The Wrong Woman

J.P. Pomare is a clever writer, with a keen eye for character and atmosphere that makes this and previous novels an absolute pleasure to read.

The Wrong Woman has an intriguing main protagonist and a compelling central mystery that unfolds on the page through two points of view, is hugely addictive and absolutely begs to be read in one sitting which is what I did.

A homecoming and a reckoning, a genuine sense of unpredictability and a need to know will keep you turning those pages as you head towards the excellent finale. Overall a most terrific read again from this author. Loved it.

#TheWrongWoman #NetGalley
Mind blowing psychological thriller.
Reid is sent to look into a suspicious car crash, he finds himself in the one place he swore he'd never go back to - the town where he grew up. Returning to Manson brings back traumatic memories that Reid has spent a decade burying; and keeping his past separate from the investigation is futile. People remember what he did all those years ago. As rumours swirl about the couple involved in the crash, Reid's line of questioning is taken in a new direction when the Chief of Police's daughter goes missing. Was the car crash just an isolated tragic accident, or is there something darker beating at the heart of this small town? Can Reid escape Manson again, or will it finally swallow him whole?
I enjoyed it thoroughly. Loved this type of suspense after so long.
Thanks to NetGalley and Hodder Straughten for giving me an advance copy.

A brilliant thriller with two stories intricately woven between characters both past and present. A dark, twisty race for the truth. Highly recommended xx

Once again J P Pomare has delivered a page turning read. He by no means follows a repetitive style, with each book being uniquely different.
Reid is a private investigator and his latest case sees him return to his home town to investigate a car crash that killed Eshana Stiles husband and put her in a coma. The insurance company wants Reid to see if there was any evidence of foul play before they pay up, but Reid starts to see a link between 2 missing girls and Oli Stiles, the deceased husband. Soon his investigation veers off course and he finds himself at odds with the police and the townsfolk who wanted him gone all those years ago. Why was Reid sent packing from the police force all those years ago and why don’t they want him back.
Another excellent read.

#TheWrongWoman. #NetGalley

This was gripping right from the very first page and I couldn't put it down, if I didn't have prior commitments I would have hunkered down and finished this in one sitting.

This is a gripping story. Reid is a private investigator returning reluctantly to the towns where he grew up and was a policeman. It didn’t end well which explains his desire to stay under cover as he returns in his role as a private investigator for an insurance company. There has been a car crash leading to the death of the male passenger and serious injury for his wife who was driving. It should not really be any of Reid’s business but he can’t stop himself finding connections between the accident and the disappearance of two girls. The story moves from discovery to dramatic discovery. He himself is an exceedingly well drawn character as are the others in the book. It is a cleverly conceived story designed to keep the reader enthralled and very well told. The story moves to an unexpected conclusion. I enjoyed this book hugely and recommend it.

4.5 rounded up

Reid is a PI who is offered a large bonus by an insurance company to investigate a suspicious car crash that left the husband Oliver dead and the wife Ashana in a coma. To say that Reid is reluctant to return to Manson, the town of his birth is an understatement. He carries unhappy memories and much baggage to say nothing of his promise to never return. However, the money is too good to turn down and he decides to take the plunge and as his investigation broadens and deepens he realises it is not just risky but downright dangerous. Nothing is as it seems, there are multiple question marks against the dead husband and in addition there are two missing girls. Are they separate “unfortunate“ events or are they connected?

I really enjoy the way the author tells the story via the dual narratives of Reid and the wife Ashana. It allows the truth to reveal itself a snippet at a time, it flows well between the two with the past making sense of the present. Both of them have good back stories but especially so of Reid. His is extremely powerful with reveals which keep on surprising you.

The characterisation is very good with all the central characters being well portrayed especially Reid who is very likeable despite his many setbacks. You root for him especially when his reception in Manson is less than friendly.

The setting really adds something extra to the plot, the twin towns of Manson and Ethelton provide an excellent and atmospheric backdrop and are very well described. The small town, everyone knows everyone gives problems and issues from the start.

It’s very hard to put down as you become desperate to know the truth, the pace is fast and it rarely lets up. There are some good cliffhangers and plot twists, some you forsee and some you definitely don’t and what it amounts to is compelling and riveting experience right up to the very good and exciting end.

Overall, this is a gripping, tense and suspenseful novel from an author who is a must read for me.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Hodder and Stoughton for that much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

After kick-starting his career with four superb thrillers set in Australasia, award-winning Ngā Puhi storyteller JP Pomare immerses readers in a small-town America with The Wrong Woman. Reid is a private eye offered good money by an insurance company to investigate a crash which put the driver, Eshana Stiles, in a coma and killed her professor husband. The first problem: it happened in Reid’s hometown of Manson, a place to which he swore to his former boss, the Chief of Police, he’d never return. Then there’s two missing students, and plenty of whispers. The professor had been a person of interest - did someone want him dead? Reid has to dig for the truth while trying to lay low – there are many people he doesn’t want to run into. Scars better left unscratched. Pomare ratchets the tension while deftly shuffling past-present timelines and the viewpoints of Reid and Eshana. Like a cardsharp whose sleight of hand is far too skilled for us to catch, Pomare performs literary magic. The Wrong Woman is infused with great atmosphere and characterisation, plus freshness and unpredictability that continues to put Pomare on the top shelf of psychological thrillers.

The Wrong Woman is something of a change from JP Pomare being set in small town America rather than his home country of New Zealand. Actually that should be small towns as the action takes place in "the twin towns" ,the more genteel Ethelton and the rougher environs of Manson.

Private Investigator Reid takes on the job of investigating a tragic car accident in his home town of Manson,involving married couple Oli and Eshana Stiles, for an insurance company. With Oli dead , Eshana in hospital and their investigation concluding that the vehicle was not tampered with the local police are happy that there has been no foul play and it all appears to be routine and easy money for Reid.
Reid left Manson under a cloud and is hoping that time and disguises will help him investigate under the radar.
This proves to be wishful thinking and local suspicions about the late Oli Stiles' being involved in the disappearance of a young girl and Reid's own past have locals once again making him very much aware that he's not welcome in Manson...........and that's before the Chief of Police's daughter goes missing .

This is a great read from an author who has become one of my favourites. Told from 2 perspectives,those of Reid and Eshana Stiles, the tale gets increasingly darker as secrets are revealed and tensions in Manson build to breaking point when fingers are pointed and assumptions made.
Plenty of tension, some neat twists and most of all a great read.

I may have said this before but I’m going to say it again, J.P. Pomare’s books are like a fine wine, they just get better and better with age.

This latest offering follows Reid, an ex-cop-turned-PI who has been contracted to look into a fatal car crash, and Eshana, the driver of the car involved.
Only problem is, the investigation is in Reid’s home town.
A place he is not liked.
A place he promised to never set foot in again.

Things don’t add up with Reid’s investigation, and he can’t go to the police - 1) because they hate him, and 2) because they have their hands full with the case of a missing young women, the second in as many as 6 months, and the Chief’s daughter no less, so he’s left to try and fill in the blanks himself.

Of course nothing is ever as it seems, and in a town so small, a crash and a missing girl on the same day is just a coincidence right..?

This book held my attention from the very first page. The suspense building was on point, with surprising twists and turns, and layers of story delivered in such a way that were not annoyingly dragged out or randomly thrown in your face to move the story along.

The Wrong Woman weaves together a compelling, page turning, story that is as intriguing as it is disturbing.

Thank you to J.P. Pomare, Hodder & Stoughton, and NetGalley for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A great, twisty mystery. A couple, Oli and Eshana Styles, have a car accident. Oli is killed instantly, and Eshana is in a coma. Reid is hired by a life insurance company to look into the accident. Oli's background is complicated, and there are two missing local girls which may be connected. Reid faces challenges himself in the investigation, and nothing is what it seems!
I really enjoyed this book, and Reid is a brilliant character, who is determined to get to the truth! Loved it!

So good! So, so good!

This is one of those books that is, despite the many misses I’ve been having, responsible for yours truly returning to the psychological thriller genre again and again. Because once in a while you come across a gem and this is definitely one of them.

‘The Wrong Woman‘ is told by way of chapters set in the past and the present. In the present, Vince Reid returns to his hometown of Manson, a place he left behind a decade ago for reasons that will be explained as the story continues. Reid is now a private investigator and he’s been sent to Manson to investigate a car crash for an insurance company. But when Reid arrives in Manson, he catches word of a missing girl and she isn’t the first one.

The chapters set in the past deal with the couple involved in the car crash Reid was sent to investigate. Oliver and Eshana were on their way home after dinner at a restaurant, when the car Eshana was driving hit a pole. Oliver was instantly killed, his wife is in a coma. They had only been married a few years but rumours have been swirling around Oliver for ages. By way of Eshana’s point-of-view, we get a glimpse into their marriage and the events that lead up to the night of the accident. Did Eshana really know her husband? Was the car crash an accident? Will the things that Reid uncovers put him in danger?

Such a clever plot, such incredible writing and then there’s that always atmospheric small town vibe that I love so much. On top of that, Reid, our main protagonist is a fascinating character. There’s quite a bit to discover about him and his previous life in Manson. Questions that need to be answered as to why he left and was asked never to return. This complicates his investigation as he tries to get around the town unnoticed but nothing stays a secret long in a small community like Manson. Or does it?

There’s also plenty to learn about Oliver and Eshana. Can Oliver be trusted? Is Eshana paranoid? Why is it so hard for her to believe her husband? Did she mean to kill herself? Did she mean to kill her husband? Nothing is what it seems in this town and I was never entirely sure of any of the theories that popped up in my head. The author kept me guessing until the end. It’s one of the things that made ‘The Wrong Woman‘ extremely addictive, you just have to know how it all fits together, and it was near impossible to put this book down until all the threads came together and I finally realised what had been going on. Quickly followed by a massively satisfied sigh and a “wow, that was so good!”.

‘The Wrong Woman‘ is easily one of the best books I’ve read so far this year and you’ll definitely be seeing it again in my books-of-the-year list. Pomare is a new-to-me author and one I’ll undoubtedly be keeping an eye on. Recommended!

Thank you to #NetGalley and #‎Hodder & Stoughton for my advance copy of #TheWrongWoman by #JPPomare

This is the first book I have read by this author but it won’t be the last.
It’s a gripping story that revolves around private investigator Reid who is returning to his home town for the first time in years.
He is here to investigate a car crash that killed the passenger and left the driver in a coma
Having left here in a hurry Reid was not in any rush to return, and being back is bringing up old memories and not just for him.
I assumed that the story was set in America until I read the. authors bio afterwards and found he’s based in New Zealand so could be there.
Really enjoyed this book and struggled to put it down.

The Wrong Woman is another gripping crime thriller from the pen of NZ author J.P. Pomare.

The deliciously dark and twisty narrative alternates between the present perspective of Private Investigator Vince Reid, reluctantly returning to his hometown to investigate a suspicious car accident, and that of crash survivor, Eshana Stiles, over the weeks and months leading up to the fateful night.

Upon his arrival in the "twin towns" of struggling Manson and more upper-class Ethelton, Reid discovers that the death of Sandown College academic Oliver Stiles and the serious injury of his wife in a car accident are not the only tragedy to face the towns. A local teenager has gone missing several days ago - and not just any girl, but the seventeen-year-old daughter of Reid's former boss, Chief of Police Stubbs. Maddison's disappearance follows upon that of another local girl, Kiara King, some months earlier.

As Reid digs into the circumstances of Oliver and Eshana Stiles's accident, more than once crossing the line between acceptable and illegal activity, he comes across alarming connections between the deceased college professor and missing girl Kiara. And it becomes clear that Reid is facing more than just the normal small-town animosity surrounding an insurance investigation - someone wants him off the case permanently. Can Reid uncover what really happened that dark and wet Wednesday night? Was Oliver Stiles's death the tragic accident it appears, and is it possible that he had something to do with the disappearances of Kiara and Maddison?

With short chapters and a back-and-forth split narrative, The Wrong Woman is a compulsively readable crime-thriller. Reid is an engaging hero, a man with a chequered past as a police officer, but a tenacious thirst for truth and justice, in spite of the barriers that seem to be constantly being placed in his way. Eshana Stiles, meanwhile, is a beguiling character - have her suspicions about her husband's fidelity led her to do something dreadful, or is she simply an innocent victim? The reader's sympathies are pulled backwards and forwards as her side of the narrative unfolds.

I'd thoroughly recommend The Wrong Woman to any reader who enjoys dark and twisty thrillers, especially those that employ the trope of small-town insularity and prejudice. Readers who love Jane Harper, Garry Disher or Chris Whitaker's work will gobble this up!

My thanks to the author, J.P. Pomare, publisher Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley (UK) for the opportunity to read and review this title.

I requested this book after previously reading 'in the clearing' and 'call me evie', two books that had me gripped. 'The Wrong Woman' did not dissapoint. Full of suspense and clever characters, this book had me gripped. This story may be a slow burn but it is full of twists.