I was originally unsure about this book, it took be a bit to get into it. Once the story developed further I began to enjoy it more. It was interesting how all of the characters intertwined. Also this was not my favorite read, I did enjoy it and would recommend it.

Title: Two Dead Wives
Author: Adele Parks
Publisher: Harlequin Trade Publishing- MIRA
Genre: Mystery Thriller
Pub Date: December 26, 2023
Rating 3 Stars
Pages: 368

This is only my third Adele Parks; ~ I really enjoyed "Just My Luck" but didn't love "Lies, Lies, Lies".
This is the sequel to "Both of You]" which I didn’t know in advance and once I realized it I checked reviewed and it was mentioned it could easily be read as a standalone; so though okay!

This novel is set in 2020 during the Covid “Lock Down”.
Stacie Jones is woman recovering from cancer but has lost her memory. She begins to suspect that her father is hiding something from her. She meets a stranger who tells her that she is not who she thinks she is.
Stacie now wants to know the truth and becomes involving in a missing woman case. It appears Kylie Gillingham is presumed dead but also is a bigamist as her two husbands are both suspects in her disappearance.
When I was only a part way in, I thought oops this isn’t going to work for me; I rechecked reviewed and most are positive so thought okay - I’ll hang in there!

There was a lot going on in this story and a little voice in the back of my head keep reminding me that I needed to go back and read the first in this series which would have made this more enjoyable.

In fact, I laughed at Adele Parks’ comment at the end of the book- If you read " Woman Last Seen" you know that this picks up the story of Kylie, Mark, Dean and Fiona. However, if you hadn’t read it you can now go back and read it and find out what led Kylie to marry two different men in the first place!
Yep that what I need to do!!

Want to thank NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing - MIRA for this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for December 26, 2023.

I read a lot in in this genre as distraction and entertainment and this book provided just that. There's a lot of recent books in this quickly becoming crowded space but this book was solid. It caught my attention, despite I figured it out early on but I liked the quick pace and absorbed it like a bag of good potato chips! I particularly appreciated the author's notes at the conclusion of the book. Gotta love an author who listens to and responds to her readers. This was my first read by Adele Parks and will not be my last!

Though I usually enjoy this author, this particular book wasn’t my favorite. I found it hard to follow and the characters weren’t likeable.

Adele Parks is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors, you won’t regret spending the time losing yourself in this one!

After devouring Adele's book 'Both of You', I was beyond delighted to see these characters appear again in 'Just Between Us'. though I read this as a sequel, I am sure this book would absolutely stand up to being a standalone read for anyone who hasn't had the pleasure of reading the first book. In one storyline we have Seb and Oli, 2 brothers who live with Dad, Mark, and Mark's recently acquired lover, Fiona. Fiona's best friend was Leigh, the boys previous stepmother and wife of Mark. Leigh fell from grace is a sensationalist manner, and is now presumed dead. The boys are being contacted online by a man posing as an adolescent - an interesting enough story in its own right! The other story is of a woman, living with her father, who is nursing her back to health after brain surgery, following cancer than nearly took her life. She suffers amnesia and is desperate to recover her memories - this story takes us in search of those lost memories. These 2 story lines meet in a gratifyingly explosive fashion! Such a good. book - well written with some likeable and relatable characters. The ending I felt truly fitting! LOVED this read and I think you will too,

Adele Parks is the British version of Shari Lapena. I have read all her recent thrillers and they are always perfect. Her writing is always concise, no loose plot holes or filler and plenty of twists to keep you on the edge of your seat. I liked that she could alternate between people and still keep us hooked without confusing us - jumping between Kylie and Stacie and the stepsons and 2 husbands plus Kenneth was done masterfully. I kind of figured the ending out from the start but I still enjoyed the twists.

Thanks @netgalley for read number 71 of 2023. I don’t even know how to describe this novel by @adele_parks. It kept me flipping the pages. I’m not sure about how everything came together in the end, but I did find this book hard to put down. There were some very likeable unlikeable characters. I also found the Covid connection intriguing, but this could be triggering for some people. The storyline about cancer could be as well. I didn’t read the book that came before this one and I’m wondering about going back to do so. This can be a standalone novel, but it would be interesting to read the other one first too. A ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read in my books.

Two Dead Wives is a mystery within a mystery.

The same woman marries two men and has two different families. Each seems complete and the combination of the two make her happy.

Then she is kidnapped and disappears. Noone is sure just who did it.

In the meantime a woman with amnesia lives with her father who helps her get by.

Does the wife every turn up? Will either of her old lives be repaired?

A good who dun it

This was a fast-paced crime read set during the pandemic. The characters, while interesting were not very likable, but if you enjoy unreliable narrators you will appreciate this story. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC>

This talented author has written a page turner. Mystery and intrigue abound. Red herrings kept me guessing. Can lives be rebuilt? This book was sent to me electronically by Netgalley for review. Thanks to the publisher and the author for this book of fiction that often reads like nonfiction. Realistic characters kept the story moving quickly. I look forward to more books by this author.

This is an exciting thriller that held my attention throughout. The author does a good job of showing different perspectives and making each voice unique.

Fast-paced and absorbing - this is a solid addition to a crowded genre. A recommended purchase for collections where crime and thrillers are popular.

Also published under the title, Just the Two of Us, this story is set during the height of Covid and tells the stories of Stacie Jones, a woman fighting a cancer diagnosis who’s newly returned from France and living with her father; and Kylie Gillingham, a missing bigamist who police believe may have been killed by one of her husbands. Things become even murkier when Stacie, suffering from memory loss, is told by a local woman that she is definitely NOT Stacie Jones. If you enjoy twisty plots and unreliable narrators as much as I do, this is the book for you.