The Innocent Wife

Crime

Women's Fiction

Psychological Thriller

⭐A 2018 Top Rated Read⭐

By Amy Lloyd

Paperback 400 pages

Publisher Arrow (4th Oct 2018)

ASIN B01MT5CXJN
ISBN-13 978-1784757106

"This is an original, assured and compelling tale of obsession. Amy Lloyd is a startling new talent, destined to become a big name." Peter James

📕My Review

Dennis Danson is on Death Row for the murder of a young girl twenty years earlier in Red River, Florida. He's the subject of a true-crime documentary, currently in production, which aims to clear his name and secure his release. 

Schoolteacher Samantha, disillusioned with her life in Britain, takes an interest in Dennis' case and writes to him on Death Row. He replies and  their relationship blossoms through their correspondence.

Convinced of his innocence, Samantha leaves Britain and becomes Dennis' wife. She joins the campaign for his release - ever hopeful of starting a new life with the man she loves. However, after Dennis regains his freedom, little things begin to niggle Samantha and she starts to doubt her husband's innocence.

Author Amy Lloyd has written a gripping, character-driven, debut psychological thriller. There's an underlying sense of tension throughout - you're unsure whether Dennis is innocent or if he is, in fact, a master of manipulation and a monster. This made the book compulsive reading - I struggled to put it down until I discovered the truth. 

Dennis and Samantha came across as believable characters. Samantha was searching for her Happy Ever After in a dull life 'filled' with emptiness. Writing to Dennis on Death Row gave her a new zest; although naively viewed thorough rose-tinted spectacles. Dennis, on the other hand, was confident and handsome but controlling and flawed. 

I really enjoyed Amy Lloyd's writing. The story flowed nicely and it was perfectly paced to allow just the right amount of creepiness to seep in. If you haven't got this book on your To Read list for 2018, I recommend you go and put it on there - like now! 

I received an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.

Barnsey's Books Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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📗The Blurb

A young schoolteacher falls for a man on Death Row whom she believes is falsely accused, only to begin wondering after their marriage – and his release.

Twenty years ago Dennis Danson was arrested for the brutal murder of Holly Michaels in Florida’s Red River County. Now he’s the subject of a Making a Murderer-style true crime documentary that’s taking the world by storm – the filmmakers are whipping up a frenzy of coverage to uncover the truth and free the victim of a gross miscarriage of justice.

Samantha may be thousands of miles away in Britain, but she is as invested in Dennis’s case as any of his lawyers. Perhaps even more so, as her letters to the convicted killer grow ever more intimate. Soon she is leaving her life behind to marry Danson and campaign, as his wife, for his release.

But when the campaign is successful, and Dennis is freed, events begin to suggest that he may not be so innocent after all. How many girls went missing in Red River, and what does Dennis really know?

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