2.5 stars rounded up to 3

Marcie watches her husband, Jason flirt with his boss's new wife Keisha. No matter how Marcie feels about Keisha, she must play nice in front of the boss William. Keisha doesn't suffer fools gladly. The women belong to a group know to themselves as "the second wife's". Marcie thinks that Jason is going to have an affair with Keisha. After all, once a cheater always a cheater.

The story is told from multiple points of view. I didn't like any of the characters, they were all quite shallow. It does take a little while to bet into the bookas it's a it confusing for the first 30%. There's also quite a lot of pointless graphic sex. There's plenty of twists but they are all quite predictable. They all had secrets. Some of the book was a little far fetched.

I would like to thank NetGalley, HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction and the author Sarah Pinborough for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Dynasty 2020
Kind of
A longish,words packed onto each line,book about Southern State America and ‘old money’ families, those that interlope into it as the dreaded ‘2nd younger model wives’ and what happens to them all when people take revenge
Add a dose of murder, over decadent parties, wonderful bitch fests between ‘friends’, some eye watering sex scenes, voodoo, and a woman scorned and you have the general idea of this book
The characters are loathsome by nature they really are, hedonistic money seeking, thrill loving, tennis club gossiping wretches but some of the interactions were delicious in their back biting spite between each other
I am not surprised this has been optioned for T.V. as you can see it in your minds eye playing out in Netflix HD with big budgets and high colours
The ending is actually very dramatic and scary and there is also a very clever part early on in the book where the author suddenly takes a u turn on a part of the story you think is fairly obvious and it changes the whole direction of the book
Different, mostly enjoyable, wonderful dialogue between the star players and on the whole a worthwhile read
7.5/10
4 Stars

I really enjoyed this book. It's the first novel by Sarah Pinborouh that I've read, but the way I was absolutely glued to it means I will be looking for her other books. A brilliant twisty, sexy thriller.

Marcie isn’t the only second wife. When her husband’s business partner comes back from Europe with a much younger wife himself, Marcie starts to wonder about her own husband’s wandering eye. He’s got form.

So when Keisha and Marcie strike up a friendship that develops into something more, she realised that it can’t go any further. She’s got too much to risk. And it wasn’t Jason Keisha was after, it’s her.

They throw a huge Fourth of July party at Keisha’s mansion, but with Keisha off her Valium and her paranoid thoughts about ‘bad Juju’ resurfacing it’s a disaster, leading to her husband wanting her taken out of his will and filing for divorce. It’s no shock the next morning that he’s has a convenient heart attack and cracks his head after his morning treadmill run.

An investigation into embezzlement and attempted murder amongst a web of lies and deceit puts them all in the frame - but who was it??

What a brilliant read! It kept me enthralled right to the end and I loved the voodoo theme running through this. I wasn’t expecting half of what happened to happen and I loved all the unexpected twists and turns. Definitely one to give a go.

I wanted to love this book, the description had my intrigue. But after reading 40% it just wasn’t for me. It seemed quite slow pace and I just couldn’t get a handle on it.

A not for me but am sure others will love it.

Marcie is Jason’s second wife. She has it all. The gorgeous husband, Money,the mansion. She’s come from nothing and now she’s hanging with the money people in the south.
However, after William Radford. The owner of the firm Jason is a partner at. Returns from a trip to Europe to get over the loss of his first wife. He brings a new second wife back with him. Keisha. A stunning beauty. Young enough to be his daughter. Like Marcie she’s come from nothing. She’s left behind her family her London. Glad to escape them.
However, Marcie feels threatened byKeisha. She’s adamant that the woman just wants her husband. Add to that Jason’s ex wife suddenly reappears back in town.
She finds herself fighting for everything.
This book has everything, sex power ,death and black magic. Are the people really who they seem are does everyone have their own secrets to hide.
A really easy to read, entertaining book.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the arc in return for an honest review.

Thank you to netgalley for this advance review copy. (For reference I read this during Covid 19 lockdown)

The plot of this book made it propelling and I never would have guessed the ending but all of the different strands were superficial in my opinion. I would have preferred if their was less going on as every character seemed to have two or three secrets. I can like unlikable characters but only if it’s realistic.

Dead to Her is a fabulously entertaining story covering so many themes; jealousy, envy, revenge, love, romance, good living, opulence, wealth and prestige, for starters!

I have come across talented writer, Sarah Pinborough before so I fully expected to adore this story, too. Marcie Maddox, the second wife of Jason, loves her life of grandiose mansions, luxury yachts and prestigious country clubs in Savannah, Georgia and has had to work incredibly hard to get where she is. But it is a real struggle keeping Jason interested, especially when his boss, William Radford IV, returns from a trip to London with a new trophy wife - Keisha. When stunningly beautiful Keisha and Jason are magnetically drawn to each other, it is not long before Marcie's talons materialise...

As the dynamics between the characters gradually intensify during the first half, I found myself frequently pondering the direction the story might take. The first chapters flowed at a fairly sedate pace, but the latter half took off at full tilt and I couldn't put Dead to Her down!

I loved that Dead to Her was set amongst Savannah’s wealthy jet-setters and the author's vivid descriptions helped cement the tone of the story. Marcie made a tremendous lead character, as well as possessing an interesting personality, though Keisha was a little uninspiring. However, neither of them was stereotypical or formulaic.

There are many unusual surprises, including some voodoo and black magic and of course, murder. This additional element of the supernatural was a fun twist that delighted me. It complemented the setting perfectly and enhanced the overall story. Deliciously dark and very highly recommended.

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

This book took so long to get into this book but unfortunately I've had to abandon ship at 30%. I really enjoyed Behind Her Eyes and was astounded by the ending so I had high hopes for this book, but unfortunately I couldn't care less about the characters in order to find out more about them. Barely any hint of something 'thrilling' happening and life is too short to read books I don't enjoy,

When Jason Maddox's recently widowed boss returns from a trip abroad with a (significantly younger) new wife, no one can take their eyes off her. Keisha is beautiful and Marcie feels threatened by her presence.

The start of Marcie and Jason's relationship wasn't exactly a conventional one. He divorced his first wife to be with her after a whirlwind affair. And now Marcie thinks he's got his eyes on Keisha...

Once a cheater, always a cheater, right?

But Marcie doesn't understand that Keisha is not the least bit interested in Jason, and although it's fair to say that Jason is distracted, it isn't necessarily all about Keisha. He has a lot of his plate with the business, and has aspirations of buying his boss out.

Marcie and Keisha have more in common than they think. They are both much younger than the society wives that are part of their social circle, and they both had poor and difficult upbringings.

One unlikely drunken afternoon brings them closer together and changes everything between them forever. But is everything as it seems, and will they be able to trust each other when the time comes for true friends to stick together?

I was given an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
An intriguing psychological thriller with an interesting range of characters.
Deceit, lust,money and old Southern attitudes combined with a good writing style, made this a good read. Twists and turns to get to the final truth.
Not as compulsive a read, as her previous book Behind Her Eyes but still enjoyed it.

What an addictive read! I loved this book - I was hooked right from the start. Set in Savannah, Georgia There are 4 main characters, Marcie & Jason and Keisha & Billy and except for Keisha they are all desperate to keep up appearances in their society setting whilst in reality their lives are in chaos. The appearance of voodoo in the story adds some extra unexpected but intriguing twists and turns to the plot. I thought the ending was brilliant -I’d guessed the perpetrator but not the final fabulous plot twist! This book needs a sequel.

Dead To Her has a much slower start than I anticipated from a Sarah Pinborough novel. This said, when the action started to pick up the heat was definitely intense.

I loved the setting, the sense of languid heat and the tension of the book, and I was most satisfied by the ending.

A gripping story that I just loved. And was so well written. The characters were so well described and the Southern State of Georgia With all its idiosyncrasies and atmosphere was so real that I felt I was living among the situation. As an author Sarah has touched on topics that most authors would leave well alone and she has succeeded in taking the politics and correctness out of the discussion.
It was an apposite comparison to say that when we go on vacation, fall in love with whatever but when we get back home to a different environment it does not fit in anymore.i can remember buying a skirt in Austria that was so beautiful but when I got back home I realised that it was not suitable for my home area. The understanding and explanations of different types of love and the so called idyllic life of the rich class of people were so well integrated. I also loved the references to Voodoo culture and practices, especially the clarification that these can be for good as well as bad.
The last few chapters were the story was finally closed were fantastic and ended the story on a real positive thought.

I am giving this book a very low 3 stars. I have dithered between 2 stars or 3. I did not like any of the characters. Their privileged life style is something that I would never want to be part of or enjoy reading about. Parts of the plot were good but I do not believe in juju. I have read other books by Sarah Pinborough and really enjoyed them but this book was not my cup of tea.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

I must admit I really enjoyed author’s previous books Behind Her Eyes (despite the unbelievable ending) and Cross Her Heart and I was looking forward the her new release. Sadly I have to say that Dead To Her didn’t work for me as I would like.

The story centres around rich and privileged people of Savannah, black magic and voodoo rituals.

First part of the book was slow paced, the action picked up half way through but it took the turning that I didn’t not enjoyed. The writing was cheesy and some phrases were repeated numerous times which made me want to skip some chapters. I feel like the book was unnecessary filled with elements that didn’t bring anything to the story and felt unrealistic to me, I’ve found myself rolling my eye way too many times. All characters were unlikable and annoyed me at time and I was not rooting for anyone.

I was most definitely missing a major twist that I so liked in author’s previous books. Yes, there was a minor twist however it felt rushed and ridiculous and kind of expected.

Unfortunately the book was a bit of a disappointment for me however I am sure other people will enjoy it. I will be definitely reaching for Sarah Pinborough’s the next books.

Another great read from Sarah Pinborough.
There are some truly messed up people in this book all with an obsession with money.
It’s a different world, that of money and power and they all think they’re better than the others.
Marcie likes her life of luxury and when her husband’s boss introduces her to his new young wife, she feels threatened.
Little does she know that she’s completely misjudged Keisha and she has a surprise for her.
When one of the group becomes gravely ill there’s suspicion placed on all of them but I wasn’t prepared for the final few chapters.
I’d guessed it completely wrong and loved the way the book ended.
Thanks to Harper Collins UK and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

"Being the second wife can be murder."

I have seen Sarah Pinborough's name around on Instagram quite a lot lately. Behind Her Eyes and Cross Her Heart are some of her previous works and both seem to have received good reviews. When I saw Dead To Her on Netgalley, I thought I would request to read it and see what all the fuss is about.

Dead To Her follows two women, Marcie and Keisha who both get married into a high society life to older men. Marcie comes from a poor background who eventually meets and then marries the well off Jason Maddox. She is his second wife after them both having an affair which resulted in his first wife leaving him. Her husband works for the well known, rich widower William Radford who marries Keisha. She is a young, beautiful British girl in her twenties who met William whilst working as a waitress in a table dancing bar in London. He falls for the stunning Keisha and brings her back to the US with him and into his world of endless money, huge mansions and country clubs.

Marcie feels threatened by Keisha. She has always been the young, hot wife in the posh Savannah community and had felt she was starting to be accepted into the elite social circles but now Keisha is taking over. She no longer is seen as the most desirable one , her husband Jason seems to not be able to take his eyes off Keisha. Marcie keeps thinking to herself, once a cheat, always a cheat. She had a difficult upbringing and she does not want to have to go back to her old life anytime soon.

Both women know that they will always be seen as the outsiders to everybody else in their privileged social scene. They also both have a past that they want to keep hidden away. What will both women have to do to make sure that they keep their lives of luxury and stop anyone who threatens it?

Like most thrillers, I cannot say too much of what happens because I would be at risk of spoiling the book for future readers. It is anyway most definitely a book worth going into blind as it wasn't anything like I expected it to be after reading the synopsis. I can tell you however, that this book is drama filled, unputdownable and in parts quite steamy! It is based on secrets, lies and jealousy with characters that are not very likeable at all.
Every person in this book is arrogant, untrustworthy and self absorbed. The author manages to keep you questioning many of the characters motives which is something I love in a thriller especially as a lot of the story appears to be a tangled web of deception.

I did find it at times a bit slow in pace but it soon picked up and I could not put it down. One of the things I like about it most is that it is completely different to any domestic thriller I have read before. It has elements of a creepy horror story to it that makes you wonder how on earth things are going to unravel.

Overall, I found it a highly entertaining read and would recommend it to readers who love a domestic thriller that is a bit dark and twisted with a bit of voodoo thrown in!

I would like to thank Netgalley and HarperCollins for letting me read a copy of the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Marcie Maddox, the second wife of rich and powerful Jason Maddox has risen from a shady past into the elite social circle of the Savannah, Georgia. Keeping up appearances for Marcie is hard, harder so when Jason’s boss marries the black beauty queen from across the pond- Keisha. Heads turn, including Jason’s, secrets are slowly unfolded and there may just be a voodoo queen at work. When news leaks of an attempted murder at the masquerade ball the police find that, for once, they actually have too many suspects to choose from...


First of all I’d like to say happy publication day for Dead to Her and thank you to the author Sarah Pinborough, Harper Collins and Net Galley for allowing me to review this book ahead of publication and provide an honest review for everyone!


I really enjoyed the pace of this book. The ‘thriller’ aspect doesn’t come in until fairly late in the book but I really enjoyed all the build up and setting of the scene. I was so surprised to see such blatant racism from one of the characters who, when suspicions of voodoo arise, thinks that a black woman named Zelda must be the culprit. It’s a shocking parallel to the prejudices we see today. We quickly see that all the characters have their motivations for murder and you’re left guessing each time a new piece of information is revealed which one of them decided to go the whole way.


I did think the ending was a bit flat and I was left wanting a bit more. I had guessed what would happen fairly early on but it didn’t ruin my overall enjoyment of the book. I’m interested to look into more of Sarah’s work in the future. If you’re into thrillers with a bit of steam on the side then this is the book for you!

4 of 5 stars
https://lynns-books.com/2020/06/04/dead-to-her-by-sarah-pinborough/
My TL:DR Five Word Review : Jealousy, Lust, Secrets and Murder

Dead To Her is another Sarah Pinborough book that kept me pretty much glued to the page. This is a winning combination of steamy Southern gothic meets modern retelling of DuMaurier’s Rebecca and the combination of Steel Magnolias, gold diggers and unfaithful husbands makes for a boiling pot of intrigue.

If you’re picking up Dead to Her don’t imagine for one moment that you’re going to like any of the characters. This is one big mess of nasty that goes to prove that beauty really is sometimes simply skin deep.

Meet Marcie – second wife to successful and wealthy Jason. Marcie has completely reinvented herself and has finally achieved her heart’s desires. She has a rich husband, money is no object, she’s younger than the other wives in her wealthy set and moves in elite circles. Of course, Marcie, will never truly be satisfied because there’s always ‘one more goal’ before she has truly reached the pinnacle of success and having married a man who cheated and divorced his first wife she can never totally relax because she’s walking on pins waiting for the very same thing to happen to her.

Meet Keisha. Recently married to William Radford IV, Jason’s boss, powerful and rich, Keisha is barely in her twenties. She waltzes in with her designer gowns, curvaceous body, drop dead gorgeous looks and wild nature and steals Marcie’s crown without batting one perfectly outlined eyelid. The two are rivals but at the same time, not being truly part of the inner circle their ‘outsider’ status pushes them together.

I’m not going to elaborate too much on the plot as this will fundamentally spoil the reveals as they naturally occur. And there are plenty of reveals and a tangled web of deceit and red herrings along the way.

Characters – as I said don’t expect to make any friends among these pages. I have sat here and thought about all of them and to be honest none of them are basking in the glow of innocence. Whether it be greed, betrayal, bullying behaviour, vanity or revenge there are many shades of grey here and a number of different agendas.

The setting is modern Savannah. Hot and sultry, full of history and elite families with cupboards full of skeletons that will never be publicly displayed. This is how the other half lives. Money no object. Yachts, lavish dining, afternoon cocktails around the pool, shopping sprees simply to break the monotony. And, keeping up – everyone is jostling for position.

As I mentioned, I’m not going to elaborate on the plot. Pinborough is becoming the queen of twisted storytelling. Building things up and then knocking them back down. In terms of the murder and the police investigation, I will say I’m not sure how everything stacks up but, to be honest, I don’t think it really matters here. This is more about the dark underbelly and the glorious reveals which make it such an entertaining read. There is also a play on magical realism in the form of voodoo and bad juju although this is a light touch that feeds more on superstition and fear than anything else.

In terms of criticism. I think the novel takes a little while to really gather momentum but I didn’t find it a problem. This felt like a very quick read and the set up is necessary. And, as I said, I’m not sure how realistic some elements of the story are but, again, I don’t think it really matters as this is more about entertainment value than police procedure.

Overall, this was, as I hoped and expected, a very entertaining read. I loved the play on a well loved classic story and the writing is easy, persuasive and cheeky all at once.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.