When Charlotte (Charlie) was 13, she was the sole witness to the terrible, sensational murder of her famous millionaire parents. Her family was paraded in the tabloids for years. She went to stay with her older sister. Now it’s fifteen years later and she’s getting married… except on her wedding day, she disappears.

This novel had an interesting format. Told in dual timelines, we have Seth (Charlotte’s husband)’s POV on their wedding day just after her disappearance. The chapters alternate between his POV in the present timeline and a flashback timeline where Charlie and her sister and brother deal with the tragedy of their parents, as well as a greedy uncle out to get their fortune. I LOVE a good mystery with so many potential suspects you have no idea who the killer(s) could be until the last page. This one kept me guessing as everyone had motives and everyone seemed a bit shady.

Please excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader.
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Psychological thriller that leaves you guessing about motives. How much does a person's history influence who they are? ( )

Please see all of my reviews on my blog at www.robinlovesreading.blogspot.com.

“The Willis Curse; The Cursed Family; The Mysterious Willis Family.” Expressions like this followed Charley Willis around ever since the brutal murder of her celebrity parents when she was thirteen years old. Charley had hidden away from such awful terms, as well as horrendous memories, for years. However, on her wedding day to Seth Chambers, she suddenly disappears.

Quite naturally, the police and the media are desperately seeking answers. But no one more-so than Seth. The question boils down to this: Did Charley leave of her own accord or was she taken?

The Wife’s Secret is told from Seth’s point of view in the present, as well as Charley’s story, from her younger years to the time of her disappearance. As insightful as the flashbacks into Charley’s life are, the twists and turns are ultimately quite shocking. There is a tremendous amount of family drama revealed in this story.

As the description clearly indicates, Seth is about to discover that he really didn’t know the woman he just married. They had a quickly evolving relationship, but Charley kept the deep, dark secrets of her past from Seth. What if Seth had pushed Charley, would things have turned out any differently?

While the intrigue was quite sharp during this story, it was problematic at times. As a reader, I was far more interested in whether or not Charley would be found than the flashbacks. However, things did pick up. When they did, things began to click into place. While it became evident to me early on regarding the truth of the tragedy Charley experienced, I was definitely able to remain engaged. One strong pull to this story was the family drama and relationships. I most assuredly was eager to know of what possible resolution could be had. For such a great story, I was a bit sore about the conclusion.

Although Kerry Wilkinson is new to me, he certainly is not new to the genre, having written dozens of quite successful books. There is no doubt of his accomplishments, as he certainly penned quite a riveting story here. I am eager to read more of his titles.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC to review in exchange for my honest opinion. ( )

Charley's parents were killed when she was thirteen and now she has disappeared from her wedding reception. The search for her is told alternating with her first person account of her childhood.

I couldn’t put this book down and sped through it quickly. I thought the ending strained credibility a bit, but that didn’t take away from my enjoyment of it and would recommend it for anyone who enjoys psychological thrillers. ( )