The English Wife by Lauren Willig

Summary:

     Annabelle and Bayard Van Duyvil live a charmed life: he’s the scion of an old Knickerbocker family, she grew up in a Tudor manor in England, they had a whirlwind romance in London, they have three year old twins on whom they dote, and he’s recreated her family home on the banks of the Hudson and renamed it Illyria. Yes, there are rumors that she’s having an affair with the architect, but rumors are rumors and people will gossip. But then Bayard is found dead with a knife in his chest on the night of their Twelfth Night Ball, Annabelle goes missing, presumed drowned, and the papers go mad. Bay’s sister, Janie, forms an unlikely alliance with a reporter to uncover the truth, convinced that Bay would never have killed his wife, that it must be a third party, but the more she learns about her brother and his wife, the more everything she thought she knew about them starts to unravel. Who were her brother and his wife, really? And why did her brother die with the name George on his lips?

Release date: January 9, 2018

My Thoughts:

     The English Wife is one part historical fiction and one part mystery/thriller! If you are a Book of the Month Club member and you were smart enough to pick this one for December, good job! This one is full of twists you won't see coming.
     There are several characters but the two main perspectives you get are Janie Van Duyvil and Annabelle's.  You will quickly realize that you are not sure who you can trust or if you can trust any of these characters AT ALL!? There are good guys and bad guys and people you will just love to hate-a whole enjoyable cast of characters.  I will say there were a few points where things dragged a bit and were quite bleak and dark but those moments quickly pass.  Overall this is a great winter-y, chilling read! 4.5/5 stars

Author's site: http://www.laurenwillig.com/




P.S. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!