Anyone who enjoys good historical thriller books will want to pick up Jane A. Adams’ fifth novel in the bestselling Henry Johnstone series, The Good Wife. The setting is 1929 England, and Detective Chief Inspector Henry Johnstone and his partner, Sergeant Mickey Hitchens investigate the murder of Martha Mason, the well respected and much-liked wife of Surgeon Dr. Clive Mason. The couple was enjoying a day at the races with friends, and Martha left the group briefly to greet an old friend she recognized in the crowd, only to disappear. She was found murdered in an empty horsebox.

Adams has obviously done her research and the historical aspects seem to be true to form as to the time period. She is an excellent writer and storyteller, and readers will actually feel that they are living in the time. The characters are also believable and well developed; readers will feel like they know them and that they are real people. However, people sometimes appear as something they are not, and that seems to be happening throughout the novel. There is an air of suspense throughout, and it starts at the beginning and continues through to the dénouement. The storyline is fascinating, and will keep readers on the edge throughout.

Adams has created an excellent series that is worth reading. Readers of The Good Wife will want to pick up the previous novels, although this one can be read as a standalone.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

Good Wife by Jane A. Adams is the 5th book in the Detective Chief Inspector Henry Johnstone and Sergeant Michael (Mickey) Hitchens series. and I really enjoyed reading this book.

Set in 1929. Police surgeon Dr Clive Mason is devastated when his wife Martha is found dead in an empty horsebox at Southwell Races, her handbag stolen. The Masons were enjoying a day out at the races with their friends, Dr Ephraim Phillips and his wife Nora, when Martha went to speak to a face she recognized in a crowd - and disappeared. Whilst Detective Chief Inspector Henry Johnstone and Sergeant Mickey Hitchens investigate, it' becomes clear this wasn't a robbery gone tragically wrong -

Martha was deliberately murdered.

What a great beginning to a book. You will find this book full of twists and turns and I just loved reading Good Wife.

I highly recommend these books and I still have to read book 4 which didn't stop me going a head to read book 5.

Big thank you to the author Jane A Adams, Severn House Publishers and Netgalley for the digital copy of this psychological thriller. Read and reviewed voluntarily,

I'm sorry to say that I didn't finish the book. I did come to the 25% mark, but at that point, I couldn't care for the characters enough to go on.
It isn't a bad story, but there's very little in terms of involvement for the reader. It seemed to me as if the author was only interested in checking off points on a list, without giving the reader real reason to go on the ride.

'it seems a shame to me that reputations must be ruined in order for two people who made the mistake of becoming marriedto be freed from that state'...
The Good Wife is about marriage. It is about the secrets, the lies, the pretensions and consequences. If it would not have been for the ugly murder in the middle of the racing day, nobody would have found out the whole story, the whole story of the good wife.
Martha is an example of wife, supporter, helper, secretary and social butterfly who knows how to make and keep useful connections for her village doctor husband. But she finds herself murdered and hidden in the horsebox in the middle of the country racing day... Henry Johnstone and Mickey Hitchens come all the way from London to investigage. What they uncover is a tightrolled ball of secrets, fears and danger.
Who is the murderer? Who is the husband? What sort of marriage was this? Who is the father of the child nobody expected?
I am very sorry that I came into these series only at book 5. I loved the atmosphere of the series, the main characters and their back story (including the dynamics of their relationships with other people).
Set in England after the WWI, these series are modern enough to keep reader entertained and faithful to the times enough to show the reader glimpses into England countryside of the 20s.
Thoroughly enjoyable read.
Highly recommend.

In 1929, at the Southwell Races, the wife of a local doctor doing police surgeon duties is found murdered by that same doctor on the grounds of the course. DCI Johnstone and his sergeant Mickey Hitchins are called to the case. Of course, the husband is immediately suspected – isn’t it always that way? It would seem to be a simple "hedunnit" from that basis. But as our story unfolds, the little missus, “The Good Wife” of our title, is one that is no better than she ought to be. Quite the other life, little Mrs. Mason had. And dies for all of it.

This is the fifth Henry Johnstone book, and he is well into his stride. Together with the good sergeant the two policemen have quite a tangled tale to uncover, one that involves past lives a ‘plenty. There are a lot of not-so-upstanding citizens in this book, some very bad people. A lot of what happens involves the divorce laws of the time (remember, we’re in 1929) that meant to obtain a divorce, the man and the woman had to go through machinations unheard of today. The author has incorporated this research as an integral part of this book. It’s quite the head shaker.

In a rousing, action-filled finish we get all the facts of the case, and Inspector Johnstone has his killer. Our author, Jane A. Adams has done it again, created a pager turner that entertains and educates – I looked up who Maud West was, for instance. As the inspector says, “this investigation is going to have ramifications and impact” and it does, levels and levels of complexity. You might want your own white board to keep track. The web of lies, of cover-up, of deceit, is almost too much to follow; I would have appreciated a slightly less devious path. “The Good Wife” is a little over-complicated perhaps; but thought-provoking for all that.

Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for a copy of this book, in exchange for this review.

It's the second book I read in this series and it's becoming a favorite.
I loved the vivid and well researched historical background, the solid mystery that kept me guessing and the well thought and intriguing cast of characters.
I can't wait for the next instalment.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

There was a lot more to Martha Mason, and her husband Dr. Clive Mason, than met the eye. That's clear shortly after her body is found in a horse box at the races. Dr Mason is distraught but DCI Henry Johnstone and Sergeant Mickey Hitchens find some there's something not quite right. Keep your eye on the Mason's companions at the races. Henry and Mickey have worked together for a long time, as is obvious from their dialogue. This historical procedural has some nice twists as they probe Martha's secrets and good characters. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Don't worry if you haven't read the earlier books (I've only read one)- this is fine as a standalone. It's relatively short and will make a good one for a day spent in isolation (or, anytime for that matter!).

Thank you NetGalley and Severn House for the eARC.
This is a quick and pleasant read set in 1800's England. It starts at the races with 2 doctors and their wives having a nice day out. One of the wives sees acquaintances and wanders off to say hello, never to be seen alive again. She was hit with a deadly weapon, instantly dead.
The case is important and dire enough for help to be called in from London in the form of Sergeant Mickey Hitchins and the brilliant Chief Inspector Henry Johnstone. I liked their pairing: Mickey is easygoing and Henry aloof, which works very well.
The murdered woman appears to have a very sketchy past, which makes for an interesting read.
I was also delighted to learn a new word: gazunder!
All in all I enjoyed the book and recommend it.

The doctor's wife saw some friends and went to visit with them. He stays with the couple they came with. They had just finished having a picnic. Then the cops show up and report a death in the stables. The doctor goes with them to see if he can help. He's shocked to see the dead woman, it's his wife!

Severn House and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you). It will be published May 5th.

During the autopsy, they discover how she died and that she's pregnant. When they share that with the husband, they find the baby isn't his. They loved each other deeply and married but they had no marital relationship. So whose baby is it?

She's not from around there, so they check on where she worked and what she did there. The private detectives took pictures of her in compromising positions with the man so they could get out of their marriages. That's not a pleasant business. But she did meet some rich men that way.

She was a good wife. She helped her husband with his business, participated in social groups that helped people and more. How could this have happened to her?

She played life to close to the edge. Then her husband was killed. The cops finally find what she was hiding and it gives them some clues.

Just because men are rich, it doesn't make them nice...

I know two things: 

One: I know whenever a book has the word "good" used as an adjective to describe someone, that person isn't actually good. They're automatically suspect, though not necessarily the suspect. 

Two: I also know that between the time I request a Netgalley book and the time I begin reading it, I forget the entire premise of the novel. (Sometimes even by the time the publisher approves me!) 

That was the case here. I forgot who the victim is! So while I spent a few pages reading about Dr. Clive Mason and following him as he treats various minor ailments, I developed sympathy for the man. His no-nonsense, pragmatic view of things like a jockey's imbibing alcohol made me like him. Plus he has an air of respectability that probably makes others feel he's "worthy" of their respect. Then someone calls him to look at a dead woman--and it's his wife. And because I'd forgotten the blurb and become absorbed in Dr. M's world, he wasn't the only shocked person. I was, too!

Adams managed to surprise me quite a bit in this book. I've read a lot of historical police procedurals, though none in the Henry Johnstone series. The Good Wife captured the historical time period with pertinent details. For example, Adams included references to the temperance movement. There are also tantalizing details about marriage and divorce during this time period. 

What I really enjoyed, though, was the characters. 

Henry Johnstone and his sergeant, Mickey Hitchens, are opposites. Where Mickey is empathetic and diplomatic, Henry steamrolls people and ruffles more than a few feathers. Mickey gets information through seemingly idle conversation; he also knows how to appear to be listening to one thing while thinking another, too. Henry observes in silence--which might unnerve those around him!--and direct, intelligent questions. 

They're different, but they work well as a team. Henry in particular benefits from Mickey's timely diplomatic skills, as the chief inspector's sharp manner can make tempers flare. (That isn't always bad: rage opens mouths.) He also benefits from Mickey's reminders to eat, as he tends to become so focused on a case that he forgets his physical needs. 

The various other characters in the book are well-written. The dead Martha was a woman of secrets. As was her husband, the respectable Dr. Clive Mason. Their close friends, Dr. Ephraim Phillips and his wife Nora, are respectable people, too. But as the story unfolds, it's clear that respectability and true goodness are two different things. 

One character stood out to me: Miss Georgia Styles. The elderly Miss Styles is entertaining, blunt, and observant. As she says, "I may be rich but I'm certainly not polite." She may be old, but she's not stupid, either. 

I was also intrigued by a mysterious man named Otis who appeared partway through the book. Adams did a great job of keeping me guessing about what he wanted, whether he was a friend or foe, and why he did the things he did. It added another level of intrigue to the main story. 

There were a few things that distracted me, though. 

The dialogue includes lengthy monologues/paragraphs. That wasn't a bad thing. But sometimes the conversations included more than two people. I didn't know who was speaking until the end of that paragraph, when Adams included a dialogue tags or nonverbal cues from the speaker. So sometimes I had to flip back a page to figure out who might be speaking. A few more dialogue tags before the lengthier passages would've helped. 

Sometimes characters referenced a new piece of information that they claimed was from a previous conversation. Yet I didn't remember this information from the previous conversation/scene. When I went back and searched, I still couldn't find it. I have a feeling that the information was accidentally edited out of the original scene. (It happens.) Either that, or the detectives inferred it. This only happened twice, but it did distract me. 

This is book five in the Henry Johnstone series, but it works as a standalone. I picked up on the relationships between characters without confusion. While Adams occasionally referenced earlier cases, she didn't give spoilers (yay!) nor did she make it necessary to have read the earlier books to understand the current one. Adams artfully wove in bits of backstory but only when necessary. 

Otherwise, this was a good solid piece of work. I read the book in one day because I couldn't stop reading. 

Recommended for those who like police procedurals and historical mysteries. 

Thanks to Severn House and Netgalley for a copy of The Good Wife in exchange for an honest review. 
(This review will appear on my blog on April 27, 2020.)

1929. Spring Bank Holdiday. On duty Police surgeon Dr Clive Mason, is spending the day with his wife, and Dr Ephraim Phillips and his family, at Southwell Races. When Dr Mason is called to view a body of a female, who turns out to be his wife. Martha Mason who everyone believes to be a good wife and a model citizen, so why has she been murdered.
D.C.I. Henry Johnstone and D.S. Mickey Hitchins of Scotland Yard, are called in to investigate.
Although the fifth in the series this can easily be read as a standalone story.
An entertaining and well-written historical mystery, with a likeable style of writing and good plotting, plus the enjoyable interactions between the two main characters makes this a delightful read.

Murder At The Track....
Book five in the Detective Chief Inspector Henry Johnstone mystery series and a murder at the track when a body is discovered at Southwell Races. The body is that of Martha Mason, wife of police surgeon Dr Clive Mason. Henry, and sidekick Mickey, soon find themselves embroiled in a mystery when secrets begin to emerge. Well written historical crime with well rounded characters, an engaging plot and a likeable protagonist. An enjoyable read and a worthy addition to the series.

This is book five in the Jane A. Adams police procedural series featuring Detective Chief Inspector Henry Johnstone and Sergeant Michael (Mickey) Hitchens. Adams is a new author for me but after reading this excellent novel I am looking forward to reading more in this series and trying books in two other series written by Ms Adams.

The story begins on the Spring Bank Holiday in 1929 at a racecourse when the body of a dead woman is found in one of the horse trailers. The police surgeon on duty that afternoon fell to the ground in a faint when he recognized that the victim was his own wife, Martha. From then on this very well written plot begins to expose the layers of the life of Martha Mason who was known to all as a good wife. What a surprise it was to watch this investigation unfold and lead in one direction then abruptly twist off in a different direction when more and more information came to light about Martha Mason. The interactions between Johnstone and Hitchens were a delight to observe especially since they have been solving crimes together for quite some time by the time this story takes place. These are specialist investigators from the murder squad at Scotland Yard and they certainly do know how to accumulate information and then piece it together. There was only one item that I had to grow accustomed to and that was as Ms Adams referred to the inspector and his sergeant throughout the novel by their first names. I don't think I've run across that style of identifying the presiding police officers before and it snagged my attention out of the book until I got used to it. If you have read previous books in this series, you will be aware of that method already but if you are new to the series, maybe now you won't be as surprised as I was.

If you are interested in reading a historical mystery with well established characters and a plot that will never allow you to become complacent, then this book will be a great find for you. Ms Adams is a modern author who can make you think you are reading a book from the golden age of crime fiction. That's a high compliment from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Severn House Publishers for an e-galley of this novel.