The Stranger’s Wife by Anna-Lou Weatherley is the third book in the Detective Dan Riley series. Even though this is part of a series, it can still be read as a standalone. To be honest, I never even knew it was part of a series until AFTER finishing the book. Now, I am going to have to pick up the first two books as this story was AMAZING!

I do admit the synopsis of the book really doesn’t say much and kind of leaves you in the dark for the most part. Needless to say, I was rather intrigued and had to dip my little fingers into this story. Weatherly takes a police procedural and spins it more into a psychological thriller where it's not ALL about the policing. Normally, with a story like this, Dan Riley would have taken center stage as he investigates a crime, but here he shares the spotlight with Beth Lawler and Catherine “Cath” Patterson.

Beth and Cath are two very different women and yet share one thing in common. They are both in relationships with men that they wish to get out of. Beth is the wife of a very wealthy and influential man, but there is no love lost in their marriage and Beth has finally had enough and wants to leave. Cath has been with her boyfriend since they were teenagers, but he is extremely violent and she is too scared to leave. What happens on the 3:15pm train from London to Bristol changes the lives of both women.

Weatherley creates a story that will instantly have you hooked! I knew once I started reading the first chapter, I was not going to be able to put this book down. Yes, I stayed up way later than usual just so I could finish. I love when a story just grabs you right from the beginning and doesn’t let go right up until the very end. I had so many questions needing answers while I tried to figure out what was going on and how these two women tie in together.

Beth and Cath are fleshed out three dimensional characters and while their backgrounds might be totally different, they share a lot of the same things in common, such as, vulnerability, a loveless relationship, heartache and sadness. Weatherley really hits you with all of the feels for these two women and makes you feel like they need to be protected, but don’t get it wrong even though they have both suffered through trauma and loss, Both Beth and Cath are stronger in ways they never thought possible. I really loved Dan Riley as well and he is going through his own personal turmoil and since the death of his wife is coming to terms with a new relationship and a new baby on the way. He is great at his job and believes in justice no matter if the crime is right or wrong. Riley really shows what a standup guy he is in both his personal and professional life.

There are some trigger warnings to be aware of such as domestic abuse both physically and mentally and the loss of a child. While most of the physical domestic violence is done off scene it is still very hard to read through.

The Stranger’s Wife is emotionally gripping, intricately layered, and seriously twisted. Quite frankly, it packs an emotional punch that will leave you completely stunned. I can highly recommend this book as it is a fantastic read!

This is the 3rd book in a series but I read it as a standalone book and it didn't detract from enjoying the book.

I really enjoyed this. It has a good plot and I would recommend this book.

Wow. Loved this book. From the first word you are immersed directly into the story, which I love. The characters are totally believable and the effects of both physical and emotional abuse that the characters are subjected to are upsetting and felt real so much so you understand the reaction of of abused. How power can assist the abusers makes you wonder how many people get away with such abuse in this world. The ending was predictable but overall I enjoyed the book and i couldn’t put it down.

This is book #3 in the Dan Riley series, it can however be read as a standalone book. DI Dan Riley has been, over the previous books, a troubled and complicated man who has suffered personal tragedy and loss. He is though, a determined detective and I loved his part of the story, particularly at that ‘lightbulb’ moment when he worked everything out! If you’ve read the previous books, you’ll know that Dan’s feelings and emotions are shown quite a lot, but this book felt like it was a bit of a turning point for him and his personal life seemed to looking more positive.

The story itself is a gripping read detailing the abuse of two very different women – Beth and Cath. Beth has a successful husband, beautiful daughter and nice house, whereas Cath is the complete opposite, desperate to escape from her drug addict boyfriend. What these women have in common is that they are both in abusive relationships and, after meeting each other on a train, realise that they may be able to help each other get out of their situations.

This book had me absolutely hooked from the first page. It is told from different character’s perspectives and timeframes, and to be honest I did have to think at the beginning of every chapter whose story was I on and where in time was it set! It didn’t detract from the enjoyment of the story though, although it did keep me on my toes!! I loved the main characters – Beth, Cath and of course, Dan. I did initially think Beth was a bit of a walkover, but was certainly proved wrong! It took me a while to work out why Cath suddenly appeared into the story, but her involvement was very cleverly done, and the storyline certainly turned up a notch after she appeared!

This, for me, didn’t feel like a police procedural read like you may expect. It was however a story that twisted and turned right until the very end. Filled with secrets, lies and deceit, this book takes you right into the heart of women who have been abused, both physically and emotionally, until they can take no more. It will keep you teetering on the edge of your seat for pretty much the whole way through the book, and it will keep you guessing until the big reveal. Just like the previous two books in the series, this book deserves every one of it’s five stars!! I’m very much hoping there is a fourth book to continue with Dan Riley’s story! Would definitely recommend!

The Stranger's Wife is a book that has it all: twist, turns, secrets, lies, love, revenge, murder just to name a few.

This is the 3rd book in the Detective Dan Riley series but it is certainly a book that can be read as a standalone .

Cath and Beth meet on the train and realize they are both suffering from some type of abuse.

Then they plot, or Beth does. Ingenious I must say.

This book starts out strongly , the pages continue to fly by and the light stays on for just one more chapter.(or two).

Don't miss The Stranger's Wife; like me if you havent read the first 2 you soon will be adding them to your TBR list.

Cant wait to read the first two and will be waiting for book3.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read The Stranger's Wife.

I downloaded and read The Stranger's Wife all within 9 hours! It was genuinely that good. I rarely give 4, much less 5 stars to any domestic thriller -- so many of them feel stale. This one was fresh, different, and surprising. The story primarily focuses on two women with abusive spouses. Beth's husband, who she is trying to divorce, is systematically deconstructing her life and taking away those she loves. Cath is married to an abusive addict that inflicts physical pain no one should ever even have to think about. Do these women's lives intersect? How? And are they able to escape their lives of abuse?

I was deeply impressed with the storyline and the ending. There were a bit aspects that I wished were fleshed out more, but I was overall impressed with a unique take on the genre. A definite recommend! I look forward to reading more from this author.

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for the ARC of The Stranger's Wife!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I definitely enjoyed this book. I do wish I had known it was part of a series - although I do not think that matters as the repeating character is the detective.

There were lots of twists and turns, definitely kept me invested and interested and even awake later than I should have been.

Worth the read!

I really enjoyed this book so much. It has a really great plot, superb main characters and I read it in one sitting. I would highly recommend this book.

With thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the ARC.

Two woman from totally different social stratas are connected by abuse.
One physical and the other mental.

Both are striving for a way out, they can help each other.

The book starts with a bang.

Beth is wealthy and lives with her cold controlling and aloof husband Evan.
She returns home to find her nanny missing. The police are called but the search produces no results and it's soon downgraded to a missing persons enquiry.
She has been having an affair and splits up from her husband and takes her daughter to live with her new partner Nick.
As you would expect, Evan is not happy and sets out to destroy them.

Meanwhile Cath is in a violent and loveless marriage. Her husband is an alcoholic and drug user who controls every aspect of her life.

A chance meeting on a train changes both of their lives for ever.

This is the third in the DI Dan Riley series but it reads like a standalone. Yes it would be better to know a little more of Rileys back story but it in no way hinders the story.

Excellently written, suspenseful and dark and creepy enough to keep you reading late into the night.

I'll need to catch up on the previous two books now.

This is the first I've read by this author and finding out this is a series I'm definitely checking them out next!
Thus story follows two abuses women and how they find closure from thier "problem"
This thriller gets in your mind and your head it's a very psychological thriller, very clever. An attention grabber and keeps your attention! While in some parts it seemed kinda repetitive, the fast pace of this thriller made up for it!
Definitely recommend!

I didn't realize this was the third novel in a detective series, however, it could easily be read as a stand alone.

This is a complex, suspenseful and twisty tale, where two very different women from different backgrounds got stuck with good for nothing husbands. Both seek an escape from their miserable situation.
However, when their worlds collide the plot takes an explosive turn and you literally wouldn't be able to put this book down.

Thanks Netgalley, the publisher, and author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

*4.5 stars *

As psychological thrillers go, this is a fine example of how to do it right. Third in the Detective Dan Riley series, this is easily read as a stand-alone.

Two main protagonists - the first one, Beth, is very wealthy, yet she’s locked in a loveless marriage, but she’s also conducting an affair with local landscape gardener, Nick, a kind and loving man, the complete opposite to husband Evan.

Our second protagonist, Cath, is living in utter poverty, with a physically violent, and mentally abusive drug addicted partner, someone who’s well known to the police, and he would rather see her dead than let her leave him.

On the face of it these two women have absolutely nothing in common, and under ordinary circumstances would never have met, but life and the universe is funny like that, and on the 3.15pm train from London to Bristol, they meet, and in the way that strangers sometimes do, they pour their hearts out to each other, and discover just how similar their lives really are, and just how toxic their relationships are, and from that single auspicious meeting, the plot transcends from the very ordinary to the very clever.

It’s difficult to say too much without spoiling it for other readers, but the characters were well drawn, shockingly so at times, the storyline was complex but very clever, and to say this book was hard to put down is an understatement. Completely addictive!

I read this book in less than 24 hours and I could not put it down. I was hooked each and every step of the way. I liked the break down from each characters perspective. I wish the connection with Bethany and Cath has been more obvious sooner, but once you found out their connection it was near impossible to put the book down. Definitely a five star review !

“Fear was a governess most people did not understand, not really. It muddles your mind. No one understands anything until they have truly lived it.”

3.5

This was my first read from Anna Lou Weatherley. I didn’t realize that this book was number three in the Detective Dan Riley series, but it was fine because although some characters remain the same, there isn’t really an ongoing story. At least I didn’t pick up on one as I read The Stranger’s Wife. Which was a pretty twisted tale. I don’t want to say much, because I honestly feel this one is best read without even the vaguest spoiler. What I will say is that there wasn’t much to solve with this suspenseful thriller. It was quite obvious what probably occurred, but I think that’s what made the entire thing so scary. You’re sent one way, but then you just know that the obvious, terrifying answer is probably the truth.

The main characters have very real stories, even if they are a bit exaggerated at some points, but yes. You feel for some of the characters, because their stories are very much realities people face daily. I think Weatherley did a great job writing about heavy subject matter and also keeping the story flowing on track. I will say that my only true complaint is that there is a bit of time jumping, and it’s not that distant in time, so it’s a bit confusing to keep up with at first.

All in all this was a great read. I enjoyed it, and will definitely recommend it to anyone who likes suspenseful reads. There are quite a few triggering topics covered, but by the end it feels as though some form of justice has been served.

Another great psychological thriller by this author. I enjoyed this book and was drawn in by the characters and intriguing storyline. I’ll definitely read more from this author in future.

I didn’t realise this book was part of a series, I’m now desperate to read more by this author. I think I’ve been in a bit of a reading slump, my last two reads have been a little boring and left me feeling a little deflated.
This however, grabbed my attention pulled me into the book and made it utterly impossible to put down. This is another new author to me which always makes me a little anxious but I’m eagerly heading to look for other books by this author.
This is one of those psychological thrillers that will keep you on the edge of your seat and make it impossible to put down. I absolutely loved this one.
This is a definite five star book for me and has completely hooked me from the beginning.

I read and loved the author's second book, so was keen to read this one. Another cracking tale, although I found it took a bit longer to get going and I found the jumping between perspectives and timelines in the first half of the book was a little confusing.

I really enjoyed this book but the thing that let it down for me was the unlikely meeting of the two women on the train with identical appearances, apart from that it was a great book . I will try more from this author though

First off I want to thank @netgalley, @bookouture @annalouweatherley for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
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This is the first time I've read a book by this author and honestly she's going to be one I will definitely continue reading. I loved her writing style, everything tied in perfectly, easy to follow, the dialogues are well done and the book just books you from page 1. This is the third in the series but it is very well read as a standalone, I'm just mad I didn't get to read the other ones first.
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I really loved the whole story from beginning to end, Weatherley created a suspenful thrilling read that was very realistic and relatable. She easily knows how to make us love and hate the characters in this book. Dan the detective is a character you get really attached to and that's why I'm so excited for the next books. This is an easy to read, fast paced book, that you can devour in one sitting.
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I liked the way the book ended, and I cannot wait to read more from this author. If you enjoy fast paced thrillers I believe this would be a good one for you.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC in exchange of an honest review.
This book took a long time to get interesting, maybe up to 60% into the book. The beginning was very confusing and I almost put this book down several times. I had to keep reading the synopsis to try to figure out what was going on but that didn't help. Just had to keep going to figure it out.
It does get better after the 60% mark of the book if you can hang in their that long.