Title: The Wife Who Knew Too Much by Michele Campbell
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Genre: Contemporary, Domestic Mystery, Suspense
Length: 336 pages
Book Rating: B
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley
Summary:
From Michele Campbell, the bestselling author of It’s Always the Husband comes a new blockbuster thriller in The Wife Who Knew Too Much.
Meet the first Mrs. Ford
Beautiful. Accomplished.
Wealthy beyond imagination.
Married to a much younger man.
And now, she’s dead.
Meet the second Mrs. Ford.
Waitress. Small-town girl.
Married to a man she never forgot,
From a summer romance ten years before.
And now, she’s wealthy beyond imagination.
Who is Connor Ford?
Two women loved him. And knew him as only wives can know.
Set amongst the glittering mansions of the Hamptons,
The Wife Who Knew Too Much is a decadent summer thriller about the lives of those who will do anything for love and money. Who is the victim? Who is the villain? And who will be next to die?
Review:
The Wife Who Knew Too Much by Michele Campbell is an intriguing domestic mystery.
Tabitha Girard is divorced and working as a waitress in her hometown. During her shift one evening, Connor Ford, her teenage fling, walks through the door and forever changes her life. Their young romance ended abruptly years earlier and Tabitha realizes she is still in love with him. However, there are a couple of big obstacles standing in the way of a possible relationship: Connor’s wealthy wife, Nina Levitt and a pre-nuptial agreement. Connor promises to find a way out of his marriage without losing a fortune but Tabitha grows uneasy when he refuses to take her calls or meet with her. After Nina’s death, Tabitha and Connor quickly marry. Now ensconced at Nina’s beachfront home in the Hamptons, Tabitha grows suspicious of everyone around her, including Connor.
Tabitha is a bit naive and views Connor through starry eyes and rose colored glasses. She does not ask too many questions and tiptoes around her new husband and the other occupants of the Hampton estate. Tabitha is a fish out of water in the wealthy world she now occupies and her missteps and mistakes exacerbate the gossip swirling around Connor and Nina’s death. Unsure whom to trust, Tabitha puts her faith in her husband, but is he acting in her best interests?
Connor’s family’s fortunes changed for the worse and he floundered for a few years after his first fling with Tabitha. An employee of Nina’s company when they first meet, they married following their whirlwind summer romance. Connor has moved up the company ladder but he is growing increasingly unhappy with his wife. But is Connor being completely honest with Tabitha about ending his marriage so they can be together?
After her unexpected reconciliation with Connor, Tabitha is frightened by a series of strange events. She is also growing increasingly desperate to talk to him but he is proving to be extremely elusive. Following a shocking discovery, Tabitha makes an impetuous choice that could blow up in her face. In the aftermath of Nina’s death, Tabitha’s reservations about her new marriage and living arrangements continue to grow. Will she find her way out of an increasingly dire situation?
The Wife Who Knew Too Much is a suspenseful domestic mystery. While the plot is interesting, the characters are a little underdeveloped. Some of the dialogue is stilted and elements of the storyline require suspension of disbelief. The beachfront mansion provides an eerie backdrop that is quite atmospheric. Readers will find themselves on the edge of their seats as Michele Campbell brings this tense mystery to an exciting conclusion.
