(2.5 stars rounded down)

<u>The Wife Who Knew Too Much</u> is very much like a suspense/thriller lite. With obvious plot clues peppered throughout the first few chapters, I was able to pretty much predict the entire twist only about a third of the way in. <spoiler>The only thing I wasn't able to predict (or was never truly convinced of) was Connor's innocence. But, conveniently, he's killed off. So not to worry!</spoiler> The novel's conclusion seemed promising, but then it just went way off the rails too suddenly and ended like a daytime soap opera. 

This started with an interesting and original enough premise, but as it progressed, it devolved into the typical over the top and unbelievably far-fetched thriller/suspense novel that everyone seems to be eating up these days. And while yes, I recently gave 4 stars to something akin to this type of thriller (<u>The Guest List</u>), it's because it kept me interested, as well as entertained and guessing, and provided me with enough characters to care about. I tend to prefer thriller/suspense novels with a little more substance.

Nina Levitt thinks she is going to die. 

Nina didn’t have much when she married Edward Levitt, one of the wealthiest men in Manhattan. He was a cheating bastard, but Nina stayed. And when he died, she got everything. She got the house, she got the wealth, and she got the board seat at his company. She was beautiful and stylish and rich. She could have had any man she wanted. She wanted Connor Ford. 

Nina wasn’t stupid. She had him checked out by a private detective. And she got an airtight prenup. And she got married again, to a man decades younger but who she dearly loved. And now she thinks he’s trying to kill her. 

Tabitha Girard had known Connor when they were teenagers. They spent the summer at the same country club. Tabitha was working, fetching sodas and towels by the pool. Connor was there because his grandmother was a member. Despite knowing how crazy it was, Tabitha sneaked out of the house to see him almost every night. It was a love like she’d never known and didn’t think she would ever find again. And she didn’t. Divorced, an arrest record, serving drinks at a dive bar, Tabitha was just trying to get by. Then Connor was seated at a table in her section, and her heart was soaring all over again. 

He said he loved her and wanted her back, but his marriage to Nina gave him some loose ends he needed to tie up. And then Nina died, and Connor came back for Tabitha. But is that make for a fairy tale ending, or has Tabitha just stumbled into a nightmare marriage with a man who’s already killed one wife? 

Master of suspense Michele Campbell is back with The Wife Who Knew Too Much. This twisted tale of secrets and lies, misinformation and manipulation will keep you turning those pages until you know for sure who did what. As you get closer to the end, you think you know who did it, and then it all changes, and you figure out who really did it. And then it all changes again. 

I really enjoyed The Wife Who Knew Too Much, much like some of her previous books. Campbell always provides strong characters, a solid story, and enough thrills to take you away from all your daily cares. As a beach read or a sofa read or a bathtub read, The Wife Who Knew Too Much is an entertaining nail-biter that you’ll want to add to your TBR shelf!

Egalleys for The Wife Who Knew Too Much were provided by St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley, with many thanks.

I’m not going to summarize this, the blurb tells you plenty.       I am having a hard time putting into words, but I just didn’t care for this one that much.  The writing was just ok and I didn’t really care for most of the characters.  2.5 rounded to a 3.  

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

The Wife Who Knew Too Much is a fast paced thriller that delves into the rich life in New York and how far people will go to get their hands on a taste of fortune.  Love, loss, betrayal all comes together to a boiling point, who killed Nina and who stands to benefit the most from her death?! I was on the edge of my seat trying to figure out who did what and how it was all connected.  Very well put together story that has you on edge and questioning everyone throughout!

4.5 out of 5 stars

I would like to thank Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing  to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I believe this is my first  Michele Campbell novel and I didn't know what to expect but it turned out to be a really good, fun and twisty thriller. I will admit that at first I did not like Tabitha but that was before we really got to know her. She ended up being a very interesting character. I always enjoy watching characters navigate the wealthy and powerful world after living in the "outside" their whole lives. Each character tends to have their own way of trying to fit in. 

The mystery was well written and I really cared about Nina and felt for her in a lot of ways. The setting was pretty awesome and this held my interest very well. I won't say much more because the  twists are fun and I don't want to risk spoiling this you all! Would I recommend this to a friend? Well, duh! Of course I would! Pick this up today!!!

Tabitha falls for the rich kid as a teenager and never really gets over him. He renters her life years married to an enormously wealthy woman and she can't resist him. He proclaims his undying love for her and they begin an affair. Then his wife suddenly dies.   The story was highly unbelievable to me - mainly in the relationships.  Tabby is needy, naive, gullible and lovestruck - unfortunately not endearing qualities.  I'd hoped for a surprising twist but didn't get one.

I, like many of the other readers, was pulled into this novel by the way it started.  Michele Campbell gets your attention right away when Nina pens a letter stating if something happens to her (ie., if she dies), then it will have been her husband and "her" that did it.  Intrigued, right?  Absolutely.

As the story progresses, I find that I'm not really attached to any of the characters.  They all seem to lack a moral compass.  A lot of decisions seem to revolve around who does and doesn't have money and how can they get money.  I understand that happens, but it made it very difficult for me to connect with anyone in this story.  I know that could just be me.  That said, I did like the twists and turns that the story takes.  It did leave me guessing somewhat until the end.  That is definitely a talent because my goal is always to figure out what's going on as fast as I can.  I figured a few things out....but definitely not everything.  

Overall, I found this to be a fun read and look forward to seeing what Ms. Campbell comes up with next.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Ms. Campbell for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I wanted to love this book. I tried. I stuck with it through the whole thing when I wanted to DNF. I four starred the author’s last book, A Stranger on the Beach, so I had high hopes for this one. It starts out promising, too. It’s Nina’s diary and she writes that if she is found dead it is her husband, Connor, that killed her. Juicy, right?

The story begins with alternating chapters between Nina, the wife, and Tabitha, the hookup/fling/girlfriend? I appreciated seeing the flashbacks on how both of these women came to know Connor.

But, the story soon took a turn for me. It has a way over the top plot with unlikable and frustrating characters. There was so much going on! I felt like I was reading a soap opera! The twist (if you can call it that) wasn’t very exciting either.

There are many four and five star reviews for this, so, if this interests you, I urge you to still read it. It just wasn’t for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an electronic advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was my first time reading Michele Campbell thanks to St. Martin's Press. I have to say I was hooked from the beginning. The way it starts you are immediately trying to figure out what is going on. I am definitely going to be seeing what other books Ms. Campbell has written because I want to read more. This is a quick exciting read. It's the best for the crazy times we are in. I definitely recommend grabbing this one.

The Wife Who Knew Too Much is a thrillingly fast read set in the world of the extremely rich. Tabitha is cinderella, moving from nearly broke waitress to more money than she could ever spend. But is it worth it and, more importantly, is it safe? 

Recommended for fans of domestic suspense and mystery. 

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. The opinions in this review are honest and my own.

The Wife Who Knew Too Much is not my first experience with Michele Campbell. It's also not the first book by her that I've been disappointed with. If I recall correctly, I had a problem with both predictability and believability. Well, the predictability isn't so much a problem here, so there's that. However, believability is just nonexistent. Add to that the irritating and unlikable characters, including a woman who seems to throw her good sense right out the window, and this one lost me. I will add that unlikable characters on their own aren't necessarily a no-go for me, especially in the thriller genre, but combined with everything else, it became a no-go. I did finish, but it reached a point where it was harder to pick up than it was to put down, and once it went so far out there, there was just no coming back.

Michele Campbell has nailed this genre! In a saturated market of eh thrillers, Michele's book stands out among them all as to how to write a great thriller story. Complex, intriguing characters, incredible settings brought to life, and a plotline you swear you can figure out- but are totally wrong...bravo to Michele for her fast-paced/can't put down latest!  Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A little sordid tale of infidelity, money, and murder. 

It's been 13 years since Tabitha Girard had met the gorgeous Connor Ford at the country club where she worked as a pool girl and he was one of the rich kids who happened to be there visiting his grandmother for the summer. A romance grew until it was discovered and forbidden. She'd never forgotten him and now, suddenly, there he was -- sitting at a table on the terrace at the second-rate sports bar where she now waited tables. It was meant to be, them coming back together and all those feelings reignited. One problem, however -- Connor happens to be married to Nina Levitt, a woman who is 20 years older than him but incredibly wealthy. But, they can't help themselves. He's going to get a divorce, he says, and seems to be taking a really long time about it. But then Nina ends up dead and finally Tabitha's fairy tale dream is about to come true. Unfortunately, everything is not quite as wonderful as expected and suddenly Tabitha is under suspicion. NO SPOILERS.

It was OK but honestly, this is the kind of story that I really try to avoid and somehow end up reading due to being duped by the synopsis or by other reviews. I need to stop requesting domestic dramas masquerading as suspense thrillers with unlikable characters and thoroughly predictable outcomes. I anticipated the twists from the start and can I say, again, that I really detested all of the characters in this book, especially Tabitha. I mean, honestly, how did anyone believe that this was all going to turn out OK given their decisions, behavior, and the situation. The ending left me scoffing and shaking my head. I was totally disappointed because I had liked this author's previous book. I see that this fit the bill for others and I just have to be more careful in the future. 

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the e-book ARC to read and review.

I was a huge fan of A Stranger on the Beach, so I was super excited for Michele Campbell’s newest novel and I was not disappointed! From the very first page, I was pulled in and found it difficult to put down. This is a fast-paced, easy read that is perfect for summer beach or poolside reading. 

I enjoyed reading both Nina and Tabitha’s story and found myself wondering how far both myself and others around me would go for both love or money. This is also one of those books that reminds us that we’re always a few decisions and circumstances away from our lives becoming unrecognizable.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.

The plot is good and showed a ton of promise, especially in the first half. However, there are too many unexplained and unnecessary plot twists. The ending felt unfinished and left with me wondering what really happened. 

All in all, I would rate it an okay read. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

This book gripped me from the first page wherein we get a glimpse of Nina's diary entry saying that if she is found dead, that it was her husband who killed her. Nina being very wealthy thinks that she conned by her young husband, Connor. The twists and turns had me guessing and anxious to get to the ending.
This eARC was provided by NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.

Young love. Older, wealthy wife. Betrayal. Suspicious death. Accusitory journal entries. The Wife Who Knew Too Much has all of this and more.
Tabitha had a wild fling with Connor, who was two years older. She fell head over heels in love. Connor moved on, eventually marrying Nina, a wealthy woman about 20 years his senior. Their love flourishes until one day Nina is found dead. Connor happens to cross paths with Tabitha and they work to rekindle the spark and fire of their fling from several years back. Everything is beautiful and idyllic until Tabitha finds a note written by Nina implicating her husband in her death. He had tasted of her love, wealth, and lifestyle, and by all accounts loved all three. But does make him a killer?
This was a quick read, engaging, and filled with the twists and turns of a good drama/suspense novel. Who to believe? What is real? This is a perfect read for a beach getaway or a weekend spent curled up with a book. This was my first read of a Michele Campbell book, but it has me looking forward to more. 
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my thoughts and review.

It is hard to review a book when you only like one character. And that character dies in the first chapter. 

This opened well, but soon dragged. It wasn't a compelling read. I found the ending just OK.

THE WIFE WHO KNEW TO MUCH by Michele Campbell was a strange read. The beginning was remarkably interesting and promised a great read, but the middle was slow and became a bit repetitive. I am glad I persevere to the end because what started like a lamb, finished like a lion. What an ending!!! Not my favourite by this awesome author but still a great read if you are patient.

The Wife Who Knew Too Much is "My Fair Lady" with murder and suspense!

Tabitha's start as a pool girl, and then waitress, leaves her with little background and a lot of naivety as she moves into her new life as wife of multimillionaire (by virtue of his widower status), Connor Ford. But at what price? Now Tabitha is embroiled in a suspected murder and her past association with a drug dealer isn't doing a lot to help her proclaim her innocence. Adding to her trouble is a house full of staff with hidden loyalties, hidden pasts, and hidden secrets. So who can she trust? Can she even trust Connor, who proclaims his love for her even while acting suspiciously?

While I didn't like most of the characters and I felt that Tabitha was too trusting, the pace and suspense of the book made it a very enjoyable read. Even once you think you know what is going on, the author throws in a few twists and surprises at the end. Can't wait to read more by Michele Campbell!