hope falls

Eden Fox went for a run to celebrate her life. She and her husband had just moved to the Cotswolds, and she did a lot to work to make their new house into a home. She has an art exhibition that night, her first. And she loves to go out running and enjoy her new surroundings in the beautiful small seaside town of Hope Falls. But when she goes back home, her key won’t fit in the lock.

Eden tries her key again, but it still won’t work. And then the door opens, and another woman comes to the door in her dress, claiming that she is Eden Fox, that Eden’s husband is her husband, and they don’t know who she is. Eden had brought nothing with her on her run, so she has no phone, no money, no purse, no ID. She doesn’t even have her rings, as she takes them off when she runs. Her husband calls the police and reports that a woman claiming to be his wife was banging on the front door.

But then Eden Fox goes missing, after being seen on a cliff known for jumpers. As the police look into her disappearance, they find more lies, making everything more complicated. A new officer shows up in Hope Falls, but her presence just brings up more secrets. Everyone involved in this case is hiding something, from the artist to the tech bro claiming he can predict the day someone will die to the eighteen-year-old girl in the high-end care home. No one is being honest about who they are or what they want, and one police officer will have to parse it all and find the truth. And no one in this story is prepared for how it all comes together in the end.

Alice Feeney is known for her twisty thrillers, but My Husband’s Wife has layer upon layer of secrets and lies. It starts out as a compelling thriller, but the deeper I got into this story, the more my head got to spinning. I feel like I need a conspiracy board to keep all the suspects straight, but I loved every minute of this story. I want to read it again, just to get all the facts straight, and then read it a third time to see just how masterfully Feeney wove this together.

I listened to this on audio, and the three narrators brought this story to life. Bel Powley, Henry Rowley, and Richard Armitage all made these characters feel so real, and I loved how their voices worked together to elevate this amazing story. The audio book also has sound effects under the narration, so you can hear Eden’s breath as she runs or the scratchiness of the tape recordings as the police read the transcriptions of the interviews. It wasn’t constant, just added some interesting texture from time to time, and I liked htat. It drew me more into the story.

My Husband’s Wife is as crazy a thriller as I’ve ever read, but it such a ride. I’ve been a fan of Feeney for years, but I feel like this novel is more complex than anything I’ve read by her, and more complex by most anything I’ve ever read, full stop. This is an amazing story, but be prepared to an ending you will not see coming.

A copy of the audiobook for My Husband’s Wife was provided by Macmillan Audio through NetGalley, with many thanks, but the opinions are mine.