4.5 Stars

What The Wife Knew by Darby Kane was a cat and mouse, whodunit thriller. It was fast paced and pulled me right. I am a huge fan of the author and was not disappointed.

The book jumps between the past and present of Addison Dougherty and her doctor husband Richmond who is no longer with us. Richmond had a first wife Kathryn who is mother to his children and is none too please with his new, younger second wife. Richmond lawyer becomes Addison’s lawyer and confident. The police are looking to pin this on her. The twists and turn had me more than once reading what I just read because I was so shocked with what I just read.

I love this authors here is an author that can create engaging content and plot with good characters and that is very readable which a lot of thrillers nowdays don’t . This book was an interesting take on family dynamics and who done it.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review book

"I'd never attended a funeral before, but I needed to be in the room for this one, mostly to make sure the jack*ss in the casket stayed dead."

From the first sentence (quoted above), I knew this one would be a wild ride. And Darby Kane did not disappoint!! Twists and turns were throughout this book- and my jaw finally just stayed on the floor. Dysfunctional families, webs of lies, revenge and spite, twists and turns, morally gray characters, dual POVs, flashbacks, horrid backstories- What the Wife Knew has it all!!

The story opens from Addison's POV. The new, younger mega rich widow of Dr. Richmond Dougherty, a renowned pediatric surgeon, an infamous tragedy survivor, and a national hero. She's at his funeral, and the whole town (PD included) thinks she murdered him and is trying to cover it up- but she is desperately trying to find the person that beat her to killing him. She uncovers motive after motive from almost everyone in his life as to why they were actively trying to ruin his life. But who was bold enough to end him?

Some parts were too OTT for my taste, and I couldn't connect with the characters, but still a 3.5-4 star read! Super twisty!!

Thank you NetGalley for the ebook ARC of Darby Kane’s “What The Wife Knew”. This is a domestic thriller with lots of twists and turns that will keep you guessing …

Dr. Richmond Dougherty is a famous surgeon, beloved by his family and community. Recently divorced and newly remarried, he is also newly dead. And when his death is foundnot to be accidental, everyone’s suspicions focus on his new wife Addison - who doesn’t seem too terribly broken up at his death.

Was there more to their sudden marriage than a rich older man seeking a trophy wife? Did Addison have motives besides money to want Richmond dead? The community and police feel that they need look no further. But Addison and her unlikely ally, her late husband’s lawyer wonder: what about the ex? Or Richmond’s adult children, angry over their father’s remarriage? Who else might want have wanted the good doctor dead? Things get even more twisted when Addison’s estranged mother appears on the scene!

As someone who enjoys thrillers with tons of twists and turns, this is a winner! #NetGalley #WhatTheWifeKnew

One of the best parts about being apart of Thriller Book Promotions The Pulse is getting early access to some of the most anticipated thrillers. Honestly, I feel so lucky every time I see an email pop up with a new book, like What the Wife Knew. This one completely pulled me in with its twisted family drama, layers of lies, and clever plotting. Addison, the main character, is fascinating—dark and complicated, but still somehow relatable. You can’t help but root for her, even when you probably shouldn’t.

Synopsis-
Dr. Richmond Dougherty is a renowned pediatric surgeon, an infamous tragedy survivor, and a national hero. He’s also very dead—thanks to a fall down the stairs. His neighbors angrily point a finger at the newest Ms. Dougherty, Addison. The sudden marriage to the mysterious young woman only lasted ninety-seven days, and he’d had two suspicious “accidents” during that time. Now Addison is a very rich widow.

As law enforcement starts to circle in on Addison and people in town become increasingly hostile, sides are chosen with Kathryn, Richmond’s high school sweetheart, wife number one, and the mother of his children, leading the fray. Despite rising tensions, Addison is even more driven to forge ahead on the path she charted years ago…

Determined at all costs to unravel Richmond’s legacy, she soon becomes a target—with a shocking note left on her bedroom  You will pay. But it will take a lot more than faceless threats to stop Addison. Her plan to marry Richmond then ruin him may have been derailed by his unexpected death, but she’s not done with him yet.

Add this one to your tbr besties as it comes out December 10, 2024✨

This was another win from Darby! I was drawn to the premise of a wife wanting to kill her husband and someone beating her to it. This was an 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙪𝙞𝙣𝙜 and 𝙙𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙤𝙪𝙨 book with a dysfunctional family at its best!

We get to know the victim, Dr. Dougherty throughout the chapters and he’s nothing more than a scheming narcissistic manipulator which is always a fun character! As a survivor of a school shooting he’s hailed as a hero for stopping his brother and saving fellow students.

Enter his young widow who knows he’s not the local hero everyone believes him to be. She hated her husband and had been manipulated into marrying him and although she wanted to kill him and show everyone who he really was…. She says she didn’t do it.

This was a delicious game of cat and mouse with his young widow racing to prove it wasn’t her before she’s thrown behind bars.

This book had amazing pacing and the plot was well executed.

Read this if you like:

-killer twists
-lies
-revenge
-a fast pace
-stellar writing

Thank you to @thrillerbookloversthepulse and @williammorrowbooks for my gifted copy!

What the wife knew is a suspenseful page-turner, filled with twists and layered characters that keep readers guessing. It had me hooked and questioning who I thought the “real” killer was. The stakes build steadily leaving readers questioning who is truly guilty—and who might be hiding behind a façade of innocence. Everyone has secrets in this book and everything is so twisted up. Perfect for fans of domestic thrillers, this novel explores how the past can haunt, manipulate, and ultimately shape a future filled with secrets and lies. Oh, and also a very manipulative upbringing so be careful of that.

I was excited to dive into this book and thrilled when I got the approval to read it. Overall, it didn’t disappoint. The author clearly intended for it to be a slow burn, and while the early chapters took a little while to pick up, the tension and suspense eventually built in a way that kept me hooked. Some tighter editing in the beginning might make it even stronger, but by the time I reached the last few chapters, I couldn't put it down—I devoured them in one sitting! I’m eager to read more from Darby Kane in the future.

This was your standard alternating POV thriller in which you think you know what’s going down until you realize you have no idea. We learn early on that Addison’s husband of only a few short months is dead, and she is under scrutiny and there are suspicions she was involved in his demise. We also learn very early that their marriage was not one born of love, but it takes a long time and a lot of unraveling to understand the why and the how. I don’t want to reveal more because the story is one revelation after another, and I don’t want to spoil it for other readers. I was surprised by some of the ending and while I wish there was a little more excitement and thrill in this book, it was an enjoyable domestic thriller that I would recommend. Thank you NetGalley for early access to this ebook! 3.5⭐️

What the wife knew is a twisty thriller that keeps you guessing, with reveals right up until the end. We meet Addison, the young widow of a distinguished doctor, Richmond, who had an accident on the stairs. Addison has no friends and is hated by the town as she is perceived as a gold digger/con artist as Richmond left his first wife/high school sweetheart for this younger love. Richmond is a wealthy and prominent pediatric surgeon who was also a hero that thwarted a school shooter during his senior year of high school.

We quickly learn that looks can be deceiving as Addison reluctantly married Richmond for reasons that are revealed throughout the book. When Richmond's death is ruled a homicide, Addison knows she is innocent and has to figure out who else wanted her husband dead.

I loved Addison's character, she is smart and compassionate, and a survivor who is not as calculating as others would believe. The story progresses through the investigation but also adds some flashback chapters to fill in the blanks and POV changes to give us a glimpse of Richmond. As the murder suspects start to add up, Addison makes some unexpected alliances as she gets closer to the killer and their motives.

I definitely recommend this book to others. Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for the advance copy.

When Dr Richmond Dougherty turns up dead the list of suspects is long. Disgruntled patients, ex-wife, the young new wife. This is a great thriller that had me guessing til the end. Did not expect the ending! Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the opportunity to read this ARC!

Well, the ending of this book had me laughing with the lies and how manipulative most of the characters are!

I was hooked right from the beginning with the dark secrets, blackmailing, threats, and the investigation.
Even though the pace turned slow in the middle part of the story, things got a lot more interesting once the secrets started unraveling one by one.

The last few chapters were quite intense as all the truths finally came to light with the secrets Addison, Kathryn, and Richmond had been hiding throughout the story. Some twists I could guess, but a few managed to surprise me near the ending!

Overall, it was an entertaining read with an easy-to-read writing style, short chapters, and unexpected twists. Putting my Kindle down was the last thing I wanted to do. I’m looking forward to reading more books from this author in the future!

⚠️TW: Violence and brief mention of school shooting and death

I enjoyed reading Darby Kane’s “The Engagement Party” last winter, so I was really looking forward to this book, but it was just okay for me. It started off really strong, and I devoured the first half. The plot was intriguing and unique, and I couldn’t wait to find out who really killed Richmond and what secrets Addison knew. Up until the halfway point, the story was told from “Her” (the wife’s) point of view in alternating timelines. Around the 50% mark, it changed to dual POV with chapters from the husband’s perspective, and I think that’s where the story lost its appeal to me. There were suddenly too many huge twists and fakeouts with details that kept changing. I will say that I did love Addison as our female main character. She had a lot of sass and spunk, and it was enjoyable to read from her POV. Overall, a pretty quick and easy read. I think many readers will love the family drama and shocking twists.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you for my ARC copy of What The Wife Knew. A suspenseful who-dun-it, thriller of a book! Who I thought was the killer ended up not being correct in the end! Highly recommend. Easy read.

What the Wife Knew by Darby Kane is another 5/5 thriller book! Addison Dougherty is just married when her husband falls down the stairs and dies. Everyone is pointing the finger at Addison- did she do it?

This was a pretty good mystery. The book started out very strong and captured my attention. It has short chapters which I liked. However, the last half was slower than the first and started to lose my attention. Also, super weird twist at the end that gives you the ick! 😂 Ready to move on to the next! Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

Excellent mystery. I loved the premise and the surprises throughout. Great character building and plot development.

Thank you, NetGalley, William Morrow Paperbacks and Darby Kane for this ARC.

This book is 70 chapters long and even though for the most part, they were short chapters, it was still too long. The start of the book was interesting, but it started to drag for me towards the middle. It was difficult for me to get back into but I kept moving forward because I had to know how it would end. The ending was very interesting and disturbing. I am still processing what I read.

The characters were all unlikeable so I couldn't connect to any of them. I didn't like Addison from the first few pages, I did have hope that her character would develop more and become likable. There were parts of the book that showed that she did have some positive characteristics. Maybe there is hope for her after all.

Addison's husband Richmond is dead less than a year into their marriage, and she isn't sad about it, but she is bothered by the fact that she didn't get to ruin his life first. I loved the family drama with Richmond's ex-wife Kathryn and her two children Wyatt and Portia showing up to the house uninvited and all the accusations, mysterious activity, and threats. You can't help but get swept up in the story to discover who killed Richmond and why. Fans of domestic suspense/thrillers will enjoy this book.

4.5 stars for me.

Thank you to Darby Kane and William Morrow for the ARC!

I have eagerly read every book Darby Kane puts out, so I was very thrilled when we got this book at The Pulse! When I started reading it, I was absolutely hooked and couldn’t put it down. The beginning had me laughing at how dark the humor was - I was picturing Addison and her bat and found myself chuckling out loud. I was so intrigued to see why Addison decided to take down Richmond this way. It seemed so personal, but I couldn’t figure it out! The twists kept coming up until the very end - just when I thought the story was over, another twist got me. My heart went out to Addison and her stepchildren too - none of them asked for the situation they were thrown into. And in a lot of ways, their situations parallelled one another. Atmospheric and filled with her signature domestic suspense, this is easily my favorite Darby Kane book yet!

”What the Wife Knew” releases December 10, 2024 (I guess I can think of this book as an eagerly birthday present! LOL) This review will be shared to my instagram blog (@books_by_the_bottle) shortly :)