Beth and Cath are leaving their husbands. This is a story about two very different women.One is wealthy and having an affair with a man who gives her the kind of love that her cold, detached husband does not.One is living hand to mouth, suffering at the hands of a violent partner who would rather see her dead than leave him.You may think you know these women already and how their lives will … women already and how their lives will unfold.
Beth will live happily ever after with her little girl and her soulmate.
Cath will go back to her abusive husband.
And these two women will never cross paths.
But you will be wrong.
On the 3.15pm train from London to Bristol, Beth and Cath are about to meet and discover they share one shocking thing in common.
A clever, engrossing and absolutely unputdownable page-turner of a read about what really lies beneath the surface of a marriage. Fans of Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train will be hooked on The Stranger’s Wife.
Read what everyone is saying about The Stranger’s Wife:
‘Wow!! What an incredible and disturbing page-turner. I thought this book was brilliant and it caught me on page 1 and I didn’t stop reading until I was finished!! I got lost in this book in the best way possible. Five ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Stars!!’ Goodreads Reviewer ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
‘Oh, I loved this!!! This couldn’t have been more up my street if it was my next-door neighbour! I read this in one sitting – feeling resentful when actual real life such as food/family/laundry got in the way… I am literally chomping at the bit for the next one! Outstanding, faultless and well written – if it’s not on your shelf yet – sort that out!’ NetGalley Reviewer ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
‘A terrific book. Anna-Lou Weatherley never lets me down, and this one was worth the wait. A suspenseful read I read in one sitting.’ Meanderings and Muses
‘Absolutely gripping from page one…full of twists, turns, shocks, chills, thrills and much more! Well written, original, and sure to blow your mind! Grab your copy today! This is one you do not want to miss!’ Goodreads Reviewer ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
‘Had me gripped from the start, lots of suspense, and a lot of plots and twists in the story to keep you page turning until the very end. I finished this within 24hrs. A 5 Star read from me!’ Goodreads Reviewer ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
‘The Stranger’s Wife is a gripping story, fascinating and unputdownable.’ KDRBCK ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
‘This psychological thriller with murders aplenty had me reading all night once again in my book fuelled addiction to know exactly what had happened… A gripping and compelling read.’ Goodreads Reviewer ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
‘Such a captivating and heart-breaking story. I totally adored it from the beginning till the end. I was sucked into the story and I kept on turning the pages, eager to find out what would be coming next. A brilliant story, without a doubt.’ B for Bookreview ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
‘A clever, precise, dark and moving story with more twists and turns than most, they keep coming and it keeps you on your toes… a tense exciting and unique story.’ Goodreads Reviewer ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
‘Amazing book. Had my attention from start to finish and I finished it in a matter of hours.’
Goodreads Reviewer ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
‘This was the first book I read by Anna-Lou Weatherley and I am hooked. This book took me a on a rollercoaster ride. Just when I thought I knew everything the plot turned… A definite page turner of a book.’ Goodreads Reviewer
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Two women are poles apart in their lives. One is extremely wealthy, has everything anyone could want. The one thing she lacks is a loving husband, so she has an affair. The other woman is living in near-poverty with an abusive husband.
These women are destined to meet and when they do, they find they have a lot in common… and their lives will forever change.
Although well written, this plot has been done again and again over the years. It seemed to drag in places, maybe because I knew what was coming. The suspense is well paced leading to a not so surprising conclusion.
Many thanks to the author / Bookouture / Netgalley for the digital copy of this psychological thriller. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture, and the Author for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
WOW is all I can say, this book was one bumpy ride of a great psychological thriller. The book is third in the Detective Dan Riley series. I didn’t know this book was part of series when I requested it but it didn’t make a difference reading it. I will most definitely be following and reading more from this author.
Title: The Stranger’s Wife
Author: Anna-Lou Weatherley
Genre: Suspense/Thriller
My rating: 5 stars
Excuse me in advance when I say… HECK, yeah 2020! Hello! How-you-doin’? Forgive the dramatics’ but I can’t help it. It’s a psychological thriller at its finest. Wow, where do I start? Okay, the story begins with two women who’re completely oblivious of the other. Both experience hardships in their marriages that bring them to the cusp of divorce.
*One’s a wealthy, well-to-do beauty stuck in a marriage that’s unrequited. Her husband could care less about her day-to-day drivel. Had it up to here with her husbands rejection she finds comfort in the strong loving arms of her gardener, Evan.
*The other woman’s the complete opposite: poor, timid and in an abusive marriage. The only similarity between the two, the feeling of being trapped in a small iron cage and wanting to break free.
By societies standards, these two should never meet. Until, one uncanny day they both caught the 3:15pm train from London to Bristol. They meet; and it’s like fate gave them a helping hand as they began to get better acquainted with each other. Both unloaded their hurts, grief and disappoints in their lives.
What happens next is a very clever turning point I didn’t see coming. You won’t either; or will you? Find out yourself with this AMAZING read!
*I received this mind-blowing ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
First, I want to thank Anna-Lou Weatherley, Bookouture and NetGalley for providing me with this book so I may bring you this review.
The turn of events in Anna-Lou Weatherley’s The Stranger’s Wife is more shocking than something ripped from the headlines. It was totally gripping that sucked me in from the prologue. However, throughout the whole book I am dying to know what the heck happened to Marta! I think I must have yelled at the book a few times saying when will we find out! Of course, she saves the best for last.
This is an incredibly intense book that features a lot of subjects that are taboo-but need to be talked about more in books. If you are looking for a light read this is not one of them.
There is one particular scene where I had a very hard time getting through reading it. Anna wrote that scene with incredible emotion and passion for a very difficult issue. I commend her for writing about how bad domestic abuse can get. However, the outcome of one part of this story had me bawling in tears for this character and the loss that she suffered. I needed not wanted to jump into this book and hug her to console her. Anna-Lou goes above and beyond with this topic that no other author has. This part of the book however may trigger some readers if you have gone through something like this. Please keep this in mind if you choose to read this book.
I did get upset with one storyline where the couple was divorcing and the father used the daughter to falsely accuse his separated wife’s boyfriend of sexual abuse. Bribing a kid to come between the two parents in my book is so wrong. As an adult child of divorced parents, I kind of put through that. Trust me it was not fun nor fair. However, it was relevant to the story.
Beth is no victim. Cath is weak and, definitely, a victim. Surprisingly, they lead parallel lives . . . until they converge.
Beth admits to Evan that she is in love with someone else. Evan is uncharacteristically silent, except for saying something akin to “you’ll be sorry.” Even is not going to just let her walk away from him.
Saul is not going to let Cath walk away either. She is his even if he has to beat her bloody and broken until she understands.
The Stranger’s Wife unfolds little by little and keeps you guessing until the end. It switches POV between Beth, Cath and Detective Daniel Riley. This is a bit confusing at first because it also bounces back and forth from 2018 to 2019. Once you find the rhythm, though, it works.
I enjoyed the author’s ability to foreshadow without revealing the twists or surprises.
Thank you to Netgallery for the free digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
***Trigger Warning: Domestic Abuse***
This is the first book I have read by Anna-Lou Weatherley and I enjoyed it. I had no idea this was the 3rd book following Det Dan Riley. Luckily it reads well as a standalone. At first, I was a little thrown off by the alternating dialogue, not because of the switch in characters, but the back and forth with the years. As soon as I caught on, it was smooth sailing. While I do not feel there was any huge twist in the book, I was not disappointed. Quick, fast read.
I liked this book but felt that it was uneven. I think part of it was because the chapters jumped between character perspective and time. Due to the back and forth, I felt that I never got a flow of the plot. That’s not to say that it wasn’t enjoyable. Something was satisfying about the resolutions; it just took a convoluted path to get there. I’d still recommend it because the concept was interesting. Rounded from 3.5 to 4.0 for a satisfying end to a nasty character. For more thoughts, please visit my blog at Fireflies and Free Kicks Fiction Reviews. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for a digital ARC of this book.
The Stranger’s Wife is a book that has it all: twist, turns, secrets, lies, love, revenge, murder just to name a few.
This is the 3rd book in the Detective Dan Riley series but it is certainly a book that can be read as a standalone .
Cath and Beth meet on the train and realize they are both suffering from some type of abuse.
Then they plot, or Beth does. Ingenious I must say.
This book starts out strongly , the pages continue to fly by and the light stays on for just one more chapter.(or two).
Don’t miss The Stranger’s Wife; like me if you havent read the first 2 you soon will be adding them to your TBR list.
Cant wait to read the first two and will be waiting for book3.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read The Stranger’s Wife.
“Fear was a governess most people did not understand, not really. It muddles your mind. No one understands anything until they have truly lived it.”
3.5
This was my first read from Anna Lou Weatherley. I didn’t realize that this book was number three in the Detective Dan Riley series, but it was fine because although some characters remain the same, there isn’t really an ongoing story. At least I didn’t pick up on one as I read The Stranger’s Wife. Which was a pretty twisted tale. I don’t want to say much, because I honestly feel this one is best read without even the vaguest spoiler. What I will say is that there wasn’t much to solve with this suspenseful thriller. It was quite obvious what probably occurred, but I think that’s what made the entire thing so scary. You’re sent one way, but then you just know that the obvious, terrifying answer is probably the truth.
The main characters have very real stories, even if they are a bit exaggerated at some points, but yes. You feel for some of the characters, because their stories are very much realities people face daily. I think Weatherley did a great job writing about heavy subject matter and also keeping the story flowing on track. I will say that my only true complaint is that there is a bit of time jumping, and it’s not that distant in time, so it’s a bit confusing to keep up with at first.
All in all this was a great read. I enjoyed it, and will definitely recommend it to anyone who likes suspenseful reads. There are quite a few triggering topics covered, but by the end it feels as though some form of justice has been served.
Despite my best efforts, once in a while I end up with a book that (unbeknownst to me) is part of a series. Such was the case with The Stranger’s Wife. Neither the book summary nor the cover gives any indication of it, but this is the third book in the Detective Dan Riley series. I wish I’d known that before I started reading it. Even though this book seems to have more of a standalone feel, I still know things I wouldn’t have known if I’d read the previous books first—which is precisely why I try to avoid reading a series out of order.
That said… how did it affect my reading experience?
Luckily, the story focuses on Beth and Cath, with the detective and his colleagues playing relatively minor roles. I’m sure this is why the blurb makes no mention of anyone but them. It’s the complete opposite of the crime thrillers I typically read, which occasionally made me wonder where the story would lead. The suspense centered in other factors that, typically, the reader wouldn’t be privy to, though the possibilities were limited.
Beth and Cath were fascinating characters. Though their lives were vastly different, both woman are unlucky in love, married to men who are anything but the great guys they appeared to be when they first met. Instead, the women were given emotional or physical abuse, and they both want out. Neither one of them will be allowed to simply walk away, however, so the question is: how will they break free?
The way that question was answered didn’t surprise me, because something I read in the book reminded me of… something. I won’t say what, because it would likely put potential readers onto the same line of thought I had. Suffice to say that this thought led me directly where things were going, and the thing that happened wasn’t the big surprise it might have been… which was a bummer, because it would’ve been nice to be surprised.
That’s where Detective Dan elbowed his way into the spotlight, and saved this reader from total disappointment. His story shined brighter from here on out, and I became most intrigued with how he was going to work things out, despite a troubling source of interference.
As the end neared in this unorthodox thriller, there was a matter I felt warranted a single resolution, and no other outcome have felt appropriate. There was some tension surrounding it, and I wasn’t 100% certain it would go the way I hoped or not… but it did, and the revelation came in a most fitting manner. Well done!
One thing remained a constant: I thoroughly appreciated Weatherley’s writing ability throughout the book. All the characters—major, minor, or otherwise—remained true to themselves at all times. They each had a distinctive voice, and if I ever inadvertently missed who was speaking at any given time, I was never confused precisely because of that distinctiveness. These aren’t little things, they are big, important things that change your perception of a book when it’s done poorly. Equally well done were the disparate living accommodations of Beth and Cath. It drove home the inequalities the women faced materially, illustrating beautifully that any woman, regardless of means, can find herself in an abusive relationship—a crucial fact that, it seems, is not always understood.
Despite some misgivings along the way, if this book convinced me of anything, it’s that I would enjoy reading more about Detective Dan Riley. While it’s true that I know a couple of things that are spoilers about this character’s personal life, I feel absolutely confident that I can read the previous books in this series with full enjoyment. Nothing whatsoever is mentioned in this book about crimes he investigated in the previous titles, so it all remains a mystery. Having just peaked at the blurbs for Black Heart and The Couple on Cedar Close , I’m more than a little intrigued to find out what happens in these books!
Based on the strength of Weatherley’s writing, as well as the fact that this book can be read as a standalone novel despite being part of a series, I’m bumping my initial rating of three stars up to four stars.
I received an advance reading copy of this book courtesy of Bookouture via Netgalley.