Lola is dead. Her husband has killed her, leaving him to raise their daughter Jessica alone
Ariel is hired to help around the house. Dishes, cleaning, cooking, things Lola used to do.
Jessica is a wayward teen getting into things she shouldn't be doing
Dad is a cop, but can he be trusted
Ariel may only be the housekeeper, but she most certainly is harboring a secret that she doesn't want anyone to find out about

3.25 stars

I'm very dizzy from reading that; I couldn't decide which way was up but felt pretty confident everyone was reliable. I liked the first 85% far more than the last 15%

Mostly I'm bothered by the title and the cover. There is literally no wife or a wife in a photo or even a photo. I think at one point one character looks at a family portrait and thinks to herself "she looks so happy in her family" and that is literally the only photo in the whole store.

I DETEST this new practice with titles and covers that make no sense whatsoever.

Things I liked: Journals are used to tell the story; it is very psychological, no gore: I really wasn't sure what was true or who to believe or what happened. I suspected and was right, though.

Things I didn't like: the characters. I had to suspend disbelief quite a lot. Too many lucky coincidences, + I can't imagine my granny ever being so upset about my love life.

SUMMARY: woman dies falling down the stairs. Her husband is a cop and he and their 14yo daughter tell the police it was an accidental fall. Case closed.

Ariel (40s?) believes the husband killed his wife and is out to prove it. She also has a connection to the family the husband and teen are unaware of. She gets a job as their house cleaner.

You hear from Ariel as she is cleaning the house, interacting with the family, looking for proof and trying to persuade the teen to like her. She paints an image that the teen is out of control (stealing, pot smoking) and the father is aggressive and short-tempered.

Other chapters are old entries by the deceased, detailing her failing marriage and plans to leave her husband the night of her death because he was cheating.

There are also journal entries by the teen daughter that suggest the father killed the mother and she was forced to cover it up.

The husband also narrates, mostly how he is trying to deal with his wife's death but then becomes suspicious of Ariel and admits he has a secret but you're not sure what it is.

The "twist" is at 87% with revelation as to what happened to the deceased (I guessed it; didn't buy it though) and then there are a few more tilt-a-whirl things that happen. Some clever, some eye-rolling.

Thanks netgalley for my ARC ALC. The narrators performed well.

This book felt like a weird fever dream, it took me forever to finish as I had to keep going back to check I was following the story correctly. A newcomer to psychological thrillers may well give it a 5 star review, for me a few things left it short of the 5 mark.
The chief of police has lost his wife in a terrible accident, therefore you assume his guilt, he needs a housekeeper enter Ariel, who has an axe to grind and a cross to bear, for she’s actually the dead wife’s sister, and of course she’s the birth mother of the psychotic daughter. It all felt a little bit much unfortunately. The writing is good, the premise of the story was solid it just didn’t quite hit.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookature audio for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in return for an honest review.

When a woman dies after falling down a flight of stairs, who is to blame? In a house that’s filled with alleged abuse, the answer is obvious, right? But will the killer get away with it? It was it maybe even a tragic accident?
The characters and turns of events will have you guessing up until the very end in this exciting thriller!

I got to listen to to an advanced copy version of the audiobook thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley in exchange for my review of it.

The audiobook has a male narrator die the male part and a female narrator die the female parts, which I really appreciate. A well-done audiobook, I’d you ask me! I definitely recommend this one!

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy to review.

This audiobook was very entertaining and well voiced. I do love when a story has a surprise or two, especially when they are as believable as in this one.

Through various viewpoints the tale emerges and Emily Shiner pulls your sympathies in a logical direction, until she doesn't.

I finished this novel in a day, I just had to keep listening.

This was such a good thriller! I haven't read anything my this author before this and I am impressed. Really a twisty ride. Every time I thought I figured it out, I hadn't. It's been a while since I've read a 5 star thriller so this was refreshing. Get ready for a roller coaster ride!

DNF audio book.
So far as I got I enjoyed the story and am going to get my hands on a paper copy and read it.
Sadly however I found the narration unlistenable to. I am not sure if it was the recording or not but the intonation seemed wrong and especially with the male narrator thought his voice sounded robotic. Given how emotive the subject matter was it just ruined it for me. So sorry I couldn't persist, I look forward to reading the book soon.

This one is the epitome of a standard psychological thriller. Because I read about 200 of these a year, I saw the twist coming from miles away, and was disappointed when it wasn’t something different or new.

That said, new readers to the genre will love this, and be delighted by the twists, while others who are familiar with the genre will find it to be a bit trite.

An additional pet peeve for me in this story was the pure suspension of belief it required. If you’re someone who analyzes the probability of things happening while you read, this one probably isn’t for you, based on the absurd ending alone.

Overall, 1 star for me, but probably 3-3.5 for a newcomer to the genre.

This multiple-perspective murder mystery thriller is an entertaining and chilling ride, albeit one that sticks pretty solidly to common thriller tropes. Fans of "Gone Girl"-style narratives with true crime vibes will enjoy the experience of sifting through the perspectives of multiple characters, trying to identify which ones are unreliable before the story's shocking end.

I enjoyed this psychological thriller, which had two wonderful narrators, who did a good job portraying the story and characters.

Miriam is a housekeeper for chief of police Evan, and his daughter Jessica. Jessica's Mum was pushed down the stairs to her death and Miriam wants to make Evan pay, as she thinks he did it. But was it really him, or was it someone else?

The story is full of so many twists and turns, and the ending is shocking and crazy. If you like twisty thrillers, then you will love this one! Highly recommended!

Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book.

I’d like to thank NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

There were twists and unreliable narration, but the rest of the book just fell flat. The narrators were intolerable and it was so tough to get through. The book had a lot of slow parts and overall, I just didn’t enjoy it.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #BookoutureAudio for the ARC of #TheWifeInThePhoto by #EmilyShriner. This thriller messed with my head, but in a good way. It was so dark and twisted I had no clue or would end the way it did. Thoroughly enjoyed it!!!

Great idea, HORRIBLE follow-through. Dad was WAY too angry ALL. THE. TIME. For a police chief he was clueless for basic police procedures and normal behavior. There is no way someone this out of touch could make it to chief. Ariel was stupid and judgmental and had absolutely nothing to support any of her wild theories. She was teetering on the edge of crazy. Daughter Jessica was portrayed as incredibly clever - far smarter than anyone else in the book. The plot was thin and predictable. There was nothing "thrilling" about the book. I slogged through it, but it was not a pleasure to do so. The end just pissed me off.

This was ok. The audiobook narrator was a little robotic. I guessed the twist fairly early on. I didn’t find it all superfluous plausible. It’s also another one of those titles that doesn’t really make sense.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a copy on exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me a copy to review!
This book kept me hooked through the suspicious activity that both Evan and Ariel were displaying throughout the book. I was incredibly drawn into the relationship between our main character and the family that she was hired into as their housekeeper. Ariel is constantly trying to snoop through Evan's home while she simultaneously works to earn his trust and keep up her plans.
I was very involved in the story, but the end did get a little unbelievable. My thoughts are that its a fiction book and it doesn't have to be 100% believable, so I still enjoyed it.
I listened to this book and the narrator was great. I was fully immersed in the storyline.

#TheWifeinthePhoto #NetGalley

Thank you to the author, Bookouture and Netgalley for an ARC of this audiobook. The following review is solely my opinion.

Stars: 3.5 out of 5 rounded down to a 3

As an avid reader of the psychological genre, I was looking forward to this one expecting maybe a more haunting thriller (not supernatural); maybe a more eerie atmosphere. What I found was more of study in relationships and family dynamics from divergent points of view. Lola - the wife in the photo, Ariel - the newly hired housekeeper, Evan - the husband, and Jessica the daughter.. More characters are involved but we only hear their stories through the main 3's narration..

The story begins with the death of a character presumed an accident...or is it? It's mentioned Evan is the police chief in the "heart" of Virginia, however this could have taken place anywhere. There are no descriptors of landscape, landmarks, accents or idioms to place the location other than the one mention. The story continues with each character revealing themselves slowly chapter by chapter. I pretty much kept up with the twists and wasn't really surprised as secrets were unveiled.. Others may be. Current day topics were touched upon, but very lightly, the author was not heavy handed in doing so which I appreciated. Subtlety goes a long way with me...I don't need a tree stump sermon.

I enjoyed the quick chapters and overall pace of the book. I do think a tad more character and location development would have made for a richer, more fulfulling read. However, I did enjoy and would recommend in my reading groups.

Wow! I thought I had it figured out. Thank you NetGalley and Emily Shiner for allowing me to read this advance copy! It kept me intrigued from the very start!

This is a fast-paced book with many twists. It does get a little unbelievable by the end, but is overall an enjoyable book. The narrators are ok, but do not seem to match the characters they are portraying. Thank you to NetGalley for an early listen to the audio book in exchange for my honest feedback.

I initially planned on listening only the first few parts but ended up finishing it up to the last. That's how it got me hooked - but honestly it was predictable. I'd like to point where but I wouldn't want to spoil it. The female narrator's voice is clear but not so much with the male. Overall, I enjoyed it and I'd love to hear more works from Emily Shiner.

WOW! What a good story with a few awesome twists I really enjoyed this book it definitely keeps you on the edge of your seat. I will definitely be reading more books by this author 😀