The Wife Who Knew Too Much by Michele Campbell

I requested a copy to read from the publishers HQ via Netgalley. This review forms my honest opinion.

Blurb

Meet the first Mrs Ford. Beautiful. Accomplished. Wealthy beyond imagination. Married to a much younger man. And now… dead.

Meet the second Mrs Ford. Waitress. Small-town girl. Married to a man she never forgot, from an affair ten years before. And now, she’s wealthy beyond imagination.

But who is Connor Ford? Two wives loved him, and knew him as only wives can…

Who is the victim? Who is the villain? And who will be next to die?

Set amongst the glittering mansions of the Hamptons, The Wife Who Knew Too Much is a decadent thriller about the lives of those who will do anything for love and money from the Sunday Times bestselling author Michele Campbell.

Review

Michele Campbell is an entirely new author for me, but when I saw this on Netgalley, it really appealed and I found myself swiftly requesting to read. And I was not disappointed.

The Wife Who Knew Too Much delivered everything I was looking for. It’s a fast paced thriller so entertaining that I found myself excited to read at any opportunity to find out what happened next, often subconsciously jiggling my knee as the tension ramped up!

The narrative focuses initially on Nina, a fantastically wealthy woman who marries a much younger man, Connor Ford. After a miserable first marriage to her late husband. she is determined to call the shots second time around and ensures an iron clad pre-nuptial agreement secures her marriage. Happiness seems to elude her however, and her story ends in the swimming pool of her Hamptons mansion.

Enter Tabitha, Connor’s second wife. Head over heels in love, she leaves her small town life behind for a life of privilege with Connor. And it’s not long before she learns of the pitfalls of wealth and greed.

The lion’s share of the story is told from Tabitha’s point of view, and whilst her actions are at times questionable, I was willing to put this aside and enjoy the ride. It has been quite some time since I read a thriller that held me quite so on the edge of my seat and I devoured this with just a couple of days.

Despite its enthralling nature, there were elements of the story I was waiting to fold out a little more, particularly in relation to Nina. I would have loved to know more about her backstory, to flesh her character out a little more and the frequent mention of her estranged sister would have been an ideal opportunity. She seemed very much to only exist in relation to the men she was married to, her moods and emotions tied to their behaviour. It’s a sad existence, despite her wealth and although she may appear strong to the world, her innermost thoughts reveal her vulnerability.

Early on, I was worried I would ‘get’ Tabitha. Seemingly lacking in grit, I admit to being anti-Tabitha in the early chapters, finding her a bit too wishy washy, desperate for her to stand her ground and demand what she deserved – however, as events unfolded I did grow to like her very much so that I was on the edge of my seat cheering her on as I read the climax. I quickly realised that she is very much the picture of normality set against a backdrop of unbelievable wealth. A regular, relatable woman forced into a role she wasn’t made for. I will quite happily admit to having quite the love for novels about the seedier side of wealth and privilege – a youth spent reading novels steeped in trashy secrets of the fictional rich and famous, and The Wife Who Knew Too Much ticked all of these boxes for me.

Despite my disappointment about Nina’s backstory, this was a read that grabbed me very quickly and didn’t let go, employing the old ‘just one more chapter’ while the rest of the house was happily snoring. I will quite happily admit to being somewhat obsessed with novels about the seedier side of wealth and privilege – a youth spent reading novels steeped in trashy secrets of the fictional rich and famous, and The Wife Who Knew Too Much has well and truly resuscitated my old fascination. I will, without a shadow of doubt be reading more from Michele Campbell, her back catalogue already on my wishlist.