Welcome to Whitney Falls, where the tulips are blooming, the church potlucks are legendary, and the local pastor’s wife might be hiding a body. In “The Pastor’s Wife,” LynDee Walker hands us small-town sanctimony, old secrets, new trauma, and a quietly escalating nightmare that simmers just under the surface of smiles and sanctimony.

Martha’s not running toward a new life so much as she’s dodging an old one. She’s grieving, cautious, and not especially eager to be pulled into town drama — but of course she is. Because she delivers groceries to Mary, the local pastor’s picture-perfect wife with perfect hair, perfect manners, and the kind of emotional fragility that feels like it’s one polite question away from cracking wide open. The book is written from both women’s perspectives, which gives the story a layered unease. Martha is suspicious. Mary is suffocating. And Pastor Tim, Mary’s husband, radiates the exact kind of charming menace that makes your skin crawl even as he’s praying for you.

What follows isn’t a murder mystery in the traditional sense — but it is a slow-burn reckoning. This town is steeped in silences. The kind that protect power. The kind that smother truth. The kind that teach women how to perform safety instead of actually having it. Martha doesn’t come in like a savior. She’s bruised and unsure and trying to lay low. But she sees things. She notices. And she doesn’t stop asking the questions everyone else has learned not to voice.

Mary’s sections come with this eerie, queasy tension — like smiling at someone who might bite. At first, it feels like we’re watching a woman wake up inside her own life, realizing the perfect world she’s built is actually a trap. She’s not clueless. She’s been taught to obey, to shrink, to smile through the rot. She’s calculating in a way that’s all survival instinct and quiet desperation. You can feel the weight of every what-if pressing down on her — what if I stay, what if I go, what version of me walks out either way? But then the cracks start to split wider. And suddenly you’re not sure if Mary’s story is about breaking free… or pulling the strings. Because what if the cage wasn’t something built around her? What if she kicked it down herself — and made sure everyone kept calling it a sanctuary?

This town is full of whisper campaigns, polite threats, and town bullies that may or may not be provoked. There’s no dead body in the foyer. No ominous trench coat villain. Just a thousand small cuts, secrets, and the sickening realization that everyone who should’ve helped already knew — and chose not to.

The plot isn’t wildly original and it takes its time getting to the point. But that’s also kind of the point. The tension here isn’t about what might happen. It’s about what’s already happened and how long people will pretend it didn’t. It’s claustrophobic. It’s gutting. It’s deeply familiar in a way that’s hard to shake.

This is a 3-star read for me — not because it fumbled, but because it didn’t go quite as hard as I wanted. Still, there’s something deeply satisfying about watching a woman quietly decide she’s done being polite about her own survival.

Whodunity Award: For Turning Church Gossip Into a Full-Blown Psychological Thriller with Bonus Patriarchal Decay

Huge thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the ARC. I’ll be side-eyeing every church picnic invite until further notice.

The plot was okay, the mystery definitely was a mystery but I just felt like something was missing to really stand out to me . The ending was my favorite part but I don’t know I felt like the information could’ve been more intriguing alittle more about the husband , charlotte to kind of put you on the edge of your seat . You can tell something’s off but you really don’t have much to really keep your guessing . Martha and Mary relationship was soo weird they never really trusted each other and when it all reveals it shows .

I just finished a great thriller that is available soon. The Pastor's Wife by LynDee Walker was a good read! Don't skip this one.

The Pastor's Wife by LynDee Walker was a good read for me. I like the different setting, the church group, and all the secrets. The characters were well-written and nuanced. Solid plot, good pace, and some unbelievable events made this a fun read. Recommended.

I am blown away with this one. I was hooked from the very first line of the Prologue. This was well written and kept me hooked. Turning pages late into the night. I didnt need sleep, I needed answers.

Who hasnt wanted to up and move to a new town where you dont know anyone and no one knows you? So when Martha moves into Whitney Falls for a new start with no one asking questions about her past. Martha is good about fading into the background and going unnoticed. She settles into her new life, joining the local church and quickly finding a job. Things start to speed up quickly with this book, when Martha delivers a grocery order to Mary, the Pastors wife. The Pastor and Wife, the perfect couple, spotless home, both good looking, so kind and helpful. Soon Martha would find out the truth, much more then she ever imagined.

This book is storytelling at its finest! It's well-paced, blending tension and drama without feeling rushed. The language is accessible but layered, capturing the inner lives of her characters with care. She builds suspense gradually, keeping readers curious without relying on over-the-top twists. It’s a style that feels both thoughtful and gripping, perfect for readers who enjoy smart, character-driven thrillers. It is of a slower pace due to the focus on the characters which wasn't to my taste and the characters themselves, whilst being brought to life well and original... we're also not terribly likeable and made some very strange decisions. Overall it's a good read but maybe just think too hard about the "whys"

I didn't love this one.

The writing style really didn't hit for me and I thought the way that our MC spoke was odd.

The book is definitely twisty and what's really going on is absolutely horrible, but I also felt that quite a bit was illogical.

It's a popcorn read with a lot of ungodly people pretending to be godly - this should be fun, but these people weren't really fun to read.

Didn't hate it. Didn't love it.

* ARC via Publisher

The Pastor’s Wife is a gripping, slow-burning psychological thriller that creeps under your skin and keeps you guessing until the very end. I picked it up expecting a tense small-town mystery, but what I got was something darker, more intimate, and surprisingly layered.

From the start, I was drawn to the narrator’s voice—she’s clearly hiding something, and yet she feels oddly trustworthy, which only adds to the book’s suspense. Her arrival in Whitney Falls feels like the beginning of a healing journey, but that calm is quickly disturbed by her growing relationship with the town’s golden couple: Pastor Tim and his seemingly sweet wife, Mary.

The dynamic between Mary and Tim is unsettling in all the right ways. You can feel something is off beneath their polished, pious surface, and the tension builds beautifully through subtle cues—awkward glances, overly rehearsed stories, and that ever-present feeling of being watched. The author does a great job of making you question who’s manipulating whom, and why.

I especially loved how the book explored themes of control, appearances, and the masks people wear in tightly-knit communities. There’s an eerie sense that everyone knows more than they’re saying, and when the narrator begins digging into the couple’s past, the story really takes off. That late-night scene where she sneaks through their house? Genuinely chilling.

The only reason I’m not giving it five stars is that the pacing dips slightly in the middle, and a few threads could’ve used more resolution. I also guessed one of the twists earlier than I would’ve liked—but even then, the final reveal was satisfying and well-executed.

The Pastor’s Wife is perfect for fans of The Couple Next Door or The Last House Guest—a dark, twisty read that will make you think twice about those friendly faces in your neighborhood.

Told from multiple POVS and with flashbacks, this is the story of how Martha's effort to help Mary goes sideways because of their secrets. Martha knows there's something not quite right about the marriage of Martha and the charismatic pastor Tim. She pokes and pokes but unfortunately that leads to her own past, a past she was trying to escape. It can be a little confusing at first but you'll quickly find the plot line. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Fine suspense with a twist.

Thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for this jaw dropping and captivating eARC.

If you are a psychological thriller fan, do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of LynDee Walker's "The Pastor's Wife"!

In this story no one is who they first seem to be as the protagonist, Martha, a seemingly shy young transplant to a small backward town in the Ozarks is taken under the protective wing 🪽 of the pastor's wife. Martha and the pastor's wife rapidly (if not "rabidly") develop a friendship that runs far deeper than the bond of familial blood.

The pastor's wife quickly becomes Martha's best advocate as well as her best friend and savior as she provides Martha a desperately needed protectively fierce ally in a cruel rough and judgemental small town.

I started this book right before I was ready for bed before another grueling workday - bad timing for me, as once I started this addictive read, my eyes were glued to the pages, until I finished the last word at 5:30 AM (but it was WORTH the lost hours of sleep)! If you are searching for a hair raisingly FUN read where no one is who they initially seem to be, do yourself the favor of picking up a copy of this book!

I LOVED "The Pastor's Wife" a story where emotional ties are bloodstained and familial bounds are almost insignificant when compared to those made by choice, in one's ❤️.

"The Pastor's Wife" is a top caliber psychological thriller that will 😳 shock you with twists and turns that are addictive, and will have you returning for more from both Bookouture and LynDee Walker.

this is the kind of good book you laugh at with just how good it is. and only thrillers at the top end do that for me. they are so good,so deep, so dark and physiologically impacting that you do that delicious giggle. this book was fantastic. i could not stop even if i needed to, which i did by the way because there was sleep needed at just past half way through this book.
from the off i was creeped out by the Pastor. and wondered just how men like him manage it, to reel people in particularly the woman they do this to time and time again. but they do. and they have in this small time community who all worship him(pun intended)
this is a small town book with small town minds and beliefs. they think they are as one, they think knowing everything about each other is what makes them great. buuuuut id beg to differ when things like books plot start to happen.
but Martha has come here to get away from all the noise. she wants herself to stay under the radar. but when she gets taken under the wings of the pastors wife things become somewhat complex. as in this house of pastor and perfect loving wife there is darkness at play.
what is really going on here with both our woman? and is the author trying to trick me? or are the characters?

LynDee Walker definitely has what it takes to be a thriller author! This book had it all from suspense, speculation, strong plot and twists that'll make you clutch your pearls!

Mary and Martha, destined to be friends. One a pastor's wife, the other a complicated past both wanting the same thing.....but typically when something seems to good to be true, it usually is.. Be careful what you wish for.

Thank you for the opportunity!

Wow
A different genre than we are accustomed to from Lyndee Walker but every bit ad good as her series
This one will keep you up way past your bedtime as you try to unravel the secrets of Whitney Falls and Mary and Tim
Every time you think you have figured it out a plot twist takes you in a different direction bringing you to an incredible ending
Tjis one is not to be missed

This is my first time reading this author’s work & boy was it a page turner. It definitely kept my attention until the end. I do wish the ending had a little more, like what happened to the cop? To Charlotte?

Good story, but I found the flow to be incomplete due to the numerous flashbacks and interruptions. The characters and the plot make for an excellent read.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for a copy of this book.

This is an excellent psychological thriller. A pastor and his wife move to a small town, where the pastors wife befriends a girl with many secrets. There were so many twists and turns in this book, I couldn’t put it down. I did find the flashbacks to be a little confusing. Each chapter has the month it takes place at the top, but I found it difficult to remember which month we were on. Overall, it was a great read and I wasn’t expecting the ending at all. Definitely recommended for readers who enjoy psychological thrillers.

This book was absolutely a page turner. The switching between character POV isn’t my favorite but I thought it worked very well in this book. This story had more twists than I anticipated and was a very entertaining read, despite the dark subject matter. The ending felt a little rushed to me, and I wished the author had taken a bit more time to let readers see/connect more dots. The twist at the end felt a little unbelievable and out of left field, but didn’t have to be. Overall though, a thrilling ride of a novel.

I gave this one a 3 stars - I'll list the things I liked and didn't.

Liked - I was definitely hooked from the start, the writing really pulled me in and I read the first 15 percent in one sitting and it was late at night while my eyes were closing 😅 I also enjoyed the characters, it was quite fun to get to know them and I enjoyed the Christian aspects in this.

Didn't like - I was hooked and thought I was going to stay hooked, but then I personally felt the momentum went down and I wasn't as drawn as rather than like the first page. So then there were parts I enjoyed, parts where I gasped, but nothing that got me entertained every page, you know? I wished for more suspense maybe throughout. Again, this is just my opinion, everyone might have felt differently.

Overall, good book, it was decent for me but maybe incredible for you! Check it out 😄

First things first, thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for this ARC!

This was my first LynDee Walker book, and while I am not religious at all, I was curious about the book while reading the blurb. I personally have never been going to church to seek comfort, but each their own, and here we have Martha, running away from her past and fleeing to this small town, doing exactly that. And she is also taking a like on Tim, the pastor, and his wife, Mary. However, soon Martha does sense that not everything in this little town is as it seems...

This was a really good book, the perfect pace and a lot of twists that kept me engaged from the start, and was the reason yet again I did spend almost all of my free time reading. Very well done!

Running away from her past and carrying a dark secret, Martha arrives in the quaint town of Whitney Falls. It's the perfect small town. She meets Pastor Tim, a man with a dazzling smile, and his dutiful, faithful wife Mary. Mary and Martha quickly become friends, but things soon change as the cracks in the wonderful Tim and Mary start to appear. Everyone has secrets, but who has the biggest one?

Books like this are so easy to read because you have to KNOW what is going on. I NEEDED to know who was hiding what and how it would all implode. I was NOT disappointed.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.