Anne expertly crafted Pandora’s box of a tale..

I haven’t had a new Sharon Bolton book to read for a very long time! And only now having read this book, am I very disappointed in myself for not reading more of her latest stories more recently.

I’ve always enjoyed her LaceyFlint novels and her earlier books, such as The Awakening and Blood Harvest. So I was very excited when I was given the opportunity to read and review her latest novel, The Fake Wife.

Right from the off this book is a winner! The characters are well drafted the scenarios are believable and the storyline is incredibly well paced and thought through. I loved this book and was absolutely hooked from the first page right to the very end!

Told across two time lines and from different characters perspectives. This story is thick with plot twists and red herrings. There’s so much going on in this book making the plot quite complex and so the characters are so intrinsically entwined both in past and present that it becomes more than sheer fate that they ended up influencing each other’s outcomes.

Thank you to NetGalley for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed this book. The plot was interesting, and different. I liked the two police officers, and the banter between them. I do think if the book had been a bit shorter it would have been punchier, but that is my only complaint other wise ,a good book, and well worth a read.

OMG this latest book by Sharon Bolton is so good, is been a while since i have read a book that i didn't want to put down, the characters are so well written and Gary and Lexi were a great pairing and not stereotyped in any way. It definitely kept me interested right to the end, definitely worth reading.

#TheFakeWife #NetGalley
Awesome.
PC Garry Mizon, the 'forever' traffic cop and flower grower was my favourite character together with Lexy Thomas the Detective Sergeant allocated to the case.
Olive is the lead throughout the book and the story is told mainly via her events - present and past.
Michael, well he's the politician, so not much more to say, is there?
Thanks to NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group for giving me an advance copy.

Olive Anderson is dining alone at a hotel when a glamourous stranger joins her table, pretending to be her wife. What starts as a thrilling game quickly turns into something dangerous. But as much as the fake wife has her secrets, Olive just might have more . . .

One thing Sharon Bolton knows how to do is write a compulsive page turner, and The Fake Wife is just that. Twist after twist are piled on the reader, meaning I read the whole thing in a (very late) night. Are some of the plot points far fetched? Perhaps. But the central character of likeable traffic cop-turned investigator Garry Mizon - who happened to go to school with Olive - grounded the action.

A highly recommended thriller. 4.5 stars rounded up.

I loved this gripping story, it captivated me from the start, couldn't put it down great storyline and characters.
Would recommend this book

Another twisty and very surprising book from Sharon Bolton. It has gotten to the point where ai don’t even read the synopsis anymore, she is an auto read author for me. This was a completely addictive story and ai had no idea where it was heading. Part physiological thriller, part police procedural, The Fake Wife had me hooked and at times confused, but in a good way.

A chance meeting in a hotel is just the beginning of this wild ride. The weather is wild in the north of England, snow storms are causing havoc on the roads and an MPs wife is missing and there is a raid on a known criminals home. Action galore. But who can be trusted? Everyone in this story has secrets, and big ones at that. It will shock you, it will make you need to know more.

I loved Garry and Lexy, the police who were looking into the missing woman. Their banter was definitely a highlight.

Thanks to Orion Publishing Group for my advanced copy of this book to read. Published on November 9th.

I have read and enjoyed all of Sharon Boltons books so was looking forward to reading this. Although the start was a bit slower than her usual style of book it soon picked up a few chapters in and I couldn’t read it quick enough. Good storyline with a few twists made for a great book. I recommend this book and author.

The fake wife bit of this book is the start of the story, a story that goes from what appears to be a chance meeting in a hotel restaurant followed by a one night stand to kidnapping, dangerous driving, murders and many layers of intrigue and deception; all excepted when there is a politician involved...

PC Garry Mizon, the 'forever' traffic cop and flower grower was my favourite character together with Lexy Thomas the Detective Sergeant allocated to the case.

Olive is the lead throughout the book and the story is told mainly via her events - present and past.

Michael, well he's the politician, so not much more to say, is there?

We also have Maddy and Eloise, Michael's ex-wives. Gwen, the ex mother-in-law and her granddaughters.

After a rather cringeworthy and slow start, the story really takes off and we're treated to many layers of intrigue as we get more information about Olive, Michael, Maddy and Eloise - oh, and the meddling Gwen.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I have enjoyed everything that this author has written but have to confess I found this in parts hard going as I seem to have read a lot of books like this lately hence the low rating.

I love Sharon Boltons books so this was a must read and it did not disappoint!
The first few pages are a bit slow going but stick with it as you'll be hooked within a few chapters.

An MPs wife meets a mysterious stranger then disappears.

Shocks, plot twists and page turners, this reads like a fast paced TV series.

Olive Anderson, wife of an MP, is dining alone at a hotel when a mysterious stranger begins to flirt with her. Unable to resist the stranger's charm they return to Olive's room from where Olive is abducted. Michael Anderson, Olive's husband, becomes worried when he can't contact his wife and approaches the local police to help track down her movements, all the while trying to keep the situation out of the glare of the media.

When I started reading The Fake Wife by Sharon Bolton I really wasn't sure about the book. The first few pages seemed a little strange, the situation almost surreal. However, I'm not the type of person to give up on a book after just a few pages so decided to give The Fake Wife a little longer to embed itself. Alongside this, I've read and loved all the previous books by the author so why should this one be any different. I'm so glad I did persevere, I was gripped by about a third of the way through.

As the book opens we have two alternating stories. Olive Anderson is staying in a hotel alone. She's initially put out by the stranger who sits at her table but ends up flirting, leading to a night of passion. It then turns out that the stranger had planned the whole thing so as to be able to kidnap Olive. Leaving the hotel they end up driving through a snowstorm and crashing. With the car upturned in the middle of nowhere, the abductor dead and the storm raging, it is a race against time for Olive to free herself before she catches hypothermia.

Alongside this, we also meet PC Garry Mizon, a traffic officer from a long line of police officers. Unfortunately, Garry isn't as successful in his chosen career as his ancestors and tonight is no different. Garry makes a disastrous error of judgment during a raid, resulting in him being sent back to the station. This means Garry is the only officer available to drive DS Lexy Thomas, newly arrived at Cleveland Police, to meet with Michael Anderson when he reports his wife missing.

I loved the interactions between Garry and Lexy. Garry is a true gentleman, old beyond his years and a fish out of water as far as the police force is concerned. Being new to the area Lexy hasn't heard any of the stories about some of Garry's disasters so is willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. She also finds his local knowledge invaluable and many of his hunches pay off.

While Garry and Lexy try to track down Olive, not knowing if she's left the hotel of her own free will or been abducted, the story switches back to Olive. You have a real sense of the panic she is going through, knowing that unless she is able to free herself she will die. You also begin to wonder if there are links between the abduction and the police raid at the start of the book. Olive's husband has always been vocal about the prosecution of organised crime.

As the two threads become entwined we slowly learn about the death of Michael Anderson's first wife and it becomes clear that neither Michael, nor Olive, have been entirely truthful. The story becomes like an onion as layer upon layer is peeled back, revealing shocking events and the whole reason behind Olive's abduction.

One of the reasons I loved the book was the setting. It was great to read a story where the places it takes place are familiar. My hometown plays a central part in the story and I found myself smiling along as I read.

I am so glad I stuck with this book. As the conclusion rapidly approaches all of the plot lines come together and you can feel yourself cheering some of the characters on. You are also holding your breath, hoping against hope that the outcome for one or two of the characters will be favourable.

I wasn't sure what to think when I first started this book. It seemed really convoluted but I'm not sure if that was just because of the rubbish formatting of the ARC.

Once I got into the swing of the plot, I was gripped. The only character I really liked or cared about was Garry, I really enjoyed his chapters. I didn't see how all the strands of the story would fit together, but by the end everything made sense and I enjoyed it.

Olive Anderson is an oncology nurse, living with her new husband of six months, Michael, his two children and his first wives mother. While dining alone, Olive is joined by a stranger, but the evening takes a turn and Olive is kidnapped. PC Garry Mizon and DS Lexy Thomas are called in to investigate Olive’s disappearance and turns out there is a pattern of Michael’s significant others going missing. The case takes them to a missing Maddy Black and eventually come full circle.
A gripping psychological thriller demonstrating that revenge is a dish best served cold. An enjoyable standalone book that will keep you wanting to know what happens next. Doesn’t disappoint.

This wasn’t for me at all. The plot seemed interesting but it was littered with a lot of unnecessary sex scenes. The characters were colourful but lacked intensity.

I'm a massive fan of Sharon Bolton so was excited about her new one. Unfortunately it wasn't my favourite of hers. It was pretty fast paced, as you'd expect with her books, has lots of twists and a complex storyline but there were a few things that didn't make much sense to me (no spoilers).

I did really enjoy the Garry/Lexy chapters and I found that I wanted to know what happened in the end but it didn't get my heart racing like most of her other books. I also struggled with Olive and her character. Will still be reading anything she brings out though! 3.5 rounded up to 4 stars.

4⭐️
“ Olive Anderson is dining alone at a hotel when a glamourous stranger joins her table, pretending to be her wife. What starts as a thrilling game quickly turns into something dangerous. But as much as the fake wife has her secrets, Olive just might have more . . . ”

This is an intriguing and deceiving thriller, with characters that you can’t trust and plenty of secrets hidden beneath the surface. I always enjoy Sharon’s writing and the eerie atmosphere she’s able to create, which was further enhanced by the wintery setting. As the story developed we as the reader find out that multiple women have died and disappeared in connection with Olives husband, a labour Mp, Michael Anderson. We get to see the stories of each woman and what happened to them and the ending wrapped up everything nicely. I really enjoyed this book and was able to easily fly through it with ease, the formatting of the book was hard to keep up with sometimes
But it didn’t affect the quality of the story.

Thank you to @netgalley @orionbooks and @sharonjbolton for the chance to read this ebook early! All opinions are honest and my own.

Faking It.

After an inauspicious beginning, I’m happy that I didn’t quit prematurely at the 5% mark.

I was tempted as the cringeworthy restaurant scene opening the story read as stilted and I didn’t see the point of continuing.

I’m happy to be wrong as the other 95% proved to me that this really was a Sharon Bolton book!

I was pulled in quickly after the ‘dining experience’ by the second story detailing Garry, a miscast traffic cop twice failing the detective exam.

After a major faux pas during a raid, he was ordered back to the station to be a driver for another investigator Lexy. Both were endearing characters in a group with doubtful ethics.

Part police procedural and part domestic drama, both stories held my attention with numerous moving pieces, villains, and colorful characters. I was on my toes as I attempted to figure out who was telling the truth - or was anyone?

Beautiful winter scenery in northern UK was the frosting on the cake.

4.5 Stars rounded up.

Thank you to the author, Orion Publishing, and NetGalley for my advance review copy.

The Fake Wife by Sharon J. Bolton

So very twisty! Twisty bodies, twisty limbs, twisty mind games, and a world that seems so very small in the way certain people are connected. Everything revolves around a high-profile MP whose first wife died of cancer. Now his second wife is missing, the nurse of his first wife, two women who might know him better than he ever imagined.

My favorite parts of the story feature Garry, the best driver of the police force, as if anyone would strive for such a lowly accolade. He's failed the detective test twice which makes him a major failure in his family of successful law enforcement officers, all the way back to his great great grandfather (maybe there is another great in there, just know Garry brings an inglorious end to the family successes). But Garry did know both of the MP's wives, and he's a bit starstruck by them. So when the second wife goes missing, one of the only people nice to him in his school days, he wants to find her...alive. Garry is a really good guy, with a huge heart. Now he's been lassoed by a young female detective to be her driver during a horrendous snow storm, while she investigates more than one crime.

Revenge is the dish being served but it's up to you to figure out what is in that dish, who is doing the revenging and who is being revenged. I really didn't like most of the people in this story, other than Garry and Lexy, the detective that sees more in Garry than he sees in himself, so it was hard for me to care to untangle the mess of twists, turns, betrayals, couplings and uncouplings. I buddy read this story with friends and several of them think this is 5 star material so be sure to read other reviews.

Thank you to Orion and NetGalley for this ARC.

4.5 rounded up

Olive Anderson, wife of Labour MP Michael Anderson, is dining alone at a hotel in Hexham when a stranger unexpectedly joins her for dinner and what’s more she pretends they are wives. Olives quiet evening of the solitary contemplation of her life turns into something very different and soon things spin out of control and enter into dangerous territory. Michael reports Olive as missing and DS Lexy Thomas and traffic cop PC Garry Mizon team up to try to solve what increasingly becomes a complex puzzle.

This is an excellent psychological thriller from the talented Sharon Bolton who has created a complex, highly intriguing and well-connected plot which moves at a fast pace. There are multiple twists and turns, a few of which pull me up sharply as they are so unexpected. This is one of the most immersive domestic dramas I have read in a while with situations and events that don’t seem to add up which inevitably has me all in, trying to solve the elusive conundrums. I especially enjoy have some aspects of the plot are kept very close to the author’s chest whilst others are easier to figure out.

The characters involved in these multiple triangles are carrying so many secrets it’s a wonder their spines aren’t curved with the weight and as for the lies…… There is deception heaped upon deception in piles as large as the externally gathering snowdrifts. Some deception could be said to be for the right reasons though vengeful actions may belie that.

The snowy December weather in the north east setting is used to great effect as it brings its own brand of danger, adding extra tension and suspense. Some of these scenes are so good I’m on the edge of my seat, eyes glued to the text.

The characterisation is excellent, and there’s a good variety of those who are most certainly not likeable, to the very colourful, to the extremely likeable characters of Lexy and Garry. The latter is an absolute diamond in my book, he can be my superhero any day of the week. These two are relentless and brave in the race to find Olive and they definitely could be said to go the extra mile. Wouldn’t it be great to see these two feature in another novel?

Overall, this well titled novel is highly entertaining and compelling and keeps my attention throughout. Even though parts of the plot are dark, the author manages to give us laugh or two along the dangerously icy road to an excellent conclusion.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Orion Publishing Group for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.