Dear Wife: A Novel

by Kimberly Belle

Overview

Some vows are meant to be broken…

For nearly a year, Beth Murphy has been plotting to leave her abusive husband. The time has finally arrived, and this is her one chance at freedom. Each part of her plan has to be carefully thought out, because one small slip and her violent husband will find her.

A couple hundred miles away, Jeffrey returns home from a work trip to find his wife, Sabine, is missing. Wherever she is, she’s taken almost nothing with her. Her abandoned car is the only trace of her the police have to go on, and all signs point to foul play.

Where is Sabine? And who is Beth? As her husband starts piecing together her whereabouts, Beth’ll have to make a decision about her future that will leave readers breathless.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780778305088
Publisher:	Park Row Books
Publication date:	04/28/2020
Edition description:	First Time Paperback
Pages:	384
Sales rank:	476,590
Product dimensions:	4.10(w) x 7.40(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Kimberly Belle is the USA Today and internationally bestselling author of five novels of suspense. Her third, The Marriage Lie, was a semifinalist in the 2017 Goodreads Choice Awards for Best Mystery & Thriller, and has been translated into a dozen languages. Before turning to fiction, Kimberly worked in marketing and nonprofit fundraising.

Editorial Reviews

04/08/2019

At the start of this intense thriller from Belle (Three Days Missing), a woman called Beth drives west from Arkansas into Oklahoma to escape her violent husband. She’s carefully planned her exit for almost a year. Meanwhile, Jeffrey Hardison returns to Pine Bluff, Ark., after a business trip to discover that his real estate broker wife, Sabine, is not yet home and has once again left the house a mess. When Sabine’s car is found abandoned, and her whereabouts remain unknown, Det. Marcus Durand of the Pine Bluff PD investigates and soon focuses on Jeffrey as the chief suspect in her disappearance. As the first-person narrative shifts among Beth, Jeffrey, and Marcus, hints of each main character’s motivations emerge. The stakes rise when the police learn that Jeffrey abused Sabine. Multiple plot twists keep the reader guessing all the way to the stunning conclusion, and the link between Beth and Sabine comes as one of the book’s bigger surprises. Belle once again displays a knack for high suspense. Agent: Nikki Terpilowski, Holloway Literary. (June)

Publishers Weekly

"An enthralling plot with compelling characters that make it impossible to pull yourself from the page. Belle has hit another one out of the park!" – Liv Constantine, internationally bestselling author of The Last Mrs Parrish and The Last Time I Saw You

"Kimberly Belle is astonishing. DEAR WIFE is an irresistible page-turner, the riveting story of a wife on the run. And yes, it's twisty, and full of secrets, and jaw-droppingly unpredictable. But what makes this thriller special is that it's also a deeply revealing portrait of a modern marriage. DEAR WIFE is so emotionally compelling it will haunt you long after you race through the pages." - Hank Phillippi Ryan, national bestselling author of Trust Me

"Subtle, insidious, clever... DEAR WIFE is spellbinding. I was hooked from the first page. You're going to love Kimberly Belle's latest outing. And you aren't going to see it coming..." - J.T. Ellison, New York Times Bestselling Author of Tear Me Apart

"This is Kimberly Belle at her best. The pacing is perfect in DEAR WIFE. A brilliant, terrifying thriller. My heart pounded the entire time I read it. Terrific!" - Kaira Rouda, USA Today bestselling author of The Favorite Daughter

"A woman on the run, a grieving husband, a bereft sister, a brokenhearted lover, a determined detective-or are they? Nothing is as it seems in Kimberly Belle's knockout thriller, DEAR WIFE. I tore through the pages of this clever, multi-layered stunner. Not even the most astute suspense fan will see what's coming until the final, jaw-dropping twist. Clear your calendar and put DEAR WIFE at the top of your to-be-read list. Five breathtaking stars!" - Heather Gudenkauf, New York Times bestselling author of The Weight of Silence and Before She Was Found

"DEAR WIFE had me at hello. From the moment I met Beth, a smart, tough woman on the run from her abusive husband, I couldn't stop reading-and that was before the twists started coming fast and furious. Written with heart, humor, and a hefty dose of truth beneath the thrills, DEAR WIFE is a wild and massively entertaining ride." - Amy Gentry, author of Good as Gone and Last Woman Standing

"Kimberly Belle's DEAR WIFE is a powerhouse psychological thriller, filled with all the twists and turns of a woman crafting herself a new identity while escaping an abusive marriage. Masterfully written, Belle has outdone herself with this thrilling and emotionally complex tale. This one shines." - Jennifer Hillier, author of Jar of Hearts

From the Publisher

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