This story has a lot of twists and turns that kept me interested in the book. I was not familiar with any of Willig's previous books. This book was also set in a time period that I am not as familiar with as many others.

I received an advance review copy of this book from the Great Though's Ninja Review Team. All opinions are my own.

There are certain types of stories that will always appeal to me. Turn of the century New York. Old brownstones. People with too much money. Gothic storylines. Murder. I'll always read these.

The English Wife by Lauren Willig has all of this. Bay and Annabelle are a glamourous couple. They had a whirlwind romance in Europe and are living the gilded life in New York. OR ARE THEY? After Bay is found murdered and Annabelle is missing after their Twelfth Night Ball, the truth starts to unravel.

Bay's sister, Janie, is what would be called a 'plucky upstart'. She works secretly with a handsome tabloid reporter to find the truth. Who was Annabelle? Who killed Bay? Was Annabelle having an affair? Who was Bay...really? Is anyone truly happy?

This is a story that kept my attention until the very end. There's mystery, there's romance, there's murder!

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and Lauren Willing for the advance copy of this book in exchange for this review.

I found the characters confusing and the plot was hard to follow. I liked the premise of a gothic mystery set in the New York gilded age, but it didn't live up to my expectations. I enjoyed some parts, but the flow was not working for me.

It begins with Bayard Van Duyvil found with a knife in his chest on the night of a Ball at his family home. I thought this mystery would be center in the plot and that suspects would be drawn out and examined, but there were too many side stories and discussions of how family members met years before. It felt disconnected and the big reveal at the end was disappointing and honestly not at all worth reading nearly 400 pages to get too.

“The English Wife” begins with one murder—or is it two? It’s the evening of Annabelle and Bayard’s “Twelfth Night”-inspired ball, and after the couple disappears, family members go to search for them. Anne, Bay’s cousin, and Janie, Bay’s sister, are shocked to find Bay taking his last breaths after suffering a stabbing. Janie thinks she sees Annabelle’s body in the water nearby, but when the body isn’t recovered, the presumed murder-suicide begins to look like a straightforward murder. Annabelle and Bay seemed to have a loving marriage, so no one can believe that either of the pair could kill the other. Janie, wholeheartedly believing in her brother and sister-in-law’s innocence, recruits Burke, a journalist, to help her uncover the truth of what really happened that night.

Interspersed with the present-day ramifications of the murder(s), Willig delivers narratives from the past five years that show the beginning—and end—of the relationship between Bay and Annabelle (whom Bay first knew as Georgie). Their relationship, which at first appears to be exactly what Georgie wanted, soon turns into an abnormal arrangement. While the public perception of the two is mostly positive, the Bay/Georgie chapters reveal a secret to the reader that would ultimately lead to the undoing of the Van Duyvil family.

I liked “The English Wife,” but I can’t say that it seemed particularly special to me. I enjoyed reading Georgie, Janie and Burke’s characters, but I did not care for the others. I especially disliked Anne, whom I felt was only present as a distraction from the real meat of both timelines. Her character seemed very smoke-and-mirrors to me, and at times she acted in a way that didn’t make sense for the character; it was as if she were there solely to make the reader suspicious of her.

I also didn’t care for Bay, whom I thought to be incredibly selfish and foolish with his relationship with Georgie. It made me sad to see Georgie being used the way she was. Though she had her faults, I wanted her to be happy, and it appears that the world wanted something different for her. I really did not care for the “secret” angle Willig took with Bay’s character. His marriage with Georgie made me think of another book, “The Miniaturist,” in which a similar relationship occurs. As much as I enjoy racy plots during period dramas, I feel like this plot line is starting to get old very fast.

When I reflect on this novel, I realize that my biggest problems with the book lay in the Georgie/Bay chapters, rather than the present-day chapters. I thought the investigation into Bay’s death was engaging, and I loved the developing relationship between Janie and Burke. It was exciting to be along with Janie as she and Burke made inquiries into her brother’s relationship with his English wife. Though I found the ending to be a bit contrived (particularly the last death that occurs), I thought that the book was altogether good.

I love, love, love this book! You know those books that pull you in right from the start and you simply don't want to put them down? You go to bed late and wake up early to read? Well, this was it for me.

It is 1899 and Annabelle and Bayard Van Duyvil are throwing a 12th night ball for New York's 400 society celebrating their newly built home. The festive evening takes a horrid turn when Bayard (Bay) is discovered stabbed and dying, and Annabelle is missing. Did Bay murder Annabelle? Did Annabelle stab Bay and flee?

Annabelle and Bay's story was an intriguing but sad one. I enjoyed reading how they came together, the sacrifices they made for each other, and the betrayals that changed their course. It was fascinating to see how the standards set by society influenced not only their lives but those they loved. I must admit that while it is so very interesting to read about high society during that time, I would have absolutely no desire to experience it myself. Despite all the wealth, society was a very fickle friend with high expectations and no forgiveness. If one did not meet it's standards then out you would go.

Janie, is by far, my favorite character in this book. She has spent her 26 years living with her mother. A mother who essential rules New York society. Janie, when we first meet her, is sheltered, obedient, and largely ignored. By persuing what really happened to her brother and Annabelle she begins to figure out who she is and what she wants in life. She comes to understand society's expectations will never allow her to be who she is. " She had tried appropriate, and it had given her headaches. Maybe it was time to be gloriously, fearlessly inappropriate".

She really captured my attention and I found myself looking forward to the chapters of the book that dealt with her and her evolution. I was rooting for her to break free from her mother and society to do what she wanted.

Overall, this was an addictive read that I did not want to put down. I would highly recommend!

I received this ARC via Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.





Reading Progress

I received a free copy from NetGalley. I liked how it went back from forth from the past to the present as the details of the murder are slowly discovered. A family full of secrets, an over powering mother, and relationships that are not what they appear to be all, combine for an interesting story set in the turn of the century. Lots of Shakespeare quotes too.

The English Wife by Laura Willig
The Gilded Age where society counts, upper crust that is. The year is 1899 when we meet Bayard and Annabelle Van Duyvil, Bayard from an old Dutch family is wealthy is in the top 400 of society, while Annabelle comes from London also growing up in an English Manor house along the Moors. They meet in London, and after 3 months marry and eventually return to Bayard's home. Yet nothing is quite as obvious or as perfect.. Tensions abound, his mother is domineering and cruel, his spinster sister is kept under the thumb of their mother and his cousin scarcastic Anne whose parents are both gone also lives with his mother and sister. However, as life would have it not everything is what it seems and eventually that family tension overflows and begins to affect the couple. Deciding to have a ball calling it "The Twelfth Night" which is significant to Bayard and Annabelle, this ball is to celebrate the opening of their newly built home. But something goes strangely awry and Bayard is found dead in the garden with a knife in his chest , his last words "George" while Annabelle disappears. The newspapers are having a field day, the headlines screaming "Murder and Suicide on the Hudson." So who is "George" and where is Annabelle? While the police are doing their job, Bayard's sister Janie seeks the help of the press, namely James Burke, a reporter, to help her find the truth. Rumors abound, secrets revealed as the plot thickens, the characters claw at each other as cruelty takes over.
With a cast of characters, the book grabs your attention from beginning to end, leading you down many paths until we find out the truth, it is most definitely a cliffhanger. Ms. Willig is a skillful writer, whose novels over the years have made me a fan. This book is no different, she keeps you guessing, she keeps you intrigued right up to the last page. I would highly recommend it! Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I cannot wait to read this novel with our book group. This is a popular time period for our group and will appeal to all age groups. I have read Ms Willig's series and enjoyed each book, but this book is one of the best I have read this year.

Thank you for sharing with me

Annabelle and Bayard Van Duyvil live a wonderful life in New York. Despite rather insidious rumors, they seem to be doing fine. However, Bay is found dead and Annabelle is missing. Janie, the sister of Bayard, teams up with a reporter to find out the truth of what has happened.

This book was pretty good. It's the first time I've read anything by Lauren Willig and I definitely think it was worth the read. I didn't quite expect the culprit but I do love how the story wrapped up.

What a great book! Brilliant story line that kept me guessing until the end. Well done Lauren Willig

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this title. Unfortunately, I was not able to finish this book which means I will not be able to review it. I truly appreciate the opportunity and apologize for the inconvenience the lack of review may cause you.

I loved The English Wife! This book takes place during the Gilded Age from two points of view at two different times--Janie in 1899 and Georgie in 1894-1899. I won't say more about what happens in the book because I don't want to give anything away. There are a lot of secrets revealed, and most of them I didn't see coming.
The story was a complex (all those secrets!) but not at all hard to follow. I wanted to keep reading and find out what was going to happen next...and of course, who the murderer was.

This was a wonderful historical mystery/romance. I especially liked Georgie and Bay and even though their relationship wasn't ideal, I admired the love that had for each other. It was interesting to see the progression of Janie's character, as she grew into a stronger woman, willing to stand up for what was right and just. What I enjoyed the most, was the fact that I couldn't figure out who was the guilty party and had committed the crime. I love a good mystery and this was definitely one of those—a real page-turner! I was given a copy of this book for my honest review, but would have gladly paid for a copy.

This was an engaging historical fiction/mystery/bit of Gothic novel that benefits from complex character development and the contrast of cultures and class in the Gilded Age. I'm not usually a fan of the braided plotline (past and present alternatively told, eventually coming together), but here it really worked. While some plot reveals were easy to guess, others took me by surprise. An entertaining read!

Greatly enjoyed this historical fiction novel — a mystery up until the very end. I enjoyed the dual narration and thought Willig did a great job developing the characters, particularly the two protagonists. Any fan of Willig, Beatriz Williams, or Karen White will adore The English Wife. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2157975007

I like how Lauren Willig writes and draws the reader into the story so that you feel like you are there with the characters. Her characters have enough depth that they come to life and feel very real. There is a lot going on in this book: mystery, history, romance, intrigue.

Bay is found dead on the night of the ball he and his wife Annabelle are giving to celebrate the completion of their new home. Annabelle, his wife has disappeared and no one believes Bay's sister Jane when she says that she saw Annabelle floating in the river. Jane, who has been under her domineering mother's thumb her whole life, shows her true character as she enlists the help of a journalist to find out the truth about Bay's death.

Annabelle and Bayard Van Duyvil would seem to have it all. Both born to wealth and privilege during the Gilded Age of 1890’s New York City, rubbing elbows with the Astor’s and the Vanderbilt’s in the “cottages” of Newport, not to mention the rest of the Van Duyvil family. But not all is as it seems and when, on the night of the Twelfth Night Ball, Bayard is found dead with a knife in his chest and Annabelle has gone missing, presumably drowned, all signs point to a murder-suicide. Not all parties agree however.

The novel is told from two separate time frames. First is from the days and weeks following the discovery of Bayard’s body from the point of view of his sister, Janie who forms a partnership with a reporter to find out what really happened. These chapters are interspersed with events that begin six years earlier from the intriguing points of view of Annabelle and Bayard themselves, allowing us to view the actual events as they unfold. The two time frames converge over the course of the entire novel leading to the climax at the end when the two time frames align. It’s a great way to tell a story and it kept me absorbed throughout.

This is a historical mystery/thriller that feels a lot like something that would result if Daphne du Maurier coauthored a novel with F. Scott Fitzgerald. Guided age novels often seem that way to me, especially if they are well written, as this one is. I’ve not experienced any other novels by Lauren Willig thus far but she seems to be a beloved author and I suspect this will not be my last one to read. Her characters are complex and fully fleshed out. The settings were vibrant and the plot was absorbing. One of my marks of a good novel is pacing, and the structure of this novel was perfect as a way to approach the story, keeping the suspense building slowly but surely into a fiery blaze of an ending. I also enjoyed the numerous red herrings and bits of innuendo from various characters that not only fleshed out their personalities but also kept me turning the pages past my bedtime.

It is the gilded age where money, power and prestige reign. Called such by the author Mark Twain, it was a period that dated from the 1870's until about the early 1900's. It was a time of amassing great wealth and the people who populated this age had last names like Astor, Carnegie, and Vanderbilt.

In all this luxury and unlimited money live Bayard and Annabelle VanDuyvil. They seem to have it all, he being part of an old Dutch family and she growing up in an English Manor in England. They met in London, fall in love, and marry returning to New York and the VanDuyvil way of life. Twins are born to the couple and though there are rumors of an affair between Annabelle and an architect hired to design a home just like the one Annabelle grew up in, things seem to be tense but life seems to be going forward. As we know in life what seems to be is not always what is true.

Bayard, at the coming out ball for the new home, is found murdered and Annabelle is the likely culprit since she is missing. This is high society and of course the newspapers go nuts with the headlines and stories, many of which are not true. Bayard's sister, Janie meets and starts to confide in a newspaper reporter. They pledge to one another to speak only what is the truth and a friendship forms between these two separated by society views. As his investigation continues, Janie learns more and more about her brother and the woman he married. Janie is constantly thwarted by her mother, a denizen of high society who never permits anything that she considers untoward occurring and has a cold nature. The mother is not bendable, clearly believing in herself and her moral ways. She imposes her views and her stringent ways on all her family including a niece, Anne who lives with them.

Who really are Bayard and Annabelle? Are things really as they seem to be? This family carries secrets, deep ones, that will eventually bring them to ruin and death and be the headline grabbers that Mrs VanDuyvil fears.

This was a riveting story told with a Gothic flair that keep the reader quite engaged as the truth is finally revealed and the killer brought to poetic justice.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an unbiased review.

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