This was a real edge of your seat thriller, with so many twists and turns, you wont know which way is up! Fantastic and gripping read!

I would firstly like to thank Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I LOVED this book! Tense, nail-biting, and utterly compelling from beginning to end! One of my favourites from this author! A must-read!

A fantastic read, full of tension and twists and turns. Couldn't put it down! I did start to guess the ultimate perpetrators but only just before it was revealed. Loved that the flashback narrative with Elizabeth served to put different people in the frame to keep you guessing.

I very much enjoyed this book. It has a good story and excellent main characters. I would definately recommend this book.

Thank you Harper Collins and NetGalley for this book.
This was my first Sue Fortin book and I hope it won't be my last.
This was a great psychological thriller and really kept me guessing and I didn't know what to believe from one page to the next. Great ending too.
Definitely recommend.

Brilliant psychological thriller. The Dead Wife is my first Sue Fortin read and it was a dang good one! It kept me guessing all throughout and I never knew who and what to believe. And excellent ending!

Gripping and addictive read.
This tale has all the requirements of a good thriller story; well written and compulsive plot.
The characters are well developed and described and it definitely keeps you guessing.
Interesting background and definitely a recommended read.
Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley to allowing me to read in return for a review.

It was a good read. Well written and I can't say I loved the characters but they made for interesting reading - I think I have read too many similar books lately and this one although it was good, didn't really grab my full attention.

Thank you for the opportunity to read it.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the arc, which I have enjoyed reading.
This was a murder mystery and it was set in a family estate with a lake and leisure facilities. Steph is going to a trade show to show what is available for guests, she is asked by Sonia to investigate her daughters death. She was married to one of the Sutcliffe brothers who were all members of the board with their mother. She investigates and begins to suspect at least one of the brothers in Elizabeth’s death. Events move swiftly and the killer is discovered.
Highly recommended.

Really enjoyable read. Good characters and a Good story. Well worth a read. Think others will enjoy.

One of my favourite authors strikes again. What an awesome read. A real page turner written over two time periods. A one sitting read that had me engrossed

Thank you NetGalley for this advanced copy. Wow. I have struggled getting into her books in the past, but this one was great! Lots of suspense and connections between characters I didn't see coming!

The Dead Wife is about a journalist, Steph who is offered a weekend at The Conmete Resort Centre, to cover the story of the resort centres reopening. While at the resort she works to uncover the truth about the death of Elizabeth, who drowned in a lake at the Conmete Resort Centre two years ago.

The story unfolds in alternating time periods of two years ago and the present day. This alternating time period worked really well in this book. It actually helped to understand what events lead up to Elizabeth’s death. I thought the book was really well written, there was to great atmospheric descriptions. My favourite were the descriptions of the lake and its surrounding area. However, there were some slow parts where I did lose a bit of interest, but I think this was mainly to do with my reading preferences and rather than to do with the story. Oh, and the ending was a little disappointing for me, it felt a little rushed.

I thought characters were pretty strong. They seemed to develop as the book progressed and we learn about them as the book progressed but I couldn’t really relate to or empathise with them. I felt Steph’s character could have been a little stronger. I felt we didn’t really get to know her. It would have been nice to know a bit more of her backstory, especially as she was one of the main characters in the book. although I couldn’t relate to most of the character’s I do think there are definitely things others can relate to better than me.

Overall an enjoyable read. If you’re looking for a classic “whodunnit” style book full of suspense then I recommend you give this one ago.

I would like to thank the publishers HarperCollinsUK, HarperFiction and NetGalley for my eARC in return for an honest and unbiased review.

This was such a fantastic book Sue Fortin is fast becoming one of my favourite authors

Will be looking out for more of hers

Highly recommended

Thank you, NetGalley for my free ARC of this book in exchange for a review!

This was a nice thriller. It had a nice touch to it, because I consider (for unknown reasons) that deaths by drowning are spooky as hell. And it makes way for great thrillers.
The writing style was interesting by its simple nature. I enjoy that very much in a thriller. This is actually a page-turner, full of mystery and secrets and a perpetual unnerving feeling.

If your favoured reading material is a novel with a good sprinkling of suspense, mystery, drama, romance, infidelity and lies then feel at liberty to read Sue Fortin's latest offering - The Dead Wife.

The story was told in alternating timescales from two years ago and the present day. Set in the Lake District in North West England, the back and forth worked excellently in retaining my interest and attention and even though parts of the novel were quite slow-moving, I was never bored but instead, was lured ever deeper into this compelling tale.

Nothing was what it seemed, and Sue Fortin released her clues and information in such a way that I did not want to put down my kindle and wait to read the next chapter. The writing really flowed and there were wonderfully crafted, atmospheric descriptions of the places, particularly of the lake at Conmere and the surrounding area. With a few exceptions, most of the characters were extremely unpersonable, but this added more dimension to the story. What really stood out for me apart from the setting was the portrayal of a rich 'bored housewife' lifestyle within an opulent family, providing a rich arena for intrigue, infidelity and backstabbing. The character development and the family dynamics between the Sinclair family were wonderfully authentic and it was easy to imagine a group of brothers possessing similar character traits and fitting those stereotypes. What worked less well for me was the romantic aspect to this novel.

Overall, I'd say that The Dead Wife is a little gem and a book that I'm so pleased to have read!

I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel, at my own request, from HarperCollins UK via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

3-4 stars, would have been higher, but the beginning took so long to get me engaged I almost gived up. Once I got past the first 20% or so, I finally really was hooked and found it to be a very chilling and amazing read. I think it was well written, in a manner that made it seem realistic and scary to the reader. Recommend to those who enjoy the books I do and tell them to give it a bit of time!
Will make sure I buzz it up!

I really enjoyed this book. Maybe a bit slow to begin with but amazing. Only reason I gave 4 stars was because I found the ending a bit rushed for my liking.

Before I started reading, I thought I knew where this was going based on the description. Then when I was a few chapters in, my theories changed a bit, midway they changed some more, This whodunnit's ending was somewhat surprising; given the many suspects, I did not see that ending coming. Yes , I guessed right, but not completely right. That's a win for me. The Dead Wife is a dark, mystery-filled and gripping book that will have you guessing who the murderer is right up till the very end.

Police have ruled out suspicious circumstances in the investigation into the death of Elizabeth Sinclair, wife of charismatic entrepreneur Harry Sinclair, found drowned in the lake of the family’s holiday park.
It’s been two years since the Sinclair case closed but when reporter Steph Durham receives a tipoff that could give her the scoop of the year, she’s drawn deeper and deeper into the secretive Sinclair family.
Elizabeth’s death wasn’t a tragic accident. And the truth will come at a deadly price…

While both the characters and the plot were really good I felt the ending with Steph's character felt forced. I like my thrillers to be realistic and while Steph did tick every box of being a responsible & sensible journalist and not just a nosy & gossipy reporter, the end came as a bit of a surprise doing what she did. Steph had a good chance at restoring her relationship with her mother but ends up taking off into the sunset, which in my opinion was just "off"! The book started off well and held the suspense till the end in a very good way. Given the many suspects, I could never be sure if my prediction was right. That's what kept me going. In the end, all I can say that this was a good one time read!

Thank You, NetGalley, HarperCollins & Sue Fortin for an arc!

Das Buch beginnt mit dem erschreckenden Rückblick auf den Tod von Elizabeth Sinclair am See von Conmere in Cumbria. Man erlebt ihren Sturz in den See mit, in Mantel und Stiefel. Trotz Kampf bis zur letzten Energie kommt jede Hilfe zu spät, auch wenn sie glaubt noch eine Figur mit Hund am Ufer gesehen zu haben.
Dann wird die Geschichte in der Gegenwart im Mai in Brighton fortgesetzt. Steph Durham wird von ihrem Chef ins Resort von Conmere geschickt, um am Empfang teilzunehmen, sich die Anlage nach der Überholung anzuschauen und die Besitzer Familie Sinclair zu treffen. Sie schreibt für die Reisebranche Berichte, aber träumt davon investigative Journalistin zu werden. Seit ihrer Scheidung vor einem Jahr ist sie Single. Seth kann sich noch gut an die Gegebenheiten erinnern, ihr Vater war lange Fahrer bei der Familie.
Sie wirbt vorab auf ihren sozialen Medien schon für ihren Besuch dort. Unter der zahlreichen Resonanz ist eine direkte Nachricht von Sonia Lomes, die glaubt, dass der Tod ihrer Tochter Elizabeth, die mit Harry Sinclair verheiratet war, kein Unfall war und bittet sie, nach entsprechenden Beweisen zu suchen.
Seth ist zwar verwundert über die Kontaktaufnahme, aber sieht auch eine einmalige Chance für ihren Karrieretraum. Sie entdeckt, dass ausgerechnet ihre eigene Mutter an den Ermittlungen beteiligt war und versucht bei ihr mit ihren Recherchen zu starten. Allerdings hat sie seit vielen Jahren ein schwieriges Verhältnis zu ihr.
Dann wechselt die Perspektive zur Familie Sinclair. Harry hat sein Sabbatical in Frankreich für die Eröffnung unterbrochen und erfährt als erstes von seinem Bruder, dass die Mutter wieder an Krebs erkrankt ist, diesmal unheilbar. Ihr bleiben nur noch einige Monate und sie will die letzten Tage ihres Lebens genießen. Ginge es nach seiner Mutter, würde Harry nicht wieder nach Frankreich zurückkehren. Im weiteren Verlauf der Geschichte erfolgen dann auch immer wieder zeitliche Rücksprünge zu den Ereignissen vor 2 Jahren. So lernt man Elizabeth und die Familie Sinclair besser kennen.
Der Beginn ist bedächtig, Sue Fortin nimmt sich Zeit die Figuren, ihre Hintergründe und die Schauplätze einzuführen. Die ersten Motive für Mord und mögliche Täter tauchen auf. Die schwierige Dynamik zwischen den Brüdern wird schnell klarer. Doch Seth findet so schnell nichts über den Tod heraus. Aber sie bringt sich durch andere Beobachtungen schnell in Gefahr. Trotzdem will sie nicht locker lassen, auch wenn es ihr Angst macht. Sie verlängert sogar ihren Aufenthalt. Es kommt dann auch zu emotionalen Verstrickungen, die immer ernstere Züge annehmen.
Aber wem kann sie überhaupt noch trauen? Das Bild eines investigativen Journalisten vor Augen steigert sie noch ihre Aktivitäten. Sie ist ein Dickkopf und will nicht nachlassen. In die Konfrontation zum Ende tappt sie sehr naiv und kann ihrem Schicksal nur um Haaresbreite entgehen. Alles wird aufgeklärt, auch manche Familienbeziehung steht dann in einem anderen Licht da. Den Bösewicht konnte ich vorab schon erraten, obwohl ich darin eigentlich nicht so gut bin. Es folgt ein hoffnungsvolles Ende.
Das Buch konnte mich nicht ganz überzeugen und stellenweise auch nicht wirklich fesseln. Die Protagonisten sind mir leider fern geblieben.
Die Autorin konnte für mich das Potenzial der Geschichte nicht ganz umsetzen.