Hit and Mrs tale left me in shock

The Other Mrs

I’m not a fan of these stories that end with ‘And then I woke up. It was all a dream’. In my opinion they’re a bit of a cop out and a lacklustre ending for what is usually a decent story.

Now, I’m not saying The Other Mrs is in any way like this but it plays on this concept in a way you won’t expect. And it’s not an overwhelmingly bad thing. But perhaps I’ve said too much?

Let’s kick off with the premise of Mary Kubica’s latest work.

Sadie and her husband Will up and leave their home in Chicago, taking their two children to a tiny coastal town near Maine.

Too many things happened to the family back in Chicago. Sadie accused Will of having an affair, her role as an ER doctor was thrown into question and her eldest son Otto got into some bother at school.

This move has got to be a fresh start, hasn’t it?

But the new beginning for the family is quickly tainted as a neighbour is murdered, leaving Sadie terrified that either she or a member of her family could be next.

On the flip side, many chapters are written from the perspective of hot-headed, beautiful Camille, who is madly in love with Will and hell-bent on following him thousands of miles across the country to be near her man, and she’ll do whatever it takes to keep him close. Whatever. It. Takes.

But who is Camille really? Does she have a connection to this poor woman who lost her life so soon after Sadie and her family’s arrival in the town? The murder investigation is beginning to gather pace, and everyone is on edge to see this killer behind bars.

Sadie desperately wants to find out the killer’s identity before they strike again. But her private investigation isn’t going to plan and she’s running out of people she can trust. I’m in two minds about The Other Mrs. I’ll admit, I couldn’t put it down but I spent quite a few pages with my mouth twisted into a confused pout. Some little quips here and there got to me, like important conversations shelved for the sake of a child in the room. Why not just ask the child to leave the room for two minutes?

There were also a few chapters written from the perspective of a six-year-old girl nicknamed Mouse. These I actually thoroughly enjoyed and found myself counting through the pages to read more of her story. These pages are addictive and will help you piece everything together, so bear that in mind when you encounter them.

The book is paced relatively well. Tension builds and at points you’ll be thrown a little here and there, but it adds to the theme of the story and what you’ll piece together yourself as you read on.

That’s something I enjoyed about The Other Mrs. The reader isn’t treated like a fool. The clues are there, but they’re not hideously obvious to the point of ridiculous.

What I will say is brace yourself for the ending. I was almost sickened by what I read but, holy moly, it took my breath away – and all in a good way.

Get your thinking cap on and prepare for something shocking with The Other Mrs.