds of one of those lizards that goes nuts and starts running around and pooping everywhere. She is deliciously unhinged. Watching her decline is like watching the woman your husband dumped you for get fat. It’s like the universe setting everything right.
Don’t take my word for it. Pick up a copy of The Starter Wife and watch the train wreck unfold. It’s great for beach reading or a weekend of avoiding responsibility. You will emerge with a feeling of accomplishment, secure in the knowledge that a boring, ordinary life is not such a bad thing after all.
Nina Laurin. author of Girl Last Seen and What My Sister Knew, employs plot twists, surprising developments, and misdirection to maximum effect to compel The Starter Wife forward as readers try to discern the difference between reality and her unreliable lead character’s imagination.
Colleen Westcott’s disappearance has never been fully solved. Was it murder? Suicide? Or is she still alive, but missing? Her body has never been recovered. Claire Westcott is married to Colleen’s husband, Byron, a professor of literature at the same small college where Colleen also taught. Bryon was, of course, a person of interest in the investigation into Colleen’s death, but no charges were ever brought against him. Claire and Byron began dating five years ago after they met at an alumni event. Claire had been one of his students. They married after a whirlwind courtship, and Claire is supposed to be writing a book while Byron is teaching, but the rejections from publishers are numerous and continuing to arrive.
Through a first-person narrative, Claire describes her life with Byron and what it’s like to live in the shadow of his presumably dead first wife. Her paintings hang on virtually every wall of the house she shares with Byron — the one in which he resided with Colleen. The same furniture fills the home, including their bedroom. Claire relates, “Colleen may have died but she never left.” Their attempts to have a child have not been successful, Claire is drinking far too much, and it appears that Byron has lost interest in and patience with her. He is spending more and more time away from home, and when he’s there, he’s distant. Claire suspects that he is having an affair with one of his students.
Against that backdrop, in addition to receiving a telephone call that Claire is convinced is from Colleen, she receives an email that simply disappears from her in-box. Desperate to hold onto Byron and their marriage, Claire becomes determined to solve the mystery of Colleen’s disappearance. She also follows the young coed with whom she thinks Byron has been unfaithful, and confides in one of his colleagues. But when she proposes and tries to lure him into an elaborate scheme to obtain hormone treatments in an unhinged attempt to conceive a child, the colleague is understandably alarmed and bolts. A narrative from an unidentified third party, addressing Byron, appears to be the voice of someone stalking Claire. Who is she?
Laurin keeps readers off-balance as she takes them on an uncomfortable journey into Claire’s thoughts. Claire struggles with self-doubt related to body image and her failure to succeed as a writer, in addition to the stress of living with a husband who seems to have never gotten past his first wife’s disappearance. Is Claire merely a stand-in wife to Byron? Or does he really love her, but is emotionally unable to fully move forward with his life after the trauma of losing his first wife? Since Byron is obviously damaged and unable to fully commit himself to their marriage, why is Claire so obsessed with him and hellbent on staying in the relationship?
Whether Claire is a victim or a very disturbed villain is unclear until her estranged sister arrives, and the truth about Claire’s past is gradually revealed. From that juncture, the book’s pace accelerates and the story races to an explosive conclusion.
Laurin distinguishes herself in a crowded field of female authors publishing psychological thrillers. Although none of Laurin’s characters are particularly likable, each is fascinating in her/her own right, and The Starter Wife is entertaining. She clearly enjoys presenting a fact with certainty, only to insert doubt a few chapters later, and employs that technique expertly in this story. Right up to the end of the book, in fact, which readers should not be surprised to find mired in ambiguity and intertwined in the sly commentary Laurin injects about social media through the depiction of chatter among Byron’s students on an internet forum. The Starter Wife is an excellent choice for a summer afternoon read by the pool or on the beach, as well as a book club discussion.
Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader’s Copy of the book.
Claire Wescott is married to Byron, a professor at a liberal arts college in Ohio. She’s his second wife and is starting to question if his change in behavior towards her means something…is it a sign that he’s seeing someone else. Claire thinks a baby will be the answer though she’s got fertility issues. As she pursues that direction, she’s also trying to figure out if there’s a “who” responsible for his distraction.
From the start, I knew I was dealing with an unreliable narrator because Claire has some serious issues! And, the prologue introduces someone, anonymous, who’s always in the background and I was never quite sure where to place her…past or present, good or evil, real or imagined. Then there’s Colleen, Byron’s first wife, who has a large presence in the story. She disappeared years ago, presumed dead by suicide. The narrative is Claire’s and it’s an uncomfortable place to be in as she grapples with self doubt, body image issues and her writing failures. I didn’t like her very much though I had empathy for her situation. I went back and forth about Byron because I only had Claire’s point of view.
Because of my struggles with Claire, I had mixed feelings about this story. I had a hard time resuming reading after breaks because I didn’t want to be back in her head. But, there came a point where things shifted and it became a seriously intriguing puzzle I had to solve. I got there but was still surprised by one final twist. I’m glad I hung in there because being off balance is part of the story’s allure. If you don’t get hung up on how you feel about the narrator, you’ll appreciate the journey and the payoff. I’m still thinking about that ending. 3.5 stars
(Thanks to NetGalley for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.)
I’ve read other, better books by Nina Laurin, but can still recommend this one. It wasn’t my favorite and I had difficulty with the characters. The two main characters were just not people I could like. I found myself wanting to be rid of them….
But the ride you go on with The Starter Wife is a good one, keeping you guessing and hoping you know what will happen.
If you like unreliable narrators, a whodunit wrapped in psychological thriller clothing, then you will enjoy The Starter Wife.
Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and author for approving me for an ARC. The thoughts in my review, as always, are my own and freely given.
First I would like to thank Nina for sending me an ARC copy of The Starter Wife in exchange for an honest review.
A psychological thriller for sure! Claire, Byron’s second wife, is dealing with some internal conflict regarding Byron and his attachment to his deceased wife. Claire begins to questions Byron’s faith in their marriage and fears their marriage may be in trouble.
Claire goes to certain lengths to try and make Byron happy all while looking deeper into Byron’s late wife’s death.
I’m not sure if the WOW moment towards the end was slightly predictable or not, but it was definitely a WOW moment for me.
The story was a well written story that creatively included modern day communications via emails and texts within the narration.
You can read my full review at the PlumReport book blog:)
With it’s puzzling and absorbing story line, The Starter Wife is certain to have readers captivated from beginning to end! The moment I cracked the cover on this one I felt like I was being taken for a ride, nothing was as it seemed, and every time I thought I had a grasp on what was happening, the words would creep up on me and leave me baffled all over again. This domestic thriller is downright unsettling, I found it hard to trust the characters, and anything they had to say… they all had me doubting myself at every turn!
Once again Ms. Laurin has not only left me impressed with her words, but also taken me on a thrilling literary ride that I won’t forget anytime soon! I highly recommend you add this one to you summer reading list, it’s a mind-twisting little page-turner guaranteed to have you on edge the whole way through!
I requested an advanced copy of this title from the publisher, and I am voluntarily leaving my honest opinion.
THE STARTER WIFE is the most difficult book I’ve ever tried to rate, so I settled for three stars. I think it’s one of those books one has to judge for oneself. I don’t wish to say much about the plot or it would be all spoilers. I had to scrap almost every note I had written for my review because of the humongous plot twist. One detail had not escaped my notice, I should have put two and two together, and I didn’t, so I guess I’m partly to blame, but the exceedingly disagreeable characters distracted me. Most of them were so unlikable, except for Chrissy, Derek, and Sarah Sterns, I read “angry” until almost the very end. It was a satisfying and logical conclusion, I might add.
THE STARTER WIFE is, I suppose, the ultimate in unreliable narrators, but I don’t believe I had ever read a book where I hated every main character. I guess in the end it was well done, but I didn’t enjoy it. If the author hadn’t made me hate everyone, it would have been different. I think the fact that it was all written in first person POV contributed to why I disliked the characters and failed to connect with them. I felt I had been manipulated by the author, and not in a good way. I really didn’t care about what happened to the characters, but I kept reading because I wanted to know how it ended. Still, it’s a miserable feeling when you have no one to like, no one you care for, no one to cheer on throughout an entire book. I’ve read books about sociopaths and psychopaths where I didn’t wish for their swift demise as I did here.
The writing itself is excellent, and although there are some inconsistencies and contradictions, there aren’t any typos, which is highly commendable. However, I think there was an error in a significant date, the only one written in numbers. I found THE STARTER WIFE an extremely frustrating, confusing, and “feel-bad” book. It was so unpleasant (here’s that word again), but I guess it was clever and I wasn’t in this case! I will probably read other books by Nina Laurin, because she is very talented.
I only had the preview for reading.
4.5 stars because I do enjoy it and want to know more, to read the whole book as it is very interesting and kept me on the edge from the beginning. It might start off as some similar books in the genre but I love to read new stories because each one has that different element that makes it bright.