Publishers Weekly
01/26/2015
Dana Catrell, the heroine of Crawford’s quirkily endearing debut, desperately needs to figure out what happened in those boozy, woozy hours between her argument with neighbor Celia Steinhauser and the discovery of the woman’s body—ideally before Paterson, N.J., Det. Jack Moss gets to the bottom of it. Though suburban homemaker Dana doesn’t believe herself capable of murder, she can’t be sure since she stopped taking meds for her bipolar disorder. Fortunately for Dana, Jack, who reminds her of her first love, is also somewhat off his game in the wake of his wife’s departure and the discovery that his estranged son, Kyle, seems to have been suspiciously close to Celia, Kyle’s GED teacher. As Dana continues to spiral out of control, her accelerating mania clouding her perceptions, Crawford manages for the most part to sidestep cliché and preserve her leading lady’s spunk, humor, and dignity. Although she’s less successful resolving the mystery, both Dana and Jack deserve an encore. Agent: Jenny Bent, Bent Agency. (Mar.)
From the Publisher
Not a word is wasted in Susan Crawford’s fast-paced, thrilling debut. As Crawford explores the boundaries of memory and sanity, the suspense steadily gathers, and in her skilled hands, readers will be left guessing until the very end.” — Lori Roy, Edgar Award winning author of BENT ROAD and LET ME DIE IN HIS FOOTSTEPS
“The Pocket Wife is an exceptional literary thriller debut that sensitively portrays a woman struggling with Bipolar Disorder, and the horrific possibility that she’s a murderer. Engrossing, thrilling, and page turning all the way through, this is one you won’t want to miss!” — Chevy Stevens, New York Times bestselling author
“The Pocket Wife is haunting, gripping, and lyrical—a book you won’t want to put down. Susan Crawford is a bright new star.” — Deborah Crombie, New York Times bestselling author
“Because the tale is told primarily from Dana’s sharp but manic perspective, suspense develops around her possibly unreliable interpretation of events. This is a gripping, character-driven mystery that would pair well with Sophie Hannah’s The Truth-Teller’s Lie.” — Booklist
“This intriguing thriller will leave readers guessing till the last minute. Dana Cantrell is a dynamic, well-written character whose bipolar disorder makes her both maddening and endearing. Tightly moving, fast-paced and suspenseful, Crawford’s debut novel puts her on the map of writers to watch.” — RT Book Reviews (4 1/2 STARS)
“Descriptive, lyrical prose creates an intimate and visceral read that is both a solid mystery and a fast-paced psychological thriller. Try this first novel as a read-alike for Alice LaPlante’s Turn of Mind.” — Library Journal
“Great premise, and characters, and a wonderfully evocative setting, heavy with heat and suburban boredom, and the uneasy threat of not quite knowing what is going on. Really great.” — Sabine Durrant, author of Under Your Skin
Sabine Durrant
Great premise, and characters, and a wonderfully evocative setting, heavy with heat and suburban boredom, and the uneasy threat of not quite knowing what is going on. Really great.
RT Book Reviews (4 1/2 STARS)
This intriguing thriller will leave readers guessing till the last minute. Dana Cantrell is a dynamic, well-written character whose bipolar disorder makes her both maddening and endearing. Tightly moving, fast-paced and suspenseful, Crawford’s debut novel puts her on the map of writers to watch.
Lori Roy
Not a word is wasted in Susan Crawford’s fast-paced, thrilling debut. As Crawford explores the boundaries of memory and sanity, the suspense steadily gathers, and in her skilled hands, readers will be left guessing until the very end.
Chevy Stevens
The Pocket Wife is an exceptional literary thriller debut that sensitively portrays a woman struggling with Bipolar Disorder, and the horrific possibility that she’s a murderer. Engrossing, thrilling, and page turning all the way through, this is one you won’t want to miss!
Booklist
Because the tale is told primarily from Dana’s sharp but manic perspective, suspense develops around her possibly unreliable interpretation of events. This is a gripping, character-driven mystery that would pair well with Sophie Hannah’s The Truth-Teller’s Lie.
Deborah Crombie
The Pocket Wife is haunting, gripping, and lyrical—a book you won’t want to put down. Susan Crawford is a bright new star.
Booklist
Because the tale is told primarily from Dana’s sharp but manic perspective, suspense develops around her possibly unreliable interpretation of events. This is a gripping, character-driven mystery that would pair well with Sophie Hannah’s The Truth-Teller’s Lie.
Library Journal
02/15/2015
After teacher Celia Steinhauser is found murdered in her home, Dana Catrell learns she was the last person to see her neighbor alive. Dana remembers arguing at Celia's house that day over a compromising photograph Celia had taken of Dana's husband. Unfortunately, they also drank too much sangria, and she can't remember anything else about the afternoon. As Dana investigates, she finds disturbing notes and other clues that cause her to question her own memory and suspect that she herself may have killed Celia. She is simultaneously consumed by building mania owing to her bipolar disorder. The captivating narration reflects Celia's progressively elated and fractured thoughts as she moves from energetic clarity to sleeplessness and self-destructive chaos. Alternating chapters follow diligent police detective Jack Moss as he navigates the many suspects (including his own son, a student of Celia's). In the final confrontation, the killer's confession comes a bit too easily, but the resolution is surprising, neat, and satisfying. VERDICT Descriptive, lyrical prose creates an intimate and visceral read that is both a solid mystery and a fast-paced psychological thriller. Try this first novel as a read-alike for Alice LaPlante's Turn of Mind. [See Prepub Alert, 9/15/14.]—Emily Byers, Tillamook Cty. Lib., OR
Kirkus Review
2015-01-22
A housewife struggling to control her bipolar disorder fears she's responsible for the brutal murder of her neighbor. Overcome by a wave of mania, Dana Catrell only remembers snippets of events leading up to the death of her friend Celia Steinhauser, who lived down the street in the quiet New Jersey suburb of Paterson. In her stumbling debut, Crawford makes the mistakes of painting every character, no matter how minor, as suspicious and setting readers up for a finale that will tie the disparate plotlines together in a tidy package (spoiler alert: Everything is connected, but it's far from satisfying). Dana lives with her attorney husband, Peter, the kind of man who'd drive anyone mad: boorish, condescending, quite possibly philandering. She longs for the company of her son, Jamie, who's just started college in Boston, and reminisces, albeit less than fondly, about her own college days at NYU, when she dated a mysterious man known only as the Poet and suffered her first bout of manic depression. Her illness waxes and wanes in service of the plot: She often ends up in a diner late at night, where a suspiciously sage waitress doles out philosophical advice along with the coffee. As Dana "works" the case on her end, the official inquiry is headed by Detective Jack Moss, a predictably troubled cop lugging predictably heavy emotional baggage. His investigation leads him to dig into Dana's life as well as Celia's, and poorly plotted intrigue ensues. With surprisingly little suspense and a cast ranging from unremarkable to unlikable, this tepid whodunit fails to satisfy.
