Dan Malakin's The Wreckage of Us is a psychological thriller that keeps you on edge from start to finish. I received a copy to review from Serpent's Tail/Viper/Profile Books via Netgalley.

The novel begins with the mysterious disappearance of Astrid Webb, a woman whose car is found wrecked and abandoned in the woods, with blood at the scene but no sign of her. This unsettling opening propels you into a complex web of secrets, lies, and dark truths surrounding Astrid and her husband, Bryan. Bryan insists that Astrid is alive and that she has simply disappeared before, only to return with little explanation. But as the investigation progresses, cracks begin to appear in his story.

The author expertly navigates the psychological terrain of a couple whose trust in each other has begun to unravel. The reader is left questioning whether Bryan is protecting his wife, or if his silence is an attempt to cover up something far more sinister.

The pacing of the novel is spot on, keeping you hooked with each new twist and revelation. The writing is great, and the atmosphere tense, with the woods serving as a fitting backdrop for a story this chilling.

4/5 ⭐️

Told by multiple POV's with lots of unreliable characters. This a book that you should go in blindly. I did and I loved it.

#TheWreckageOfUs #NetGalley
Average.
It's always the husband... Isn't it? Astrid Webb is missing. The police have found her car crashed near the woods, the driver's door open, the seat spotted with blood. But there's no sign of Astrid herself, a sick woman who rarely left her house, who surely couldn't have left the scene of the accident without help. Her husband Bryan is sure that she's alive - after all, this isn't the first time she's vanished, only to reappear without explanation. But as the days pass, Bryan starts to look like a suspect in his wife's disappearance, perhaps in her murder. Because Bryan isn't telling the police the whole truth. Not about Astrid's stalker, their broken-in back door, or the threatening messages she received. And it seems as if both Astrid and Bryan have something to hide. Then a woman's body is found in the woods, her face terribly disfigured. By staying silent, is Bryan protecting Astrid, or protecting himself?
Characters were not good. Narration was average.
Thanks to NetGalley and Serpent's Tail / Viper / Profile for giving me an advance copy.

A difficult book to review without giving too much away but most definitely one that you won’t want to put down once you start it!

So many twists and turns along the way and I loved how the author drip feeds little bits of information to the reader as the book goes on. I didn’t quite expect the ending but equally there were occasions where I felt things were too obvious!

Overall a great read!

Compelling, Immersive..
Sharp, edgy and convincing character driven thriller come police procedural with a credible and well crafted cast of characters and a propulsive plot which ratchets up the tension as it progresses. Twists and turns aplenty, which the reader may not see coming, populate a well written narrative. Compelling and immersive.

The Wreckage of us is a smart, tightly wound police procedural where nothing is as clear cut as it first appears.

The story centres around 32-year-old Astrid Webb who has gone missing from her remote village cottage. She’s very reclusive yet her car has been found abandoned after an accident, with no sign of where Astrid has gone.

Her ex-policeman husband Bryan absolutely distraught to return from a cycle ride to find the police at his front door asking questions about Astrid’s whereabouts. He knows that she stays at home most of the time due to her mental and physical health; she doesn’t have any friends or much social life so why has she left?

Police investigate Astrid’s disappearance, scouring forests and fields for any clues. In the meantime Bryan is trying to subtly use his police connections and knowledge to find out about the search to see if he can help find Astrid. He knows from his policing background that the husband is always the number one suspect, but its obviously not him.

The story jumps back and forth from the day of the incident, with chapters from both Astrid and Bryan’s viewpoints building a complex picture of their relationship.

Alongside Astrid's disappearance, there’s a powerful side story of vulnerable 17-year-old Celine who is having an intense unbalanced relationship with an older man Seth who is using her . She thinks that he loves her, but we can see she’s spiralling further into trouble. These chapters were heartbreaking to read, Celine was crying out for help and support but looking in all the wrong places.

This book literally had me holding my breath! Edge of your seat tension and perfectly executed!
Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for my ARC

When Astrid Webb disappears, her husband Brian is the key suspect. Because it’s always the husband they look at first, isn’t it?

Celine is a mess. She is desperate for her lover, Seth, to commit to her and her paranoia sends her into some dark places,

This had a lot of potential, but I found it hard to connect with the characters, who were all unlikeable and some parts of the plot were predictable, including one major “twist” that was so obvious from early on in the book that it made it feel like hard work to keep reading.

2.5 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Told from various POV's along with different timelines, the story takes the reader on a rollercoaster journey leaving you doubting who is actually telling the truth but moreover why they might be lying!! Lots of twists and turns throughout to keep you guessing and with a great ending too.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC to review

This is my first book of Dan's and it won't be my last.
The story is set around the Forest of Bowland,. It begins with Astrid Webb missing, DI Gabriel Ronson and DS Jess Maxwell are called in to investigate the incident. Bryan Webb (Astrid's husband) was in the police for 25 years, Where was Astrid going? Astrid and Bryan have been together for 5 years, Who are Celine and Seth? How do they play a part in the plot. Astrid met Bryan when she went in to complain about a stalker - Niall Turton. The story is told using different character's voices, and over different time lines, I found it to be well written and very descriptive. It's down to the reader to discover how all the sub plots tie together with a bow. I recommend this book.

This is one of those books where you should really just dive into it blindly. The less you know, the better. Basically all you need to know is that Astrid is missing. It doesn’t take a detective to realise her husband might not be telling the whole truth about what goes on behind closed doors, but does that necessarily mean he did something to her?

It’s up to you to figure that out as the story unfolds. Various points-of-view and chapters from the past and the present will try to help you on your way. Mostly though, a big can of worms is about to be opened and soon I found myself stuck in a sticky web of lies, secrets and deceit.

I didn’t much like any of these characters. Apart from Detective Ronson who has that delightfully disheveled “don’t-seem-to-know-what-I’m-doing” thing going on, but is actually remarkably smart and perceptive. The unlikeable characters didn’t stop me from desperately wanting to find out what happened to Astrid, though. There were some things I realised early on. However, the bigger picture eluded me for quite some time.

‘The Wreckage of Us‘ is hard to review without giving anything away. I was expecting a bit of a rollercoaster ride, and it was definitely that, although maybe not as thrilling as I would have liked. The fun was in trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together, in trying to get a sense of Bryan, and obviously in trying to solve the mystery surrounding Astrid’s disappearance.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time with ‘The Wreckage of Us‘. It is a well-plotted, twisty tale with a bunch of twisted characters that had me hooked from beginning to end. Full of suspense and intrigue, it’s one of those books you are reluctant to put down until you know what’s what, and until you find out the answer to the question : is it always the husband?

I’d had a fantastic time with Dan Malakin’s The Box so obviously, I was dying to read The Wreckage of Us. I expected an intricate, rather fast-paced thriller with depths that are hidden at first glance, and I was proven right on all counts.

The Wreckage of Us is a book that you need to dive into knowing as little as possible, so I’m going to keep this short and sweet. There are a few points of view, and between them, there are quite a few things to figure out. I had a couple of theories, a few of which actually panned out, and seeing it all unfold was fun, if a little frustrating at times because patience is a quality I sorely lack and I needed to know what was what.

I wasn’t overly fond of most of the characters but I loved DI Ronson! He has a bit of a Columbo vibe going on, hiding his quick wits and smarts behind a nonchalant appearance.

Overall, I had a really good time with The Wreckage of Us. It’s a twisty thriller with a few twisted characters that really put my little grey cells to work as I was trying to work out how everything was connected and what had happened before, during and after the crash. Recommended.

The Wreckage of Us is out now in hardcover and digital formats. The paperback will follow next year.

Massive thanks to Viper Books and NetGalley for the DRC. All opinions are my own.

This was a good story with hideous characters that I didn't warm to at all. I felt that it was a little more complicated than I would have liked but it all tied together in the end!! Will read more from this author :)

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and it kept me guessing right up until the very end.

The story revolves around Bryan, who returns from a bike ride to find the police on his doorstep telling him his wife’s wreaked car has been found, with no sign of her. As an ex police office himself, Bryan can’t help but to try and figure it out himself and sets off looking into his wife’s life. The book in written from multiple perspectives and in different time frames, but it’s easy to follow and you really get to know all the characters well. The stories intertwine and were faced with plenty of revelations and potential outcomes that keep us on our toes. It’s not often a book keeps me guessing to the very end but this one did. I also liked that the story didn’t go off on obvious tangents, and that it ended wrapping up all threads neatly.

A really interesting story and a must read for lovers of crime and thrillers!

OMG!! This book is good. The kind of good where you sit down to read for half an hour and end up finishing the whole thing.

As The Wreckage of Us tells the mind-boggling story of Astrid Webb who has gone missing and her husband Brian Webb who is rightfully terrified.

But is he terrified because his wife is missing and presumed dead or is it because he knows what's happened to her and doesn't want the detective inspector investigating to discover the truth?

I would highly recommend The Wreckage of Us to all.

I picked this book because it is published by Viper however "The Wreckage of Us" by Dan Malakin didn't fit in with their normal publishing style. For a thriller, yes there were some OMG moments but I was hoping for more. It was satisfying how the two timelines and characters fitted together and I can't say I saw that coming but I didn't feel fully invested in the characters or storyline enough.

The first book I have read by this author - but if the others are of this quality then it won't be my last.
My advice is to go into this one as blindly as possible and enjoy the ride, as the tale that has been so cleverly crafted unfolds.
Huge thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc ebook.

When Astrid Webb's car is found crashed and apparently abandoned, with blood spots in the interior, everyone fears the worst. Astrid's husband, a former police officer, seems to have been devoted to his wife and was also her caretaker.

But although she was unwell, and rarely ventured out, Astrid has been known to disappear of her own accord before this. So is this just one more incident of that nature? Or is something more serious going on here?

Because the truth is, despite his law-enforcement background Astrid's husband Bryan has been less than forthcoming with the authorities. He hasn't provided them with critical information - including the threats that his wife had been receiving prior to her disappearance.

But since the husband is very frequently the key suspect in such cases, why would Bryan withhold information that might definitively clear him and point to someone else having taken Astrid?

This is a gripping story, well conceived and delivered. The writer has come up with an intriguing and unusual take on a familiar trope: the missing wife. This one will be appreciated by seasoned thriller addicts. It gets 3.5 stars.

A good read and full of twists! I definitely enjoyed this book but didn't connect fully with the plot or characters.

An unusual police procedural, The Wreckage of Us (2024) by Dan Malakin is focused on the before and after of a missing woman. A police search is conducted when Astrid Webb’s crashed car is discovered in nearby woods. Her husband directs a charity foundation and is a former police sergeant, happily married and caring for his ailing wife. The narrative also features a second couple, Celine and Seth, and their relationship isn’t connected with the police investigation, which tends to be more in the background. Astrid’s and Brian’s lives before her disappearance are gradually revealed with each having their secrets and the marriage not all it seems to be. An intriguing crime mystery and psychologically tense build-up to the car accident and missing wife, with a four stars read rating. With thanks to Serpent's Tail and the author, for an uncorrected advanced review copy for review purposes. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own, freely given and without inducement.