What would you do if your husband’s first wife dies by suicide, but you begin to suspect that is the cover story for something more sinister?
That is exactly what happens in The Housewife by Natalie Barelli. Jodie and Dr. Roy Davies are newlyweds, but things quickly turn against Jodie as her husband seems to be more distant from her and none of the wives in the neighborhood seem to care for her at all. It becomes clear that they all favored the former Mrs. Davies, Deborah, and nothing Jodie could do would change their mind. Jodie tries to be the perfect housewife, but the more she discovers about Deborah’s fateful end, she starts to question everything around her, including her husband. Jodie will do whatever it takes to uncover the true story about Deborah and leave no stone unturned.
While I had my suspicions about how Barelli would unravel the details on Deborah’s death throughout the book, I am happy to say that there were some reveals in the end that I truly did not see coming. The strongest part of this book, I believe, is its pacing. After each chapter or two, Barelli would leave a small hint that would make you think what the next reveal could be. That snowballed as you got closer to the end. All of her previous clues started to fit together just like a puzzle. I found myself after the halfway point unable to stop reading this book.
I did think that the last few chapters of the book were somewhat unnecessary to the story, but I could see how Barelli would think it adds a little something extra for the reader to cling to.
Hands down, worth the read!
Thank you to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this ARC!
