Thought this was a stand alone-- and it works as such, but apparently there is a book before this one. Picked up from a book exchange shelf. ( )

Part of the book description sums the story up fairly well with the questions, "Lost? Missing? Murdered? How do you find a woman who didn’t exist? This book reads like it might be a sequel to an earlier book. Of, course I didn't read the earlier book. If anyone is remotely surprised by that...please raise your hand:) I didn't think so. I did find the earlier book entitled [Woman Last Seen]. Authors should understand that there are people like me and not confuse us with reading in order:) The detectives aren't sure that she has been murdered...there's no body, but they have two likely suspects...the two husbands who were unaware that the other even existed... so there was really no cause for them to even be suspects. They've been able to trace her last whereabouts, but still no Kylie. One of the husbands seemed to have moved on, but the detectives aren’t ready to let him off the hook. Finally, we get to learn why Kylie was living two separate lives. The entire story felt like too much information to absorb with each chapter highlighting a different character producing "information overload" for this reader...but it did begin to provide a solid framework for the story. It began to really advance when we met Stacie Jones, a woman recovering from an illness. There’s something odd about how protective Stacie's father is of her, which will become a significant part of the plot later on. It does have a satisfying conclusion, but I do recommend reading the first book before tackling this one. ( )

DCI Clements #2. I did not read #1, but this book reads more like a stand-alone. Clements and the police seemed like secondary characters and I did not feel like I missed anything. One woman recovering from brain cancer, two woman missing, a shocking discovery (or 2), add a helpful friend, a husband charged with murder, two heartbroken kids and you have one crazy ride!

Story is totally far fetched and absolutely fun. At first I found it hard to follow all the characters and scenarios then quickly got into the flow and couldn’t wait to see how things came together. This is like reading a puzzle trying to see how the pieces fit. Some characters are more likable, more deserving of our empathy than others. Ending had a few surprises that weren’t as I expected but totally made sense. Overall, this was a fun escape!

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this ARC. This is my honest opinion. ( )

Kylie Gillingham has gone missing and her secret has been exposed. Kylie is married to two different husbands. To one husband she is a trophy wife and to the other she is a devoted stepmother. Then there is Stacie Jones. Stacie has no memory at all. It has been wiped out from surgery. But soon her reclusive life will be destroyed.

This story is a bit slow in places, especially towards the end. So in other words, it seems too long and a bit predictable. I did enjoy the characters. But it can be a bit confusing in places in that it is told from different perspectives.

I have not read the first book in this series. I might have liked this one more if I had.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review. ( )

Two Dead Wives by Adele Parks is a highly recommended mystery.

Set during the covid lockdowns in London, DCI Clements and partner Tanner is investigating the case of missing bigamist Kylie Gillingham. She went by Leigh in her marriage to Mark Fletcher and was the mother to the couple’s two sons, Oli and Seb. In her marriage to wealthy Dutch businessman Daan Janssen, she went by the name Kai. Both husbands are suspects, although more attention is on Daan as a case could be made for his guilt. A body hasn't been found so the investigation is ongoing.

During the same time Stacie Jones is recovering from a brain tumor at her father’s house by the sea. She has severe memory loss and few memories from her life. She does have brief flashes of memories of two different men, but has no current context to understand what she is recalling. Her father is a bit of a Luddite, so she has no access to the internet and no cell phone. She does find her environment peaceful and healing even while she wants to remember more.

After what feels like a rather slow start, things begin to pick up later in the narrative. The flow of the novel would have benefited with some editing and tightening up. The lockdown is actually well used in the plot as characters look forward to Freedom Saturday so it didn't immediately elicit my ire while reading, which is a plus. It is pretty elemental to figure out Stacie's connection to the rest of the mystery, so the really compelling part of the story doesn't begin until later in the novel.

The main characters are all portrayed as multifaceted individuals and easily to distinguish from each other. They are all in a precarious situation and are dealing with varying levels of uncertainty, mourning the loss of something, and trying to figure things out and move on.

This is a sequel to the previous novel titled Woman Last Seen, alternately titled Both of You. Two Dead Wives was originally published 8/17/23 first with the title You're the One and then Just Between Us. It appears part of the mystery may be readers having to figure out the title and if they have already read the novel. Personally, I'm not a fan of changing the original title of a novel, especially multiple times for different markets.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of MIRA Books via NetGalley.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2023/12/two-dead-wives.html ( )