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The Wife: A Novel Paperback – November 6, 2018
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“This might be the most gripping, insightful work from the best-selling author Alafair Burke yet. She poses a seemingly impossible, if undeniably compelling, challenge: a woman must either save her life or defend her husband, but not both.” — Entertainment Weekly
From New York Times bestselling author Alafair Burke, a stunning domestic thriller in the vein of Behind Closed Doors and The Woman in Cabin 10—in which a woman must make the impossible choice between defending her husband and saving herself.
His Scandal - Her Secret
When Angela met Jason Powell while catering a dinner party in East Hampton, she assumed their romance would be a short-lived fling, like so many relationships between locals and summer visitors. To her surprise, Jason, a brilliant economics professor at NYU, had other plans, and they married the following summer. For Angela, the marriage turned out to be a chance to reboot her life. She and her son were finally able to move out of her mother’s home to Manhattan, where no one knew about her tragic past.
Six years later, thanks to a bestselling book and a growing media career, Jason has become a cultural lightning rod, placing Angela near the spotlight she worked so carefully to avoid. When a college intern makes an accusation against Jason, and another woman, Kerry Lynch, comes forward with an even more troubling allegation, their life begins to unravel. Jason insists he is innocent, and Angela believes him. But when Kerry disappears, Angela is forced to take a closer look—at both the man she married and the women she chose not to believe.
This much-anticipated follow-up to Burke’s Edgar-nominated The Ex asks how far a wife will go to protect the man she loves.
- Print length352 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherHarper Paperbacks
- Publication dateNovember 6, 2018
- Dimensions5.31 x 0.79 x 8 inches
- ISBN-10006239052X
- ISBN-13978-0062390523
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Editorial Reviews
Review
“The latest novel from lawyer-turned-best-selling novelist Burke is as freshly topical as a #MeToo hashtag, but it unfolds with the slow-burn thrill of pure fiction…. A genuine shocker, sneaky and smart.” — Entertainment Weekly, “Must List”
“Fresh and timely.... The issue of sexual harassment and assault gets a new spin in Alafair Burke’s gripping new novel, The Wife.” — Associated Press
“Startlingly timely.... Sensational and sly.” — Laura Lippman, O, the Oprah Magazine
“For your group if: You like your #MeToo meme as a fast-paced narrative.” — Washington Post, Best New Thrillers
“An intriguing, twisty psychological thriller, The Wife had me tearing through the pages, never sure which characters to trust. Smart, suspenseful, and absolutely riveting.” — Megan Miranda, author of All the Missing Girls
“[Burke is] one of the more subtle suspense writers around. This has all the makings of a standout novel.” — LitHub
“This might be the most gripping, insightful work from the best-selling author Alafair Burke yet. She poses a seemingly impossible, if undeniably compelling, challenge: a woman must either save her life or defend her husband, but not both.” — Entertainment Weekly
“A timely, riveting, and deeply resonant psychological suspense novel.” — Library Journal
“Gripping.” — Karin Slaughter, author of Pieces of You
“Twisty and schemey.... Burke knows what she’s doing.” — Seattle Times
“Written by a former prosecutor with a genius for plot, this thrill ride of a novel takes a hard look at loyalty and the violence a secret can cause—especially when that secret involves a revered public figure accused of rape.” — O, The Oprah Magazine
“A subtly sneaky, emotionally complex, and utterly addictive novel of psychological suspense, The Wife delivers on all fronts. Burke always comes through with twisty plots and strong female characters, but she’s at the top of her game here.” — Lisa Scottoline, author of Exposed
“A wonderfully taut psychological thriller .... Storytelling at its best.” — Michael Connelly
“Burke is earning a reputation as one of the most nuanced, compelling authors working today.” — Crime Reads
“With plot twists and turns to the very end, this is a tantalizing follow-up to The Ex that will keep pages turning.” — Booklist
“Alafair Burke always delivers. The Wife is a timely, gracefully written exploration of family, crime, and the current media-soaked, celebrity-obsessed, smartphone-crazed moment. Highly recommended.” — William Landay, author of Defending Jacob
“A spellbinding novel that will keep her audience up into the wee hours of the night. ... The Wife contains no shortage of plot twists; even seasoned suspense fans will find themselves caught off guard by Burke’s zigs and zags.” — Bookreporter.com
“Burke’s female characters are always very involving, with big, strong voices.” — Gillian Flynn, author of Gone Girl
“[A] page-turner.... Classic domestic-thriller elements—the too-perfect couple, the unreliable narrator, the troubled past—are given a good workout in this satisfying round of ‘Who’s the Psycho?’” — Kirkus
“[A] roller-coaster of a domestic thriller.” — Publishers Weekly
“[Burke] brings authenticity to the legal intricacies of the plot. And she’s skilled at keeping the surprises accelerating, right to the last line.” — Tampa Bay Times
“Alafair Burke has been one of our finest suspense novelists for some time now, but in The Wife she takes new risks, and the result is her best novel yet.” — CT News
“Alafair Burke executes a plot twist at the end of The Wife that left this reviewer gasping in awe.” — Dayton Daily News
From the Back Cover
His Scandal, Her Secret
When Angela met Jason Powell while catering a dinner party in East Hampton, she assumed their romance would be a short-lived fling, like so many relationships between locals and summer visitors. To her surprise, Jason, a brilliant economics professor at NYU, had other plans, and they married the following summer. For Angela, the marriage turned out to be a chance to reboot her life. She and her son were finally able to move out of her mother’s home to Manhattan, where no one knew about her tragic past.
Six years later, thanks to a bestselling book and a growing media career, Jason has become a cultural lightning rod, placing Angela near the spotlight she worked so carefully to avoid. When a college intern makes an accusation against Jason, and another woman, Kerry Lynch, comes forward with an even more troubling allegation, their perfect life begins to unravel. Jason insists he is innocent, and Angela believes him. But when Kerry disappears, Angela is forced to take a closer look—at both the man she married and the women she chose not to believe.
About the Author
Alafair Burke is a New York Times bestselling author whose most recent novels include The Wife and The Ex, which was nominated for the Edgar Award for best novel. She also co-authors the bestselling Under Suspicion series with Mary Higgins Clark. A former prosecutor, she now teaches criminal law and lives in Manhattan and East Hampton.
Product details
- Publisher : Harper Paperbacks; Reprint edition (November 6, 2018)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 352 pages
- ISBN-10 : 006239052X
- ISBN-13 : 978-0062390523
- Item Weight : 9.6 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.31 x 0.79 x 8 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #219,394 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #4,774 in Psychological Thrillers (Books)
- #7,357 in Murder Thrillers
- #17,704 in Suspense Thrillers
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

Alafair Burke is the New York Times and internationally bestselling author of twenty novels.
Her most recent novel, FIND ME, has been called a "skillfully constructed, delightfully twisty thriller" (Booklist) and "a twisting, surprising, and satisfying new thrill ride" (Ms. Magazine). THE BETTER SISTER has been praised as “twisty” (BookBub), “mesmerizing” (Publishers Weekly), “fast-moving” (Library Journal), and “a non-stop thriller fest” (Suspense Magazine). THE WIFE was selected as a best-of-the-month pick by Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Entertainment Weekly, O (Oprah Magazine), and others. It is being adapted as a feature film, with Alafair writing the screenplay.
Her 2016 novel, THE EX, was nominated for an Edgar Award for Best Novel.
In addition to the standalone novels that have earned her a reputation as “a genius for plot” (Oprah Magazine) and “a virtuoso” of domestic suspense (Minneapolis Star Tribune), she authors “two power house series” (Sun-Sentinel) featuring NYPD Detective Ellie Hatcher and Portland Deputy District Attorney Samantha Kincaid. Alafair is also the co-author of the “Under Suspicion” series with Queen of Suspense Mary Higgins Clark.
Alafair's novels grow out of her experience as a prosecutor in America's police precincts and criminal courtrooms, and have been featured by The Today Show, People Magazine, The New York Times, O Magazine, MSNBC, The Washington Post, USA Today, and The Chicago Sun-Times. Harlan Coben has said she is "a major talent," and Dennis Lehane called her "one of the finest young crime writers working today" back when she was young.
A graduate of Stanford Law School and a former prosecutor, Alafair is now a professor at Hofstra Law School, where she teaches criminal law and procedure. She lives in New York City and East Hampton with her husband and two beloved dogs.
Learn more about Alafair at www.alafairburke.com. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and/or Instagram if you're prepared for a healthy dose of dog photos along with your book news.
Customer reviews
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To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonReviewed in the United States on May 8, 2022
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This is an extremely well written psychological story of love and suspense. The two merge so well that it is hard to categorize the novel. I’m not much on romance novels, yet I was hooked on this surreal suspenseful recounting of a “love” story as told by the main protagonist, Angela Powell, who fulfills the roles of potential lover and potential criminal. The final outcome is a total mind twist.
In fact, this entire novel is a mind twist. I love the originality of the way it is put together. All of the main characters are drawn with enough depth so that you know and like or dislike them—with the odd exception of the central character and story teller, Angela, the bewitched wife of wealthy superstar Jason Powell; famous author, professor at NYU, and owner of a private financial consulting business FSS. This reader’s opinions about Angela “the wife” vacillated constantly, finally coming to rest (as Ms. Burke mentions about Angela’s son Spencer) somewhere “on the grassy knoll with Lee Harvey Oswald.”
The theme that kept coming back to me throughout the story was: "Oh! What a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive." This famous quote refers to how complicated life becomes when people start lying. It originally referred to a love triangle in the play “Marmion” by Sir Walter Scott. Appropriate as well to a love triangle in this story, but the lying started long before any triangles were formed herein. This quote is often used to talk about the complex destructive effect that lying tends to have on life. When people start lying, they have to remember all the details of the lie rather than their true memory in order to keep the lie going when others ask about it. The quote also refers to the fact that lying often has unforeseen consequences. And, Boy Howdy, do these lies, starting from Angela’s youth, ever have significant outcomes: shocking, astonishing, unanticipated and horrific.
Perhaps I’m alone in my reasoning, but Angela just does not act/react like your average well balanced individual. And, as Ms. Burke draws us further into the storyline, we find that Angela Powell is NOT a typical rich wife leading a sheltered existence with a son and a busy capable husband. However, because Ms. Burke fully engages the reader through incremental revelations regarding Angela’s past, the reader is given the means to better understand what makes the wife tick. And, whoa, time to hold on tight, because Ms. Burke takes us on a crazy wild ride, leaving us to reread, reflect, shake our heads, yell “don’t go there!” and finally just throw up our hands and enjoy the psychological rollercoaster ride!!!!
This is a hard novel to review without giving away too many spoilers but I have to say that I was captivated in the first chapter and didn’t stop reading until I had read the last 2 chapters (twice). Not only is our main protagonist a bit off, but there is something “disturbing, odd, conflicting and out of place” about Angela that reverberates with the reader. The storyline is so out there, yet so tightly drawn, as to be believable. And, it is this wild risky side of “the wife’s” personality that forms the basis for the entire novel. The ending, well, let’s just say, it fit the storyline but left me aching for a different ultimate resolution, which is hinted at in the last chapter, but is never to be.
The author has a wonderful writing style, very lyrical and flowing and I enjoyed the ingenuity of how this novel was put together. Bravo on a good read!! Highly recommended.
SUMMARY
Angela Powell's life looked pretty amazing to outside observers. She had Jason, her successful, handsome husband; Spencer, her beloved thirteen year old son and an incredible multi-million dollar home in Manhattan. She appeared to be living the dream life of an over-privileged NYC housewife. But what most people didn't know was that she had a painful secret from her past which continued to haunt her.
Things seemed to be going well for the Powell family until an intern with Jason's company came forward and accused him of inappropriate sexual behavior. Jason brushed it off as a misunderstanding and Angela believed him. The media got a hold of the story pretty quickly since Jason was an author and a minor celebrity, creating a whirlwind of bad press. The Powell's hired a very tough lawyer and the intern was quickly discredited. Just as the story began to die and public favor seemed to sway back toward Jason, another woman came forward accusing him of raping her.
The Powell family was once again in the center of a media frenzy. Both women threatened to sue Jason and take all the family's assets. The negative attention was destroying Jason's career and the attorney was costing a fortune. Their son Spencer was suffering at school and disappointing things about Jason were beginning to come to Angela's attention. But worst of all, Angela was worried about keeping her secret. No matter what, that secret needed to stay buried.
To add fuel to the fire, one of the women goes missing and guess who the start questioning immediately??? Jason, of course.
Does Angela even know the man she married? Is he capable of rape? Murder?
Top reviews from other countries
The introduction of Detective Corinne Duncan is excellent. She does not hesitate to keep ongoing no matter what obstacles are placed to keep her off the main track. Of all the characters in the book, she is the best.
As regards the ending of the story. I was not too happy with the conclusion. Having said that, though, it does end with Corrine realizing that while everyone might believe that all is fine, this is not necessarily true!















