The Wife Stalker
A Novel
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3.9 • 890 Ratings
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
The bestselling author of The Last Mrs. Parrish—a Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick—returns with a psychological thriller, filled with chilling serpentine twists, about a woman fighting to hold onto the only family she’s ever loved—and how far she’ll go to preserve it.
Named one of the most anticipated thrillers of the year by Goodreads, Bustle, SheReads, and Library Journal; A LibraryReads pick of the month
Breezing into the upscale seaside paradise of Westport, Connecticut, gorgeous thirtysomething Piper Reynard sets down roots, opening a rehab and wellness space and joining a local yacht club. When she meets Leo Drakos, a handsome, successful lawyer, the wedding ring on his finger is the only thing she doesn’t like about him. Yet as Piper well knows, no marriage is permanent.
Meanwhile, Joanna has been waiting patiently for Leo, the charismatic man she fell in love with all those years ago, to re-emerge from the severe depression that has engulfed him. Though she’s thankful when Leo returns to his charming, energetic self, paying attention again to Evie and Stelli, the children they both love beyond measure, Joanna is shocked to discover that it’s not her loving support that’s sparked his renewed happiness—it’s something else.
Piper. Leo has fallen head over heels for the flaky, New Age-y newcomer, and unrepentant and resolute, he’s more than willing to leave Joanna behind, along with everything they’ve built. Of course, he assures her, she can still see the children.
Joanna is devastated—and determined to find something, anything, to use against this woman who has stolen her life and her true love. As she digs deeper into Piper’s past, Joanna begins to unearth disturbing secrets . . . but when she confides to her therapist that she fears for the lives of her ex-husband and children, her concerns are dismissed as paranoia. Can she find the proof she needs in time to save them?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Not even a late-breaking, game-changing twist can quite salvage this disappointing psychological thriller from Constantine (The Last Mrs. Parrish). Much of the fault lies in the story's two protagonists, alternating (and unreliable) narrators Piper and Joanna, who are vying for the affections of Leo Drakos, a depressed, workaholic but well-off Westport, Conn., lawyer and father of two. Glamorous recent arrival Piper, who has bought a local recovery center as part of a new identity to distance herself from the suspicious deaths of her husband and teen stepdaughter in a sailing accident, quickly sets her cap for Leo, never mind that Joanna is already living with Leo. For her part, Joanna is slow to recognize the danger posed by the seductive interloper and swiftly finds herself on the outside looking in. Though readers may root for Joanna as she delves into the narcissistic Piper's past in a race to win back the family she loves so fiercely, many of her actions are puzzling if not downright off-putting for reasons that will only become clear with the flabbergasting final reveals. Constantine has done better.
Customer Reviews
Just a good book with som plot twists to keep you guessing. Good writer. I will read more from her.
Just a good book with som plot twists to keep you guessing. Good writer. I will read more from her.
Didn’t see that coming!
Leo is suffering from depression. He’s been in a funk for months. Joanna is hoping she can help him out of it, to save her family. She’s been supportive and encouraging. Joanna knows Leo won’t seek help, but finds a way to use a current situation to get him to go to a mediation day at a local mental health recovery center.
Leo meets Piper, the owner of the center. They skip out on the lunch provided at the meditation day. Piper has her eyes and heart set on snagging Leo’s affections.
When Joanna’s mother falls and needs her to move back in with her as her caretaker, Leo decides this is the time to move on. He files paperwork and sends all of Joanna’s belongings to her mother’s home. Joanna is heartbroken and determined to win Leo back.
It isn’t until the very end when I realized what I was reading wasn’t the full truth. I did not see what was so clearly obvious until it smacked me in the face! Normally I have it somewhat figured out before the reveal, but not this time! Great storyline and great way of hiding the plot twist!
Obsessed
This book had me screaming and shocked and sucked in from start to finish. Absolutely loved this book.