The Two Mrs. Carlyles

By: Suzanne Rindell

Narrated by: Elizabeth Romanski

A suspenseful and page-turning descent into obsession, love, and murder in the wake of San Francisco's most deadly earthquake--and Suzanne Rindell's most haunting novel since her acclaimed debut, The Other Typist

Which wife holds the darker secret?

San Francisco, 1906. Violet is one of three people grateful for the destruction of the big earthquake. It leaves her and her two best friends unexpectedly wealthy--if the secret that binds them together stays buried beneath the rubble. Fearing discovery, the women strike out on their own, and orphaned, wallflower Violet reinvents herself.

When a whirlwind romance with the city's most eligible widower, Harry Carlyle, lands her in a luxurious mansion as the second Mrs. Carlyle, it seems like her dreams of happiness and love have come true. But all is not right in the Carlyle home, and Violet soon finds herself trapped by the lingering specter of the first Mrs. Carlyle, and by the inescapable secrets of her own violent history.

Critic reviews

Praise for The Two Mrs. Carlyles

One of CrimeReads’ Best Psychological Thrillers of 2020
One of Liberty Hardy's Favorite Books of 2020

“A gripping, twisting novel of historical suspense set in the aftermath of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, The Two Mrs. Carlyles explores trust and deception among lifelong friends.” —Shelf Awareness

“Fans of gothic historical fiction and historical romantic suspense will find much to enjoy here.” —Booklist

“A suspenseful and page-turning descent into obsession, love, and murder in the wake of San Francisco’s most deadly earthquake–and Suzanne Rindell’s most haunting novel since her acclaimed debut.” —Criminal Element

“The Two Mrs. Carlyles is a sometimes-spooky adventure novel with lots of unpredictable twists and engaging characters.” —Historical Novels Review

"Sizzles with tension from its first pages to its last . . . In a lushly imagined tribute to Daphne du Maurier and Charlotte Brontë, Rindell fills her historical Gold Coast with brooding bachelors, arsenic victims, and unquiet spirits." —Lyndsay Faye, author of Jane Steele

“If you loved Rindell’s The Other Typist, if you adored Jane Eyre, if you were riveted by Rebecca, you will be enthralled by The Two Mrs. Carlyles . . . Eerie and suspenseful . . . Rindell reminds her readers how quickly trust can be shattered.”—Amy Poeppel, author of Small Admissions

“Evil is endlessly imaginative and such dark fun, whether set in 1906 or today. The Two Mrs. Carlyles makes that abundantly clear.” —Rita Mae Brown, author of Rubyfruit Jungle and the Sneaky Pie mystery series

wonder mystery

Awesome book. I picked up the hardcover and finished the book on Audible. I could not put it down just wanting to see what would happen next and the twisted plot ending, who saw that coming?

great thriller!

A great read that kept me guessing. Also, being from SF, it was so much fun picturing the city as it was in the early 1900s.

Predictable

I enjoyed this book, but it was predictable and I guessed the villain 1/2 way through. I thought Violet was immature and gullible for being the heroine and it wasn’t believable that a sophisticated millionaire would fall for her. All in all it was a typical gothic romance.

Rebecca ripoff

This is the first book by this author that I didn’t like. Her other three books were wonderful. This one felt like she ran out of ideas and decided to recycle some elements from her first book, The Other Typist, with a big ripoff of the classic Rebecca. It didn’t work for me. And the ending....as if the author ran out of ideas ( or was up against a deadline) and just tacked on a final paragraph. So disappointing ! The narration was excellent, but couldn’t make up for the unoriginal plot.