Dear Wife: A Novel

A perfectly messed-up story – one that will have you mind-boggled from start to finish. There’s more than a generous teaser above that should quickly grab your attention and push you towards the one-click button. And because I don’t want to spoil this absolutely amazing thriller for any reader, there won’t be many specifics in my review. It’s only fitting that you receive the total impact and the overall effect this story is designed to compel.A DILLER OF A THRILLER! A new-to-me-author, Kimberly Belle kept me on the edge of my seat from the first page through the last. And every sentence moves you forward with meaning, so pay close attention. There is no early reveal and the author expertly crafted it so that when the villain finally steps out of the shadows near the end, it’s SHOCKING AND UNEXPECTED sending chills down my spine."Dear wife, I found you."Both the cover and the title completely relate to the story. I love when that happens. The simplicity of the cover speaks volumes. Sometimes less is more. I know I repeat this little phrase quite often, but it just seems to fit the bill.An extra special surprise for me was the nod to my hometown in Oklahoma and the River Bend Apartments that reside alongside the Arkansas River. In Beth Murphy’s escape from a marriage made in hell, our determined and revenge-seeking abused wife flees down a road I myself have traveled often to and from home — the Muskogee Turnpike (think Okie from Muskogee). It’s always fun to see your "real" world collide with your "fictitious" one.This female-driven thriller is told at a fast-clipped pace from three different points of view. It’s uniquely clever and refreshing in that it doesn’t have that feel of another copy-cat or recycled storyline. It takes on a life of its own with plenty of twists and turns and gasp-inspiring surprises. Using the practice of deceit down to a fine art, a wide range of characters infiltrate this story — some you’ll find sympathy for – others you’ll find disgusting. But it takes a village to make it a heart-pounding, nerve-wracking and nail-biting spiral of dark suspense.Family and friends, husbands and lovers, saints and sinners – they’re all suspects. Expect the unexpected and trust no one. You’ll find a panic attack with the turn of each page as readers are plunged into a game of hide and seek where the stakes are high – life or death. A good writer makes it all look effortless, and Belle certainly hits that mark. Her writing is concise and simplistic with the use of short paragraphs and a wicked sense of humor thrown in for good measure.There was only one blip on my radar (and it was teeny-tiny). Ingrid’s role captivated me. Especially her barely tolerable (and sometimes laughable) relationship with her brother-in-law in which both have a mutual dislike for the other. Her circumstances, along with her quirky and closed-off personality, seemed to be such a unique and important fixture in regards to her sister, Sabine. I was intrigued and left wondering why she acted and lived the way she did. A little more definition and explanation would have been appreciated.Madly enjoyable with an incendiary conclusion that left me frazzled but content, DEAR WIFE is indeed worthy of all the praise and five-star reviews it’s receiving. In my opinion, it’s better than even THE SILENT PATIENT that I found myself totally absorbed in, or any of all those other so-called current popular psychological thrillers.I’ve already stalked Belle’s backlist. Next up is MARRIAGE OF LIES. There’s no doubt that DEAR WIFE will be among my top favorites for 2019. Highly recommended.

This book is really good so far, it’s easy to read and interesting however the paper back version barely opens enough for you to read the entire page

This <b>4 star</b> thriller was impossible to put down! I could not stop reading!!<b>SUMMARY</b>This book, told from the points of view of Jeffrey, a man whose wife has disappeared; Marcus, the police detective assigned to find Jeffrey’s wife and <I>Beth</i> (her alias), the woman running from her husband.The story opens with “Beth” hightailing it out of town while her husband is away on business. She is terrified of what will happen if he catches her. Beth has spent months meticulously planning her escape complete with a new identity and a trail of false leads for him to follow. As the story progresses, she recounts the years of abuse she suffered and how she finally got the courage to leave. Even when it finally looks like Beth has finally found a safe place to hide, she is constantly looking over her shoulder with the certainty that he will find her. It sort of reminded me of Julia Roberts in <i>Sleeping with the Enemy</i>.Jeffrey and his wife had gotten into a huge fight, which ended up getting physical, just before he had to leave town for a work event. When he returns, she is missing and no one has any idea where she went. Of course, with their rocky marriage and the hint of abuse, Jeffrey is suspect #1 on the police’s list. Since he’s a very unlikeable guy, it’s hard to feel any sympathy his predicament. It’s even kind of fun to watch him being the prime suspect.The third point of view comes from the detective assigned to the case, Marcus. Marcus is working nonstop to find Jeffreys missing wife, Sabine. He and Jeffrey clash pretty immediately. All the evidence points toward Jeffrey, his iradkic behavior is not helping him, neither is the fact that he won’t tell Marcus anything about what happened to Sabine.It’s quite a <i>cat and mouse</i> game, Beth continuing to hide all the while she is certain she will he found out.<b>WHAT I LOVED</b>I LOVED the plot! It was so well written and the suspense kept me reading as often as I possibly could.The twists were fantastic! All good thrillers need a couple great twists and surprises. This one had a couple excellent ones.I loved how cleverly Beth thought out the plan and how she had several tricks up her sleeve.I also loved the way each of the characters ended up showing their true colors eventually. It was very satisfying to read.<b>WHAT I DIDN’T LOVE</b>There were no specific things in this story I didn’t like or found annoying but I didn’t whole heartedly love it enough to give it 5 stars. In my opinion, a 5 star book has to be spectacular. While this was a good book and was very fun to read, I cannot say it was amazing enough to be a 5.<b>OVERALL</b>I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves thrillers, specifically domestic thrillers. You will not be sorry.

Domestic Abuse sounds so simple but it’s the psychological abuse that breaks us all..I was a bit confused in the beginning but Ms Belle weaves a puzzle of information. This book will leave you thinking.

I highly recommend both the audiobook and the kindle book of Dear Wife. I love the alternating narrators and the little nuggets that helped me figure out the mystery but not the why until the very end. I also loved the Arkansas touches of this books!

When you've written a bestseller it's hard to beat it a second time, but doable. When that second book is just as good as the first reader knows they have found an author whose work they can trust to be great every time. I genuinely had no idea how Belle could pull off another twisty novel but this one had a shocker of an ending that I believed I knew would end only one way, yet she ripped the rug from beneath me at the last second I totally floored me. Another absolutely brilliant psychological thriller. I can't wait to see what else Kimberly creates.

I,m a female who usually reads horror books and zombie books plus books about EMP strikes and solar flares so as you can imagine this was a totally different book for me to read and I read it in one day, I was that engrossed in it.I was riveted to my seat and the way the story was told makes you think you know who it is from the very beginning, sometimes you do start to think that maybe you have it wrong then you're right back on course until very near the end when the plot twists and you think WOW I didn't see that one coming .I won't tell you why because that'll spoil it but it is worth a read.I've not come across this author before but I am wondering if her other books are like this.

Surprising twist to the tale, I really enjoyed this book, it kept me intrigued from the beginning,

What a brilliant storyline took all the way through til the penny dropped ,will definitely be reading more from Kimberly Belle

A clever plot. It was a thought provoking story with strong characters. The main thread of the story was deceit overall but intermingled there were many other emotions. An interesting read.