I enjoyed my first Sharon Bolton book!
I listened to the audiobook as part of an online book club.
I've heard the good reviews about this author, so was excited for it!
I enjoyed it, but I don't think it really wowed me as much as I hoped, but it was worth reading.

Not a bad story, but unfortunately confusing at times. A good revenge plot and loads of twist. The narrators were good. I certainly will check out other books by the author.

Thank you for the opportunity to listen to The Fake Wife.

Sharon Bolton is a fantastic writer, quickly becoming one of my favourites. I loved how this thriller built up slowly, with several storylines entwined into one so perfectly. Great twists and really enjoyed.

I listened to the audio version of this book and found it to be an enjoyable psychological thriller full of twists and turns. It kept my attention from start to finish and I found it easy to follow. I really liked Gary one of the main characters and hope to see more of him in the future. Highly recommend this book.

This was my first book by Sharon Bolton, and I have to say I was impressed with her tight, twisty plotting and strong characterization. The audio possibly made it harder to follow the multiple timelines, as the shifts are not always flagged, but the male and female narrators did a brilliant job, and once I had a proper grasp on the story, I found this hard to turn off.

The premise involves the disappearance of Olive, the wife of a prominent MP, who gets picked up by a female stranger in a hotel restaurant, and after a night of passionate sex, finds herself in an uncomfortable and scary situation.

On the case are DS Lexy Thomas and traffic cop Garry Mizen, who are thrown together when a snowstorm necessitates the provision of a driver and vehicle to ferry Lexy around. I absolutely loved the dynamic between these two, whose banter often had me chuckling, providing a welcome contrast to an otherwise overwhelmingly tense narrative.

What I appreciated most about the plot, though, was its complexity, and how it kept me on my toes trying to figure out how all the various strands were going to come together. My jaw dropped more than once.

It does get quite dark in places, with a mind-boggling tangle of sexual relationships, some of which turn out to be sordid and coercive. But these added a bit of a gritty edge to the narrative, which I liked a lot.

I think what Bolton has created here is a clever blend of psychological thriller, domestic drama and crime procedural, with all three very well executed. I am ready for more!

The Fake Wife by Sharon Bolton is a just one more page (ignore that it was audiobook! 😂) kind of read, as point of views change giving different character perspectives. I loved Garry and Lexi, and I'm hoping to see them again in another book!

This is my first Sharon Bolton book - and very good it was too. I listened to the audiobook, which was very well read - apart from the pronunciation of Guisborough.

To the story itself - it was twisty and surprising and really did keep you guessing - and there were a few contenders for the title of The Fake Wife. I really enjoyed it and would definitely recommend.

4* for the actual book
3* for the audiobook recording

A great plot and characterisation but I think I would have enjoyed it a LOT more if I'd read the words rather than listening to the audiobook. The narration wasn't terrible, and I liked the idea of having 2 narrators for the two main characters. However the performances felt a little routine for me and that took away from my enjoyment of the story.

Do read the book though, it was brilliant!

I found this story very confusing. Somehow I was not able to picture or separate the characters. An interesting read but not one to completely hold my attention.

This was brilliant plot with plenty of twists and turns. The narrators were great and I was heavily invested in the characters. Sharon Bolton has always delivered and this one is no exception. I would recommend this as one of my favourites for this year

Olive Anderson has accepted that tonight she'll be dining alone, without her husband. So when a beautiful stranger appears at Olive's dinner table, telling the waiter she's her wife, Olive is immediately unsettled.

But the stranger wants to talk, and isn't this what Olive wants on this lonely winter night? To vent to a perfect stranger? She's too ashamed to tell her real friends the truth - six months into the marriage they all warned her against, her life is a living nightmare.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author and after finishing it I’m most certainly going to read more. Well I actually listened to it and found both the narrators to be excellent. This is a gripping and twisty read, there’s a lot going on so found myself having to listen carefully in case I missed any vital information. It’s a fast paced read with some unsavoury characters and everyone seems to be hiding some secret or other. This is part domestic thriller and part police procedural. I loved the rapport between the two police officers Lexy and Gary and really hope they appear again in future books.

I'm always excited when Sharon Bolton writes a new book so was super excited to listen to this one. It certainly didn't disapoint. I was hooked right from the beginning when Olive, the wife of an MP, is joined at her dinner table by a woman who claims to be her wife. When Olive goes missing DS Lexy Thomas and traffic cop PC Garry Mizon team up to figure out what has happened.

This book blew my mind. This book is superbly plotted. The layers of the story are gradually peeled back and with each reveal I had a different theory, none of which were correct! Garry and Lexi made such a great team. Garry, in particular, is a brilliant character and steals the show without a doubt. He comes from a long line of police officers but doesn't particularly like his job and has failed his detective exams twice. He would much rather be a florist rather be a florist! I also loved the cold snowy Northumberland setting.

The narrators, Colleen Prendergast and Frazer Hadfield did a great job, though I did find it irritating that Mr Hadfield mispronounced Guisborough multiple times throughout.

Synopsis

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 . . .

Olive Anderson is married to a politician She books a night alone In a hotel for a break from him, his children and dead relative. A stranger joins her at her table and starts a pretence of being her wife Olive joins in…..

What follows includes a race against time with many twists, turns surprises and lots of action. It is bonkers and dysfunctional at times with some erotica and graphic violence thrown in I also liked the gangster element

When Olive fails to come home her Politician husband reports her missing DS Lexi Thomas and PC Gary Mixon takes up the investigation I enjoyed the dynamics and relationship between these two

I was totally gripped with this and picked it up at every opportunity I loved loved the ending
I always look out for books by Sharon Bolton and this one did not disappoint
I would recommend Thank you to Netgalley for giving me a copy to review