My Husband's Wife by Alice Feeney Book Review

 My Husband's Wife 

By Alice Feeney 

Published Year: 2026

Page Count: 314 pages 

Medium Used: Oneplus Nord Ce6, Moon Reader 

Genre: Thriller, Psychological, Suspense, Twists, Mystery, Detective and Police, 2026-read.

Rating : 5/5 😎😄🆒👍👍 

I am usually not that impressed with thriller books though I read them whenever I come across a well acclaimed novel. This is my second book (Rock paper scissors being first) by the author and I feel this is a much superior work than that first one. It has solid world building and a satisfying, well formed story line from all character povs. I don't know how many re-reads, corrections it takes for the author and her editors to reach this stage but I am happy with the final outcome! 🏵️🏵️

The first two chapters, I was wondering if I have accidentally (but fortuitously because I love these) stumbled upon a book dealing in alternate realities, multiple universes and time travel. It was so eerie and had that vibe of a teasing and tantalizing sci-fi mystery. I was hooked to the plot till like 80 percent of the book when major reveals happen and then it feels like all is figured out and set into boxes for closure. Than there are a couple of twists that are mind blowing. The last twenty percent of the book is just as gripping if only for other reasons like getting a final closure and making sense of the weirdness experienced so far! No where while reading did I suspect the end. I was totally under the trance and spell of this superior story teller. 🤞🤞🤞 For the most part, i was clueless as to where this is leading. 

A woman who has been married to her husband for over ten years goes for a run around their newly purchased mansion called Spyglass. They have moved six months ago and have been renovating the house in a small, unhappening, low crime town called Hope Falls. The previous resident of the house is fabled to have died twice and there is a mystery surrounding her final/second death where she writes the local police officer, Luke Carter, the date of her death. To his absolute amazement, it comes true. So this woman who goes for a run comes back home and finds that the locks on the doors have changed. She sees that an imposter woman, looking very much like her, only a little older, has taken her place with her husband playing along. All the mementos establishing her claims of being the actual wife like identity cards, driving license, car keys from the past are erased/removed. The local police officer Carter(again!) doesn't believe her. He seeks to arrest her. Then she makes a run, visits her daughter in an expensive manor house and she is not identified by the girl as her mother. Having no choice, she goes to the local suicide spot and vanishes. Either she has jumped or someone has pushed her, but a dead body, fully mangled is recovered a few days later from the sea. Yes, the dead woman is the real wife. She is killed but how? By whom? The reveal only happens at the very last. Kept me on my toes till then! 

A detective agent arrives into the town and she is none other the estranged  grand daughter of the twice dead old woman, Olivia Bird. She and Carter have a lot of chemistry between them and the conversations were so witty, funny and lightweight-ed. They add a layer of superciliousness/silliness to an otherwise serious plot. There are a couple of chapters in the middle, where the cliffhangers felt totally jolting. Carter makes a visit to the manor house where the daughter is being kept and uncovers the identity of the imposter wife. This young girl, the daughter, has met with an accident ten years ago which left her traumatised and locked at that age within herself. Harrison, the husband, plans to leave the country with his pretend wife and daughter after selling his company for billions of dollars. 

What is the role of Olivia Bird in all this? Why did she choose to become a detective in a remote corner of the country despite being very successful in London as a sleuth? As the reveals and puzzle pieces start falling into place, I was jarred at the lengths to which people go to undo their past mistakes and redeem themselves. The only character I liked throughout is no one. Yes. All of them have told lies and kept secrets, from one another and themselves, smearing their characters. But also they are all likeable at the same time because their intentions are noble - except perhaps the dead woman. Her pov and the imposter wife's pov were not there. Like why they have done what they did is gleaned through other character accounts. They were vulnerable and weak in the face of parental love and conjugal affections.  

Do read this for sure. The book is unputdownable. It mentions a company, owned by the husband, which uses AI to accurately predict the death date of a person - as ridiculous and unreliable it eventually proves to be. Should we really need to know when we will die? I wonder. Here, my husband's wife could be referring to second wife of the husband or to the first wife in third person. Lol, so so seductive and mind blowing!! 👌👌👌I am giving this one higher points for the way the story is told than what it does tell even though that is very good too.