The Hidden Wife by Amanda Reynolds | @amandareynoldsj @Wildfirebks | #RandomThingsTours

Delighted to welcome you all to my stop on the blog tour for The Hidden Wife by Amanda Reynolds. My thanks to Anne Cater at Random Things Tours for the opportunity to join and to the publisher for my review copy!

Author : Amanda Reynolds
Title : The Hidden Wife
Pages : 382
Publisher : Wildfire
Publication date : July 25, 2019

| ABOUT THE BOOK |

She was young and beautiful, married to a famous author. They were celebrating their anniversary at their stunning country estate. So why did Julia Blake walk out of her perfect life, apparently leaving no trace?

Seren, a junior reporter for the local paper, can’t believe her luck when she lands an exclusive with Julia’s husband, Max. But as Seren spends more time at the couple’s remote mansion, probing ever deeper into the case, dark questions await.

What was Julia really like, behind closed doors? Was her marriage to this brooding, secretive man as perfect as it seemed? And did she really mean to disappear that night – or was she murdered? 

| MY THOUGHTS |

Junior reporter, Seren, can’t believe her luck when she’s asked to sit down for an exclusive interview with famous author Max Blake. Max’s wife, Julia, went missing nine months ago. Ever since then, Max has been living as somewhat of a recluse, hiding away in his country estate. This interview is quite the scoop for Seren and could mean a huge step up the career ladder. But the more time she spends with Max at his home, the more unsettled Seren becomes. What really happened to Julia? Did she walk away from her marriage? Or was she murdered?

Right from the start, there are so many things that tick the boxes for me. A remote mansion with various outbuildings that are hiding goodness knows what, a rich author who writes thrillers and surely knows a thing or two about hiding a body, his much MUCH younger wife who has vanished into thin air … I mean, as far as a premise goes for a mystery to be solved, it doesn’t get much better than this.

I couldn’t at all figure out what had happened to Julia. Husband Max isn’t exactly a likeable or maybe even reliable character, taking hormonal mood swings to a whole new level. All this combined naturally make him stand out as a suspect and he is the police’s main focus. And let’s not even begin to discuss his PA, Miriam, who gave me the creeps. This lovely home in this glorious setting hides a multitude of secrets, lies, deception and betrayal. The answer to the “where is Julia” question completely eluded me and Amanda Reynolds kept me guessing until the end.

Not only is Julia’s disappearance a completely mystery, Julia herself is a character we learn very little about which added that little something extra to the story. The only information we get comes from her husband, Miriam and a friend or two. But which one of those really knew her and what was she really like?

The Hidden Wife is a very atmospheric, sometimes quite claustrophobic read. Full of suspense and red herrings, this clever plot held my attention throughout. With a bunch of intriguing characters, there’s quite a bit to sink your teeth into here and that includes a rather interesting background story for Seren herself. A gripping story that once again shows you just never know what goes on behind closed doors. This is the second book I’ve read by Amanda Reynolds and I have no doubt I’ll be reading more by her in future.

The Hidden Wife will be published in paperback format on Thursday!

Affiliate link : Bookdepository
Other retailers : Amazon US | Amazon UK | Kobo | Waterstones | Wordery

| ABOUT THE AUTHOR |

Amanda Reynolds lives in the Cotswolds with her family where she writes full-time.

Her debut novel, Close To Me, is a #1 e-book best- seller. The Hidden Wife is her third book.