Started out a little slow but when it hooked me I couldn't put it down, kept thinking I had it all figured out but of course I didn't. Love when that happens.

The Pastor's Wife by LynDee Walker--Filled with heart and a slow burn of suspense, this book portraits the dynamics in small conservative churches really well. I enjoyed the cat and mouse game featuring a new woman who moves to town. What she learns threatens to undermine the quaint reality the town is living in. I had trouble engaging with some parts of the story, but the ending makes up for a somewhat lackluster middle. Thumbs up.

The Pastor's Wife tells the story of Martha who is trying to stay under the radar. However, once the small village finds out Martha has a secret, the pastor's wife, Mary takes her under her wing. After awhile it becomes clear that the Mary in private is very different than the Mary in public, This was incredibly thrilling and a great, twisty read!

Fast paced thriller that left me with my mouth on the floor! I was obsessed from the very start. I could not put this down and finished it in one sitting! It will def not be a last read by this author for me!

This was a ride! It kept me guessing and I didn’t see the twists coming. It was a very fun, easy read but still interesting enough to keep my attention. There may be some triggers in this book for some people.

Thank you to LynDee Walker, NetGalley, and Bookouture for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A quick and easy read that left me intrigued all the way through. I thought the pacing started off a bit slow but it did pick up in pacing as plot tension increased. I enjoyed it

From the beginning of the book the character of Pastor Tim instantly creeped me out. A man that rules over his congregation drawing them in by his charismatic personality, flashing white teeth and handsome looks.

In this small village of Whitney Falls, members of the community are immersed in their beliefs and pastor Tim is seen by many as the ultimate man of God. A man who has a way of engaging all, especially the women that are completely taken in by him. His wife Mary is portrayed as his devoted spouse who lives to support her husband and provide the impression of a life that is all encompassing but what are these two running from, this is the mystery that prevails and carries the reader throughout the book. Then there is Martha, a woman who moves to this small town to try to shake off her own demons. Mary and Martha develop a strong friendship, and Martha is accepted into a tight knit group of women who look down on her by her relationship with Mary.

This is a well-developed psychological thriller that will immediately take you and have you turning the pages quickly. The only negative I found was the ending, it just didn’t sit right for me and let down the rest of the book that was so well told. I felt the author could have thought a more complex resolution than what was presented.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of the book, all opinions expressed are my own.

Small towns keep big secrets—& the pastor’s wife knows them all.

Creepy, fast-paced, and compulsively readable. The Pastor’s Wife lures you in with its sleepy small-town charm—and then quickly reminds you that not everything is as it seems. Mary, the seemingly perfect pastor’s wife, is hiding something dark. And when a newcomer starts digging, secrets unravel fast.

The tension builds steadily, and there’s a sinister energy woven through every chapter. I loved the slow burn of suspicion, though a couple reveals felt slightly rushed. Still, this one absolutely delivers on the twists and had me flying through the pages. Fans of domestic thrillers with a sharp bite will eat this up.

I was definitely intrigued by the subject matter of this book. I did think it would be a little more thrilling. I was very entertained and I had a great time reading it. I recommended it to my thrillers book club on Goodreads. Thank you for the ARC!

Thank you Bookouture and NetGalley for an early copy of The Pastor’s Wife. This started out a bit slow but was intriguing, the part where Mary gave Martha her gift was very emotional, loved it!! All of a sudden it took a Horrible twist, that if I knew I would not have kept reading. Soooooo very sad and not right. I understand how much human trafficking is alive everywhere but I don’t like reading about it. Reading about it truly disturbed me.

While reading this book, I had so many questions. Is Mary REALLY that nice and helpful? What is "Martha's" real name? What secret is Martha keeping? Who is driving around in the black truck? What really happened to Lisa? Where did Sam go, and when is he coming back? Is Pastor Tim someone who can be trusted? What kind of relationship do Mary and Pastor Tim really have?

The answers to many of my questions were not at all what I expected! This book went in a completely different direction than I originally thought it would. The pastor and his wife were not the good, honest Christians one would expect them to be. Who can you really trust??

I had never heard of this author before, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion/review.

So much going on.. easy to keep track, great premise great storyline. And such a great ending. I have never read anything from this author I definitely enjoyed it.

Thanks to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an early release of this book.

The Pastor's Wife is a captivating read! The sheer number of characters and their shifting perspectives definitely kept me guessing and engaged. A sold 4 stars. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review. To be published June 2025.

This is the first book I have read by this author and I absolutely loved it! The premise was brilliant and the story was well executed. The twist made me actually gasp. Can’t wait to read more by this author.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC. This book was definitely fast paced but I felt a lot of the twists came out of nowhere. I wish there had been a little more development on certain things and less on others.

All I can say is... WOW.
This thriller takes you on a wild psychological adventure!
Twists, turns, and drama at every turn.

Martha shows up in the small town of Whitney Falls hoping to blend in and hide from her past. Then she meets Pastor Tim and his wife Mary-who seem like the definition of picture perfect. But perfection is not what it seems.

When Mary unexpectedly befriends Martha, things get... complicated. Their lives and "friendship" quickly become a tricky matter.

This book is told by both Martha and Mary's POVs, and had me second-guessing everyone and their motives. A must-read for thriller fans who love deceitful, cunning characters and small-town secrets with a sinister twist.

Title: The Pastor’s Wife
Author: LynDee Walker
Publisher: Bookouture
Genre: Psychological /Thriller
Pub Date: June 13, 2025
My Rating: 4.7 Stars
Pages 258

Martha settles in Whitney Falls, Arkansas trying to run from her secret past. She has been trying to go unnoticed; however, she is noticed by some of the ladies who whisper to each and hurry as they pass by her. She states she is a nobody from nowhere but these ladies act like being a nobody might be catchy.
One day she has a run in with Ruthie Tomlinson who is jealous of Martha as she is attractive and works at the “Pick and Go’ grocery store where Ruthie’s husband Sam is the Manager. Martha is actually delivering groceries to Pastor McClatchy home. Mary McClatchy saw the whole thing and invites Martha in so that she can tend to the cut on her head.-as she was trained to as a Nurse.
Mary is the Pastor's wife and takes Martha under her wing and helps her fend in a small town.

Mary’s husband Tim is the new Pastor at First Baptist Church. He is handsome and charming.
Martha soon becomes a regular at church. Everyone thinks Pastor Tim and his wife Mary are saints. Martha is grateful that they have been so welcome to her. However, as Martha spends with more time with them, she is sure something isn’t right. She wonders why they won’t talk about where they came from before they moved to Whitney Falls.
Martha is sure she isn’t the only one with a secret past.

This was a WOW read. I read and love psychological thrillers but I honestly did NOT expect anything like this story!!


In “A Letter from LynDee” Our author tells us that this was the darkest, most twisted story she has ever written- and she has a giant smile on
her face because it was so much fun to write! (No one believes she wrote it as she is too nice!)
In fact she thanks friends for believing in her when she didn’t.! (Most cannot believe she
it as she is too nice!)
She said the Mary and Martha were in her heard from nearly a decade before they made it to print.
Additionally she hopes readers enjoy it as much as she enjoyed writing it!

As I mentioned this was a WOW read. I honestly could NOT put it down and read it in one evening. But can I say I enjoyed it? Hmm other than WOW I cannot come up with a ‘fun’ word!
However, I will definitely read her next psychological thriller!

I read and enjoyed both [book: The General’s Gold and The Cardinal’s Curse] which were both part of The Turner and Mosley Files series- written [author: LynDee Walker and Bruce Robert Coffin] so was attracted to reading another story by Ms. Walker.

Want to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for this GREAT eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for June 13, 2025.

My first book by this author, and I just got to say “wow.” The dual POV was a great choice, kept me on the edge of my seat. I went in blind, thinking I knew what to expect, but boy was I wrong. The twists were perfectly timed & left me shocked. Loved everything about it!

All I can say is… WOW. 🤯 This psychological thriller had me hooked from page one and did not let go. Twists, turns, and messed-up characters (in the best possible thriller way) made this an absolute page-turner.
Martha shows up in the small town of Whitney Falls with a big secret and a plan to disappear quietly into the background. Then she meets Pastor Tim and his wife Mary—who seem like the definition of picture perfect. But perfection is almost always a mask, right?

When Mary unexpectedly befriends Martha, things get… complicated. Their lives quickly become entangled, and the question becomes: who’s really hiding the biggest secret? 👀

Told from both Martha and Mary’s POVs, this book had me second-guessing everyone and devouring chapters late into the night. A must-read for thriller fans who love layered characters and small-town secrets with a sinister twist.

The Pastor's Wife by LynDee Walker. A gripping, page turner psychological thriller with a myriad of secrets and sole haunting evil and darkness. So intense! The characters, they were over the top brillant. There was something about Mary. First time author for me, will most definately for looking for her future books.

Thank you to LynDee Walker, Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.