Sunday, November 26, 2017

The Spinster Wife by Christina McKenna, A Review


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Book Description

In this suspenseful novel, bestselling author Christina McKenna questions whether anyone can ever truly be free of the darkness within us all.

Rita-Mae has lived in fear for as long as she can remember. Fear of being alone, fear of her past and, above all, fear of her husband, Harry. Until she spots an advertisement for a vacant cottage in a small town in Northern Ireland. She makes her escape filled with hope, ready to start a new life in a new home, free from the pain of her past. But her place of refuge may not be as safe—or as anonymous—as she thought.

In another small town, Dorrie wakes up unaware of where she is or how she got there. Adrift in a world for which she has no explanation, she needs to find answers quickly—before her shadowy past catches up with her.

Walled in by secrets and with no one to trust, both Rita-Mae and Dorrie are unsure how to move forward. Can each woman face her inner demons and confront a menacing presence from the past once and for all? Or will the past unravel their second chance at life?

Review

I received an eARC copy of this book from the publisher. Here is my honest review.

I enjoyed this book but not at the same level of satisfaction that I enjoy 3 stars reads in this similar genre. In thinking about why that is, I conclude that I never felt there was any real sense of threat; certainly there were characters that should have seemed threatening, but as the reader, I never actually believed that they were the "bad guy"

It is however, a very unique approach to the mystery/thriller genre. There were twists that I thought were going to zig but then they zagged and left me disoriented. I did appreciate the exploration of mental health issues and abuse in this book. While I have no personal frame of reference for the mental health condition, it seemed to be handled in a way that skimmed the surface rather than going deep.

I gave this book: 

★ = I did not like it     ★ = It was okay     ★ = I liked it    
★ = I really liked it     ★ = I loved it

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