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.

5 of 5 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.

11 of 13 people found this review helpful

Fairly entertaining

The story was, again, about domestic abuse... seems like novels these days are all grabbing that as the base for their story. This one DID have a good twist so had to give it 3 stars for the "twist".

Excellent story telling

Brilliantly written. Great suspense! Awesome pacing. What would you do?
#WhatsHappeningNow #OhNoHeDidn't #Marriage #Women #gripping #AnEndingYouWon'tBelieve #Crazy #sweepstakes
#tagsgiving

All Over The Place

This book is not worth your time or money. It was so all over the place I had a hard time understanding most of it. By the last 15 or so chapters I just wanted it to be overmatched But of course that's when the excitement starts. And itnqasnt even that exciting! I was very let down by this book. I get where the author was going and what they were trying to do but they just prolonged everything and should have found a way to better the switches from chapter to chapter and story to story. You never know which character is speaking as a chapter starts. It was just very frustrating to me.

A unique read

It had a bit of a slow start for me but I think that's because it was very triggering. I went in not realizing it was about domestic violence and Narcissist Personality Disorder, so I wasn't prepared. Once I was through the beginning I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was different than most books of this type, which was very refreshing!

unoriginal but good narration

If it wasnt for the entertaining narration I might have quit on this one. Not a bad story just one I feel Ive read a 100 times (dont mean to spoil so feel free to stop here! but its your basic...charming Jekyll and Hide man and a naive female who eventually, finally gets her sh*t together...the end).

Not the best

Predictable with an annoyingly naive and gullible central character. The signs are all too obvious that Nicholas is a control freak but Eleanor doesn't run a mile like most women with half a brain would. Unfortunately there is nothing new in this story, it has no subtlety or build up. I was disappointed as it sounded much better than it was.

great read

loved this. really kept up the pace for interest.
good twists and turns. message timely.

This one kept me listening!

This started out a little slow for me but heated quickly after the first few chapters. The story telling style reminded me of the novel “A Simple Favor” (which I loved BTW), where the author tells the story from different perspectives in parts. Every time I thought I had the plot figured out, there was a twist, that I didn’t see coming. Would love to see this made into a movie.

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.

3 of 3 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.

5 of 6 people found this review helpful

enthralling listening

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

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

Excellent

Best audiobook I have listened to. Believable characters and tension building all the way through.

0 of 3 people found this review helpful

Awesome one of the best books I have listened to

I enjoyed every aspect of this book it tackles a very difficult subject sensitively whilst still remaining a gripping listen. I had a job to turn it off I was so engrossed in it. The characters are very well defined and I had enormous empathy for the woman and what they were put through. I loved the narrator and felt that she was the perfect choice for this book. All in all a tremendous listen.

0 of 3 people found this review helpful

thriller with close to the bone storyline

One of the best psychological thrillers I've read in a long time - kept me on the edge of my seat.

0 of 3 people found this review helpful