The Dead Man's Wife

Mike Coletti #3

by Solomon Jones

A diabolical story about marriage gone awry—The next thrilling novel in the all-new Colletti series from acclaimed author Solomon Jones

She's a cop-turned defense lawyer. Her husband is a research scientist. She lives in a half-million-dollar home. Yet on this night, Andrea Wilson—a woman who seemingly has everything—awakens to a living nightmare. Her husband Paul is dead, she's covered in his blood, and the police are banging on her door. Andrea doesn't remember what happened, but she knows how it looks. With just a split second to make a choice, Andrea decides to run, and in doing so, risks everything in an attempt to clear her name.

Enter Detective Mike Coletti. He and Andrea shared a relationship once. Now all they share is the chase. As Andrea races to prove her innocence and Coletti struggles to track her down, they each uncover clues about the mystery of Paul's death. Along the way, Andrea uncovers the biggest mystery of all: Is her husband actually still alive?

Genres: Mystery

304 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2012

About the author

Solomon Jones is an Essence bestselling author whose novels include The Gravedigger’s Ball, The Last Confession, Payback, Cream, Ride Or Die, The Bridge, and Pipe Dream. He has appeared on NPR and CNN Headline News, and is a contributor to short story collections including Philadelphia Noir and Liar Liar. Formerly a professor of creative writing at Temple University, Jones is an award-winning columnist whose work has appeared in Essence, Newsday, the Philadelphia Inquirer, and the Philadelphia Daily News. Jones, the creator of the Words On The Street Literacy Program, lives in Philadelphia with his wife and children. His next novel, The Dead Man’s Wife, will be published in October 2012 by Minotaur Books, an imprint of Macmillan.

Reviews

[Myra Coleman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book. Thought Andrea was a selfish bi..... But that made her interesting. Surprised by some of the incidents, i.e. McAllister being a dirty cop. Also, liked the fact that Andrea didn't get off at the end. I really hate "happily ever after" books and endings.

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an excellent book! I absolutely recommend reading this mystery. This was the first book from Solomon Jones I have read and I quickly realized he likes to tie previous stories into current ones but please don't let that detract you from reading this book because this one is a great one! I enjoyed the turmoil of the characters and the gritty problems they faced or are continuing to face. I mean, what would you do if you woke up covered in blood and have no memory of what happened? Your husband is on the floor dead and the police are banging on your door? Do you put your trust in the police? Truly put your life in their hands? I think not...

[Debra Odom · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a pretty good crime/mystery book. It was an easy read. I have enjoyed all or the books in this trilogy. I am looking forward to reading more of Solomon Jones' books. This book had a lot of twists and turns. Andrea did not care about anyone but here self. She got her cousin killed. If she was not selfish her husband probably would still be alive. Detective Coletti finally found someone whom he could be happy with. No one could be trusted in this book.

[Harold Moulton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first crime novel, I believe. This was a very interesting well written book! Honestly, I was hesitant when it was suggested to me from the lady at the book fair that I purchased it from. I didn't think I would like a story like this. But I did! There are a few things that you will definitely get from the story. Your past will eventually catch up to you and it may not be so forgiving. Be very careful how you treat people, they could be stacking the deck to return the favor when time allows. Every deed done in the dark, will see light. Oh and, crime does pay, just not what you wanted to get paid. Great novel, glad I read it! Now, I must go back and read this Gravdigger novel that was mentioned. Thank you Mr. Jones.

[Yorely’s Munoz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really did enjoy this book! While I felt like it was a slow burn in the beginning; once it got juicy it was juicy the whole way until the last page. I could not put this book down! 4/5 for me

[Nardsbaby Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chase

Andrea Wilson is a former police officer turned attorney. She’s currently defending Tim Green, charged with killing a cop. Andrea believes he’s innocent and is willing to fight for the little man. While her work keeps her in the headlines, Andrea’s home life is in shambles.

Paul, Andrea’s husband is a research Scientist at Beech. He is on the verge of a major product that would net billions of dollars. Though his research is important to him, his heart is heavy as all he wants is to secure Andrea’s love.

An evening in leads to a chase through the streets of Philly. Andrea can’t remember what happened. Her bedroom looks like a crime scene and with that much blood, she’s looking like the one who is in need of an attorney. With so many bodies piling up, and the clock ticking, Coletti and Mann are on the hunt as well. Will they find Andrea in time? Or will there be more bloodshed?

THE DEAD MAN’S WIFE by Solomon Jones is spellbinding. I love how enthralled you become in the whodunit. Jones is truly a gifted writer that always makes me want to read more.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book but I HATED the ending!! I'd have been much happier with leaving things as x,y, and z bad guys got such and such punishment, this victim is here, etc and not the happy gooshy feeling he tried to leave us with. Maybe I just didn't care enough about that character to see them all happy & lovey with a new person? Honestly, now that I think about it, I didn't really care about any of the characters. There just wasn't a connection at.all.
I don't know, that ending just left a bad taste in my mouth and I almost gave this book a 2 for it, I'm still tempted to change it but I didn't want to give the whole story a lower rating for just a couple of pages.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author Solomon Jones book The Dead Man's Wife was a pretty interesting book. I know when I first started reading this I was busy multitasking and didn't really have time to just sit down and read. Now that I was able to get through this book I can see that it was an awesome story. Mr. Jones you did a wonderful job on this story line. Please do go out and by a copy of The Dead Man's Wife. The Dead Man's Wife

[Michael Bell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love novels by Solomon Jones. He writes Philly based mysteries and this one intersected South Philly and Center City numerous times. Andrea is a mixed race woman whose beauty doesn't compensate for a low sense of self-esteem. She achieves a level of success in her job. Her married life is less than perfect and an ill timed affair causes all kinds of havoc. Detective Colletti still has feelings for her after a relationship that is 20 years old. Murders happen throughout the book. An experimental drug is the basis for the mayhem. Excellent book.

[Andy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Within 30 pages, this book moved towards a cliché. The story is trite because the character development was poorly executed. Mike Coletti is haunted by a past tryst. Give me a break! So in every book, are we going to have to flash back to some unhappy moment in Coletti's life, invented to create a straw man of a plot twist? Don't waste your money on this trash. I'm not going to get mine back.

[Belinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

As always I enjoy Solomon Jones books. He writes excellent mysteries. There was lots of death in this book, all related to greed ( the almighty dollar). Some people will go to great lengths for money.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! This is the first book I've read by Solomon Jones & will read more by him! I didn't realize this is the 3rd book in the Coletti series until I was already halfway through the book, but I plan on reading The Last Confession next!

[Jill · Rating 2 out of 5]

So many cliches, I couldn't stand it.

[Michelle Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent book. I hope there are 17 more of these.