After what started off as a bit of a slog for me, The Dead Wife really picked up and was a great read.

This book is full of suspense, and is something of a classic 'whodunnit'; it has all the elements of a traditional murder mystery but with a real contemporary feel. The character development felt strong and the family dynamics between the Sinclairs was authentic; you could imagine a group of three brothers falling into those character traits and fitting those stereotypes. I felt Steph's character could've been developed a bit more; as the central character of the novel her voice felt a bit generic and I wasn't really sure of who she was as a person. However, there are elements within the story that I think a lot of people can relate to, like fraught relationships with siblings, bereavement, fighting for a parent's affection, forbidden love, and having to make difficult decisions, the ramifications of which could last a lifetime.

The ending felt ever so slightly rushed, but on the whole I very much enjoyed this and would definitely read more of Sue Fortin's work.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This novel had an interesting premise, and I enjoyed the setting. Thrillers set in a some-what isolated area are always more thrilling. There were great action scenes, suspense and relationship dynamics. In fact, I can't fault this novel. My reading experience wasn't as exciting as I'd hoped for and I guessed the killer within the first couple of chapters. This is a case of a good novel that just wasn't for me, though I do still recommend it to those who like a little romance with their mystery.

Steph is a travel journalist who is invited to Conmere, a resort near her childhood home to review the facilities. She is contacted by Sonia, whose daughter was married to one of the Conmere owners, Harry. She died tragically in the lake but Sonia says it’s a cover up and asks Steph to investigate but it soon appears someone is out to hurt Steph for nosing about.

This was a good read eventually as I struggled with the first half but that said I did enjoy it. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

A must read, I couldn't wait to finish it. The storyline was engrossing and with a bit of romance in the mix. A very good read would recommend.

Enjoyed this Psychological thriller with an extra bit of romance thrown in. Favourite book written by this author so far, thank you!

A gripping and totally addictive book by this author. I have read many of her books and they never disappoint.
The tension builds slowly with each secret that is revealed. I was constantly changing my mind on who the perpetrator was
A must read

The story starts with a bang and hooks you in. The further you get into the story, the more you realize the victim is a nasty piece of of work, as are many of the characters in the book. The author is good at developing suspense, but some of the situations are a bit improbable.
Thank you to netgalley and HarperCollins for an advance copy.

This is about a woman called Elizabeth who drowned in a lake. The police say it was an accident but her mother thinks otherwise.
The Conmere Resort Centre is now reopening and Stephanie Durham is working for Vacation Staycation and is offered the opportunity to cover the re-opening.
While there she contacted by Sonia, Elizabeth’s mother. Sonia wants Stephanie to look into the drowning and see if there is anything that will make the police reopen the case.
The Sinclair family is a family with many secrets.
Thanks Netgalley

Police have already ruled out any suspicious circumstances in the case of the death of Elizabeth Sinclair. In fact, the case is closed. However, when reporter Steph Durham comes by some interesting information she cannot help but delve deeper. Sinister mystery with mounting sense of dread. Characters are credible, plot moves along swiftly with twists and turns aplenty. Entertaining read.

Psychological thriller with a large measure of romance featuring an amateur sleuth who works for a travel agency as a features writer.

What it's about: Stephanie Durham wanted to be a big-time journalist, but that hasn't quite panned out yet so she indulges in her passion for photography while working for the website and magazine "Vacation Staycation." When she's offered the opportunity to cover the reopening of Conmere Resort Center in the Cumbria Lake District, she's pleased to attend and perhaps will have a chance to visit her mom who lives nearby. While researching the resort she reviews the articles surrounding the accidental drowning death of Elizabeth Sinclair, the young wife of one of the 3 sons who run the place. To her surprise, she's contacted by Elizabeth's mother, Sonia, who asks Steph to investigate the incident because she doesn't believe that there was anything accidental about it. So off Steph goes and gets much more than she bargained for. NO SPOILERS.

Should you read it? If you like a mystery that's fairly predictable with a huge dose of romance (hard to buy into it actually), then this is the book for you. You may also need a strong ability to suspend disbelief because of the way everything goes down. Stephanie is meant to be a strong, sympathetic character, but her emotions definitely win over her brain given what she does. A large amount of coincidence and improbability made me roll my eyes at times. I never felt the tension or suspense despite the situations Steph gets herself into, and I certainly didn't like any of the other messed up characters, especially Steph's mom or any of the Sinclair family. I knew early on "who did it" so it seemed that it took a long while to get there and the conclusion was anticlimactic. I'm finding it hard to rate as I really enjoyed the description of the setting while not really liking the plot or the characters. Without the instant romance, I'd probably have rated it higher.

This is the first book I've read by this author and I'll likely give her another go somewhere down the line despite the fact that I was a bit disappointed with this one. I admit I have really high expectations for psychological thrillers especially as I'm looking for something truly original where I can be surprised.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers for this e-book ARC to read and review.

Sue Fortin has done it again. I think this has to be her best book yet. A story full of secrets and tension. Highly recommended

Wow lots of connections and secrets between these two families. Favorite book so far by this author.

When Elizabeth Sinclair drowns in the lake at the Conmere holiday park, the police rule her death accidental. The only person who believes she was murdered is her mum Sonia, but no one will listen to her. Steph Durham, a travel writer, is invited to the reopening of Conmere and Sonia asks her to look into her daughter’s death.

The story is told in the present day as Steph digs into the Sinclair family secrets of the two previous years and the events leading up to Elizabeth’s death. Will Steph discover whether Elizabeth’s death was an accident or will she reach a more sinister conclusion?

A suspenseful thriller with plenty of twists to keep you entertained until the end.

Enjoyed the book very much. Excellent narrative and wonderful depiction of the characters. Highly recommended!

The Dead Wife is the first of Sue Fortins work I have had the pleasure of reading so thank you net gallery for the opportunity to read this book.

The Dead Wife set in the picturesque Lake district had me not wanting to put it down, twists and shocks enticed me to keep reading.

This is my first time delving into work from this author and I don't think it will be my last.
What a mighty read..
If you want suspense, drama and plenty of twists and turns, then stop right here and check this one out.
We meet Steph who is a travel writer. She is organising a weekend to Conmere on an estate belonging to the Sinclair family.
While doing so, she receives a message from the mother of the woman who was married to one of the Sinclair son's but died in mysterious circumstances. Steph's curiosity is piqued and she knows this could be good for her career if she can find out what happened.
The police have however closed the file due to insufficient evidence so Steph needs to do her own investigating while she is there.
We see the feisty side of Steph come out throughout the story, her determination to find out what happened to Elizabeth.
But what does it have to do with her own mother? How is she involved?
The story is told in two timelines, present day with Steph trying to solve the mystery and we also get an insight into Elizabeth's life before she died.
But as we all know families do have secrets, not every one is as they seem and at what point will Steph's questions and interference start to get on someone's nerves...
A brilliantly addictive and thrilling read, well worth taking the time to check this one out...

The overall plot idea was good. I thought though that the book was too long. I lost interest and struggled to read to the end. The more I read about Elizabeth the more I disliked her. There were very few likeable characters in this book.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Having read several of Sue Fortin’s stories I am always on the look out for her new book and started it as soon as I got my itchy fingers on it!!

Steph is offered a weekend at the Lake District Conmete Resort Centre as it is reopening and they want her to cover the story, it is just the break she needs.

Steph is messaged by Sonia whose daughter Elizabeth drowned in the Lake District, her death is still a mystery and she wants the police to reopen the case. Steph agrees to look into it while she is there.

The Sinclair family who own the resort are a very secretive family. Steph has her own secrets including the fact that her father worked for their family years ago.

The story goes back to before Elizabeth is drowned in the lake. At the beginning she seems like a tragic victim but as we get to know her, you realise she has her own secrets and seems to be making herself an enemy of the Sinclair family. There are a number of people who want to shut her up!!

Another gripping and totally addictive book by Sue Fortin. The tension slowly builds with each secret that is revealed. I felt like you couldn’t trust any of the characters and was constantly changing my mind as to who the perpetrator was.

A must read that is engrossing and addictive. If you love a good mystery then this is the book for you!!

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.

twisty read that I couldn’t put down. This was the first book I’ve read by this author and I can’t wait to read more from her.

This read gripped me from the start with the very intriguing storyline and the feeling of unease that ran throughout the book which helped to keep my attention. It is obvious from the start that there is more to Elizabeth’s death and the Sinclair family then meets the eye which definitely helped hold my attention as I wanted to find out what it was.

The story is told in two parts, the present day thread follows Steph as she tries to find out what really happened to Elizabeth while in the past we follow Elizabeth in the last few weeks of her life. I really liked Steph and found myself warming to her straight away. I liked that Steph wasn’t perfect. On the outside Steph seems to be a strong, fiesty woman who is very confident and more than able to solve the case. However she’s harbouring feeling of inadequacy and is desperate for the love of her mother.

I so enjoyed following this story and learning more about the Sinclair family. I had lots of guesses regarding what had happened and who had done it but all of them were wrong with the ending taking me completely by surprise which I always love.

Huge thanks to Rachel from Rachel’s Random resources for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Harper Collins for my copy of this book via Netgalley.

Compulsive reading, this is an addictive suspenseful psychological thriller like no other.

The plot is unpredictable with lots of twists and turns along with solid engaging characters.
There is also a sense of dread as the story deals with the deep and dark corners of the human psych.

I very much enjoyed this and would recommend it to anyone!