The concept of this book is clever - a British woman, Sam, starts writing to Dennis, a man on death row for murder in the US, who she believes is innocent. What is clever about it is that, as the reader, you quickly realise that things are not as straightforward as they seem, You don't know whether Dennis is innocent or not - and sometimes, it seems, Sam isn't so sure either. She is a deeply flawed character, and this adds an extra dimension to their relationship and makes the book quite gripping. However, I didn't find her a likeable character and struggled to relate to her. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but for me it made parts of the book heavy going. It does keep you focussed, though, as the plot takes a few interesting twists and turns, and you rapidly realise that nothing is what it seems.

Death row, innocent or guilty? damaged people, buried secrets, difficult decisions and a past that just won’t go away. When Sam writes to and joins the campaign to get Dennis off death row she may just be biting off more than she can chew. Be careful what you wish for because you might just get it!

A book that keeps you enthralled and makes it hard to put down as you’re never sure what’s going to happen... just how I like them!
The story follows an American man who is imprisoned and on death row and an English woman who is lonely and perhaps desperate to change her life, who writes to and eventually falls in love with the prisoner. Then the story unfolds in a different way when he is freed and she has to adjust to a life with a man she hardly knows who may not be as innocent as she originally thought. Basically both are dysfunctional people and have a dysfunctional relationship.
It was a interesting behind the scenes look at what possibly happens in real life. I really enjoyed it.

Samantha lived her daily life as a teacher but behind closed doors she was fascinated by the story of Dennis Danson jailed 20 years ago for the murder of young girls. After watching a documentary on his case, she felt compelled to start writing to him, expressing her belief that he was wrongly accused and convicted, but imagine her surprise and thrill when he started writing back saying how much he enjoyed her letters. After months of writing, she took the bold decision to leave her life in England behind and spend a few weeks in America in order to visit Dennis in prison, and take part in a new documentary. In a very short her feelings, and love for Dennis grew and so when Dennis proposed she readily agreed. Her life was turned upside down with filming a new documentary, interviews, tv appearances - but also the hatred from the families of the murdered girls and those in Dennis's home town. She soon started to have her doubts about her new husband and started to feel frightened around him. Events take a dramatic turn when she opens an old memory box from his childhood. Will she run or support him..... will she even survive.

A great book that keeps you wondering about his guilt or innocence of a crime he always claims he never committed.

Interesting concept, with complex characters. None of the main characters were particularly likeable - the main female protagonist was weak and needy but this was necessary to justify how she ended up where she did. Exciting final chapter and the ending was not what you expected.

I thought this book was fantastic, it's such an interesting premise and reminded me in many ways of Making a Murderer. It was gripping and insidious in it's menace, no mean feat from a début author. I have already been recommending this to anyone who would listen, I can't wait for her next book!

With its contemporary setting and language, this book is a genuine "page-flicker" (when reading on a tablet). Everything about it is recognisable, from the incarcerated-but-could-be-innocent male character, to the milieu of social media fandom, discussions on forums and inevitable romantic involvement by a vulnerable woman. That familiarity draws the reader in too, despite feelings of uncertainty about the man at the centre - you almost want to believe that it will all work out, yet throughout there is a feeling of being unsafe. Will it or won't it all work out? It kept me guessing to the end. Highly recommended in its genre.

An interesting premise and I wanted to see how the story developed. I thought Samantha was a little unrealistically naive but perhaps there really are women like this. I didn't enjoy some of the sadistic descriptions and felt the ending was weak.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and read it in a couple of days. I was fascinated by the character of Samantha and thought that the build-up to Dennis's release was written very skillfully, with her unease growing as the release drew nearer. I also enjoyed the ending although it did feel a bit rushed - but I found it to be a satisfying conclusion. That said, I didn't warm to any of the characters, but that doesn't really bother me in a story of this genre. Recommended.

Sam becomes obsessed with the latest true crime documentary, not satisfied with just discussing it with other fanatics in online forums, she decides to write to the man himself. Dennis. Their correspondence goes back and forth and suddenly she finds herself flying to America and becoming his wife. New evidence and a new campaign sees Dennis walk out of jail a free man and into her arms. Together at last as man and wife, Sam starts to question his innocence.

I was intrigued by this book from reading the description, I've always found women who fall for murderers on death row interesting. This book highlights everything that could go wrong when these relationships move from behind bars!

I enjoyed the book but the author is clearly a fan of Making a Murderer and some of the storyline was clearly inspired by the case - this annoyed me a bit!! All in all I did enjoy the book and trying to figure out what was going on with Dennis, but I don't think it had any shock or real suspense about it.

I will definitely read another book by Amy Lloyd, but I didn't enjoy this book as much as I had hoped!

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC

This book completely absorbed me right from the start. It has fascinating but flawed characters and a great plot. A very realistic, disturbing, well researched thriller. The Innocent Wife is a terrific debut and I look forward to reading more from Amy Lloyd.
Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

I am out of step with the great majority of readers, but I'm afraid I didn't get on with The Innocent Wife.

Sam, an insecure and lonely teacher from England, falls for a man on Death Row in Florida with whose case she has been fascinated for years. She visits him in the Florida jail, becomes involved in the making of a new documentary about the case and then delightedly agrees to marry him. As the book and the research for the film progress, we get a psychological study of Sam and a "did he/didn't he?" plot which becomes very sinister and threatening.

My problem with the book is principally that I simply didn't find Sam's character either interesting or convincing. I can see the points Amy Lloyd is making, but I just didn't believe it, somehow. Added to this a plot which felt very well-worn and, frankly, I just lost interest.

I'm sorry to be critical of a decently-written book, and especially of a first novel, but that's my honest reaction. I seem to be virtually alone in this so don't let me put you off; plenty of thoughtful readers enjoyed The Innocent Wife very much, but it wasn't for me.

(I received an ARC via NetGalley)

Dennis Danson is a convicted killer on death row, having been charged with the brutal murder of a young girl in Florida's Red River County. He claims he's innocent and has a huge following, who believe in his innocence. After twenty years in prison, his case is now the subject of a true crime documentary, which raises his profile to an ever increasing audience, particularly online. Thousands of miles away in the UK, Samantha, a schoolteacher, is one of those who become infatuated with him, she believes he's innocent, and regularly contributes to online forums for like minded people, eager to discover the truth, convinced of his wrongful conviction. She begins to correspond with him and decides to visit him in person. Sam is won over by Dennis - he's charming and softly spoken, and it isn't long before she's left her old life behind, marries him, and joins the campaign for his release. The campaign is successful, and Dennis and Sam can now begin married life in earnest, but Sam starts to have concerns about Dennis's involvement in the murder. Added to that, how much does Dennis really know about Sam, the eponymous innocent wife?

Sam becomes increasingly doubtful about Dennis's innocence, he's very much a man of contradictions and his mood can change at the flick of a switch. But how do you approach this terrifying subject with him when you're so fearful of his answer?

I found that right from the start there was an underlying tension - like the calm before the storm, just waiting for the real story to reveal itself. As the storyline progressed, the fear became palpable, with some extremely tense moments, and every time I put the book down, I was itching to pick it up again. A dark psychological thriller, with some heart pounding scenes make this a really riveting read!

* Thank you to Netgalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for my ARC in exchange for an honest review *

This is possibly one of the best books I’ve ever read. You cannot stop reading it. With every page comes a new revelation.
The characters are real. The story believable.
I’m so impressed. Do not hesitate to read this!
The only bad bit was I’ve finished it!!

Sam is the English school teacher who starts a pen pal relationship with a convicted killer, Dennis, on death row. Eventually she flies to the USA and visits him. From there she gets caught up with the film crew who are making a netflix documentary in the vein of "Making A Murderer", before she knows it she is swept up in the process to prove his innocence and to set him free. She marries him when he is behind bars, and then the case breaks and he is set free. However, all is not as it seems and the man Sam has spent months writing to and reading about may not be as known to her as she thought.

The phenomenon of women who start relationships with killers is an intriguing one, but the book only scratches the surface of this and the hints that Sam hides a troubled past are not explored in sufficient detail to add any more to what could have been a fascinating thread running alongside the main story.

The plot cracks along at a great pace and the events that it introduces are fascinating, but seem to trail off quickly. Some of the characters that are introduced, such as Howard and Lindsey, I found really frustrating because there was no real exploration of their ties to Dennis. Dennis remains an enigma which adds to the unease that the book sets up, but I would have liked Sam to have been a little more fleshed out. Had she been I could have got on board with the epilogue of the book more than I did.

The end of the book was an explosion of activity that seemed to come from no-where. I found the description of the photographs gratuitous and unnecessary and felt that they were just described for the shock value. I felt that while things were wrapped up, it was done far too quickly and the epilogue set Sam up as something of a mastermind, keeping her man where she wants him, but this is at odds with how her character developed throughout the book.

Thanks go to the publishers and netgalley for the advanced copy in return for an honest rev

A crime mystery that is topical in its approach and characters. Sam, a lonely teacher in England becomes obsessed with the story of a convicted killer Dennis Danson, on death row in Florida for the murder of a teenage girl twenty years before and the subject of a documentary. They develop a relationship through letters and convinced he is innocent Sam travels to America and marries Dennis. Once new evidence emerges that Dennis is innocent, he is released and the couple start a new life but all is not what it seems. A dark, twisted tale with flawed but believable characters and is a very satisfying read.

Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Samantha is a teacher from England who has become obsessed with a convicted prisoner on death row. After watching a program about him her obsession increases until she leaves England and moves to America. Dennis is exonerated after new dna is found and they set about their married life but nothing is what it seems.

I’m really not sure what I thought of this book. I found myself glazing over parts and then rereading other parts as I was a bit confused but all in all it was a good read.

A great debut-well written, and a gripping read. looking forward to the author's next book.

After watching making a murderer on Netflix I was intrigued by the description of this book and I wasn't at all disappointed . Dennis Danson is on death row for the murder of a young girl 20 years ago , his story is the subject of a true crime documentary and he has a lot of people trying to get him released . Samantha starts to write to him and she is soon taken in by his apparent charm and gentleness , she soon leaves her life in England to marry him and join the campaign to overturn his conviction . This is where things start to get very interesting as after he is freed bit by bit he is revealed to be not as Sam thought , she is quite weak and goes along with everything Dennis wants and she did end up really getting on my nerves , but that just shows how good the book is ! Really original and an excellent read .

I found this book slightly unbelievable. Would a professional woman, living on the other side of the world really give up everything for a convicted murderer who she believed to be innocent? That said there were some interesting plot twists and turns that kept me reading to the end.