I normally don't like detective/cop books but this one was different. I line how the other switched between the main characters POVs. This one definitely had me guessing and had quite a few twists/surprises. I would definitely recommend this book to thriller lovers.

Thank you to Netgalley, Bookouture & Anna-Lou Weatherley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This thriller stars Beth, a woman having an affair who announces to her cold husband that she wants a divorce. Her husband reacts by setting out for revenge in some very cruel ways. This book also stars Dan Riley, a detective assigned to investigate a recent murder. When his path crosses with Beth's, some dark secrets are exposed and there are many twists and turns along the way.

I loved the switch back and forth in perspective from Beth to Dan (and another character as well), and I thought the story was very well put together. It was definitely a page-turner that had me wanting to find out what happened next. I highly recommend this book!

I’ve found a new lead detective I like in Dan Riley! I’ve not read this series before ( it’s perfectly possible to read as a stand-alone) and had seen such good reviews I was intrigued and happily dove in!! Beth Lawler is in a loveless marriage to cold, passionless and emotionally stunted Evan. He provides well for her and their daughter Lily but that’s the extent of the relationship. Then she meets Nick Wainwright and wham, she falls in love. The second female protagonist is Cath who is a punchbag for evil, manipulative drug addict Saul Bennett. At first glance it’s not possible to see how these women connect as they come from such disparate worlds and this is intriguing but connect they do! This story of revenge is told from the perspectives of Dan, Beth and Cath and goes backwards and forwards in time from 2018-2020.

I like a lot about this novel especially the detectives, in particular Dan and DS Lucy Davis. Their repartee at times tends towards the cheesy and please, Dan, stop saying Exactamundo, it’s very irritating!!!! The plot is solid and has the requisite number of twists to satisfy fans of this genre. It’s deals very well with the difficult issue of domestic violence and psychological abuse at the hands of deeply disturbed and manipulative men. The time and character jumps lead to some repetition although this doesn’t detract from the enjoyment as it fills in some blanks. I like the dilemma that Dan faces as he tries to see that justice is done and am glad he goes with the white hats rather than the black!

However, the biggest twist is rather predictable and it isn’t an especially original concept as it’s been used previously in films and books so this for me places the book in the 4 star category. That being said it is interesting seeing how Dan and Lucy Davis get to the truth.

Overall, this is my first book by this author but it won’t be my last. It’s well written and maintains interest throughout.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the arc.

This was pretty much a perfect read for me. I’m never sure exactly why some books capture me totally but when it happens it’s the most wonderful experience and that was definitely the case here. It’s a clever plot but didn’t seem too contrived. Even the blurb is very clever in revealing enough to tempt you in but not enough to spoil the journey ahead. Dan Riley is now up there with my favourite fictional detectives and has a believable real world quality to him. In fact this could be said about all the characters.
I was already part way through before realising that I have read book 1 in the series so I now need to double back and read book 2. This could be read as a standalone and I highly recommend it.

To the outside world, Beth has the perfect life: a wealthy husband, a beautiful daughter and everything money can buy. Looks can be deceiving, though, as the marriage is a far from happy one, and when she finally makes the break and leaves him, she realises just how manipulative Evan can be. Cath, on the other hand, has the complete opposite: a grotty bedsit with a violent drug addict partner who she is too scared to leave. Then one day, the two women meet, and things will never be the same again…

I wasn’t aware, before reading, that this was the third book in the Detective Dan Riley series, but please don’t be put off by this if you haven’t read the previous two. Although I have read the first, Black Heart (formerly known as Last Cry), I have not read the second, but did not feel that this hindered me in any way – if anything, I will now be going back and reading this one (The Couple on Cedar Close) as soon as possible!

I really liked the format of The Stranger’s Wife, merging police procedural with psychological thriller. Most of the book focuses on Beth and Cath, two unconnected women who have something in common due to the abuse they are experiencing at the hands of their respective partners. My heart immediately went out to Cath who is on the receiving end of horrific physical abuse and, although she is desperate to escape, fears for her life should she ever manage to do so.

Beth has found herself in a different sort of abusive relationship, and we soon discover the extent her husband, Evan, will go to to preserve the life he wants to lead. Despite the series of awful events to happen to her, I found Beth an incredibly strong and resilient woman and willed things to go right for her by the end of the book. Evan, on the other hand, had no redeeming qualities whatsoever – a truly despicable character!

Although it was obvious what was going to happen with these women, the inclusion of the police procedural element of the book made this a bit different to other books of this genre. Dan is a great character and I admired his ‘straight down the line’ stance. It’s not often that we meet a fictional detective with so much integrity and this definitely added to the tension as I wondered how he was going to wrestle with his conscience to get the result he wanted. I also liked how, although we find out some information about Dan’s personal life, it does not take over the plot which is something that can happen in similar books.

The Stranger’s Wife has a great plot and I will definitely be looking forward to seeing what Dan investigates next!

Wow! Just, wow! This thriller is unlike any I’ve ever read! Could not put it down! Beth’s marriage is a disaster, and she just wants to start anew with her daughter and the man with whom she has fallen in love. Will she be able to break away from her controlling husband and live the life she and her daughter deserve? Anna-Lou Weatherly does a fantastic job of pulling you right into this nightmare!

I didn't know going into this one that it was the third book in the Detective Dan Riley series, but this one makes me indeed want to read the other two! Dan is a likeable character with a no nonsense vibe.

We meet, in pretty good depth, Beth and Cath, who come from two totally different lifestyles, but who are both fighting the same demons. I really enjoyed her writing and story line even though it seemed to take a while to get to the main plot that the blurbs all discuss. I felt that the twists were small and eventually very visibly coming, and the ending of Cath's story was a tad rushed and dropped off. But it was still a fun read to the end and I will be reading her again!

Thank you to NetGalley, Anna-Lou Weatherley and Bookouture for an eGalley in exchange for an honest review!

A great thriller. A woman stuck in a loveless marriage thinking initially she can get out of it easily. The task doesn't end well and she's forced to go back in order to see her daughter. One lucky day she is faced with a fait accompli and she's able to take matters into her own hands. The web of deceit unravels and will The Strangers Wife get away?!

WOW! What a brilliant domestic thriller! I kept wanting to read faster and faster and at one point I got so upset I felt like strangling something or someone!

"He wasn't born a monster......monsters are made."

June 2018 - Beth Lawler comes home to find her nanny/best friend missing and her daughter sleeping. Marta would never have left Lily on her own with the baby monitor turned off and the sliding door wide open. Beth calls the police as well as her husband. She knows she will have to tell the truth to Evan.

April 2019 - Cath is rushed to hospital after her boyfriend beats her up again. Her world collapsed when her baby is stillborn. Will she be able to escape this abusive relationship?

October 2019 - a body of a man is found shot in his flat. The deceased is Evan Lawler. Detective Dan Riley is called out to investigate and he makes the link with the missing nanny case he investigated the year before.

A chanced meeting between 2 very different woman is at the core of this twisty thriller. How well do we really know our partners and to what lengths will to go to protect ourselves and our children?

I found this a fast paced thriller with good twists. What will we do if we are placed in the same situation as these two woman and also in the shoes of the detective. Do we do what is morally right and who's right is right and who's wrong is wrong?

I will definitely read more books by this author.

Thank you to #netgalley and #bookouture for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

There was a saying - Marriages are made in heaven. Are they? Are they really? After reading this book with the fantastic cover and reading the plot emerging from a dark mind like Anna Lou Weatherley, you wouldn't think so... Nah... No ways..

2 women Beth and Cath, both in a lousy marriage, met on a train, and found similar things in their lives and things happened. And don't even think the movie you were thinking... 😂 😂

My second book by this author, I was so happy that the book went in the same direction as my brain had imagined. The moment Beth and Cath met each other, I knew the plot. Because I would have gone the same way. What can I say? I have a very dark brain.

The writing was strongly evocative, I could feel the rage in my blood rising at the lousy husbands. The story revolved spirally going deeper into the center, and just when I reached it, I discovered there was another subplot by the way of DI Dan who was investigating a murder.

Fast paced suspense with a writing style that gripped me, this was easily the fastest book read. A fun evening with tea and biscuits. And my kindle.

This was my first book by this author, I didn't realize it was one in a series when I requested it, oops! I had no problem following the story without having read the previous books.

Beth and Cath meet by chance on a train. Beth is married to a man she doesn't love, who is trying to ruin her life since she left him for her lover. Cath is married to a man who mentally and physically abuses her on the regular, resulting in her being hospitalized multiple times.

What length will these women go to in order to free themselves from these awful men?

The book is told in different view points, switching between Beth, Cath, and Detective Dan. I enjoyed the writing style and thought the characters were troubled but relatable. I did feel that Cath's story was lacking a bit. Beth's story was definitely the main story and Cath's just kinda dropped off quickly. I will admit, once I read the meeting of the 2 women on the train, I could tell exactly where the story was going. Overall, a great book and I would read the other books in the series about Detective Dan.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for a copy of this book for a review.

So good! I didn’t want this one to end and it was full of twists that shocked me. Very interesting read.

I dove into this novel by Anna-Lou Weatherley without realising that it was book three in a series. But that really doesn’t matter because the book focuses mostly on the story in hand and you don’t need to know much about any recurring characters. This can easily be read as a standalone novel and a very enjoyable one at that.

The Stranger’s Wife is a well-paced, artfully written tale about women in toxic relationships and the inevitable violent outcomes. The characters and believable and the story zips along nicely. Although the main plot device is easy to figure out before it is revealed that did not spoil my enjoyment of this book. Anna-Lou Weatherley is a new author for me but I will definitely look out for her other novels.

I didn't know that The Stranger’s Wife by Anna-Lou Weatherley was the third book in the Detective Dan Riley series and it is the first one that I read. It was a great stand-alone read!

It was definitely a page-turner and a great psychological book.

Told from the perspective of two abused women, this is a fast-paced book that will keep you well awake into the early hours of the morning.

A very special thank you to NetGalley with whom I received an advance reading copy of this book courtesy of Bookouture via Netgalley

You should never underestimate a woman’s revenge. When her nanny and friend vanishes, Beth decides that - since it all will finally come out anyhow - she can also make the first step herself: she tells her husband Evan that she’s going to leave him for her affair Nick. Evan seems to accept this calmly, they have lived next to each other but hardly with each other for years now, calling this a marriage was embellishing the situation. But he warns his wife that she will be sorry for this step. At that moment, Beth doesn’t have a clue what he means, how powerful her husband actually is and first of all, WHO she has been married to all these years. With her decision to leave him, she has triggered a ball that will send her directly into hell. But Beth is a fighter, much more a fighter than Evan could ever imagine.

Anna-Lou Weatherley’s novel really deserves the title “page-turner”. From the first chapter when the nanny goes missing to the very end: it is a rollercoaster ride of emotional ups and downs that fascinatingly and almost addictively keeps you reading on. The author has created enemies who fight on a very high level – a wonderful read that I enjoyed throughout.

“The Stranger’s Wife” is a psychological thriller combined with some serious issues that make you ponder quite some time after having finished reading it. I totally adored the idea of a woman fighting back, not accepting fate and a bullying husband who knows all the important people and thinks that life runs according to his personal laws. Having his evil character slowly unfold was exciting and frightening at the same time since you always wonder how well you actually know the people around you and how much and what they might hide. Yet, the story also showed that marital abuse and physical as well as psychological violence happens in all social classes, the rich can be affected in the same way as the poor, money does not make a difference when it comes to aggressions.

A marvellous plot with interesting and multifaceted characters, thus I can easily pardon the fact that it needed a kind of coincidence to make everything fall into place. The novel literally absorbed me and I hardly could put it down.

The third book in the Detective Dan Riley series, however The Stranger's Wife could stand on its own. With hints of The Girl on the Train, this thriller is sure to be a huge hit once it's released.

Two women, two lives. two sets of problems. They eventually run into each other and discover a way to save the other - and ride each other of their own problems. It's fast moving and twisty in the perfectly delicious way that so many thrillers strive to be.

Don't read any spoilers! Don't read ahead. Just sit back and let it all unfold.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

3.5 Stars

I enjoyed reading this fast-paced novel by Anna-Lou Weatherley, though I struggled to follow the past/present alternating chapters of the main characters at times. The central story line was similar to a world-wide scandal that has dominated the news, and the subplots were like those I'd read in other books. This novel is part of a detective series but stands alone quite well. Act III of the book is the strongest, and the author ties the first two acts together very nicely, creating a most satisfying ending. Many thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for providing an ARC for an honest review.

This is a story about two women in very difficult circumstances. One is willing to take control of her life and try to find true happiness and the other sees no way out.

What would you do if your husband used your child to try to control your life with lies? How would you try to hang on to the small bit of happiness you have found?

Two women hurt by men for no other reason than their need to control them. After a chance meeting can they help each other to have the strength to grab on to a little bit of happiness?

Although this is a sad story it is very real in the emotions and despair the women experience.
It is a well written story.
Thank you Netgalley for complimentary copy!

My first book in the Dan Riley series but that didn't matter as it could be read easily as a stand alone. A great psychological thriller that had me hooked all the way through. Looking forward to going back & reading the first 2 books in the series now

From the 'eerie' opening to the 'gasp aloud' last sentence I was utterly and totally focused.

June, 2018 – Beth Lawler arrives home to find her four-year-old daughter alone in the house, napping upstairs, her nanny nowhere to be found. Marta's car is still in the driveway, handbag on the table, but her cell phone, and items of clothing are missing. Did the young women, who's always been 100% reliable, leave of her own accord, or is there something more sinister at play?

October, 2018 – Detective Dan Riley is called to a gruesome scene at a high-rise apartment. A man has been shot in the head at close range. There is something familiar about the crime, but Riley can't quite put his finger on it. The subsequent investigation will lead him to one of the most difficult and heart-wrenching decisions of his career – one that will have far-reaching consequences.

Last year I thoroughly enjoyed the twistiness that was The Couple on Cedar Close, so when I heard there was another book in the series being released this January, I knew I just had to get my hands on it. Be advised, avoid reading the official book blurb for this one if possible, I personally think it's too telling. Secondly, The Stranger's Wife can definitely be read as a standalone, even though it's the third installment. The protagonist’s (Detective Dan Riley) professional and personal life are fully explained, and the POV's connected to the crime/s and factors that led up to it outweigh Riley's narration.

The psychological thriller I read prior to this one warned to be wary of strangers. The Stranger's Wife cautioned that those closest to you are the ones to watch and can sometimes turn out to be the most duplicitous of all. Furthermore, a person can outwardly appear to be normal and non-threatening, but beneath lurks a monster, biding their time, waiting to strike. Revenge, betrayal, secrets, lies, reputation, and false accusations were some of the issues raised.

The novel dealt with the brutality and helplessness that is living in an abusive marriage (psychological, emotional, physical, manipulation and control) not just involving women, but children as well, so some parts were upsetting to the core. But feelings of disgust and distress were crucial to the plot, as later you were presented with a moral dilemma that will cause you to question society, the law, and its inability to believe and protect victims.

Whereas there were some “didn't see that coming" shockers, what was probably supposed to be the biggest twist was one I anticipated (and I didn't read the synopsis beforehand) because of its tendency to be overused in the thriller genre. There was some uniqueness to it, that I found intriguing, but overall, unfortunately predictable, hence my 4 rating.

Still, a fantastic read that had me swiping the pages to find out the fate of the characters I'd grown attached to, and Dan Riley just keeps getting better and better. There is no question I will be reading the first in the series – Black Heart, and book four upon release.

Note: Now that I'm in the know, the title is ingenious.

I'd like to thank Netgalley, Bookouture, and Anna-Lou Weatherley for the e-ARC.

Publication Date: 16th January, 2020.