Ralph has the best of both worlds. He is married and has a young daughter who he loves dearly. He also has a mistress, a much younger woman who is head over heels with him. He recently broke off with his mistress because someone else has caught his attention. She is devastated and almost becomes a stalker.

When she receives a text from him asking her over to his house so they can talk, she is beyond happy. She just knows that he's changed his mind ... that he still loves her.. still want to be with her. But that isn't exactly what happens .... and then the wife comes home.

Neither of them want what happened to become public .... each for their own reasons. One is protecting her daughter, the other her career.

Told by the two women, this intricate plot goes to prove that no one knows what goes on behind closed doors. It's an incredible page turner with deftly drawn characters. The ending was sudden and totally unexpected.

Many thanks to the author / Bookouture / Netgalley for the digital copy of this psychological fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

I was fortunate to receive a copy of this ARC from NetGalley.

Wow, what a book! The opening paragraph of each chapter is stunning and keeps you reading. Told first from Laura's point of view, then from Helen's, we find out what is so compelling about Ralph. There is a twist, then another twist and then another one!

My favourite quote:
"She seemed to have collapsed into herself, as if she'd borrowed energy to take control in the way she had, to do what she thought needed to be done, and was now in debt."

I really enjoyed this book... This book starts with a bang, and while I found it slowed a bit in the middle, it picked up again about two thirds of the way through, and boy, what a twist!

The slow pages in the middle are perfectly placed in this booked. There is guilt and desperation felt by one of the characters, and this is really portrayed so well in these pages. Anything faster paced, and I don't think the emotions would have been as raw and relatable.

Laura is having an affair with Ralph, and he has tried to end it but one evening it all becomes too much and there’s an accident.
The first half of the book is from Laura’s POV and the second half is from Helen, Ralph’s wife.
Now I will be the odd one out from my friends who have all read this as I didn’t enjoy it and feel like I’m the only one who didn’t get blown away by it.
Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for my ARC. A scorned mistress, a loyal wife and a philandering husband is a recipe for a twisted, enthralling thriller. That’s what I was hoping for from this tale of paranoia, suspicion and betrayal. The first two thirds of the book were extremely slow. The last part was fast paced and satisfying. If only the majority of the book could have been as engaging. All in all, the plot was somewhat predictable and parts were far fetched. This was not a bad thriller, but was definitely not one of the best. The final twist bumped my rating from 2.5 to ⭐️⭐️⭐️.

I thoroughly enjoyed this easy-to-read captivating psychological drama where not all is quite what is seems.
I flew through the pages, aghast at what Ralph Wilson's wife Helen and mistress Laura Dixon were up to, wondering where and how it was all going to unravel.
Can you imagine opening your front door to see your husband's mistress naked and your husband dead at the bottom of a set of stairs? Chilling stuff, but even that is not the worst that is going to happen.
Ralph works in the Upper School, Laura in the Lower School. He runs a writing group for staff one evening a week and it is from here that Laura's life changes and she loses her way. Ralph is not a particularly likeable fellow but does anyone deserve to die at the hands of another?
The plot draws you in and the reader is encouraged to feel all sorts of emotions, sorrow, guilt, betrayal and horror as you empathise with certain characters and become caught up in the catastrophic developments. You might not agree with affairs, but even the mistress manages to garner some empathy as desperation leads her to wild and rash behaviour. You can't help imagining what it must be like to keep very big secrets hidden without going mad. So, whilst this is a typical domestic thriller, it is the genre at its best as so many flaws of the human character are laid bare and leave you wondering whether you could behave like that, what motivates us, what helps one person step across the line and another, step back.
It is chilling, well written, canters along at a great pace and delivers some stealthy blows along the way.
I would definitely recommend this read to others and I enjoyed it so much I want to read all the other books Jill Childs has written.
The 5 star rating was never in any doubt for me.

This is a great psychological thriller.
Laura had been having an affair with Ralph, a teaching colleague, and is asked round to his home.
It’s clear he’s tried to end things with Laura but she won’t listen and ends up seducing him again.
I’m not sure what really happens next but basically Ralph falls through the cellar door and down the stairs and the next minute his wife is standing at the front door.
What happens next is slightly unbelievable but all becomes clear later in the book.
The first half of the book is told from Laura’s perspective and the second half, from his wife’s perspective.
As soon as I saw the wife’s name at the beginning of part two I knew I was in store for some more twists and I wasn’t disappointed.
This is a great read, but possibly a little too far fetched.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

This book was an easy read. It lured you in. Despite in the back of my mind I knew where it was heading it certainly didn’t spoil the book. There is a twist at the end. At the end of it Ralph was just a horrid man.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the arc in return for an honest review

A creepy, wild ride! This thriller employs familiar tropes from classic film noir and executes them very well.

Ralph, who seems at first blush to be a charming English teacher, is leading a double life. A wife and kid at home and a mistress on the side, and maybe some other secrets, too. It shouldn’t be a surprise that at the beginning of the book, something unfortunate befalls him. Both his mistress and his wife become involved in the cover-up, and one of them begins to go mad. Or is she perhaps being gaslighted? Hmmm.....

Childs strikes a great tone of creepy foreboding in this book. The book is told by two narrators, and the first narrator, Laura, was definitely my favorite. I was genuinely surprised by one of the twists (even though I watch a lot of film noir and this twist is a classic!) because it was so well-executed. This writer is very skillful at building suspense and creating compelling characters, particularly Laura.

This book has a common affliction of late in the suspense genre though — the dreaded “one twist too far” syndrome. Listen y’all, when you write a great suspense book and come upon a final satisfying twist, leave it there! Not necessary to throw in another one. Sometimes that makes the whole thing less believable and less satisfying, which was the case here. But I liked this book a lot so I just did what I do when this happens in a book I like, and just pretended the last twist never happened.

Overall, solid book with fun and creepy plotting. I really enjoyed this writer and am going to seek out her other work! Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for this creepy noir-flavored thrill ride.

A good book told by two women in one mans life. It was a bit slow to start with but boy did it soon pick up as i got into it.a good thriller

I had been looking forward to reading this book but I was disappointed, it didn’t keep me gripped. I guessed the first twist, not the second and the third was good but left things up in the air.

“I didn’t turn up uninvited. He summoned me, with a text. The last thing on my mind was killing him.” So begins the unputdownable The Mistress by Jill Childs. In this thriller, two women tell their very different stories.

Laura Dixon is the mistress. A private school teacher, shy and somewhat aloof, she falls under the spell of charismatic English teacher Ralph Wilson. He romances her with poetry and flattery but then she learns he is married and has a young daughter. Worse yet, the daughter attends the same school where she and Ralph teach and the mother is a regular volunteer there. When Ralph’s passion cools, Laura becomes obsessed and refuses to leave him alone until a visit ends with a shocking act.

Helen is the betrayed wife. A former librarian, now stay at home mother, she too was drawn to Ralph’s flamboyant personality. She discovered that marriage to him is not what she was expecting. Ralph finds it impossible to be faithful to her. Still, she loves him and will do anything to save their marriage. Anything turns out to be something unexpected and extraordinary…and a total surprise!

This is a fast-paced suspenseful psychological thriller full of dark, twisted moments. It is definitely a 5 star read!

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and Jill Childs for this ARC.

I almost passed this one by, when I saw the title I kinda thought ‘oh another one’ but never judge a book by a cover eh as it turned out to be a good read
Yes there’s a Mistress ( obv’s ) and yes a wife and yes a narcissistic vile husband/lover but what actually happens to this unhappy threesome is taut, exciting and original
All 3 work in a School and I loved the realism of the ‘extra’s’ and the way they were portrayed and the acidic vibe of the staff room, much more a reality than what a lot of us imagine I bet
The Mistress’s utter adoration for her lover almost made me wince with a mixture of pain, sympathy and a tinge of ridicule for her but you could feel her devotion to this man and when he threw her aside her devastation was laid bare for us all to see
But you know the saying, ‘a woman scorned’....well this applies to the wife in this book, and I cant say anymore as will give it away.....
I guessed some of what was going to happen but that didn’t matter, if anything it built the book up and I was keen to see if I was right and how it would play out
And play out it did, a wonderful ending that brought together everything and left me, who reads a few 😁psychological thrillers satisfied, pleased I gave this book a chance and even more pleased it surpassed expectations
9/10
5 Stars

4.5 Stars!!

I was a little hesitant to pick this one up, as I wasn't a huge fan of "The First Wife", but The Mistress had me enthralled from page one!

The first half of this book is told from the perspective of the mistress, while the second half is told from the perspective of the wife. One night, Ralph, our philandering man, summons the mistress to his home to end things with her, once and for all.....and she accidentally kills him! While the mistress is beside herself, trying to figure out what to do, in walks Ralph's wife. WHAT?!?!

This story is rich and well written and will have you turning the pages for more. It will also having you questioning yourself.....do you root for the mistress whose mental state is fleeting due to the guilt or the poor wife who dutifully loved her husband and cared for their child?

Do yourself a favor and pick up the juicy, drama filled fun read!

A special thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture, and Jill Childs for providing me with an ARC.

I read this ARC for an honest review
All thoughts and opinions are mine

This is a new author to me
I absolutely loved this

I loved how dark and twisty turny this was

The ending left a little open - I soooo hope there is a sequel in the works - it would work really well

A great page turner

I’d like to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Mistress’ by Jill Childs in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Laura is a quietly spoken drably-dressed schoolteacher and when handsome poetry-writing Ralph invites her for a drink she can’t believe that someone as charismatic as him would choose her to have an affair with. She falls in love with him but as soon as he has her under his spell he tells her their affair has to end and invites her to his house for a final tryst while his wife’s out. They argue, Laura accidently pushes him, he falls down a flight of stairs into the cellar and dies. She didn’t intend killing him, but what can she do with his body?

‘The Mistress’ is the compelling story of a man, his wife and his mistress, and the consequences of his cheating and lies. The story is told in two parts, the first by Laura who falls for Ralph hook, line and sinker, and the second by his wife Helen who despite his lying will do anything to support her husband. It’s a beautifully-written roller-coaster of a novel with a plot that I wasn’t anticipating and a conclusion that was completely unexpected. This is a brilliant novel, gripping and unmissable, and well worth its five stars!

Laura found herself drawn into an affair. Rather plain, not very popular, but this schoolteacher found herself drawn to another teacher, Ralph. So, they have an affair, and everything goes wrong. Dangerous even. Ralph was a husband and a father, and in the blink of an eye, tragedy happens. How is it that Ralph asks Laura to go to is home, with his daughter Anna sleeping upstairs, and things could go so terribly wrong?

Well, this may seem like a spoiler, but what happens is very, very early in the book, so I am going to go ahead and say it. Ralph dies and next thing you know both Laura and Ralph's wife Helen are covering it up. This begs the question: why? How did Ralph die and why did the two women - who should be enemies - choose to cover it up?

If you go and read the blurb you might scratch your head as I did. But then, as I read the book it became very clear when it comes to assuming Ralph's character. There were things about him that will come up in the story, because even though he does not have a point of view in this story, it soon becomes easy to see what type of man he was.

As the story develops, it is told in first person by Laura. How the affair began and how the investigation into his death is relayed. All this is done in quite a dramatic fashion, proving that this book is an excellent domestic thriller with secrets and lies on more than one level.

Jill Childs has done a fabulous job with this book. I loved being misled by the blurb as well as the instant shock of Ralph's death early on. This gave me the opportunity to delve into it so that I could see the man behind the man when it came to Ralph, but also while learning about Laura. What is more is that whatever was going on inside of Ralph's home and family was explored. What is very interesting is that the point of view changes partway into the book, so that raised my interest in this book that much more.

For an excellent read, one that I certainly could not put down, even for a minute, I highly recommend The Mistress. This book showcases the excellent writing skills as well as character development by Childs. I love that the reveal happened early, while the book still had elements to keep me guessing.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC to review in exchange for my honest opinion.

Laura has an affair with Ralf Wilson wh is an English teacher. He's married to Helen. Laura is a teacher at the same school as Ralf. She was not aware that he was married.

The first half of the book the pace is slow but it picks up in the second half. Its told from the wife, Helen and and the mistree, Laurs's points of view. The characters are well developed. Just when you think you've got it all worked out, something will happen to change your mind. The ending is unexpected. Ralf had tried to break his relationship with Laura but he also knows the right buttons to push. There were parts of this story that I found myself questioning.

I would like to thank #NetGalley, #Bookouture and the author #JillChilds for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A dark, twisted portrayal of a relationship where one person loves more.

Naive Laura falls in love with Ralph before discovering he is married. Then, she discovers a terrible secret.

The book begins with the death of Ralph and the fallout that ensues. The story is told from the POV of Laura Dixon and Ralph’s wife, Helen. It follows the two as they deal with the aftermath, while disclosing events of the past. It reveals how easily one with a mental illness, even a minor one, can be manipulate. It touches upon the cruelty of others.

The suspense carries to the last page, literally. A sequel is hinted at here. Throughout, I wanted to shake Laura, slap Helen and punch Ralph. Such emotions were caused by these unlikable characters.


I received an ARC from Bookouture through NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion or rating of this book. I am voluntarily submitting this review and am under no obligation to do so.

Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for giving me the ARC!

Laura Dixon is a teacher at the elementary school and is having an affair with a fellow teacher, Ralph Wilson. However, Ralph Wilson is married with a child. Then one day, during a confrontation at Ralph's house, Laura accidentally pushes Ralph and he falls down the stairs and then dies. His wife, Helen witnessed the event and together, they wrap Ralph's body and dump in the lake behind a boathouse away from the house. Laura seems to be fidgety with the situation. Then the police starts investigating Ralph's missing case and Laura is feeling frightened and anxious and at the same, she feels that someone is stalking her and that Ralph seems to be haunting her around...

OK, the plotline was great! First part of the story begins with Laura's perceptive and the second part of the story, towards the middle is Helen, Ralph's wife's perspective. Both women recount how they met Ralph and in Laura's case, how her life changed when she started her affair with Ralph and in Helen how her life changed when she married Ralph. It's actually interesting to read from both women's point of view, so as a reader, we would know what the characters think. Laura is a very vulnerable and unreliable character and so as you read through her point of view, you would think if she is delusional or making things up in her mind about seeing a dead person around. Helen on the other hand suspects that besides her husband's affair with Laura, he was hiding something. The police were only discreetly involved so I like how the story mainly focused on Laura and Helen. I do like thrillers where the police is only discreetly involved. The writing was great--the author did a good job of bringing out the story. There were so many unexpected twists and turns that the ending was so unexpected that I couldn't even believe it! In other words the ending was great! This book is fast paced as well, which is why I really enjoyed reading the book.

As the synopsis says, this book does seem to be similar to Big Little Lies and Gone Girl, for those who have read the books. An unputdownable thriller that will make you as a reader to want to know more, a roller coaster ride filled with twists and turns that you didn't want to miss! Truly enjoyed reading the book! This is the first book I have read from this author and in future I will look forward to read more of her books!