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.

11 people found this 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.

19 people found this helpful

True to life!

This book captures abuse, both physical and emotional correctly. Here’s hoping we all have a guardian angel.

2 people found this helpful

Twisty turny

Overall good listen! It kept me guessing all the way to the end but it was really good. I appreciated the book so much more after listening to her personal message at the end. Thank you for your work!

1 person found this helpful

Good but

This book was a good read although it was a little confusing and hard to keep up with at times. Overall a good story though and worth the read.

1 person found this helpful

Amazing

Loved it! Fantastic and thrilling. Has a very intriguing spin! Couldn’t put it down!! Thanks for the wonderful read! ❤️

1 person found this helpful

Sadistic Character

Handsome, charismatic, calculating, sadistic, despicable, all describe the main male character. He’s pure evil and he seems outrageously ahead at every turn. I couldn’t stop listening! I am so turned on to this author and will be purchasing many more Laura Elliot books.

1 person found this helpful

Absolutely wonderful book

Absolutely loved this book! I could imagine every word in the book as though I was watching a movie or standing in the shoes of the characters.

1 person found this helpful

Believe It or Not.

The Wife Before Me is a work of fiction. Fiction mixed with truth. I found myself wanting the female characters to just say “No.” That isn’t possible as abused woman, children and sometimes men become enmeshed in their growing reality. Abuse happens. Consequently, the telling of the stories must be told.

Wow!

I don't know if I'm getting better at figuring these psychological thrillers out or if I just got lucky. My gut latched on to some things and it was not wrong. This was a really good read but I will say, the domestic violence throughout was hard to take in. If you are triggered at all by such content, you may want to pass. Otherwise, enjoy as it is well worth the time.

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.

5 people found this 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.

7 people found this helpful

Brilliant

So many twists and turns. Brilliant story, with a sad but deserved ending. Well done all

Edge of my seat!

Brilliant page turner, couldn’t put it down.

I was occasionally lost as to who was telling the story but soon picked it up again.

A bit far fetched at the end and a bit too drawn out without having a feel of a conclusion of wanting to have some sort of N apology from his mother especially, but overall very good.

Honest

Respectfully written giving hope and strength that there is a a way out for victims of domestic violence. Brutally and truthfully...... Narrated with such commitment.

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.

3 people found this helpful

Grippingly Amazing

This book is not for the faint hearted, as it gives detailed accounts of emotional and domestic abuse. The story is gripping and you will the victors forward and grimance at the offenders delivery and boldness. Well done Ms Elliot

A very good read indeed

This is the book that has made me realise my previous 5 star reviews should probably have been 4 star. The Wife Before Me by Laura Elliot was immediately engaging, but also quite disturbing. Not having personal experience of domestic abuse, I found some of the scenes quite horrific and difficult to comprehend. However it was quite clear that the author was extremely knowledgeable about the subject, and instead of disbelief I found the story to be an eye-opener into a world of which I thankfully have no experience. I enjoyed the way in which the main characters developed by the end of the book, observing how their actions were shaped by what had gone before, and how inter-twined they were. This was a fast-paced book which, towards the end, was incredibly hard to put down...and by the end, was exhausting! All those twists and turns, some of which I suspected, others that were a complete surprise. The book shifted the narrative between characters, providing different viewpoints of events, moving effortlessly back and forth from present to past to gradually build up the complete picture. A very good read indeed.

A very well crafted tale

I was drawn to this book by the narrator, having listened to a couple of books she has performed in.

Thank-you Michele Moran for introducing me to the works of Laura Elliot!

This is a very well crafted tale drawing on the secret world of domestic abuse.

Abused women.

Once past the first page,I couldn’t put this book down,
Horrified & believing all at the same time.
The envy of all, that perfect couple, come behind there closed hall door, & enter the spiders well, have your eyes opened to the unspeakable , methodical breaking of the spirit, but never quiet succeeding . That spark to live is stronger.
Wonderfully written, let it bring hope to any one in a similar situation .