Pretty Little Wife: A Novel

by Darby Kane

Overview

Darby Kane thrills with this twisty domestic suspense novel that asks one central question: shouldn't a dead husband stay dead?

Lila Ridgefield lives in an idyllic college town, but not everything is what it seems. Lila isn’t what she seems.

A student vanished months ago. Now, Lila’s husband, Aaron, is also missing. At first these cases are treated as horrible coincidences until it’s discovered the student is really the third of three unexplained disappearances over the last few years. The police are desperate to find the connection, if there even is one. Little do they know they might be stumbling over only part of the truth….

With the small town in an uproar, everyone is worried about the whereabouts of their beloved high school teacher. Everyone except Lila, his wife. She’s definitely confused about her missing husband but only because she was the last person to see his body, and now it’s gone.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780063016415
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	12/29/2020
Sold by:	HARPERCOLLINS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	416
Sales rank:	136,313
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Darby Kane is a former divorce lawyer with a dual writing personality. Her debut thriller, Pretty Little Wife, was a Book of the Month pick, #1 international bestseller, and has been optioned by Amazon for a television series, starring Gabrielle Union. She’s written romantic suspense as HelenKay Dimon and currently writes stories centered on family hijinks with a mix of suspense and romance. The first, Moorewood Family Rules, has been optioned for television.

Editorial Reviews

10/26/2020

Early in Kane’s intriguing if uneven debut, Lila Ridgefield murders her abusive husband, popular teacher Aaron Payne, and leaves him overnight in his car at the Ithaca, N.Y., high school where he teaches, staging the scene to look like a suicide. The first hint that her plan may not unfold seamlessly is when his body disappears. Has Aaron survived, and is he returning for revenge? Or is someone else determined to take justice into their own hands? The answers are rooted in a shocking—and all-too-believable—evil hiding beneath the peaceful community. Despite the detailed scene-setting and gripping plot, some readers may find the constant cross-cutting across time frames and points of view feels forced. Those who prefer fair play may feel cheated by Kane’s withholding key characters and events only to introduce them deep in the book. Nonetheless, the detective on the case, Ginny Davis, is a nuanced character many will hope to meet again, and the plot twists reinforce the central moral ambiguity driving the story: How far will a woman go when she discovers she’s married to a monster? Kane is off to a promising start. Agent: Laura Bradford, Bradford Literary. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

"I love it when I find a thriller so fun I can’t put it down, like this one from Darby Kane." — Taylor Jenkins Reid, New York Times bestselling author 

Pretty Little Wife is domestic suspense at its best, with a chilling premise that keeps you guessing to the last page. Add Darby Kane to your must-read list! — New York Times bestselling author, Wendy Corsi Staub

“I devoured it in two days. This is the type of thriller I love the most: A taut domestic suspense with just a shade of police procedural woven in.” — Julie Clark, New York Times bestselling author

"Debut mystery author Kane blends tense domestic suspense with procedural details and legal thriller–like verbal sparring. A page-turner built on skillfully layered plotting and an intriguing protagonist." — Booklist (starred review)

"Intriguing...Kane is off to a promising start." — Publishers Weekly

“This twisted thriller's got serious 'Gone Girl' vibes. As in, the main character is deeply flawed, you won't always know what's real, and you won't be able to put it down.”  — The Skimm

“...in this stylish and provocative first novel by Darby Kane, set in Upper New York state the complications, adds in well-drawn new characters, and develops subtle twists that nudge the plot in unexpected directions, inviting both characters and readers to make adjustments in their suspicions about motives and intentions. Ambitious for a first novel, “Pretty Little Wife” delivers on its promise.” — Toronto Star

“This is a crazy ride of a book that will leave readers speechless as they wonder if Lila will get away with it and just where Aaron went. Bravo to Kane!” — The Parkerburg News and Sentinel

“Pretty Little Wife by Darby Kane delights in subverting the expectations of readers” — Popsugar

“Good writing and a plot that drives the action and builds the suspense make Pretty Little Wife an excellent choice for fans of murder mysteries.” — Book Reporter

“Pretty Little Wife explores the consequences of unacknowledged trauma and dares to ask whether murder is ever justified. It’s an exciting departure for HelenKay Dimon, the bestselling romance author for whom Darby Kane is a pseudonym. There’s certainly no guarantee of a happily ever after, though there is hope for hard-won redemption.” — BookPage

“If you’re looking for one of the best and tightly-plotted thrillers you’ll read this year, let me introduce you to Pretty Little Wife.” — Mystery and Suspense Magazine

“Even after we’ve read the last page, Kane leaves us with some lingering questions about how much Lila knew and when she knew it. Good writing and a plot that drives the action and builds the suspense make Pretty Little Wife an excellent choice for fans of murder mysteries.” — Book Reporter

From the Publisher

"I love it when I find a thriller so fun I can’t put it down, like this one from Darby Kane."

Taylor Jenkins Reid

...in this stylish and provocative first novel by Darby Kane, set in Upper New York state the complications, adds in well-drawn new characters, and develops subtle twists that nudge the plot in unexpected directions, inviting both characters and readers to make adjustments in their suspicions about motives and intentions. Ambitious for a first novel, “Pretty Little Wife” delivers on its promise.

Toronto Star

Good writing and a plot that drives the action and builds the suspense make Pretty Little Wife an excellent choice for fans of murder mysteries.

Book Reporter

“Pretty Little Wife by Darby Kane delights in subverting the expectations of readers

Popsugar

I devoured it in two days. This is the type of thriller I love the most: A taut domestic suspense with just a shade of police procedural woven in.

Julie Clark

Pretty Little Wife is domestic suspense at its best, with a chilling premise that keeps you guessing to the last page. Add Darby Kane to your must-read list!

New York Times bestselling author

"Debut mystery author Kane blends tense domestic suspense with procedural details and legal thriller–like verbal sparring. A page-turner built on skillfully layered plotting and an intriguing protagonist."

Booklist (starred review)

This is a crazy ride of a book that will leave readers speechless as they wonder if Lila will get away with it and just where Aaron went. Bravo to Kane!

The Parkerburg News and Sentinel

This twisted thriller's got serious 'Gone Girl' vibes. As in, the main character is deeply flawed, you won't always know what's real, and you won't be able to put it down.” 

The Skimm

“Pretty Little Wife explores the consequences of unacknowledged trauma and dares to ask whether murder is ever justified. It’s an exciting departure for HelenKay Dimon, the bestselling romance author for whom Darby Kane is a pseudonym. There’s certainly no guarantee of a happily ever after, though there is hope for hard-won redemption.

BookPage

If you’re looking for one of the best and tightly-plotted thrillers you’ll read this year, let me introduce you to Pretty Little Wife.

Mystery and Suspense Magazine

Pretty Little Wife is domestic suspense at its best, with a chilling premise that keeps you guessing to the last page. Add Darby Kane to your must-read list!

null New York Times bestselling author