The Wife Who Knew Too Much by Michele Campbell
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Going into 2020, The Wife Who Knew Too Much was one of my most highly anticipated Mystery/Thrillers.
I have really enjoyed previous works from Michele Campbell and was definitely hoping this would offer up the same high-intensity drama.
Unfortunately for me, I was let down by this one. It hurts me to write that, but it’s true.
Please don’t take my disappointment as meaning this isn’t a good story, however.
It is a good book, it just didn’t live up to my expectations.
That tense drama I usually enjoy was definitely, in my opinion, toeing the line of eye-roll territory.
We mainly follow protagonist, Tabitha Girard, a recent divorcee, who works as a waitress at a seen-better-days restaurant in rural New Hampshire.
She can’t believe her eyes when, one night, a blast from her past gets seated in her section. A very rich, very handsome guy who had broke her teenage heart at the end of a summer fling. She has never forgotten him.
Connor Ford’s life has changed a lot since the last time he saw Tabby. For example, he’s now married to an uber-wealthy older woman, Nina Leavitt.
He’s a trophy husband, imagine that?! Or is he?
Once they circle back into each other’s orbit, Connor and Tabby cannot get enough of one another.
Cue the sappy music. Right around here was where it started to lose me.
Not long after their rekindled relationship, Nina Leavitt ends up face-down in her swimming pool after a lavish party. The incident is tentatively determined to be a suicide.
Soon after that, Connor and Tabby are married.
The icing on the cake, Tabby is pregnant with Connor’s baby, the timeline of which makes it clear the two of them were together prior to Nina’s untimely death.
As you can imagine, he is desperate to keep that fact hidden. He stands to lose the entire fortune if suspicions of infidelity, and possibly even murder, fall upon him.
I won’t belabor the point, this just wasn’t the book for me. It’s fun for what it is.
Campbell’s writing style is fast and smooth, making this a good, light weekend read. It’s not offending in any way, the content just wasn’t to my tastes.
My main complaint was the relationship. I just wasn’t buying it. For one thing, cheating tropes, like the one here, really get under my skin.
I also found Tabby to be lame and annoying, while Connor was just a jerk. I didn’t even understand why they would want to be together, besides the fact that they were purportedly both ridiculously good looking.
With all this being said, I’m not mad I read this book. I will continue to pick up anything Michele Campbell writes.
She has an addicting style and I’m here for it.
Thank you so much to the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I appreciate the opportunity.
As always, just because this book didn’t necessarily work for me, doesn’t mean it won’t work for you. There’s a Reader for every book!!