This author is new for me and I absolutely devoured this book in one session it gripped me from the very first page and I couldn’t stop reading! I loved it.

This author’s writing is razor sharp, the characters are brilliantly crafted and the story is propulsive and pacy. I definitely will be reading more from this author! It was the most perfect blend of suspense and tension.

Each twist lands like a gut-punch, keeping you breathless until the final jaw-dropping revelation and a huge five stars from me!

Where to even begin with this book? Every time I think William Hussey has written the perfect story he goes ahead and produces something new and different, but always completely brilliant. This book simmers, a slow burn that still grabbed me from page one. Every characters, every event, every detour or flashback feels deliberate. There are no wild leaps, no suspension of disbelief. The twists and reveals and airtight, resulting in a climax that strikes the reader hard and cycles back round for a couple of extra hammers to the skull. Hussey is clearly a master of his craft at this point and if the character work and final act are indicative of what else he has up his sleeve, I can say confidently there’s never been a more exciting time to be one of his fans.

I've been a huge fan of Wills since day one, devouring everything since the days of his debut YA book, WITCHFINDER: DAWN OF THE DEMONTIDE. I have thoroughly loved watching him go from strength to strength. From WITCHFINDER to HIDEOUS BEAUTY, to THE OUTRAGE, to JERICHO and now with THE WOMAN WHO WASN'T THERE I can confidently say he has well and truly done it again.

Right from the off I was hooked by the premise and desperate to find out what was actually going on. The fact that the book had sections set in Skegness (a mere 30-45 mins from my home) made it all the more exciting. There were landmarks I recognised, ones I have grown up on and I just loved the little details.

As for the twists, my god, the twists. Will has always had this knack with his crime novels of keeping me guessing to the very end and this one is no different. I didn't see the ending coming at all, so much so that when I read it I actually dropped my Kindle in shock before I grabbed it back up and had to check that I had actually just read what I thought I had.

It was an absolute pleasure to be able to read this so early ahead of publication and I cannot wait to see what Mr. Hussey has up his sleeve next. I just don't know how he does it!

I have so many thoughts.
What can I even say about this book. I love Hussey’s writing and I wasn’t disappointed. I thought the plot was interesting, and somehow still managed to be surprised even though I guessed several of the reveals by the end (my Christie knowledge came in handy!). I thought the characters were great, fleshed out well and I enjoyed the development and reveal of their characters as the story continued. I LOVED the little hints of Jericho in there!

I would highly recommend it. I devoured it in one sitting and it left me wanting more.

I thought this was so cleverly written with major twists and turns.

This book is written across several timelines and multiple POVs,which all converge into one epic ending. It did take me a few chapters to get use to the changes but honestly everything in this book is done for a reason, and all the timelines and POVs are necessary.

The author has such a great way of keeping me guessing and honestly I didn’t see the ending coming. The ending was honestly perfect as well, it wrapped up all my questions and left no loose ends.

If you are looking for a good closed door mystery thriller this is the book for you!

Wow!! What a clever book, the author really got me good with this one. My jaw physically dropped when I read the last few pages and then I had to reread them to check I'd read them right. Then I put the book down for a short while before I finished it because I did not see that coming but on reflection the seeds were cleverly planted throughout the book.

The whole story was full of drama and very mysterious in a way that grabbed me and held onto me for dear life. Then it felt like I'd suddenly been dropped from a great height.

This book had a dual timeline which is my favourite type of book and they all threaded together beautifully.

I'll definitely be reading more by William Hussey in the future. This book was phenomenally, one of the best I've read in a while.

The Woman Who Wasn't There by William Hussey is a psychological thriller with a sting in its tail , a cozy mystery premise sharpened into something far more dangerous.

Bestselling crime author Marian Lane's world collapses when her husband dies in a house fire. Then a woman who could be a young Miss Marple shows up, claiming she was with him, and decades of buried secrets start clawing their way to the surface.

The opening simmers, hopping between timelines and perspectives, but that slow burn is doing real work: it's loading the fuse. Once it catches, Hussey yanks the rug out from under you again and again, twist after twist, until the ending lands like a gut punch, earned, unpredictable and deeply satisfying.

Layered characters and a story-within-a-story atmosphere give the whole thing texture, and the result is a love letter to Agatha Christie with real bite. You won't just finish this one, you'll be untangling it for days.

My thanks to Netgalley and Bonnier Books for the ARC. This is my own opinion.

We start with a bit of a shock - a sort of "if you are reading this, then I am dead" kind of shock...
We then rewind and follow Marian Lane, author of the Maddie Malone "dinner lady detective" series, as she attends a Crime Writing Festival. But her world is shocked as she learns that her husband Dane has died in a fire at their home. She is just coming to terms with this, when a stranger appears at her door - Mary Anne Hannigan - who claims that she was present as her husband lay dying and that he spoke to her. She's a little neurodivergent and can't remember exactly what he said but is sure it will come back to her eventually. Although, that said, she does know she is Marian's biggest fan.
There's a lot to unpick in this book - we have addition characters in Marians agent and editor - Sadie and Edwn - who are both not happy with her final submission. We also have Billy who is the actress who plays Maddie in the TV adaptation. We also go back in time to follow Marian's childhood, teen, and young adult years. We also meet Grace, her sister, whose daughter Ari now works as Marian's assistant. Marians best friend Iris and her MP husband Giles who they met at university, where there was a tragedy and one of their number, Mina, was killed, another, Patrick, jailed for it. Quite how all these fit in to the big picture, I will have to leave it for you to discover. Suffice to say there's plenty of secrets, lies and dysfunctional behaviour to be found along with shock after surprise.
It's all interconnected and convoluted but also very easy to follow. I'm still kicking myself at all the clues I missed along the way and I am desperate to revisit it on audiobook as soon as it is available so I can "read with hindsight". But, apart from my frustration at myself, I just had to sit back at the end and applaud the author for a job very well done.
As well as recommending this book, I would also like to recommend the author's series featuring former cop Scott Jericho which, in my opinion is excellent, book four of which I am eagerly awaiting. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.