Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! Another page turner from Darby Kane! This book was full of suspense and twists and turns and had me on the edge of my seat pretty much right from the start. Just when I'd think I had things figured out, a huge twists would be thrown in leaving my jaw dropped. I don't even know how to give a better synopsis beyond what is already provided by the publisher without giving spoilers because there were so many plot twists. I would have given this five stars if I hadn't correctly figured out a few of the mysteries in this one a bit before they were fully revealed.

If you want to cancel all your plans and get lost in a book, this is the one for you! Such a great read and I can't wait for her next book!

I would like to thank NetGalley and William Morrow for providing me with an advance e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review. Look for it now in your local and online bookstores and libraries.

As romance readers we inevitably get sad when an author jumps ship to a different sub genre or another genre entirely. What we rarely talk about is when an author jumps ship to another genre and is really, really good at it. Case in point, HelenKay Dimon, who has written romances I've enjoyed but whose work writing thrillers under the name Darby Kane are just next level. What the Wife Knew is one of those books that starts with the author mashing her foot on the accelerator and not taking the pressure off until the final page. I'd been dragging my feet on starting it, but once I did? I didn't come up for air.
Dr. Richmond Dougherty was a national hero, survivor of an unspeakable tragedy as a teenager and now a renowned, celebrated pediatric surgeon. He is also now very much dead, thanks to an "accidental fall" in his opulent home in Rye, New York. Local suspicion immediately falls on his younger, mysterious and pretty second wife, Addison. They were married less than 100 days before his death and she kicked society mainstay Wife #1, along with their two teenaged children, to the curb. The irony being that if people knew the truth about Addison she'd look more guilty, not less. What nobody knows about their marriage? It was a ruse. Richmond had secrets, the kind of dark, damaging secrets that would ruin the carefully constructed farce that was his life. Addison somehow knows all his secrets and blackmails him into a marriage in order to utterly destroy him. Someone killing him throws a wrench in her plans and now the unimaginative police are looking her way.

This story employs one of my least favorite suspense writing tics, that of the non-linear timeline, but Kane makes it work and milks it for maximum effect. The majority of the story is told from Addison's point of view, but we do get a few chapters of Richmond which further fleshes out what a sack of human garbage he was. Kane also employs short, snappy chapters and it succeeds in keeping the reader invested and off-balance for the majority of the book. What did Addison know, when did she know it, how are all the players involved in this very messy drama connected to the final outcome of Dr. Dougherty?

Despite him being dead, Richmond's paragon of virtue reputation is still very much alive and Addison, while somewhat thrown off balance by his death, still has her mission to dismantle the whole web of lies. Leading the charge to stop her is Wife #1, Kathryn, his two surly kids, various town residents siding with the influence of Wife #1 and the partners in Richmond's medical practice. The only person who might be on her side is her husband's former lawyer, and really - can she trust him? The gated home she shared with Richmond soon becomes a revolving door of unwanted visitors hurling accusations and then the threats start arriving - You Will Pay. Addison still has plans for Richmond, dead or not, but it certainly seems like someone else has plans for her - namely to pin a murder she didn't commit to her chest.

The whole affair thrums along at a fast clip and while the ending devolves a bit into One Shocking Reveal After Another!, did I mind? Reader, I did not. Thrillers are called thrillers for a reason - they work for me when they're fast, furious and suck all the oxygen out of the room. Kane does that here by employing enough deadly secrets, messy family dysfunction (boy howdy!), and plenty of rich, privileged assholes getting exactly what they deserve (for a change....) to keep those pages turning. Just an all around dynamite read - start to finish.

Final Grade = A

Wow - this books sucks you in right from the start and lands you straight in the middle of the drama. I love when books start like this! I was all in for the first 60% of this book. The second half started to slow down a little for me. The characters weren't overly likable so I didn't find myself getting invested there and really rooting for anyone. And then there was twist after twist... after twist... after twist. At some point, I felt like that became too much. If you are someone who loves domestic thrillers and wants to constantly be on the edge of your seat - this is a book for you!

I had high hopes for "What the Wife Knew"--a whodunnit thriller about the mysterious death of a rich doctor with several possible suspects. Unfortunately, the story ends up convoluted and too far-fetched for my tastes.

Book: What the Wife Knew
Author: Darby Kane
Format: Digital
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Review Score: ⭐️⭐️1/2 (rounded down)

I really enjoyed this domestic suspense/psychological thriller! The pacing was spot-on, and I was hooked from start to finish. While I did find a few twists a bit predictable, there were still plenty of surprises that kept me guessing. The suspense and tension kept me engaged throughout, and I loved considering all of the possibilities along the way. The exploration of trust, deception, and manipulation within a marriage was a key highlight. I enjoyed Addison’s cynical and sarcastic nature. Her snippiness really added to the story in my opinion.

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲:
🔪 Clever whodunnits
🗺️ Extensive revenge plots
💁🏻‍♀️ Sarcastic, witty FMCs
🪢 Twisted, dysfunctional families
🎤 Dual POV and alternating timelines
💵 Rich people behaving badly
🚫 Unlikeable characters

A solid read for anyone who loves domestic thrillers with a bit of mystery! I appreciated its suspenseful and fast-paced nature. Highly recommend to fans of the genre.

This is really a fun thriller- whodunit type book. I stayed interested and thought I knew what the twist was and was over here patting myself on the back for guessing right until 97% and it was WRONG. I enjoyed reading this book.

Thanks Netgalley for the earc!

This was such an interesting story! There were so many twists I felt like I had whiplash. This story
Kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. As someone who has some rough relationships with my parents, I appreciated the inclusion of a not so picture perfect parent-child dynamic. Some of those elements felt very relatable. I look forward to the next Darby Kane book.

I am so grateful I was able to take a chance and read What the Wife Knew early thanks to NetGalley!
I love the many suspenseful aspects of this book, yet there was a moment, about 60% in, that it felt a bit too dramatic. *gasp* I don't usually feel that, but I think it went on a bit too long as the answers began to come through. While we were learning the pieces to the puzzle, things got wild, then wilder, then even more outlandish...it went off the rails a bit for me, and drew too far away from the original story and the first half of the book that drew me in.
Overall, it is a fun, SUPER twisty read! It is a fast read with a wild ride, and fun from start to finish!

Darby Kane creates an interesting main character forced into marrying a man so her mother can get revenge. It's a novel I devoured as it engages you with so many twists and turns. Addison must navigate the family drama of the man she marries and her dysfunctional mother. As the past and the present come together all the questions are answered. I did not predict the ending and am left to contemplate how Addison will continue her journey and keep her secrets. A fun fast mystery that I would recommend to anyone.

I loved this book, it was a new author so I was highly interested in reading this for sure. It did take me a bit longer due to some other reasons. But I am overall satisfied. I am looking forward to seeing what other books will be published by Darby Kane as well. This book is an absolute must read thriller!

✨ The Vibes ✨
Luckiest Girl Alive meets The Last Mrs. Parrish

📖 Read if…
✨ You love domestic suspense
✨ You’re looking for a twist you won’t be able to guess
✨ You like snarky characters

Darby Kane has been one of my favorite domestic suspense writers since I devoured Pretty Little Wife back in 2020. Since then, she’s become my go-to for when I need a story full of snarky characters that will keep me entertained until the very last page.

This is one of those books that’s hard to discuss without giving anything away, but what you need to know is a husband is dead after his wife attempted to kill him. The only thing is she’s not the one who killed him. From there, buckle up because the story gets wild and goes places I never expected.

One thing I love about Kane’s thrillers is how sassy and snarky her characters are. It’s so fun to be in their heads as they work through the mystery themselves, and I really enjoyed the character of Addison. She had a bite to her that made you root for her (even when she was doing some pretty questionable things), and having her POV as the main one really moved the story forward. I’d absolutely recommend this to anyone who’s looking for a new domestic thriller!

What the Wife Knew is available now. Thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book started off really good but then I lost interest. I found things weren’t that believable , I also had higher expectations for a thriller . It seemed like things were getting dragged on. Thank you William Morrow Paperbacks and NetGalley for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I love Darby Kane so much, and What the Wife Knew just might be my new favorite by her! I have read every book she has written under this pseudonym as well as Moorewood Family Rules under her real name, and this one took the cake. I kind of loved that each chapter is labeled as her or him, and jumping between the past and present kept suspense and tension high. The twists made my jaw hit the floor, especially the big finale, and I don’t think I saw a single one coming.

The audiobook is narrated by Helen Laser & Andrew Eiden and both of them had fantastic narration. I was completely sold on them as Addison and Richmond, and I would highly recommend listening to the audiobook any day. It kept me even more engrossed in the storyline and I didn’t want to put it down for even a minute. I ❤ domestic thrillers and this was both captivating and twisty as hell. I also didn’t notice any repetition as I had in Kane’s last book which was a win for me in itself.

Read this if you love family drama with lots of snark, books that you can’t help but want to binge, and truly despicable characters.

I read this in under 24 hours. I was hooked from the funeral scene. Wow. Highly recommend for mystery fans!

Meet Dr. Richmond Dougherty he’s not only a renowned pediatric surgeon, but also an infamous tragedy survivor, and a national hero and now he’s dead! Only married for ninety-seven days it’s not looking good for the SECOND Mrs. Dougherty, Addison, you see before his death of falling down the stairs , he had also experienced TWO other suspicious “accidents”. Now Addison is an extremely wealthy widow, and she’s left wondering who killed him, because she had plans of completing the job herself, and now someone beat her to it and has left clues to set her up for the murder. Dr. Richmond had left his longtime wife, Kathryn, to marry younger Addison so the town had already hated her and now with his death Kathryn is playing the martyr. Addison is certain of two things: she must find the killer before the police officers are influenced by Kathryn's statements, and throw her behind bars, and she must carry out her plan to tarnish Richmond Dougherty's reputation all before the real killer completes their mission. This was a twisted cat and mouse game and I loved it!!

Y'all! Why was this book so good? I've been struggling to read since the beginning of the year, I've started many books but not finished a single one. The same can't be said for WHAT THE WIFE KNEW. I actually stayed up waaaaay past my bed time finishing this and I finished a mere 7 hours after I started reading.

This MC? I fucking love her. Right off the bat we start at a funeral scene that was just *chef's kiss* perfection. The opening line was an instant A+++ that immediately made me go "daaaaamn girl." and I knew I was hooked. The other characters here, while not nearly as loveable (save for a few) were very well done. The people we were supposed to hate? We hated them. And boy were there plenty of those to go around?

The thing about this book is that it never went too far with it's twists and turns, ya know? Everything was logical, nothing was so outlandish that it threw you for a loop, but the plot reveals were so so good that I was just eating it up with a spoon.

Such a fantastic read to be my first finished book of the year!

3.5
I was so excited to receive an e-arc of this book! I enjoyed it overall, there were some great twists. Some of it was a bit predictable but I still enjoyed it. The pacing was a bit slow for me, otherwise I would have rated a bit higher.

What the Wife Knew by Darby Kane is a gripping thriller that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. The story revolves around a woman who uncovers dark secrets about her husband's past, leading to a series of shocking revelations. The plot is well-crafted, with plenty of twists and turns to keep readers guessing until the very end.

However, some readers might find the frequent time jumps a bit disorienting, as the narrative shifts between different timelines. Despite this, the book's engaging characters and suspenseful storyline make it a compelling read. If you enjoy psychological thrillers with complex plots, What the Wife Knew is definitely worth a read.

It captured my attention the entire time. It did start out slow, but it got so much better. Will read more by this author in the future!