The Wife Before Me

By: Laura Elliot

Narrated by: Michele Moran

Length: 12 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's Summary

One evening as the sun is setting, Amelia Madison’s car slides into the sea off Mason’s Pier. Her body is never found.

Two years later, Elena Langdon meets Nicholas Madison. She is grieving the loss of her mother, he is grieving for his wife. Together, they can help each other.

Now, Elena is living with Nicholas. But Elena doesn’t really know him. She doesn’t know what he is capable of. And she doesn’t know what really happened to Amelia.

Until the day she discovers the torn page of a letter and the words she reads chill her to the bone. 

Elena must find the person who wrote these letters if she is to save herself.

A totally breathtaking pause-resister about the darker side of love and what really goes on behind closed doors. This audiobook will have you gripped from the very first moment until the dramatic final twist.

©2018 Laura Elliot (P)2018 Bookouture

Critic Reviews

"Entertaining and highly thought-provoking." (Closer Magazine)

"This page-turner is gripping, all the more because it presents the dilemmas of betrayal with brutal honesty." (Irish Independent)

"This well-crafted and compelling story traces the deceits which begin unnoticed but end in the destruction of friendships and lives." (The Irish Times)

Unfortunately, it’s not a winner...

The story starts off like a typical domestic abuse situation but crucial character development is extremely lacking — I mean substantially. There wasn’t even any build up or much background provided and all the significant events happen so soon and then there’s nothing to look forward to aside from what’s already divulged in the summary. So all that happens between events are just filled with much sulking and actions with little to no reason behind it. Typically one of the best parts about domestic noir is seeing how things escalate or how the abuse is covered by either party, but it doesn’t happen. I had to start over many times to get in to it and ended up skipping around, and not missing much.

6 of 7 people found this review helpful

Just leave it alone

In a nutshell… Woman is beaten and abused every day by a husband she refuses to leave. When she’s not being beaten they are fighting. Add a controlling mother in law and you have this depressing pointless book.

12 of 15 people found this review helpful

Excellent!

Although this book was slightly confusing at the beginning, I highly recommend it. Great story!

Good book.

As a survivor of domestic violence, both as a child and wife, this story truly depicts the mind of a controlling, egotistical piece of crap Male person that will go to any lengths to maintain that control. It rang so true it was, at times, difficult for me to continue. It was very well written and narrated.

A really wonderfully told story....

I’m not a professional reviewer. I am, however, a voracious reader. This book was really a thrill from beginning to end. I’m glad to have discovered a n author new to me. Well done.

Not twisty or gripping.

I love psychological thrillers and will listen to just about anything from the genre but it was soooo difficult to get through this one. The first 2/3 of the book is about constant and predictable ongoing wife abuse the last 1/3 was trying to create a twist where there really wasn’t one. Very predictable, very blah. On top of all that the character names were all very much the same and hard to keep straight with the single narrator.

Only gets better!

I gave this story 5 stars because I loved and was impressed by some twists that came along! The narrator, Michele Moran, is EXCELLENT! I got a lot of pleasure and more from the Audible version.

All around poor

First the audio struggles with the Alexa app. Second, the narrator seemed disconnected from the story. Third after over two hours of listening I was still waiting for something interesting to start. Why it is rated so high is beyond me. I didn’t give it a worse score because I never finished (possible it made a miracle late comeback)

Wow!

This book is so incredible. I have no words. My jaw is still dropped! I finished this audible book in a day and a half. While Grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning, kids, husband. Listened with Car, ear buds, computer, you name it. I listened to it!

Make sure you listen to this carefully. It can get very confusing! Listen to the names and how they are pronounced. They get confusing! But, in a good way. I love this book and sad, but true. Overwhelmed with truth, day to day life, sadness and hardness. Absolutely brilliant! Best book I have ever listened to or read.

Please write more!!!!

Although written in fiction, it tells the tales of many truths that lay hidden in plain sight.

Weak

Just weak, couldn’t get into it & I didn’t like the narrators accent, I’m sure some will love it but it’s not for me.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

WOEFUL! FELL ASLEEP LISTENING TO THIS DISMAL TALE

I usually do not write reviews for books I do not like and instead simply return them but as this has been likened to my favourite book of all time REBECCA by the amazing Daphne du Maurier. I feel I have to say something to save others from being so very disappointed. Admittedly I have not finished this book as I fell asleep shortly after the story established and switched off quickly after I awoke as could not bear to hear any more. I would say this book is much more like the film Sleeping with the Enemy except that was glamorous, thrilling and exciting despite its gritty topic - whereas this seems to be a drab domestic story with a lot about mourning dead mothers/missing wives, coping with bereavement, having babies, breast feeding and miscarriages featuring unlikable drippy people.
I did not enjoy the narration as it too seemed whittery and wimpy. This could have been the content and the maudlin, annoying characters rather than the actor who did give a good performance of a tiresome tale. I have no desire to waste any more time being depressed by this so I do not know if I am correct about the so called "twisting, turning" plot but strikes me more like drudgery from a same again soap storyline than a thriller. So if you are looking for mystery, intrigue and attractive fascinating characters as in Rebecca or even brave and courageous actions and thrilling twists and turns as in Sleeping with the Enemy then this is probably not the book for you.

6 of 7 people found this review helpful

Great read

Such a good read. the subject matter was chilling. I shall be listening to more of this author's books.

Enthralling

A very good listen with plot twists and turns, time lapse and an enduring thread. Well worth spending a few evening's with

Traumatic tale...

I was sucked in to this tale of despair and drawn into each and every incident I ever suffered at the hands of my ex husband and reminded of what a fool I was to stay too long. But then, domestic violence does that to you.
What a fool I was to listen to his lies,.. his promises of improvement.... of never doing it again... never hurting me again... but they always do.

I can’t stop listening but want to grab this woman by the shoulders and shake some sense into her. But am helpless to do anything other than bear witness...

Don’t isolate yourselves from your friends and family..... take help where you can, make plans, get out.... it is possible.... and do you know, years later friends and family always tell me they ‘suspected ‘ but still I was stuck, I endured...

I feel nauseas, foolish..... but also victorious as I got out, I’m a successful woman in my own right, and yes, it was hard, it was stressful ... but I did it on my own, without him, and despite everything he ever did to me, I not only survived.... I thrive...


I am free now, married to an amazing man, but this tale truly is a traumatic visitation down memory lane

Beautiful, haunting, terrifying

A grieving young woman meets an attractive and charming man at her mother’s funeral. Slowly he helps to to come to terms with her loss and in doing so, takes over her life. His wife disappeared several years before, so they make vows: ‘until death us do part’. Despite some strange behaviour from him which perhaps should have warned her, she moves in to his cottage in the country, filled with memories and photographs of his beautiful wife, including the locked master bedroom. Can she ever live up to the memory of her glittering predecessor? Lulled into believing that this is an excellent and believable modern re-write of Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca, it is a surprise when it becomes more sinister, more frightening and more ethereal, a story of friendship, love and madness, centred on the very real issue of domestic abuse and coercive control. Twists and turns that would be difficult to guess, this is a story that bears a re-read. Beautifully and compellingly read by the narrator.

2 of 5 people found this review helpful

fab

absolutely brilliant caught up in the story line from start to finish.. looking forward to the next one👌 can't wait!!

1 of 4 people found this review helpful

Superb

Beautifully written. Poignantly heartbreaking at times. Totally gripping! Felt authentic and that made it all the more terrifying! Highly recommend!

1 of 4 people found this review helpful

great and intriguing from start to end

Great and intriguing book from start to end. It is a great book. It is a good story and it is an eye-opener. Highly recommended listening story.

0 of 2 people found this review helpful

enthralling listening

Enjoyed listening to this book. The characters created were captivating. Wanting me to keep listening. Highly recommended

0 of 2 people found this review helpful