One of the "Best New Books Coming Out in 2021" ––PopSugar
One of the "Most Anticipated Thrillers of 2021" ––She Reads
One of the "Best and Most Anticipated Thrillers of the Year" ––Mystery and Suspense Magazine
One of the "Most Anticipated Books of 2021" ––CrimeReads
A delicious twist on a Gothic classic, Rachel Hawkins's The Wife Upstairs pairs Southern charm with atmospheric domestic suspense, perfect for fans of B.A. Paris and Megan Miranda.
Meet Jane. Newly arrived to Birmingham, Alabama, Jane is a broke dog-walker in Thornfield Estates––a gated community full of McMansions, shiny SUVs, and bored housewives. The kind of place where no one will notice if Jane lifts the discarded tchotchkes and jewelry off the side tables of her well-heeled clients. Where no one will think to ask if Jane is her real name.
But her luck changes when she meets Eddie Rochester. Recently widowed, Eddie is Thornfield Estates’ most mysterious resident. His wife, Bea, drowned in a boating accident with her best friend, their bodies lost to the deep. Jane can’t help but see an opportunity in Eddie––not only is he rich, brooding, and handsome, he could also offer her the kind of protection she’s always yearned for.
Yet as Jane and Eddie fall for each other, Jane is increasingly haunted by the legend of Bea, an ambitious beauty with a rags-to-riches origin story, who launched a wildly successful southern lifestyle brand. How can she, plain Jane, ever measure up? And can she win Eddie’s heart before her past––or his––catches up to her?
MY THOUGHTS:
This is my first book by Rachel Hawkins. It will not be my last.
This book had me going in circles. Who did I trust and who did I think was a possible cold blooded killer. So many ways it could have went. Could have happened. This is not an emotional story. Not really. It's a murder story. The murder of one and possibly two women. Best friends from an early age. Two couples in a very rich neighborhood. Two grieving men. Two dead women. One dog walker. Who did this horrible thing?
When Jane started working as a dog walker for the rich people in the Mountain Brook community she had no idea how much her life was going to change. In just a few weeks she was going to go from being a nobody. A dog walker. To meeting and possibly marrying a very wealthy man. A very wealthy good looking man at that. Jane has lots of skeletons in her past. She's been running from who she was. Now she hopes to be able to stop running. To have a home and place she can feel safe. What could possibly stop her now?
Eddie lost his wife, Bea. She drowned along with her best friend Blanche. Eddie seems to be handling things ok. Not to distraught over anything. It's only been a few months when he meets Jane and they begin a relationship. But Eddie has secrets. Eddie has lots of secrets that he does not want anyone to know about. Did he do something that night. The night when his wife and her best friend died? Or is he just an innocent man who honestly loved his wife? Or is he a manipulative man who was doing some shady things? Just who is Eddie?
Bea is Eddie's wife. Blanche's best friend for many years. Bea loved Eddie and her best friend. Blanche was having some problems with her own husband, Tripp. This story is about love. Loss. Murder. Survival. Relationships. Trust. Honesty. Lies. Deceit. And moving on. What really happened to Bea and Blanche that night? One a boat. In the lake. In the middle of a dark night? Was it an accident? Murder? Did Eddie do it? Did Tripp? Or is it all a lie?
I really liked Jane. She's a refreshing character. A survivor of sorts. She's had a tough life and found a way to make it. I didn't like Eddie, Bea, Blanche, or Tripp. I didn't like many of the women from the area. They were kind of nice to Jane but in the end they truly only saw her as the dog walker. That's my feelings anyway. The ending will leave you holding your breath.
This is an ultra rich area. In the Birmingham, AL area. I have been there many times. The area surrounding Mountain Brook and Smith Lake. I spent many summer at Smith Lake as a child.
This is one very good book. I can see it happening. The things that happened. The people in this neighborhood being who they are. It's got enough twists to keep you guessing and in the end you will be surprised. In the end things may be just exactly what you thought. Or it may not be anything like you thought. What happened on that lake, in the middle of the night, when two women died?
Thank you #NetGalley, #RachelHawkins, #StMartin'sPress for this ARC. These are my own true thoughts about this book.
5/5 stars and a very high recommendation to all!
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