A review by emily_loves_2_read
Two Dead Wives by Adele Parks

dark tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

Two Dead Wives

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Author: Adele Parks

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Harlequin and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: Lost. Missing. Murdered? How do you find a woman who didn’t exist?

It's a case that has gripped a nation: A woman with a shocking secret is missing, presumed dead. And her two husbands are suspects in her murder.

DCI Clements knows the dark side of human nature and that love can make people do treacherous things. You can’t presume anything when it comes to crimes of the heart. Until a body is found, this scandalous and sad case remains wide open.

Stacie Jones lives a quiet life in a small village, nursed by her father as she recovers from illness, and shielded from any news of the outside world. But their reclusive life is about to be shattered.

How are these families linked, and can any of them ever rebuild their lives in the wake of tragedy?

My Thoughts: This was the second book in the DC Clements series. I have the first one on my TBR but did not read it and had no issues following along, so this can absolutely be read as a standalone. This psychological thriller was tense, captivating and explosive. It starts a bit confusing but as it goes along, you completely understand what is happening. It makes national news on a women’s disappearance with both husbands suspected of foul play. Then jump over to Stacie Jones who lives a quiet life with her father as she recovers from a serious illness. As their lives intersect, are they connected? Will they be able to rebuild a happy life with so much tragedy? 

The story has multiple narrators. This plot line was very attention grabbing, “a bigamist woman is missing,” and kept my interest peaked. Kylie had created two very separate and different lives, one with Daan, living a very high lifestyle with the wealthy, socializing with high powered VIPs and A-List celebrities. Then she has a life with Mark, more of the family life with two stepsons that she really adores. Neither husband was none the wiser until she went missing, then the dam broke. Kylie definitely made mistakes but the husbands were not necessarily the victim in this scenario, Daan was a cheater, never a one-woman man, while Mark essentially dumped the responsibility of the kids, who are not biologically hers, on her shoulders. The characters were well fleshed out, especially if you read the first book, they were mysterious, intriguing, and creatively. The author’s writing style was complex, suspenseful, twisty, and captivating. 

This checks all of the boxes for a psychological thriller, it is twisty, devious, creepy, dark, and captivating. I would highly recommend picking up the book or audiobook.