What the wife knew A novel

Addison's ruthless survivor psyche is tested when her narcissistic mother calls in the Faustian bargain they made when she was a child. Weeks after her wedding to world-famous surgeon Richmond Dougherty, Addison is the primary suspect in the murder investigation. The police, swayed by Richmond's vengeful ex-wife, suspect that his fatal head wounds were caused by the bat Addison owned for self-defense. They're probably right, but the bat is missing, and Addison didn't kill him. Richmond's ego cultivated enemies; Addison herself blackmailed him into marriage by leveraging the murderous secret he'd buried for decades. Her best bet is to find Richmond's killer herself, but she's hampered by her mother's demands, brutal physical attacks, and multiplying motives. She also refuses to allow herself to trust her only ally, Elias, Richmond's former attorney, who has inexplicably appointed himself as her defender. Fortunately, cunning mind games are Addison's superpower, and they feed the suspense here while exposing compelling inner conflicts forged by her nightmarish childhood. Darby (The Engagement Party, 2023) presents a clever, bingeable psychological thriller perfect for fans of Camilla Läckberg.

The new bride of a well-known pediatric surgeon is accused of his murder in the spellbinding latest from Kane (The Engagement Party). Barely three months after Addison and Richmond Dougherty tie the knot, Richmond takes a fatal tumble down the stairs of their palatial home in Rye, N.Y. Though police immediately suspect Addison, her alibi--that she was with her mother at a diner when Richmond died--appears airtight. Instead, one of the late doctor's disgruntled business partners and the father of a young patient who died during surgery become the main persons of interest. In flashbacks, Kane details how Addison's mother blackmailed her into marrying Richmond, and explores his previous marriage to Kathryn, a beloved figure among Rye's upper crust. In the present, Addison's neighbors turn on her, and a series of anonymous notes left in her home make her fear that whoever killed Richmond might come after her next. Kane keeps readers brilliantly off-balance, obscuring everyone's motives until they become crystal-clear in the jaw-dropping finale. Readers won't be able to put this down. Agent: Laura Bradford, Bradford Literary. (Dec.)