I always find D.J. Palmer's books entertaining and that's precisely what My Wife is Missing was. All of the twists completely surprised me and there was one in particular that REALLY wowed me. The story is told from the perspectives of Michael during/after Natalie goes missing, Natalie before she went missing, and Natalie in the present-day after she runs with the kids. I loved this since it kept me on my toes and helped tie the story together as the reader slowly finds out just why Natalie is on the run. I really liked Natalie as a character, but I didn't really find anyone else very likable including Michael. This is a medium-length book, but it has really short chapters and I felt like I was done with it in no time.

I highly recommend listening to the audiobook as Karissa Vacker narrates it and I loved her narration. I would have enjoyed a male narrator for Michael's POV, but as it was Vacker really nailed the whole thing, and she is great to listen to. I found her to be very fitting for Natalie's character, and she did a pretty great child's voice when she had to. My Wife is Missing has an unreliable narrator feel to it, and Palmer did a really great job of throwing suspicion around. There is also a scene towards the end that felt like something straight out of an action movie, and just like the twists, totally surprised me with its tension. Suspend some disbelief and you should really enjoy this thriller!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Natalie and Michael Hart and children Addie and Bryce take a mini vacation to New York City for two reasons - to work on their failing marriage and to show the kids the sites. It's a trip that should heal a broken family . .. or so Michael thought. When he returns from picking up pizza for his family, he finds their hotel room empty with his son's beloved teddy bear laying on the floor. His family is gone lock, stock and baggage. When security cameras show his wife fleeing with his children, his search begins.

My Wife Is Missing is a complex thriller told through the dual points of view of Natalie and Michael - two highly unreliable narrators. Readers quickly learn that Natalie suffers debilitating insomnia leaving Michael questioning her sanity, while Michel has some dark, buried secrets that he'll do anything to protect. Needless to say, communication is non-existent between the couple, leaving them both worrying and contemplating different possibilities. What does Natalie suspect that has her fleeing with her children? Is Michael having an affair or is something more sinister happening? Is Natalie having a breakdown or is she also burying secrets? Michael follows her trail with an unexpected ally, hoping to find answers.

This is another solid thriller from author D. J. Palmer. Alternating past/present scenes from both Natalie and Michael allow readers to partially figure out what brought them to this point. The plot is quite twisted and convoluted with enough red herrings to keep readers guessing which kept me turning the pages. While the action moves steadily, the story tends to falter somewhat in the middle mostly from overly repetitive speculations and scenes about Natalie's insomnia which is understandable as it's the driving force behind the story serving to fuel the dilemma of who to believe. I'm happy to say the pace picks up again and readers will need to buckle up to avoid whiplash on the chaotic rocket ride to a surprise ending.

I'm a fan of this author, and while My Wife Is Missing isn't my favorite of his work, I'm happy to say it's worth the read and one I can highly recommend to fans of suspense and thrillers.

My Wife is Missing is a thriller with a great mystery. Once I started listening this one, I didn't stop. When the book opens, Natalie and Michael Hart have arrived in New York with their two children, Addie and Bryce. When Michael leaves to get pizza, Natalie and the children disappear. Michael is frantic, but no one wants to help as it appears she left of her own accord. The rest of the story has Natalie trying to get away, and we learn why. A police officer teams up with Michael to find her and the children. It is quite the chase, as well as a mystery as to what is true, and what is Michael's secret.

Natalie is one smart cookie. She has planned her escape well and is pretty good at anticipating when to make a change. She doesn't trust people with her plans, not even her parents, which almost derails everything. D.J. Palmer does a great job doling out information at just the right pace. It was like peeling an onion as we find out enough to lead us in one direction and then the next layer had me thinking something totally different. This was a crazy ride with so many twists and turns. And that ending blew me away! I am not going to say anything else as you have to read this one yourself. I definitely recommend this book to those who enjoy a good thriller with a mystery thrown in.

Sometimes the pacing in a book can make or a break a book for me and sadly it broke this one for me. The pacing was so different between the POVs that I found it difficult to settle in and enjoy the book.

Additionally, at only 100 pages in, there were already some repetitive things including Natalie's insomnia and that Michael has a secret. I don't know about other readers, but I don't need reminded of those things constantly.

I also agree with some reviews from those that finished that at only 100 pages in that this was going to be too long of a book.

Loved it! I was hooked from beginning to end and although I did see some of ithe twists coming, I didn’t see that epilogue coming! This author has definitely become an auto read for me. If you like domestic drama/suspense then pick this book up.

Ok hello wild ride. So many twists and turns. I never knew who was the crazy one in this story. Well Done DJ Palmer. I did not figure this one out.

While I enjoy a good red herring, I feel like the unreliable female is way overplayed. But in this case, we couldn't tell if the wife was unreliable or the hubby. Perhaps he is gaslighting, perhaps she is having the insomnia cause delusions. Who knows? We don't find out until the end, and I don't give spoilers!!

Fast paced 4 stars from me. I have read others and enjoyed them as well.

When Mike’s wife, Natalie, disappears with his two children, he is devastated, terrified, and….busted? While he is frantically trying to find his family, he also can’t help but notice his nagging inner voice reminding him that Natalie may have had very good reasons to leave him. But how many of his secrets has she uncovered? And just how much guilt really lies with Mike? As Palmer takes us through the twists and turns of this new thriller, you may find yourself wondering if anyone actually knows what’s really going on. Natalie’s insomnia doesn’t make her the most reliable of narrators and Mike, well, there’s lots of reasons we don’t want to take his word for much of anything….

DJ Palmer is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. He’s always one step ahead of me and I can never figure out his twists. There was only one thing in this book that I was sure of throughout. The rest of it was just full of surprises, but in typical DJ Palmer fashion, the surprises made perfect sense. He ties up loose ends so well. Excellently done, as always.

This book just came out on May 10, and I strongly encourage you to grab a copy!

Thanks to DJ Palmer, St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for this ARC in return for my honest review.

Put on your seatbelt and prepare for a wild ride with plenty of twists and turns that will have you
you are gasping for breath. Natalie and Michael have been married for a while. They work together. They are the parents of two school-aged children. They take a family trip to New York City. It is on this trip that Natalie and her children disappear. When Michael returns to the hotel after getting the pizza, he discovers his wife and children missing. This story moves from the present to the past. As the story unfolds, information about Natalie and Michael is revealed. Natalie and her children travel away from Michael, while Michael authorities to help him find His missing family. Michael and a police officer work together to try and discover why his family disappeared.

Natalie and her children are on the run, and as the story is told, the pieces of Natale and Michael’s lives are revealed. Eventually, the pieces come together, and the reader learns horrifying reasons Natalie ran.

This is a heart-pounding cat and mouse story. I could not turn the pages fast enough. This book is a satisfying thriller.

What a twisty, suspenseful story!
So.Much.Going.On!
So.Many.Secrets!
I’m still reeling from the plot and trying to decide how I feel about it.
Main characters are Natalie and her husband Michael. Honestly they both pretty much got on my nerves with some of the decisions they kept making. Who is the guilty party? Is it paranoia on both sides? Every time I thought I had it figured out….I went back to saying “WHAT THE HECK?”
The story is told from Natalie and Michael’s viewpoint…..which are so different from each other’s views that you wonder who is the person in the wrong??????
Sooooo many questions! And, they don’t get answered until the end of the book. So keep on reading! Definitely a suspense thriller you should pick up!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

“I wish I’d done this sooner.”

I’m betting you have questions now, right? You should, and you should grab this book immediately. All your questions will be answered, assuming you’re asking the right ones.

This one opens with panic. Michael and his family are vacationing in New York. When he returns to their hotel, he notices his son’s toy lying ominously abandoned in the hallway. That’s not all that’s amiss. His wife and his two children are missing. Is it possible that they were kidnapped? Or is the fact that their luggage is also missing a sign that his wife has left him? Was this all planned from the moment she started to plan the trip? After all, at dinner the night before, his wife uttered those troubling words: “I wish I’d done this sooner.”

Michael’s panic at finding his family gone soon morphs into unadulterated desperation as he races to find an explanation, but could he also have secrets that he desperately hopes his wife has not discovered?

As always, D.J. Palmer is on fire. He is truly a master of the domestic suspense novel. He creates authentic characters who behave in very organic ways as they traverse through extremely precarious situations. His pacing in every novel is exceptional, and that has never been more true than in this one.

I challenge you to pick this up, read ten pages, and try to put it down. You’ll fail. This book is impossible to pause. You’ll keep turning each explosive page until you’re gasping for air in its finale. It’s phenomenal!

Enjoy.

My Wife is Missing by D.J. Palmer
I wish to thank Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for this intriguing roller coaster ride. This thriller/mystery kept me up late in the night to finish it.
Michael and Natalie are away in New York City with their two children, when Natalie and the children disappear. Michael is at a loss- where they kidnapped or did they leave on their own free will? Michael will go to any lengths to find his family, but what secrets does he hold that might be revealed along the way. A NYC detective suspects Michael is not being forthcoming with information and decides to travel with Michael to find his missing wife. What is Michel hiding and how much does this detective know?
Natalie is suffering from insomnia; her marriage is faltering and she suspects that her husband Michael is having an affair with one of her co-workers. What secrets does she have? What does she find out about Michael and what does she suspect him of doing?
This novel is told from both sides, Michael and Natalie, and with two different time periods (before and after). At times you want to believe Natalie and then other times you believe Michael. Along the way, the author takes you for a bumpy ride that has many twists and turns. The ending definitely surprised and shocked me. If you like twisty thrillers with a surprising ending, this would be the book for you.

Well DJ Palmer does it again, keeps me on the edge of my seat and guessing. And of course I had it all wrong. I love the way this man’s mind works, and the way that he sends you down so many rabbit holes, that you know a rabbit holes, but you fall for them anyways. And even when you think he’s wrapped it up he throws an epilogue in and turned your world upside down.

This one those books that comes right out the gate swinging. Right away we are sucked into the mystery and it is so hard to put it down! The book has so many twists and turns it was really a heart pounding read. I don't want to say much and give anything away but if you like domestic thrillers this is a good one to read!

My Wife is Missing is a story which takes you on an incredibly breathless journey as to what could have happened to a man’s family while they were on vacation in New York City. The story goes between the day they went missing to the days and months leading up to their disappearance.

Michael Hart takes his wife Natalie and their two small children on vacation to New York. Yes, Michael and Natalie have been having some problems lately, but he feels this could be a step in the right direction to getting back where they once were. But when he returns from getting take-out on their first day, he discovers them all gone, except for his son’s teddy bear which is in the hallway near their hotel room. All signs of them are wiped out, including their luggage. Panic stricken; Michael calls the police.

But as he begins to learn that his wife may have taken the children willingly and concocted this vacation to leave him, he can’t understand why she would do this…or maybe he can.

Natalie has taken the children and ran. She is afraid of Michael. She knows what he has done and what he is capable of doing. She is petrified of him. She is afraid he will kill them all. She has not slept in months worrying about what he will do. Because of the insomnia, her brain is fuzzy, and she seems to be having time lapses and become extremely paranoid. This is the right plan to keep them all safe. But she knows Michael will try and hunt them down and because of this she continues to panic.

As Michael, with help from an off-duty policeman, begin to get lucky and pursue Natalie, he hopes their life together will be able to be fixed. He wants the chance to explain why he did what he did. He knew it was a stupid risk, but they were not in a good place. Then someone was found dead who worked in Natalie’s office. That seems to have made things even worse.

As Michael gets closer to Natalie’s whereabouts, Natalie’s decisions become even more deranged. She begins to formulate a plan to make sure Michael can never do something like this again. A decision she may have to live with for the rest of her life!

My Wife is Missing is a suspenseful thriller which when all the pieces of the mystery come together makes for an explosive, powerful, surprising ending. Don’t always think you know everything about someone….

Thank you #NetGalley #St.Martin’sPress #D.J.Palmer #MyWifeisMissing for the advanced copy.

On a visit to New York City, Michael Hart goes to pick up a pizza and returns to find his wife and kids missing. A security camera reveals that they left willingly. Michael sets out to find them even at the cost of possibly exposing some dark secrets from his past while his wife, Natalie is intent on disappearing because of what she thinks she knows about her husband. This engrossing book moves along at a breakneck speed. Even with chapters that alternate between Michael and Natalie's points of view, you still don't know exactly what is going on which keeps it interesting. However, it seems like if these two people just would have communicated with each other and been honest with each other, none of this would have happened which makes it hard to root for either of them. Also, some parts of the plot seem implausible and/or a little too coincidental. Plus, the end is unsatisfying on two levels after everything thing that happens it seems unlikely that things would just be able to move forward so quickly as though nothing happened and a big part of the resolution of the story hinges on something that is only mentioned in passing once.

I've thoroughly enjoyed each of D.J. Palmer's novels (the ones written as himself, not in conjunction with his father's series) and this was no exception.

Several times throughout I have thought I had figured this book out. My heart pounding as a cat-and-mouse chase takes up 90% of the book, never quite sure if I should trust Michael or Natalie.

Michael and Natalie are a married couple with two children. They're taking a mini vacation to New York City when Michael returns to his hotel room and finds it deserted. In a rising panic Michael scours the hotel for them, searching the restaurants, the pools, the lobby. He finally comes to the conclusion they've been kidnapped and the police are called. Distraught, Michael waits. But as he's being interviewed by a detective, the hotel security shows footage of his wife and kids calmly and safely walking out to a waiting car and driving off. This was no kidnapping.

In alternating perspectives we learn why Natalie has planned this escape from her husband, a man she considers quite dangerous. We see from Michael how much Natalie's insomnia is affecting her rationale, clarity, and stability. Which one can we trust?

I truly was surprised left and right from the reveals in this book. My heart pounded as I devoured the last 15% of the book especially. I will continue to look forward to any DJ Palmer release!

My Wife is Missing
by D.J. Palmer
Pub Date: May 10, 2022
St. Martin's Press
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book! When a woman disappears with her two children, one husband will do anything to find them--even confront the secrets of his own past--in D. J. Palmer's My Wife Is Missing, a twisty thriller from the author of The New Husband.
I enjoyed this fast-paced read! The ending was definitely one I did not expect. I recommend this book to readers who love fast-paced thrillers with a twist!
4 stars

D.J. Palmer is just an amazing author and you will never be disappointed with any this authors books. This book is very fast paced and you will not be able4 to put it down. I highly suggest going into it blind. I highly recommend this book.

This one was enjoyable. I feel like D.J Palmer has a specific way of telling a story that just grabs ahold of your attention and doesn't let go.
I loved the Dual POV in this one and how quickly the story went.
The final twist I did not see coming and the Epilogue was great.

My Wife Is Missing

3.5 stars rounded up!

The Perfect Daughter was one of my favorite thrillers I read last year. So My Wife Is Missing has been one of my most anticipated reads of 2022! While I enjoyed the twists, which I did NOT see coming, My Wife is Missing didn’t pack quite the same punch.

The good:
DJ Palmer knows how to write a compelling thriller. I was transported in multiple instances in the story, particularly in Nat’s story line. The tension is palpable.
I honestly thought I had the story worked out early on… I did not. The twists kept coming and held my interest.

The bad:
The whole trope of the woman as the unreliable narrator who everyone closest to her convinces her that she’s imagining things just doesn’t work for me.
While the final twist was shocking… it all became too convoluted.

Overall:
I still stand by DJ Palmer and will read anything they write. This one wasn’t a home run for me but it did hold my attention!