I was really surprised by the beginning of this book - it took me a long time to get into the plot and actually like any of the characters. At first I found them really annoying - looking back, I think that was the point the author was trying to make, that not everything is perfect.

It was around 55% into the book that my interest picked up and I read the rest in one sitting. Early on into this part of the story I had worked our one of the plot twists, but the others were brilliantly and cleverly written!

The characters were sort of a mix between unbelievable and believable - but I've never mixed with the insanely rich! It did show me however that you never know what goes on behind closed doors.

I would still, absolutely recommend this book.

The book is set in Savannah in Georgia in the US - where a group of wealthy individuals have intertwined lives.  Marcie is a second wife - and seen as the new girl on the block, until an even newer younger model arrives in the shape of another second wife, Keisha,  a Londoner in this strange world of tradition and history.

Marcie is convinced Keisha is after her husband (I guess when you move from mistress to wife you leave a vacancy based on past behaviour?!) but it's not as simple as that (and I have to say I guessed that twist very early on).

The book then follows Marcie and Keisha and their husbands - who work and socialise together - and how their story develops as part of this close knit community.

There is a bizarre black magic theme interwoven in the book which all feels a bit odd and forced - it definitely wasn't a part of the storyline I liked. 

The tension in the book builds, and I wanted to know what happened and who would potentially frame whom for the 'crime' - but I just didn't love this  book as much as I'd hoped.  I'm not sure if it was the American setting, or the seemingly stereotypical cliches of characters - but it just didn't feel quite right. 

Just like Behind Her Eyes, the ending is a cracker - and could set you up for a sequel - although I'm not entirely sure I'd bother........

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC.

Firstly, thank you to Harper Collins UK/HarperCollins Fiction & Sarah Pinborough.

Dead To Her is a thriller that is based on two females, Marcie and Keisha, who are “second wives” of their current husbands, that are in an elite group of friends. Their friends are seriously rich, with whom they envy, they all seem to have the most perfect lives. The story is told from both Marcie and Keisha’s perspectives, and you learn a lot about their backgrounds. The two of them came from nothing, so to marry into the lives of their husbands was like a dream come true for them. Keisha manages to grab the attention of Marcie’s husband, Jason, and she refuses to be pushed to one side… The lengths Marcie will go to, to get what she wants, who knows how far she’ll really go…

I actually really enjoyed this book; I was literally hooked from the first chapter which isn’t very common for me. There is so much suspense throughout the novel that I just couldn’t put it down and managed to finish it in less than a day! It’s a book full of lies, sex, deceit and murder, what’s not to enjoy?

It’s the kind of book where you’re constantly guessing who did what and what’s going to happen next, and it turns out to be completely wrong! There are so many twists and turns throughout the book from the beginning right until the end, and I constantly found myself thinking “wow, that was completely unexpected”! I wouldn’t say it’s your typical thriller that is very predictable, it's actually quite the opposite.

With the book being released in the next two days I highly recommend anyone to read this! Definitely won’t disappoint.

Be patient with this one. Three quarters into the book and things REALLY get interesting. You get to know the group of friends as you go and you can feel the tension from the new second wives that fight hard to fit in to the clique. When something disastrous occurs who is to blame and there are a few obvious choices, this is where people's past come to the fore.

Having just read Behind her Eyes -which I couldn't put down -I was looking forward to this new one by Ms Pinborough.
Unfortunately it was not for me.
Mainly centred around the wealthy couples of Savannah- I felt it was like reading a script of The Real Housewives of .... Shallow characters filling their days with tennis- luncheons- charity balls and not much else.
It did get a little better near the end but I had already lost patience with the whole story .
Sorry not for me

Thank you Net Galley for an ARC in return for an honest review

DAAAAAMN WHAT A BOOK.

Having heard the hype about Sarah Pinborough's 'Behind Her Eyes', I jumped at the chance to read this ARC. And my gosh, what a read. The story was not what I expected at all but the twists and turns were just incredible.

I had, admittedly, figured out half of the ending about halfway through the book but that didn't stop me from racing to finish it.

I put my hands up and happily admit I like the way Sarah Pinborough writes. She builds her story with care and craft and draws you in until you feel you know the characters and are routing for your favourite. I enjoyed the setting of Savannah in America’s Deep South with their different way of life and mix of black and white cultures - particularly interesting is the way voodoo sits alongside Christianity with harmony and acceptance. I’m looking forward to reading more from this great author.

I was worried pretty quickly about this. I struggled from the beginning. I wanted to give it a chance but I couldn't really think of a reason to.
The characters were all annoying to the point I didn't care what happened to any of them.
I ended up DNFing it.

Author - Sarah Pinborough

Published - 4 June 2020

Genre – Crime fiction

I've only read a few books by Sarah Pinborough but the differences between all three mark her out as a very versatile author, the settings, characters and plot couldn't be more different but are all equally credible.

In Dead to Her we're off to steamy Savannah, Georgia and the world of some seriously wealthy couples living the high life. Marcie knows how difficult it can be to fit in with the country club set when you're the new, younger, second wife, so when her widowed husband's boss brings a new wife, Keisha, home from his trip to London, a woman who is at least forty years younger than him, stunning and black, she's quick to appraise her. But where there might have been sisterly solidarity Marcie can only see a threat to her own plans.

The story switches back and forth between Keisha and Marcie. We learn from Keisha of her less than ideal upbringing and background.  We know why she married a man old enough to be her grandfather and the price that she has to pay. Living in a house full of secrets with reminders of her predecessor all around while she is haunted by her own past.

From Marcie we find out what it takes to be part of the 'set' and the worries of the second wife - when you married a cheater can you ever trust them? Asked by her husband to make friends with Keisha he can't have imagined how that request would pan out.

As the plot unfolds it moves with the slow, sultry heat of the deep south. The atmosphere is full of sex, money and black magic. And then there is an unexpected death - the plot takes off and the true nature of the members of the clique becomes clear.

A really enjoyable read with some twists and turns - perfect for fans of Big Little Lies.

This book wasn’t what I was expecting from Sarah Pinborough. It started slowly, albeit interestingly, but I couldn’t see where it was going. Two second wives amongst the older other wives in the group befriend one another. Each has secrets in their past and as it turns out so do many others.
I did finally get into the storyline and didn’t see the end coming

I found this book intriguing. The characters were likeable and the storyline was enjoyable. I was unable to predict what was going to happen and I certainly could not guess the ending. I did feel a few bits dragged on but I think it was just to set the story / scene. I can’t wait to read more from Sarah Pinsborough.

Marcie is Jason’s second wife, but she knows she will always be an outsider, her hard-won life is ready to unravel at any minute. Jason’s boss William returns from a trip to London with a new wife, who is beautiful and reckless. Nobody can take their eyes off her, including Jason. Marcie will not be replaced so easily. What will she do to keep her life of luxury?

This was a fantastic read. A little slow to begin with but it soon had me hooked in and I found myself turning the pages quicker to find out the ending, and boy it was worth it! A story about secrets, past events that people want hidden with glamour and a bit of sex thrown in. I loved it!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher HarperCollins UK for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is a fantastic read. It really does not end up where you think it’s going to at all!! It’s a world of money and high society but underneath the shine are lies and deceit. You never really know who to trust! The twists and turns throughout this book are brilliant, it builds into a great page turner where the reader is second guessing every action of every character. I rated this 5⭐️ and would definitely recommend you add it to your reading list this summer.

This is a twisted and twisty story about a group of very rich folk in Savannah, and it reminded me a little of Dallas or Dynasty at times. The story is ridiculously implausible and the characters are all horrible and shallow, and obsessed with sex and money. This book is really not my usual cup of tea at all but somehow I just could not put it down. I am a big Sarah Pinborough fan, which is the main reason I read this book. I probably would not have entertained it at all had it been almost any other author's work. To be honest this was by no means my favourite book of hers but it was crazy entertainment for a few hours and a decent summer read.

Unable to post on Amazon currently but will add when option becomes available.

Reviewed on good reads

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3359880447

This book felt very dark and I read it very quickly, needing to find out what was coming next. It has lots of twists and turns and it was difficult to predict right up until the end. It was a little too dark for me but very well written and some excellent characters, although none of them were very likable. The setting was not one I've much experience of but was well described and you could believe it. A good story with lots of twists.

I like Pinborough books. They are such a clever blend of real and fantasy. This one uses old voodoo/juju mixed with modern vacuous life. The main characters are all awful (I do like books with horrid characters) and you can't look away from the car crash that is coming - in fact I felt a thrill of pleasure watching their lives fall apart. A fun read.

Welcome to Savannah, home to "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" and a town I visited some years ago. Pinborough paints a lovely and vivid picture of the humid, sweaty and sensuous location and creates some memorable characters, in particular the lesser ones, the rich, socially conscious women, some of whom actually appear quite kind under their formal veneers.

But ... I honestly didn't find myself gripped - intrigued to discover "whodunnit" (after a long wait) and my earlier suspicions were accurate although I didn't get the "why" until the denouement.

All in all a book I enjoyed but was not disappointed when I finished it.

My thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the ARC.

I really enjoyed Sarah Pinborough's previous two books so was excited for this one. Unfortunately, although entertaining in parts, it didn't hit the spot for me.

I loved the set up - it follows a group of upper class friends and their reaction to one of their group returning from a trip to Europe with a gorgeous young wife Keisha, not long after the passing of his wife.

Marcie, the previous 'young wife' is immediately jealous, especially as her husband clearly fancies the pants off Keisha.

What follows is a very long tale of affairs, secrets and low-level erotica. I kept shouting "When is the murder going to happen??". Unfortunately the book felt too long and the action didn't start until about 80% in. There was also a weird voodoo/magic storyline which added absolutely nothing and just made things even more confusing.

I've not read anything by Sarah Pinborough before but I hear really good things so was excited to begin this book!

I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would when I started it - if that makes sense? It began a bit like a family saga set in the deep south, which in one way - it is!

The setting was perfect for the kind of story it is and the ending was just great - made me imagine what could possibly happen next. I think the characters were well written and always three-dimensional - perhaps even 4 or 5 dimensional depending on your POV.

I would recommend Sarah Pinborough to other readers and will definitely give her other books a read!

A good read if you suspend your disbelief in places. A wealthy and snobbish old landowner marries a stunning waitress from a seedy London club and his righthand man marries another younger waitress from a diner. If you can accept these then you will be immersed in the deep South, with lots of voodoo, sex and twists and turns to the plot. If this appeals then this book is for you.