Lila’s marriage to Aaron isn’t like most other marriages. While Lila loves her husband, she also needs autonomy. She’s willing to put up with long fishing or camping weekends. She enjoys the time and space to herself. She trained as a lawyer, but now she works for a local realtor. Aaron is a beloved high school teacher and coach. Their marriage works for them.
Until Lila finds the video. The video changes everything for her.
And then he goes missing.
There were already 3 missing college-aged women in the area. A local podcast had been reporting on the 3 women. And when it becomes news that Aaron left for work one morning but never showed up at school, she starts reporting on his disappearance as well.
Senior Investigator Ginny Davis has a feeling about this case. She’d been pulled off the investigation into the 3 missing women—there was too much press, so the FBI had taken it over. But Aaron’s disappearance? That one is hers, and she’s committed to finding answers. Her instincts all tell her that Lila knows more about where he is, or maybe she was the one responsible for his going missing in the first place. But she’s definitely not letting this one get away.
Lila, meanwhile, is trying to figure out where Aaron has disappeared to. She knows that the video of him having sex with one of his students is damning. She has secrets too, ones that make her look even more guilty than she already does. But she doesn’t want all her secrets coming out. She wants to maintain some of her privacy. But when Aaron’s phone is discovered, and the GPS used to find a remote cabin, the entire search for Aaron takes a different direction, and Lila realizes she may have never known her husband at all. He was a pedophile, she knows that now. Is it possible that he’s also responsible for those 3 missing women? Is it possible that he’s also a monster? Could she be in danger, for what she knows? Could she be in danger for what she doesn’t know?
Pretty Little Wife is an amazing ride of a thriller, with twists and turns that pile on themselves, whipping you from one extreme to the next. The secrets that people carry through this story will surprise you, shock you, and wreck you. You may guess some of the surprises that come at you in Pretty Little Wife, but I can guarantee that you will not see them all.
I really liked Pretty Little Wife. There is a certain amount of darkness, because there are 3 missing girls and a psychopath in this story, but there is also a lot to like. Lila is a strong, independent woman, and while she is far from perfect, she makes for a fascinating character. CID officer Ginny Davis is also a fantastic character to follow, and watching the two of them spar is one of the best things in this novel. Author Darby Kane is definitely one to watch, with intelligence, imagination, and depth. This one needs to be on your TBR pile!
Egalleys for Pretty Little Wife were provided by William Morrow Paperbacks through NetGalley, with many thanks.
