From the author of Behind Her Eyes, Soon to be a Netflix Original Series
“‘Big Little Lies’ meets ‘Rebecca’ in Sarah Pinborough’s ‘Dead to Her,’ a saucy novel about insecure second wives dragged down by secrets [and] jealousies…” —Washington Post
For fans of Liane Moriarty, Liv Constantine and Lisa Jewell, a twisty psychological thriller about a savvy second wife who will do almost anything to … Jewell, a twisty psychological thriller about a savvy second wife who will do almost anything to come out on top from the New York Times bestselling author of Behind Her Eyes.
Marriage can be murder…
SOMETHING OLD
Marcie’s affair with Jason Maddox catapulted her into the world of the elite.
Old money, old ties, old secrets. Marcie may have married into this world—
but she’ll never be part of it.
SOMETHING NEW
Then Jason’s boss brings back a new wife from his trip to London.
Young, attractive, reckless—nobody can take their eyes off Keisha.
Including Marcie’s husband.
SOMETHING YOU CAN NEVER, EVER UNDO…
Some people would kill for the life Marcie has—what will she do to keep it?
more
“Dead to Her” by Sarah Pinborough tells a troubled story of two complicated women. They meet at a company party in Savannah, Georgia. Marcie is watching her husband Jason flirt with Keisha, the boss’s new wife and thinking about the splintering of their marriage. Kiesha is from London, and the second Mrs. William Radford IV, the new wife, the black second wife, the ravishing young wife. Pinborough unravels the tragic stories of these two women.
Marcie feels betrayed, used. And yet, she had always had a wild streak and nothing could change that. She is Jason’s second wife, and she is determined not to be beaten. She also has secrets, ones that are suddenly unraveling little by little.Keisha is worried; she is isolated, and filled with anxiety and dark muddled thinking. She had hit the jackpot with William, a rich lonely American widower, well respected, and powerful. William wants to get a new life insurance policy and change his will, but there is another legal arrangement as well; she knows when he dies she will not get everything, but she will get enough.
The plot is conversation driven. There are little society gatherings, and lunches, trips to museums, and historic cemeteries. Then, Pinborough unravels that little society world of Savannah. Everything comes tumbling down. There is a wrecked business, a troubled partnership, and missed business opportunities. Murders are attempted and murders are covered up. Co-conspirators are everywhere, and everyone has a part to play.
“Dead to Her” is a story of betrayal, unlikely alliances, buried secrets, treachery, and voodoo. I received a review copy of “Dead to Her” from Sarah Pinborough and William Morrow Publishing. There is a lot of power in a dying wish, and there are some fates worse than death.
Within minutes of opening Dead to Her you will be unsettled, charmed, riled, empowered, and aroused. Pinborough at the height of her powers.
The best book I have read in a long time. The last sentence gave me goosebumps. The ending was a twist I never expected, or should I say twists. Everyone had their own. Overall this is a fantastic book for a book club. So many peices of the puzzle to unpack.
Predictable.
Marcie Maddox and Keisha Radford are the second wives of wealthy men living in Savannah, GA. Marcie and Jason seem happily married, but Marcie starts to suspect him of having an affair.
Keisha wants William, an old man to die so she can get her hands on his fortune.
Both Marcie and Keisha have secrets buried in their past. Marcie’s first husband died, Keisha believes she is cursed and also believes in voodoo. Jason’s father had a criminal issue, and now, Jason seems to be in trouble.
This book has a lot of sex, so if you aren’t interested in reading that, avoid this book. There was a weird drug enhanced orgy scene, and traces of voodoo throughout the book.
The conclusion of the book was completely predictable.
Great plot twist ending
After seeing so many bad reviews I was skeptical to read this. I really enjoyed the story. I think a lot of people read her other book, Behind Her Eyes (I haven’t read it yet) and from the sounds of it that was a phenomenal story so they were “let down” when reading this story.
Dead to Her definitely has suspense and mystery to it. It was a puzzle that came together perfectly. Some of it was obvious but the motivation behind it not so much.
very well written definitely keeps your interest
Dead to Her by Sarah Pinborough a four-star read that will leave stars in your eyes. I’m not going to say much about this as honestly I don’t know what to say, it’s a little crazy and a little brilliant, and it pulls the rug from under you just as you think you know what’s happening in the best way possible. I just would have liked the rug pulling a little less as I couldn’t get my feet under me.
Favorite Quotes:
Be her friend, Jason had said. Like it was that easy. Men knew nothing about the tricky waters of mutual mistrust women swam in.
It was a shark pool, and the women were the worst. Bored and half-drunk most of the time. What else was there to do but bitch, judge, and gossip about one another between charity events?
I don’t think badly of you for it, because I totally get why you did it, but if you marry a man for his money, sweetheart, you will always end up earning it.
What was it Mama used to say? Her pearls of wisdom on the world? Money, sex, and power are the father, the son, and the holy ghost of life, honey. Just remember that. And women can get all three if they’re not stupid. So don’t be stupid.
And as if there are no gays in the army… I mean seriously They all work out, and they all wear uniforms. The army is basically the goddamn Village People.
My Review:
Sarah Pinborough is ingeniously clever and divinely gifted with the word voodoo. I lost myself in her riveting storytelling and hissed my resentment at any unfortunate and inopportune interruption to my perusal. I was enthralled and so thoroughly absorbed I found myself more than a bit disoriented when I looked up from my book and realized I wasn’t actually living in the sweltering Georgia heat while swilling drinks with or experiencing the stink-eye from with the elite Southern blue blood society of Savannah. The narrative was so flawlessly transportive I clearly heard their drawling accents, creaking floorboards, the revving of their engines, and the clinking ice cubes – surely that wasn’t all in my head!
This was a twisty, unpredictable, and monstrously compelling tale that oozed intrigue while taut with tension that seemed to be continually and miraculously ratcheting up to an unbearable and apparently exponential level while cast with a full slate of quirky yet thoroughly vile characters. I have but two parting words and a request for this gifted scribe. More, please!
William Radford, IV lost his wife Eleanor to cancer. Without waiting, he met and married a young, African American woman, Keisha, age 22, that he met in London. Back in the U.S., she is meeting her husband’s long-time friends. Eleanor was loved by their friends so they are rather shocked at his quick marriage.
Keisha has a lot of energy, an outgoing personality, and tries hard to be accepted by William’s friends. His co-worker, Jason and wife Marcie, are doing all they can to befriend the girl and introduce her to their wealthy friends and way of life.
Marcie is a second wife to Jason and wants to hold onto her marriage. She worries a lot about him being true to her.
Keisha and William’s private married life is difficult for her to handle but she tries her best to be who he wants her to be. If only he would just die and not make her do that stuff!
William and Jason want Marcie to take Keisha under her wing and show her how to be a southern hostess. While they seem to get along, things are not what they appear to be.
When William suffers a devastating medical incident, it appears that someone wants him dead. Who and why? It appears that everyone is hiding a secret of some kind and looking for revenge.
Well now. This book has a bit of something for everyone. In true southern small town form, we have cattiness, people with more wealth than couth, and so many secrets and oneupmanship going on that it’s right heady. Come check it out. I found it a really good read.
Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
I really enjoyed Cross Her Heart so I was excited to read Dead to Her by Sarah Pinborough as well. Unfortunately (why can’t the book always be as good as the cover?) it didn’t completely work for me.
It felt like a fast read but still took me over 5.5 hours which is pretty long for me for a 385-page book. Also, I don’t really think it could be considered a thriller. Dead to Her is more like a drama-filled mystery about wealthy people and people with secrets they’d rather keep buried. The plot was a little slow for my taste and I ended up guessing the killer before it was revealed. This was disappointing since I was expecting a crazy twist that I didn’t think I got.
There were definitely positives as well though. Dead to Her has a lot of layers and there always seemed to be something new to learn about the characters. I was a fan of the ending even though some people weren’t, and I’m hopeful there is more karma coming to some of the characters! I also really enjoyed the setting of Savannah, Georgia and the voodoo theme.
Song/s the book brought to mind: I Put A Spell On You by Annie Lennox
Final Thought: Even though Dead to Her isn’t going to be my favorite Pinborough novel, I definitely still recommend checking it out for yourself. Not a lot of likable characters but that didn’t bother me, and there were still a few things I wasn’t expecting. I love the experience that reading Pinborough’s books gives me, and I can’t wait for the next one!
Thank you to Edelweiss for my advance review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
I was excited to read Pinborough’s newest book DEAD TO HER. I think her book BEHIND HER EYES was one of the most under-rated books of 2017. I didn’t care for her next book CROSS HER HEART but was eager to try again. Unfortunately, I was not thrilled with this one either.
The first half of the book was gripping as the suspense grew. The writing is good, but, in my opinion, the story went on too long with little payback to the reader. The portions dealing voodoo and amulets made no sense at all. Then all the strings got tied up in the last…maybe 75 pages. Overall, very anticlimactic.
Thank you to William Morrow for providing me a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Having read Pinborough’s books in the past, I thought that I was ready for the twists and turns that were coming. Surprise! There is no way that I think that anyone can figure this domestic psychological thriller out! The basic scenarios is Marcie is Jason’s second wife and is confident that she has his full attention. That is, until William, Jason’s boss, arrives with his new young and beautiful trophy wife! Keisha. Meeting for the first time, Keisha is magnetically attracted to Jason, and Marcie’s claws come out. There were so many twists in this book that it was like being on a roller coaster with a switch-back, going downhill. Wild! The ending, that I thought I had figured out, was a total surprise, leaving me with the satisfied smile of a Cheshire Cat. The secrets and betrayals make this book; it was like reading a printed soap opera because I could easily visualize each dramatic scene. This original and fast-paced book was hard to put down. Pinbororough is a master of leading readers down false trails and this book highlights her skill at capturing her readers and keeping them engaged. I had to keep reading to find out what was going to happen next, making guesses and being wrong most of the time. What a fun book to read for those of us who are tired of the same old, easy-to-figure out mystery! I enjoyed every minute of it and I think that fans of this kind of thriller will read it and crave more from this author!
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”
This novel has it all …. love, romance, jealousy, envy, revenge, high society living, and lots and lots of money and prestige.
Marcie married into the kind of influential life she always wanted …. but she’ll never be a part of it. The shine has been coming off her marriage to Jason.
She’s part of what she calls the second wives club .. mainly trophy wives who spend their days gossiping, drinking and their nights .. doing whatever.
Changes are coming. Jason’s boss brings home his second wife .. the very beautiful , very young sexy Keisha. And the men can’t help but keep an eye on her … including Marcie’s husband.
BOOK BLURB: Keisha quickly usurps Marcie’s place as the beautiful second wife. But when Marcie sees the extra spark in the room when Keisha and Jason are together and their obvious, magnetic attraction, the gloves come off.
Being a second wife can be murder…..
This psychological drama is a humdinger! Very well written, and nicely paced throughout, the characters draw the reader in on the very first page and don’t let go until the surprising ending. Some characters are extremely likable .. others not so much… but they all stand out and stay in your head for a long time.
Many thanks to the author / HarperCollins Publishers – William Morrow / Netgalley for this amazing novel. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
The first time Marcie said Keisha, Keisha, Keisha…all I could think of was Marcia, Marcia, Marcia (think Brady Bunch). Showing my age I know! Three seems to be a significant number in this book, unfortunately, I never really figured out why, don’t believe it was ever brought up in the book. But for some reason, this stuck with me.
An Illicit affair and the high-powered men and their women of Savannah high society…who knew? Marcie is a second wife, marrying Jason after his divorce. Keisha is a young beautiful black ‘girl’ from London, marring much older William after his wife dies of cancer. Lunch with the country club set, add in a trace of voodoo and a mystery and this story is pretty much all over the place. Rich people and rich people problems with characters I didn’t really care for or about. This story was fast-paced enough and totally kept my interest but it was mostly predictable on one level and all over the place on another. As with Behind Her Eyes, there was no WTH ending (at least not in my opinion), more of a high five ending. Good book for a cozy winter day or a beach read! It will keep your attention.
I received an ARC of this book. Opinion is mine alone!