The Innocent Wife

A story that grabbed my attention as I have always been intrigued by women writing to men in prison or in particular on death row, not understanding the attraction to why they do this. 20 years ago Dennis was arrested and charged for the murder of Holly. Always proclaiming his innocence his story is picked up by a film crew who are helping campaign for his release. Samantha, a British woman sees the show and starts to write to Dennis. After a while they fall in love and when Dennis is released Samantha moves to Florida to be with Dennis but soon finds out things aren't as they first seem. A fast paced thriller, highly recommended.

From time to time we read of women that write to imprisoned men in death row. We even see them interviewed and if I am honest I have always been bewildered by them, critical but somewhat mesmerised.

Twenty years ago Dennis Danson was convicted of the murder of Holly and is now housed in death row. However, there is a groundswell of support for Dennis; people believe he is wrongly accused and what follows are books, documentaries and now a new film is scheduled. Sam, our heroine living in England becomes interested and begins to write to Dennis in support. Slowly the relationship between the prisoner and the ‘pen pal’ develops to such an extent that Sam becomes involved in research and eventually leaves England to travel to Florida to marry Dennis. The film-makers welcome her with open arms and support her through the marriage and also through the period following his release.

This psychological thriller is absolutely brilliant and I cannot recommend it highly enough. I was fascinated by Sam’s position and troubled by her. What would make a young woman take such drastic action? Loneliness, lack of self-belief, or wanting to validate herself? Are these the actions of a rational woman? The most interesting part is when Sam and Dennis are finally united after his release. Dennis is feted by journalists, companies that shower him with presents, fame – he even has an agent. And Sam is an observer on the edges of the action, worried and somewhat bewildered.

Dennis’ personality changes and Sam is left to question, and fear, the consequences. I can say no more on the plot. Suffice it to say that I was not disappointed. Even the parts that I had guessed turned out rather differently than I expected.

Absolutely brilliantly written, characters are well-drawn and believable and I cannot recommend it enough.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing an ARC via my Kindle in return for an honest review.

The Innocent Wife is a brilliant read. I was hooked from the start and read in within a couple of days. I loved how much depth there was to each character making you are the reader feel you really knew them.
Dennis is on death row for a murder he says he didn't commit. He is followed by a film crew who are helping him campaign for his release. A British women called Sam sees his story and starts to write to Dennis. Time passes and they both fall in love. When Dennis is released they start there new life together but all is not what it seems.
I can not wait to read more from Amy Lloyd, I believe she will be an author to watch.
Thank you to Random House for an ARC via Netgalley for me to review

(To be posted closer to publication date on Goodreads and Amazon)

Ever since I learned about women who write to, fall in love with and marry men on Death Row, I've been fascinated by this phenomenon, so this book was a must-read. Lloyd keeps the first three-quarters or so beautifully on track as Samantha obsesses about a handsome killer, gets involved in the campaign to free him and marries him, despite him being effectively a stranger.

Along side this main story is a sub-strand which calls into question Samantha's own past behaviour and quite how balanced she herself is. This teetering between him and her reminded me a little of the Gone Girl dynamic, though this isn't as subtle overall or as clever in probing gender stereotypes and the conceit of marriage.

All the same, this keeps the tension high and I changed my mind a couple of times as to where I thought the book was going, and ended up staying up late to find out whether I was right (sort of!).

The dénouement is a little too flashy, a lttle too brief and a little too truncated to have quite the effect it should have - all the same, a dark thriller at the more credible end of the spectrum (mostly) with a good tense atmosphere.

The Innocent Wife was a brilliantly immersive read - if you watched Making A Murderer you'll probably like this - taking that type of premise as a starting point then taking the reader on a kind of "behind the scenes" journey - focusing on Sam, obsessed with the subject to the point that she drops everything, moves to the States and ultimately marries him. Then, however, the campaign is successful and she's faced with living with a man she barely knows and who may not be as innocent as he seems.

Through her we meet the television crew, the people from the hometown of the dead girl, various other involved parties and start to slowly uncover the genuine truth of the matter. What I loved about it was the way the author obfuscates her characters, making it hard to see realities but done in a very realistic manner. Dennis is a mass of contradictions, one moment you are full of sympathy for his plight, others you think "ooh this guy is dangerous" but until you reach the final pages you are never quite sure.

Sam as a character I did find a little insipid - she's easily lead and suffers from extreme jealousy, she is often blinded to the truths around her simply by the sheer force of her obsessive nature - but this makes her very real, it didn't feel strange that she left her life and married a possible murderer.

Overall a really great, gripping, page turner of a read. You just want to know - I also thought the ending was cleverly thought provoking.

Recommended.