****Review****


An interesting, engrossing read I couldn’t put it down, even with life in the way. As a psychological read it is one of the better ones I’ve read, I even broke my rule of never reading a book in a series without reading the others but I will be reading them now. It can be read as a stand-alone but like me you will be wondering what happened to Detective Riley’s Family.
Beth and Cath meet by accident while going through traumatic experiences, both women in my opinion is are strong willed women who did what they had too to survive, given the same options what would you do to protect the ones you love?
Thank you to Netgalley/ Anna-Lou Weatherley/ Bookouture for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Clever plot but it didn’t blow me away. I was waiting for something bigger to happen.
Thank you to the publisher, Netgalley and the author for this free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Loved this book, thanks netgalley for letting me read this great thriller.
Two women from very different back grounds came together in a chance meeting.
The only thing they had in common was their partners, both were lying murdering evil men, and the woman were out to destroy them.
How they did it was very clever and as you read the story all you hope is that they get away with it.
Look forward to reading another book by this great author.

When I requested THE STRANGER'S WIFE on Netgalley I didn't realise it was the third book in a series. But that's OK as it reads great as a standalone. I enjoyed it so much that I am looking forward to reading the first two featuring Detective Dan Riley.

As psychological or domestic thrillers go, THE STRANGER'S WIFE is perfect in just about every way. The layers of suspense that builds throughout just pulls you in from the very first page and never lets up till the end. It was so psychological, so twisted but oh so brilliant!

June 2018: Beth Lawler arrives home to discover her four year old daughter Lily is alone in the house, asleep, and her nanny is nowhere to be found. Her car is still on the driveway, handbag draped on the chair, but her mobile phone is missing...as is her passport and some of her clothes. Beth immediately calls Marta's phone but it is switched off. She begins to worry and frantically searches the house again. Then she notices something strange...the back doors to the yard are open and Marta's silk scarf is on the lawn. She calls the police and her husband Evan, but cannot shake the feeling that something untoward has happened. Marta has always been incredibly reliable, she would never leave of her own volition...would she? Or is it something more sinister?

April 2019: Cath Patterson has arrived at A&E covered in bruises with a black eyes, a split lip, three shattered fingers, a cracked rib...and in labour. The beating she had received from her partner Saul Bennett was the worst he had given her and although she claimed her injuries were a result of a car accident, she knew they saw right through it. She arrived broken and smashed clutching her swollen belly with her baby of 38 weeks. She remembered feeling the baby wriggle throughout the beating but afterwards...nothing. She knew then that her little baby was gone. And so through the excruciating pain she delivers her stillborn child into the world, a little boy she named Cody. When the nurses return with him swaddled in blankets, Cath held him and whispered to him "I'm sorry Cody, my beautiful angel. Mummy loves you and I'm sorry."

October 2019: Detective Dan Riley is called to the scene of a particularly gruesome murder in a penthouse apartment. The victim has been shot in the head as he lay half dressed and he has been there for some days. The ID in his wallet lists him as Evan Lawler, owner of a prestigious construction business responsible for designing the very building they now find themselves in. But that's not all...Evan Lawler owns the penthouse apartment himself, despite living in a prestigious area of London in a grand house with his wife and child. So what was he doing here? And where had he heard the name Lawler before? The investigation will lead Dan to question all that he knows and all that he believes with one of the most difficult decisions of his career.

THE STRANGER'S WIFE is a story about two very different women - Beth and Cath. Beth is wealthy and in a loveless marriage but has found love with a man who gives her the kindness and love that her cold detached husband does not. Cath is poor with a violently abusive partner who spends most of their money on drugs. Both are suffering at the hands of their partners. Both are in toxic relationships. And neither can see any way out of their situations. These two women who have completely different lives in two different cities with nothing in common and under ordinary circumstances they might never have met. Until they do. Then one afternoon on the 3.15pm train from London to Bristol, fate intervenes and their lives are changed forever.

From the perspectives of Beth, Cath and Dan, we are given a clear insight into each person's lives and as the story unfolds we see the secrets, the lies, the duplicity, the betrayal woven into a dark and twisted tale of revenge. There are aspects which are brutal as we are given a glimpse into the reality that is domestic abuse and the helplessness of each woman living in their abusive relationship. The psychological, emotional, manipulative and coercive control that is just as damaging as physical abuse is distressing in parts to read but also crucial to the cleverly written plot, which was extremely evocative. You will be enraged as the blood rises from a simmer to boiling point.

THE STRANGER'S WIFE delivers a tale that cautions us that those closest to us may not be all we think they are. It warns us how well do we really know another person. And then it throws us a moral dilemma that leaves us questioning everything we thought we believed to be right.

Although this is the third installment in the series, this is my introduction to DI Dan and I really like him. He is no nonsense but fair, loves his work and takes it seriously without being heavy handed or arrogant. One of the real "good guys" you'd want to have on your side. Like all police protagonists, he has a personal life that is woven into the narrative but doesn't overshadow the main story.

As for Beth and Cath - I liked both of them. Their strengths and their weaknesses were integral to the story and I love how each were manipulated to cross a line that neither of them thought they ever would. It raises questions about the law, justice and morality leaving us wondering what would we do if we ever found ourselves in such a situation? And as the conclusion nears, the reader ponders exactly how it would all end. As much as I wanted Dan to solve the case, I also didn't want him to.

A fast-paced read, THE STRANGER'S WIFE is a fantastic 5-star read that had me swiping the pages on my kindle to discover the fate of the characters I had since grown attached to.

While, yes, the plot reaches a point that we know the direction it is headed, it still gives us a unique twist on an already familiar concept reminiscent of the well-known Hitchcock movie "Strangers on a Train".

I cannot believe I have not come across Anna-Lou Weatherley before. Where has she been hiding, I must ask? I have yet to read the other two in this series and genre, but THE STRANGER'S WIFE (for me) is a compelling and addictive read that had me absorbed from beginning to end...and up till way past my bedtime!

A must read for fans of psychological and domestic thrillers.

I would like to thank #AnnaLouWeatherley, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheStrangersWife in exchange for an honest review.

Quite the page turner! This book was cleverly plotted and entertaining. There were plenty of twists and turns, many of which I didn't see coming!

I really enjoyed this book. I was given an advanced copy to review before realizing it is the second book in a detective series. I plan on reading the additional book, The Couple On Cedar Close. A good read with lots of twists and turns. Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I found this book to be eh. I kept waiting for some big reveal or shocking twist and it never came. It was an okay book but not what I’m looking for when reading a thriller.

I really enjoyed this book. Although you kind of know from the start 'who done it', the story is very engaging with a few twists and turns.

it was an easy read with likeable characters. A highly recommended thriller.

Thank you Bookouture and NetGalley.

This story was something else. As I usually have most of the things sorted out, but here what I was thinking in the en almost completely.
I had a problem with rating The Stranger's wife, as I had at first ideas about putting this book down, as I could not get into it, but later I was really intrigued by what was truth and what was a lie.
Cath and Beth couldn't be more different from each other. One weak, one strong. One running away, one deciding to leave. One meeting will change their fates and no one can expect what it will bring for them!
Be ready for a story that is not what it seems at all and how it will be crafted carefully by Ms. Weatherley.

Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the advance ecopy. Beth and Cath are struggling in their relationships. Both have issues they need to address within their marriages. They meet one day unexpectedly on a train and they bond realizing they have a lot in common. From then on their lives completely turn around. Fast paced psycological thriller that will keep your interest from beginning to end.

Beth is living the comfortable life with fairly wealthy husband and their young daughter. At least, that’s how it looks from the outside of their family. Inside is a different story, because after years of being married to her cold-fish husband, she’s started an affair with a wonderful man and she’s now ready for divorce. But her husband doesn’t want that, and when he’s found murdered, Beth has an iron clad alibi. But just like seeing their family “happiness” from the outside, not everything is what it seems. This is the second book that I’ve read by this author and I definitely enjoyed it. Was it a bit of a reach? Yes, but lately most of these suspense who-dunnit’s are all reaching. I’ll read another by her for sure.

Special thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this ARC.

I enjoyed this book and whilst it’s the 3rd in a series it can be read on it’s own. It moves from past to present times easily and had my attention right from the start. It briefly covers domestic abuse, manipulative behaviour and what two women are prepared to do when pushed to their limits, and that not everyone is the person you think they are. There were plenty of plot twists, nothing that really surprised me though. The book was written well and I found this a good, easy read. 3.5 stars

This is such a gripping and clever book.

It’s told from several points of view, Dan the detective, Beth, and Cath. These were all such well drawn and depicted characters. The plot is so clever, and I really couldn’t figure out how all these lives were going to intersect.

It’s a book that kept me reading late into the night, I really needed to know what would happen next, and to figure out the puzzle.

I liked the character of Dan, and didn’t realise until after I’d read it that there were more books in the series featuring him. It’s perfect to read as a standalone, but now I really want to go back and read the others.

So engrossing and gripping, an absolute must-read. I loved it.

THE STRANGERS WIFE- ANNA-LOU WEATHERLY: MY Review: The heroines in this book are brave but severely wronged women. The men(the main leads) are the wrong doers and must pay for their
crimes..but at whose hand(s)?

It turns out Beth doesn't know her husband Ethan at all despite being married a decade and with a 6 year old daughter. When she says she's leaving him for someone else he seems ok with it. TOO OK with it. Something bad's on the horizon. She could never have imagined what though..and it just goes from bad to brutal. He's a rich and powerful man with friends in high places..is there anyone more dangerous?!

Meanwhile, Cath has troubles of her own. Her husband Saul is an abusive drug addict with vile tongue and will do just about anything for his next fix..and no-one,not even his pregnant wife will stand in his way.

A chance meeting of the 2 ladies on a train to Bristol one afternoon changes their lives. For the better though or worse?

A thrilling dramatic read. Totally recommend.

My Rating: 📕📕📕📕(4.5)

I wish I had known this was the third in the series. While the book stood well on it own I feel I would have understood and enjoyed it a bit more having the background info from books 1 and 2.

I found myself not relating to the character and not drawn into the story as much as I would have liked.

THE STRANGER’S WIFE is the third book in the Detective Dan Riley Crime Thriller Series by author Anna-Lou Weatherley. Even though this is the third book in the Detective Dan Riley series, this is easily read as a stand-alone. After really enjoying the first two books, I was anxious to start the third book in the series; The Stranger’s Wife…and again another winner! I was not disappointed! I loved it! This book will clutch you right from the beginning until the last page.

The Three books in the series include:

Black Heart (Book 1)
The Couple on Cedar Close (Book 2)
The Stranger’s Wife (Book 3)

Beth and Cath are leaving their husbands.

This is a story about two very different women. This book deals with the issue of domestic abuse, both physical and psychological, and how it can affect anybody, rich or poor, class and gender…and the damage it can cause. This novel also explores the element of revenge in divorce, and how children can be affected by divorce.

Beth, is married to a rich husband, Evan, but she is in her marriage. She reaches out and has an affair with a man, Nick who gives her the kind of love that her cold, detached husband, does not. Beth decides to leave her husband with her four-year-old daughter, Lily - on the day that her nanny, Marta goes missing.

Marta is missing in the house, and the baby alarm monitor is turned off…Marta was reliable and would never leave Lily alone. Marta had disappeared without a trace. Something was wrong!

Beth calls her husband at work and tells him to come home, after reporting the disappearance to the police. DI Dan Riley from homicide is assigned to the case, and comes to the house to take statements. Dan and his team, D.S. Lucy Davis and newest team member, DC Carrie Mitchell focus on solving the case.

Meanwhile, Cath is suffering at the hands of a violent partner who would rather see her dead than leave him.

So will Beth will live happily ever after with her little girl and her soulmate, and will Cath will go back to her abusive husband.

On the 3.15pm train from London to Bristol, Beth and Cath are about to meet and discover they share one shocking thing in common.

I am not going to write any more for risk of spoilers, and ruin how it will end for the two women…you have to read this book to find out how it ends!

The Stranger’s Wife is a fast-paced crime-thriller that shows what really lies beneath the surface of a marriage. This is an additive read and one that you will not be able to put down…until you know!

Many thanks the author, Bookouture and Netgalley for my digital copy.

"The Stranger's Wife" is an excellent murder mystery novel that kept my attention from the very first page. The author, Anna-Lou Weatherley, does an excellent job of making the author feel sympathy for the main character"s plight and helping you see the motives behind her actions. I really enjoyed this book and the many twists and turns it took all the way to the very end!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Wow! This domestic thriller will have you on the edge of your seat. A definite must read for 2020! You do not want to miss this one! A definite🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Star raring from me! Thank you to Bookouture, Anna-Lou Weatherley, and Netgalley for this most wonderful read in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture, and the Author for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
WOW is all I can say, this book was one bumpy ride of a great psychological thriller. The book is third in the Detective Dan Riley series. I didn't know this book was part of series when I requested it but it didn't make a difference reading it. I will most definitely be following and reading more from this author.

I was not expecting this book to be this good. The characters were all fantastically written. This was a very well done mystery.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC