I didn't think this was as good as the author's other books but this was still a good read with plenty of twists.

Having really enjoyed Amanda Reynold’s previous books, Close To Me and Lying To You, I couldn’t wait to get started on her latest release, The Hidden Wife. As always, I found myself engrossed in this author’s incredibly compelling writing almost immediately and I was pleasantly surprised by the different feel and mood of this book.

In her previous two books, Amanda Reynolds has used the unreliable narrator to great effect. The Hidden Wife switches things up though, and this time we are firmly on Seren’s side as she attempts to untangle the mystery of famous author, Max Blake’s beautiful and much younger wife while interviewing him for her local newspaper.

There are three main characters in this book – Seren, a somewhat naive and eager to please junior reporter driven by her own tragic loss, Max – a brooding, charming but weirdly creepy and manipulative author (kind of reminiscent of Edward Monkford in J.P Delaney’s The Girl Before in many ways). And Brooke House, Max’s sprawling and remote mansion which was so atmospheric and eerie, lending a gothic hint which I absolutely loved.

I flew through this book, but that doesn’t surprise me – it’s what I’ve come to expect from Amanda’s novels. She really knows how to hook the reader, throwing twists and turns skillfully to keep you on the edge of your seat. I adored the uncertainty cast over missing Julia – had she disappeared of her own accord, or was something more sinister really at play? Mixed with such a well depicted setting which sent chills down my spine, The Hidden Wife has all the ingredients of a fantastic psychological thriller and I loved every second of it.

Max famous author, Julia a young beautiful wife who had mysteriously disappeared, Miriam a grumpy assistant and Seren, an inexperienced young journalist all made for a heady mix in Amanda Reynolds novel, The Hidden Wife.

I was immediately drawn to the setting of Max’s home, surrounded by dense woodland and endless fields, its presence majestic and foreboding. Max himself, devilishly handsome and charismatic, but with a dark, brooding side that Reynolds gave us glimpses of during his encounters with Seren. He was a man devastated by his wife’s disappearance, or was he?

That was what Seren set out to discover, She was young, inexperienced and to me slightly naive. lacked worldly experience, but you saw Reynolds push that naivety away as she learnt how to tackle Max, how to shift the power, and gain some control. She had tenacity and determination, could think outside the box, yet hid her own sorrow that gave her that drive to discover what happened to Julia.

Reynolds created a heady mix of intrigue, and I loved how she used Miriam, Max’s assistant, his gateway, the woman whose loyalty knew no bounds, and threw in little one liners, clues to Julia’s disappearance that not only tweaked Seren’s interest but also ours. Just what did she know, who was she protecting were all questions we wanted answers to.

Reynolds certainly knew how to build the tension, to use natures elements to her great effect. The Beast From The East played a major part blanketing the house and its surroundings in deep snow, it created a feeling of isolation and danger that pushed Seren to take risks, that had you holding your breath.

Reynolds skill was her ability to juggle all the varying strands, to throw in little clues before doing an about turn and sending us in a different direction. When all the strands finally came together it wasn’t quite what you expected, but made perfect sense. Your attitude toward some of the characters changed slightly, you felt empathy where once there was none, you felt anger and disgust for those you sympathised with, a real conundrum of emotion that brilliantly turned the story on its head.

You loved Seren and admired her just that little bit more, a character who stood out from the start, the one constant who grew, learnt and matured and you didn’t want to leave her, felt there was more you wanted to learn, that you wanted to follow her future journey. I guess what I am trying to say is that I hope Amanda Reynolds will write another novel, and let us see this young journalist again because I thought she was wonderful.

A well written drama that builds its tension on several fronts. It draws you in and keeps you guessing. Characters are well developed. Looking forward to more from this author

A tense psychological thriller from Amanda Reynolds. When Seren, an up and coming journalist, lands an exclusive interview with, famous author and recluse, Max she knows that this may well be her big break. Max has been a recluse since his wife, Julia, seemingly disappeared with no trace. As Seren spends more time at the couple's home it becomes apparent that all is not quite as it seems. Atmospheric and with twists and turns aplenty this is an enjoyable and engaging read.

As soon as I read the blurb for The Hidden Wife it sounded intriguing so I couldn't wait to start reading and it certainly didn't disappoint as nothing was as it seemed. Ambitious young journalist Seren is given the opportunity of a lifetime, an exclusive interview with reclusive author Max Blake whose beautiful younger wife Julia disappeared without trace nine months ago. But Seren has more in common with Max than at first thought as we soon discover and why he agreed to being interviewed by her.

The story follows Seren's interactions with Max as she makes trips to him at Brook House to interview him about his and Julia's relationship and what exactly happened on that fateful night that led to her disappearance. But his interfering PA Miriam is like a guard dog and is constantly monitoring her every move and seems to be totally over protective of her boss, does she know more than she lets on?

Running alongside the Seren/Max thread we also get to follow the police investigation in the hours, weeks and months that followed the disappearance of Julia. And like the detectives, DS Katie Ingles and DC Chris Green, as well as what Seren discovers, I had so many theories as to what had happened to Julia as snippets are revealed but also a few red herrings are dropped in to throw us off track.

Seren was a character that you couldn't help but warm to. She had the naivety of youth that she didn't really think about the situations that she was getting herself into even when alarm bells started ringing in her head that things weren't quite right. She was doggedly following the story no matter where it took her so that she could get her exclusive to make a name for herself. As for Julia, she really was an enigma from everything everyone was saying about her. The classic trophy younger wife who it appeared had everything that she could possibly want but yet appearances are deceiving and you never really know what is going on behind closed doors especially when she wasn't there to tell her own story.

Like Seren I found myself caught up in the drama wanting to know everything there was to know about Julia and what had happened to her. And before I knew it hours had passed even though it's not really a fast paced story, the short chapter format allows you to follow everything that is happening and draws you into their lives.

As much as enjoyed The Hidden Wife I did have a couple of issues with the story, firstly the abrupt ending - everything had built up slowly until that point and then it was all over within a matter of chapters. Also with regards to Seren's own family mystery, although we got an answer to one aspect of the thread we never really got a resolution to the full story. But these are both minor niggles in what was an otherwise compelling read.

The Hidden Wife is a book based around the facades people hide their true characters behind. We learn very little about main character Julia, and I was surprised that I loved that aspect of the novel. It worked well to create tension and shows Julia Blake as a bit of an enigma. I was shocked by just how creepy and atmospheric it was and the twists and turns ensure you are hooked. Well written, with intriguing characters and a plot that has your attention from the beginning, this is an excellent domestic thriller.

From watching a multitude of crime shows I know that when a person who is married goes missing and is presumed dead the spouse is always the one suspicion falls on first, and rightly so. However, I felt that the police investigation here focused on following that line at the expense of all others. This may actually be reflective of what happens in real-world investigations, though I hope not. Secrets, lies, duplicity and deception all play a huge part in this highly entertaining plot.

Many thanks to Wildfire for an ARC.

Junior Reporter Seren can't believe her luck when she lands an exclusive with famous author Max Blake. The brooding,secretive man has been a virtual recluse since his young,beautiful wife Julia vanished on the night of their wedding anniversary. But as Seren spends more time at the couple's remote mansion,she finds herself pulled deeper and deeper into the case but finding she is uncovering more questions than answers.

Why did Julia Blake walk out on her seemingly perfect life? Did she really mean to disappear - or was she murdered?

The Hidden Wife has all the elements that readers want in a mystery/thriller. A feisty but at times very naive heroine,a brooding but also at times charming possible murderer,a missing wife,a ferociously loyal P.A and a beautiful but isolated setting. Although the story is mainly about what happened to Julia,there is also the added mysterious disappearance of a thirteen year old girl named Emily Plant. Two women missing on the same night,could the cases be connected? Is there a serial killer stalking the isolated country roads? To begin with I didn't like Seren (love that name,it's so unusual) that much but as the story unfolded and her back story was revealed,I began to understand her reactions to certain situations and by the end of the book,I was rooting for her to succeed in her search for the truth. Seren's younger brother Bryn disappeared when they were younger and she is currently receiving mysterious phone calls,late at night. Was her missing brother finally trying to get in contact and explain why he disappeared? My favourite characters were Seren's colourful flatmate Izzy and Miriam (Mim) Max's formidable,fiercely loyal P.A. I can't honestly say that I found Max very likeable but being an unlikable character doesn't necessarily mean he's a killer,does it? Interspersed throughout the book was chapters chronicling the police investigation into Julia's disappearance. I can't say I liked the detectives very much,yes,I know in real life that the partner of the missing person is usually the number one suspect but I thought that their investigation was frustratingly one sided and they seemed to have a very bad case of tunnel vision in regards to Max's guilt.

I loved The Hidden Wife just as much as I loved Amanda Reynold's previous books Close To Me and Lying To You. Her stories are always exceedingly well written,her words flowing with ease,drawing the reader into the wonderfully described world inhabited by her vivid,realistic characters. The Hidden Wife is a twist packed,captivating,enthralling mystery that had me hooked in from the very first page. There was some questions that were left unanswered in regards to Bryn's disappearance. Hopefully Amanda Reynold's plans to write a sequel,I would love to know what happened to Bryn and also read more of Seren's investigations.

2.5 stars -- a few good moments, but most of it felt contrived. A helpless 23-year-old woman "trapped" on a cut-off estate with a mysterious, charming, eccentric, possibly-wife-murdering author. Throw in a creepy housekeeper/personal assistant who's loyal to the point of creepy, and you have the makings of a Hitchcock-esque set-up.
The mystery was interesting enough, though too little too late. (view spoiler) The second disappearance and the possibility of a connection were left for the last third of the story, and the sexual harassment storyline was dropped in from nowhere and went nowhere. The disappearance of Seren's brother also turned out to be inconsequential, though perhaps there's a series in the offing, where it will be relevant.
(Review copy from NetGalley)

The Hidden Wife was a solid four stars for me thanks to its tightly woven storyline and although I had guessed the outcome I was only partly right.
Max and Julia Blake live in a lovely mansion in a secluded place, Max is a well known author with money being no object and Julia is his younger wife who after a small party to celebrate their tenth wedding anniversary goes missing. No body is found and nothing leads to finding out what happened. Seren is a young reporter working for the local paper and is given an exclusive interview with Max as he has asked for her personally. What really happened to Julia? Will Seren find out? Is Max guilty or not? There are a lot of twists to this thriller and I enjoyed it because of this. I didn’t like the name Seren although as a character I did. I also liked how Seren’s history was neatly interwoven with the storyline.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Headline, Wildfire for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

Julia is missing, presumed dead, presumed killed by her very successful and much older author husband, Max...
Enter Seren ( a name you have to look at all the way through the book and never quite settle with, I kept reading seven!!! ) who is trundling along at her local flailing paper writing stories of little consequence.....Seren has a missing brother and Max wants her to ‘write his story, show his side of things’ as he feels she will be empathetic after a piece she wrote on ‘The Missing’
And so the tale begins as Seren uncovers more and more about Julia and Max and starts to wonder if Max is guilty or indeed if Julia is alive ( alongside this the story of her missing bro pops up now and again, almost subtlety and doesn’t interfere with the main business but its a welcome change of scenery now and again )
Seren has to get through Max’s P.A./surrogate Mum who lives at Max’s mansion and with her tight perm and ferocious loyalty was one of my fav characters, woe betide anyone who she felt was ‘overstepping the mark’ into her terrority, wonderful character!
The writing style flowed well and explained itself on every page, I guess by this I mean what could have been complex wasn’t due to the authors ability to describe and update constantly ( if that makes sense?? )
Seren was occasionally ‘silly’ and you found yourself saying ‘really?,you are going to do that’!!
The ending of the book seemed to happen abruptly and was an adequate ending although I think what was meant to be shock value was fairly easy to guess as the book progressed
A well written, cohesive, plausible psychological cum adventurish book that was enjoyable and for the main intriguing
7.5/10 4 Stars

Good well written thriller. Plenty of action and interesting characters. I thought it was a bit long in places. If it had been a bit shorter I think I would have enjoyed it more.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

A very good thriller that kept on me the edge till the last page.
The development of the plot and the characters was amazing and the book is engaging and entertaining.
This is a real page turner and I will surely read other books by this author.
Recommended!
Many thanks to Headline and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Having never read any of Amanda Reynolds work before I wasn't sure what to expect. What I got was a terrific, page turner of a novel. I will definitely be adding more of her work to my reading list.
The Hidden Wife was the perfect read for me, I couldnt stop reading until I found out was going on.
The characters were well written and the story was well thought out.
If you like twisty reads The Hidden Wife is perfect.

I really enjoyed this book. Plenty of twists & turns would recommend this to anyone who enjoys s good thriller.

A relatively good thriller. Did not stand out as amazing I’m afraid but am okay read. Didn’t particularly feel any kind of affection for the main characters which is why I struggled to read.

A well developed and a cleverly written psychological thriller with good characters which I thoroughly enjoyed and can recommend.

Thank you to Netgalley and Headline Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

After finishing The Hidden Wife I feel like I've been on a waltzer, the twists and turns did not stop coming! It's such a pleasure to have read this book after my recent history of bad thrillers. The Hidden Wife doesn't even compare to these other books, it's absolutely breathtakingly wonderful with the right amount of tension up until the last page.

I've just ordered Amandas other books since I was so impressed! I will be recommending this one to everyone! A clear 5/5.