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The Four Wives and Five Deaths of Richard Milford
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From the author of the multi-award-winning, National Book Award–longlisted, “vivid, fast, funny, way-smart, and verbally inventive” (George Saunders) story collection Heads of the Colored People, comes a sly, spry, tall tale of a debut novel about the murder of an infamous moonshiner and the cacophony of true stories a small town can tell about itself.
Rich Milford is dead. At last.
We find ourselves in Oklahoma, just far enough out of Tulsa, just long enough after the Massacre of 1921. For as long as anyone can remember, the Milfords have led plentiful lives on the backs of the townspeople of Newville. Now, on the ominous brink of the Great Depression and at the height of Prohibition, Richard Milford is an infamous moonshiner and womanizer and, it seems, finally crossed the wrong person at the wrong time. He’s dead and buried with no one but his women to mourn him but a question who killed him, and why?
Top suspects are his four “wives,” Lally, Sophronia, Georgette, and Vivianne. But as their stories burst to light in a volley of competing narratives, the very idea of a true story comes apart before our eyes.
In an electric follow-up to her beloved and critically acclaimed debut collection, Nafissa Thompson-Spires once again serves up a brilliant distillation of front-of-mind happenings—think, cults of personality, capitalism run amok in politics, and rampant societal distrust—this time magicked into taut historical fiction structured as a stupefying line dance. In her uniquely powerful, humorous manner, Thompson-Spires takes on the interdependent clash of the traditional and the new-fangled in this genre-bending, gob-smackingly excellent debut.
Rich Milford is dead. At last.
We find ourselves in Oklahoma, just far enough out of Tulsa, just long enough after the Massacre of 1921. For as long as anyone can remember, the Milfords have led plentiful lives on the backs of the townspeople of Newville. Now, on the ominous brink of the Great Depression and at the height of Prohibition, Richard Milford is an infamous moonshiner and womanizer and, it seems, finally crossed the wrong person at the wrong time. He’s dead and buried with no one but his women to mourn him but a question who killed him, and why?
Top suspects are his four “wives,” Lally, Sophronia, Georgette, and Vivianne. But as their stories burst to light in a volley of competing narratives, the very idea of a true story comes apart before our eyes.
In an electric follow-up to her beloved and critically acclaimed debut collection, Nafissa Thompson-Spires once again serves up a brilliant distillation of front-of-mind happenings—think, cults of personality, capitalism run amok in politics, and rampant societal distrust—this time magicked into taut historical fiction structured as a stupefying line dance. In her uniquely powerful, humorous manner, Thompson-Spires takes on the interdependent clash of the traditional and the new-fangled in this genre-bending, gob-smackingly excellent debut.
176 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication October 6, 2026
About the author
Nafissa Thompson-Spires
7 books465 followersNafissa Thompson-Spires earned a doctorate in English from Vanderbilt University and a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from the University of Illinois. Her work has appeared in Story Quarterly, Lunch Ticket, and The Feminist Wire, among other publications. She was a 2016 fellow of the Callaloo Writer’s Workshop.
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Review of advance copy received from Publisher
full review tk closer to pub day but this was a powerfully multifaceted novel despite being so short!
——
i’ve been meaning to read this, and it’s such a quick read, so time to dive in!
a man is dead and his four wives are suspected…
——
i’ve been meaning to read this, and it’s such a quick read, so time to dive in!
a man is dead and his four wives are suspected…
July 28, 2026
THE FOUR WIVES AND FIVE DEATHS OF RICHARD MILFORD by @nafissa.thompson.spires — thanks to @scribnerbooks for the #gifted advance copy.
When I read these masterfully intricate and tangled up sentences, I kept thinking about Charles Dickens. When I felt that accordion push and pull of shrinking and growing time, warping back and forth, I kept thinking about Clarice Lispector.
Whatever this was, whatever it is, it’s all Nafissa Thompson-Spires and I loved every single bit of this hazy, high-brow, blurry-lined highwire act of a novel. Let me just say: It cha-cha’d REAL smooth.
Richard Milford is a miserable, messy, picky polygamist oil tycoon with a whole house full of wives and children. When he turns up dead, washed up in the storm water, bloated and broken and beaten, there aren’t really any tears. Nobody actually liked this man, really, did they?
There is a mystery at the heart of this novel that sucked me in like a vacuum. I emerge now on the other side a bit unsure of myself—what exactly DID happen? Who actually did kill Rich?
A man who tries to live five different lives, five different ways has to die just as many times, does he not?
The timeline, the plot points, the actions and motivations of the main characters, all exquisitely rendered and heartfelt, deliciously alive women that orbit Milford—well it was all so bright as I hovered my magnifying glass over each short chapter, but now as a whole, the dots don’t quite traditionally connect.
This is such a satisfying, haunted tale that I’m honestly just quite in awe of. It’s out in October, and I expect this makes more award lists as they roll out. I picked it up as soon as I saw it on the @center4fiction first novel prize longlist, and I could see it taking the whole thing.
A complex, twisted little fiery masterpiece.
When I read these masterfully intricate and tangled up sentences, I kept thinking about Charles Dickens. When I felt that accordion push and pull of shrinking and growing time, warping back and forth, I kept thinking about Clarice Lispector.
Whatever this was, whatever it is, it’s all Nafissa Thompson-Spires and I loved every single bit of this hazy, high-brow, blurry-lined highwire act of a novel. Let me just say: It cha-cha’d REAL smooth.
Richard Milford is a miserable, messy, picky polygamist oil tycoon with a whole house full of wives and children. When he turns up dead, washed up in the storm water, bloated and broken and beaten, there aren’t really any tears. Nobody actually liked this man, really, did they?
There is a mystery at the heart of this novel that sucked me in like a vacuum. I emerge now on the other side a bit unsure of myself—what exactly DID happen? Who actually did kill Rich?
A man who tries to live five different lives, five different ways has to die just as many times, does he not?
The timeline, the plot points, the actions and motivations of the main characters, all exquisitely rendered and heartfelt, deliciously alive women that orbit Milford—well it was all so bright as I hovered my magnifying glass over each short chapter, but now as a whole, the dots don’t quite traditionally connect.
This is such a satisfying, haunted tale that I’m honestly just quite in awe of. It’s out in October, and I expect this makes more award lists as they roll out. I picked it up as soon as I saw it on the @center4fiction first novel prize longlist, and I could see it taking the whole thing.
A complex, twisted little fiery masterpiece.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I went into this expecting a straightforward historical mystery, but that’s not really what this book is, and honestly, I’m glad. It’s more like a chorus of voices all trying to tell their version of the truth, and somewhere in the middle of all that noise is the story of Rich Milford and the town that had every reason to want him gone.
Set in Oklahoma during Prohibition, the book builds around the death of this notorious moonshiner who clearly made a lot of enemies. On paper, it sounds simple: figure out who killed him. But the story quickly turns into something bigger, especially once his four “wives” start sharing their perspectives. Each woman brings her own version of events, and none of them line up neatly. It keeps you guessing, but not in a typical whodunit way.
What I really liked was how the writing captured the feeling of a small town holding onto secrets. There’s history in the background, especially with the shadow of the 1921 Tulsa Massacre, and you can feel how that tension lingers in the community. It adds weight to everything without the book feeling heavy handed.
The storytelling style is where this one might lose some people. It jumps between voices and timelines, and at times it feels intentionally chaotic. There were moments where I had to slow down and really pay attention to who was speaking and what was actually being said. It’s clever, but it can get a little overwhelming.
That said, I appreciated what the author was doing. The whole idea that truth isn’t one clean, simple thing really comes through. Everyone has their own angle, their own bias, and their own reason for telling the story the way they do. It made the reading experience feel more interactive, like I had to piece things together myself.
While it’s not the easiest read, it’s smart, original, and definitely memorable. If you like stories that play with structure and make you work a little for the payoff, this one is for you.
Thanks Netgalley and Scribner for the ARC and opportunity to provide an honest review.
Set in Oklahoma during Prohibition, the book builds around the death of this notorious moonshiner who clearly made a lot of enemies. On paper, it sounds simple: figure out who killed him. But the story quickly turns into something bigger, especially once his four “wives” start sharing their perspectives. Each woman brings her own version of events, and none of them line up neatly. It keeps you guessing, but not in a typical whodunit way.
What I really liked was how the writing captured the feeling of a small town holding onto secrets. There’s history in the background, especially with the shadow of the 1921 Tulsa Massacre, and you can feel how that tension lingers in the community. It adds weight to everything without the book feeling heavy handed.
The storytelling style is where this one might lose some people. It jumps between voices and timelines, and at times it feels intentionally chaotic. There were moments where I had to slow down and really pay attention to who was speaking and what was actually being said. It’s clever, but it can get a little overwhelming.
That said, I appreciated what the author was doing. The whole idea that truth isn’t one clean, simple thing really comes through. Everyone has their own angle, their own bias, and their own reason for telling the story the way they do. It made the reading experience feel more interactive, like I had to piece things together myself.
While it’s not the easiest read, it’s smart, original, and definitely memorable. If you like stories that play with structure and make you work a little for the payoff, this one is for you.
Thanks Netgalley and Scribner for the ARC and opportunity to provide an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
What we learned about Nafissa Thompson-Spires from her short story collection, Heads of the Colored People is that she has a supple mind for the comedic. And although this novel clocks in at only 176 pages her penchant for the hilarious is fully on display here. A man is dead and we want the how and why. Richard Milford, we learn right from the rip, is dead!
This is actually revealed in the first sentence of the publisher summary. “Rich Milford is dead. At last.” So, in a diversion from novel convention, Nafissa Thompson-Spires makes the town of Newville, a protagonist in this book finely infused with humor. So the town gives the reader perspective from the collective “We” and there are several chapters of Newville, where the “We” speaks. In between the Newville protagonist we get the perspective from the four “wives” really only one and three others who for various reasons decided to join Rich Milford’s home and his program.
Being that the story begins at Rich’s funeral, the fast paced novel only has to flesh out the four wives and housekeeper Alberta, to provide readers with context, motive, and perspective. The five deaths part of the title is alluding to the fact that each of these five women, have reason to believe that Rich died at their own hand. How can that be?
Well, as the hilarity unfolds the reader will be astonished as to how in 176 pages one can explain five distinct differing perspectives while keeping a perpetual smile on your face. A sort of perfect storm metaphorically whine in the midst of a literal storm in Newville. I’m sure that was intentional, as are little subtleties that highlight the “wives” personalities. It’s not so much written as a who-done-it, but more like a what-I-was-doing- when!
And the “wives” are not confessing as such, but just recounting their actions on the day of Rich’s demise. Quite an inventive tale, told with no regard for literary convention, and the funny never stops! What a ride. Thank You to NetGalley and Scribner for an advanced DRC. Book drops Oct. 13, 2026
This is actually revealed in the first sentence of the publisher summary. “Rich Milford is dead. At last.” So, in a diversion from novel convention, Nafissa Thompson-Spires makes the town of Newville, a protagonist in this book finely infused with humor. So the town gives the reader perspective from the collective “We” and there are several chapters of Newville, where the “We” speaks. In between the Newville protagonist we get the perspective from the four “wives” really only one and three others who for various reasons decided to join Rich Milford’s home and his program.
Being that the story begins at Rich’s funeral, the fast paced novel only has to flesh out the four wives and housekeeper Alberta, to provide readers with context, motive, and perspective. The five deaths part of the title is alluding to the fact that each of these five women, have reason to believe that Rich died at their own hand. How can that be?
Well, as the hilarity unfolds the reader will be astonished as to how in 176 pages one can explain five distinct differing perspectives while keeping a perpetual smile on your face. A sort of perfect storm metaphorically whine in the midst of a literal storm in Newville. I’m sure that was intentional, as are little subtleties that highlight the “wives” personalities. It’s not so much written as a who-done-it, but more like a what-I-was-doing- when!
And the “wives” are not confessing as such, but just recounting their actions on the day of Rich’s demise. Quite an inventive tale, told with no regard for literary convention, and the funny never stops! What a ride. Thank You to NetGalley and Scribner for an advanced DRC. Book drops Oct. 13, 2026
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
*Review of advance copy received from NetGalley*
Rounded Average: 3.75⭐️
Characters: 4⭐️
Setting: 4⭐️
Plot: 3⭐️
Themes: 3⭐️
Emotional Impact: 3⭐️
Personal Enjoyment: 4⭐️
This short story follows the Milford family, whose uncommon dynamic is driven by Richard's desire to have many children. When he's murdered, the narrative explores the difficultly of divulging truth using the perspectives of his four "wives." The discrepancies between each woman's account of what led to Richard's death highlights how easily truth becomes distorted.
Set in early 20th century Oklahoma, the author's writing style makes the world feel real and live-in. Racial tension grounds the story in the time period, while the addition of Black cultural elements adds depth to the setting.
Each wife has her own motivations, and the multi-POV format provides a well-rounded understanding of how the family operates. These differing views highlight the fact that reality is blurred by individual perspective; while one wife sees herself as the head of the family, another views her as overbearing and arrogant.
The plot was simple and, while the premise was intriguing, the length of the story limits the development of the plot. My greatest complaint (also possibly the story's greatest compliment) is that I wish it was longer. I was very compelled by the setting and characters and would have loved to see the story extended to a longer format with a more developed plot to match.
Given my enjoyment of Thompson-Spires' writing style, I will definitely be looking into longer-form books by this author.
Rounded Average: 3.75⭐️
Characters: 4⭐️
Setting: 4⭐️
Plot: 3⭐️
Themes: 3⭐️
Emotional Impact: 3⭐️
Personal Enjoyment: 4⭐️
This short story follows the Milford family, whose uncommon dynamic is driven by Richard's desire to have many children. When he's murdered, the narrative explores the difficultly of divulging truth using the perspectives of his four "wives." The discrepancies between each woman's account of what led to Richard's death highlights how easily truth becomes distorted.
Set in early 20th century Oklahoma, the author's writing style makes the world feel real and live-in. Racial tension grounds the story in the time period, while the addition of Black cultural elements adds depth to the setting.
Each wife has her own motivations, and the multi-POV format provides a well-rounded understanding of how the family operates. These differing views highlight the fact that reality is blurred by individual perspective; while one wife sees herself as the head of the family, another views her as overbearing and arrogant.
The plot was simple and, while the premise was intriguing, the length of the story limits the development of the plot. My greatest complaint (also possibly the story's greatest compliment) is that I wish it was longer. I was very compelled by the setting and characters and would have loved to see the story extended to a longer format with a more developed plot to match.
Given my enjoyment of Thompson-Spires' writing style, I will definitely be looking into longer-form books by this author.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I usually get nervous when a literary novel starts with a murder, since it can seem like an easy way to create drama: just add a dead body, a few suspects, boom, suddenly there’s a plot. But The Four Wives and Five Deaths of Richard Milford doesn’t fall into that trap. Rich Milford is of course dead, and almost everyone had a reason to want him gone, but this book isn’t really about solving the crime. The murder draws you in, but it’s not the main focus. What stood out to me was the writing, especially in the Newville sections, which move so quickly they feel like the whole town is speaking at once. Newville’s voice is part gossip column, part Greek chorus, part civic archive, and part group of people all interrupting each other to tell their version of the story. Brilliant!
At just 176 pages, this book is the perfect length: quick to read, but packed with enough detail to make you feel like you’ve experienced an entire town. What makes the novel special is how it makes Rich’s death matter to more than just him. It’s really a story about post-Tulsa Oklahoma, an all-Black town trying to find its identity and stay safe, and how respectability can be a way to survive. It’s also about the stories people tell when the truth is too risky or complicated to share openly. The characters are vivid, the voices are sharp, and the whole book is strange, funny, grotesque, and full of life. It’s a murder mystery that cares more about memory, myth, and how a community survives than about finding out who did it.
At just 176 pages, this book is the perfect length: quick to read, but packed with enough detail to make you feel like you’ve experienced an entire town. What makes the novel special is how it makes Rich’s death matter to more than just him. It’s really a story about post-Tulsa Oklahoma, an all-Black town trying to find its identity and stay safe, and how respectability can be a way to survive. It’s also about the stories people tell when the truth is too risky or complicated to share openly. The characters are vivid, the voices are sharp, and the whole book is strange, funny, grotesque, and full of life. It’s a murder mystery that cares more about memory, myth, and how a community survives than about finding out who did it.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This is Nafissa Thompson-Spires’ debut novel.
Richard Aloysius Milford bobbed up in his own gorge like the world’s most overcommitted corpse. Gangrenous, one foot gone AWOL, bullet in the chest, enough alcoholic poison to open a Prohibition speakeasy.
Five deaths. One body.
And the whole town quietly high fiving behind the church.
In the dusty all black fictional settlement in Oklahoma still haunted by the 1921 Tulsa Massacre, notorious moonshiner, serial philanderer, and professional family headache Richard Milford is finally, spectacularly dead. Only his four wives Lally, Sophronia, Georgette and Vivianne stand at the grave, side-eyeing one another.
Everyone else had motive, means and a suspiciously airtight alibi. Now the fab four must speak. Each voice contradicting the last, each revelation darker, funnier, and more damning than the one before.
As their stories slam together across decades of betrayal, shady moonshine deals and inherited trauma, the real question isn’t just who killed the old rascal. It’s whose version of the truth will actually survive the night.
A razor sharp, polyphonic literary thriller pulsing with dark wit, this is small town murder at its most treacherous.
**I would like to express my gratitude to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read this gifted ebook in exchange for an honest review. #ARC #NetGalley
#4Wives5Deaths
Richard Aloysius Milford bobbed up in his own gorge like the world’s most overcommitted corpse. Gangrenous, one foot gone AWOL, bullet in the chest, enough alcoholic poison to open a Prohibition speakeasy.
Five deaths. One body.
And the whole town quietly high fiving behind the church.
In the dusty all black fictional settlement in Oklahoma still haunted by the 1921 Tulsa Massacre, notorious moonshiner, serial philanderer, and professional family headache Richard Milford is finally, spectacularly dead. Only his four wives Lally, Sophronia, Georgette and Vivianne stand at the grave, side-eyeing one another.
Everyone else had motive, means and a suspiciously airtight alibi. Now the fab four must speak. Each voice contradicting the last, each revelation darker, funnier, and more damning than the one before.
As their stories slam together across decades of betrayal, shady moonshine deals and inherited trauma, the real question isn’t just who killed the old rascal. It’s whose version of the truth will actually survive the night.
A razor sharp, polyphonic literary thriller pulsing with dark wit, this is small town murder at its most treacherous.
**I would like to express my gratitude to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read this gifted ebook in exchange for an honest review. #ARC #NetGalley
#4Wives5Deaths
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
First, thank you to the author and Scribner for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I absolutely adored everything about this novel. It’s dark, funny, and has a ribbon of feminism running throughout. Thompson-Spires is an absolute talent.
The way she manages to create a fully fleshed-out character out of a collective town, Newville, is genius. This novel is so richly (excuse the pun) layered with the lives in this town and those of the Milford women, who, taken together and independently, create a complex and nuanced picture of living in the shadow, and often at the mercy, of a cult-like narcissist.
But this isn’t just Richard Milford’s story. It’s Newville’s. The novel tells the story of this Black town alongside his, and watching those histories intertwine was one of my favorite parts of the book. Thompson-Spires explores what it means to build a place meant to be safe, what it costs to protect it, and how a community changes over time. I won’t say more because that’s part of the joy of discovering the novel for yourself.
Fans of Percival Everett will likely love this book as well. Thompson-Spires has a very unique voice here, but this story, in both its absurdities and its coziness, combined with the way it quietly takes on much bigger ideas, felt Everett-esque to me in some of the best ways.
I hope this book finds its way to the top of all the year-end lists. It surely deserves a spot there.
I absolutely adored everything about this novel. It’s dark, funny, and has a ribbon of feminism running throughout. Thompson-Spires is an absolute talent.
The way she manages to create a fully fleshed-out character out of a collective town, Newville, is genius. This novel is so richly (excuse the pun) layered with the lives in this town and those of the Milford women, who, taken together and independently, create a complex and nuanced picture of living in the shadow, and often at the mercy, of a cult-like narcissist.
But this isn’t just Richard Milford’s story. It’s Newville’s. The novel tells the story of this Black town alongside his, and watching those histories intertwine was one of my favorite parts of the book. Thompson-Spires explores what it means to build a place meant to be safe, what it costs to protect it, and how a community changes over time. I won’t say more because that’s part of the joy of discovering the novel for yourself.
Fans of Percival Everett will likely love this book as well. Thompson-Spires has a very unique voice here, but this story, in both its absurdities and its coziness, combined with the way it quietly takes on much bigger ideas, felt Everett-esque to me in some of the best ways.
I hope this book finds its way to the top of all the year-end lists. It surely deserves a spot there.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
4.5 stars rounded up.
Thank you Netgalley and Schribner for my ARC!
I can see why Nafissa Thompson-Spires has several awards to her name even before this debut novel. She can WRITE. Her poetry background lends some beautifully potent imagery and layers in just under 200 pages. It’s also deliciously smart. Real history is woven in with folklore and it’s intriguing.
The narrative is delivered from 6 povs, which sounds like a lot in such a short page count, but the character voices are clear cut from one another. I absolutely love getting to view Milford’s death from almost every angle–even the town. Having the town act as a Greek chorus was such a cool moment of storytelling. I saw one reviewer mention the “rashomon effect” for the novel’s style and that describes it nicely. It’s not the who-dun-it mystery that I was expecting, but I found I enjoyed it more just getting all sides of the story. It’s the prism of what “actually happened.” Like in reality, everyone has their own version of the truth, and these truths all stack together into the grisly ending of one man. Honestly…he had it coming. (cue Chicago soundtrack)
Thank you Netgalley and Schribner for my ARC!
I can see why Nafissa Thompson-Spires has several awards to her name even before this debut novel. She can WRITE. Her poetry background lends some beautifully potent imagery and layers in just under 200 pages. It’s also deliciously smart. Real history is woven in with folklore and it’s intriguing.
The narrative is delivered from 6 povs, which sounds like a lot in such a short page count, but the character voices are clear cut from one another. I absolutely love getting to view Milford’s death from almost every angle–even the town. Having the town act as a Greek chorus was such a cool moment of storytelling. I saw one reviewer mention the “rashomon effect” for the novel’s style and that describes it nicely. It’s not the who-dun-it mystery that I was expecting, but I found I enjoyed it more just getting all sides of the story. It’s the prism of what “actually happened.” Like in reality, everyone has their own version of the truth, and these truths all stack together into the grisly ending of one man. Honestly…he had it coming. (cue Chicago soundtrack)
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you Netgalley for an advanced copy of this interesting read! This book was about a man named Rich who had four wives named Lally, Sophronia, Georgette, and Vivianne. Alongside his wives he had a surplus of wealth and a town full of enemies. At first I didn't know where this book was going. The writing style in my opinion was complex and my mind wanted to like settle and ready for "deepness" but this story was simply comical to me. I enjoyed how the author did her own rendition of a " who dun it" situation as I had never seen it done this way in a book before and I enjoyed it. The book did seem a little rushed and the deep undertone of wording wasn't necessary to me for how "light" the story truly was. It's a book I don't know how to describe without giving up important details. You do have different themes going mixed with a slight hint of racial tension but overall for a short read it was okay. Rich had so many problems that were told so fast I kind of felt like the book ended before I could really relate or sink into any of the characters.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. Although it's relatively short, it completely pulled me in from beginning to end.
One of the book's greatest strengths is its cast of women. With five major female characters, it would have been easy for their perspectives to blur together, but Nafissa Thompson-Spires gives each woman a distinct voice and personality. Each chapter adds another layer to the story while revealing the complexities of the community.
Between the women's chapters are interludes from the townspeople, who serve as a sassy, gossipy Greek chorus. I especially loved the way the author incorporated dance steps into these sections. It was an inventive storytelling device that added rhythm, humor, and personality while giving the town itself a voice.
This is one of those books that proves you don't need a sprawling page count to create a rich, immersive story. I found it completely absorbing and looked forward to every chapter. If you enjoy character-driven historical fiction with a unique narrative structure and memorable voices, I highly recommend this one.
One of the book's greatest strengths is its cast of women. With five major female characters, it would have been easy for their perspectives to blur together, but Nafissa Thompson-Spires gives each woman a distinct voice and personality. Each chapter adds another layer to the story while revealing the complexities of the community.
Between the women's chapters are interludes from the townspeople, who serve as a sassy, gossipy Greek chorus. I especially loved the way the author incorporated dance steps into these sections. It was an inventive storytelling device that added rhythm, humor, and personality while giving the town itself a voice.
This is one of those books that proves you don't need a sprawling page count to create a rich, immersive story. I found it completely absorbing and looked forward to every chapter. If you enjoy character-driven historical fiction with a unique narrative structure and memorable voices, I highly recommend this one.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Some novels are enjoyable. A very few remind you what literature can still do. The Four Wives and Five Deaths of Richard Milford is one of those books. The prose is scintillant and refreshingly audacious. Every sentence feels alert, confident, and alive.
But as remarkable as the writing is, it’s the women who linger in the mind. Each possesses a fully realized consciousness, a distinct voice, and an astonishingly complex emotional life. Their intelligence, humor, self-awareness, and ability to articulate their inner worlds make them feel less like fictional characters than people you’ve come to know.
If you’ve been lamenting the state of contemporary fiction, read this book. If you’ve been searching for a novel that makes you want to turn back to page one the moment you finish the last page, read this book. Just read it.
Thank you to Scribner for the ARC.
But as remarkable as the writing is, it’s the women who linger in the mind. Each possesses a fully realized consciousness, a distinct voice, and an astonishingly complex emotional life. Their intelligence, humor, self-awareness, and ability to articulate their inner worlds make them feel less like fictional characters than people you’ve come to know.
If you’ve been lamenting the state of contemporary fiction, read this book. If you’ve been searching for a novel that makes you want to turn back to page one the moment you finish the last page, read this book. Just read it.
Thank you to Scribner for the ARC.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you NetGalley and Scribner for the Advanced Reader's Copy!
Available October 2026.
Hilarious and deadly is what comes to mind when I read Nafissa Thompson-Spires' debut novel The Four Wives and Five Deaths of Richard Milford. Set in Newville, OK, an offshoot of Black Wall Street in Tulsa, the novel tries to unravel the mysterious death of local, wealthy polygamist Rich Milford. Bit by bit we learn about Rich's unsavory past, his wives' unwitting journey to the cult, and rhe town's history. Thompson-Spires brings each different voice to life with her signature dry humor and depth of research. I felt myself being drawn not only to each wife, but to the town itself and would love to read more!
Available October 2026.
Hilarious and deadly is what comes to mind when I read Nafissa Thompson-Spires' debut novel The Four Wives and Five Deaths of Richard Milford. Set in Newville, OK, an offshoot of Black Wall Street in Tulsa, the novel tries to unravel the mysterious death of local, wealthy polygamist Rich Milford. Bit by bit we learn about Rich's unsavory past, his wives' unwitting journey to the cult, and rhe town's history. Thompson-Spires brings each different voice to life with her signature dry humor and depth of research. I felt myself being drawn not only to each wife, but to the town itself and would love to read more!
June 27, 2026
Review of advanced copy received from Good Reads Giveaways.
Historical fiction is my favorite genre, though this story leaned on relationship dynamics and a mystery more heavily than historical fiction, those twist and turns just added to the story. This is the first thing I have read that not only has multiple peoples POV, but also a whole towns POV. I didn’t want to put this book down because you never knew who was going to do what next. The spunk, grit, and zany personalities of each leading lady made you like each one of them in-spite of their shortcomings or not depending on who you are rooting for by the end.
Historical fiction is my favorite genre, though this story leaned on relationship dynamics and a mystery more heavily than historical fiction, those twist and turns just added to the story. This is the first thing I have read that not only has multiple peoples POV, but also a whole towns POV. I didn’t want to put this book down because you never knew who was going to do what next. The spunk, grit, and zany personalities of each leading lady made you like each one of them in-spite of their shortcomings or not depending on who you are rooting for by the end.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Rich Milford is dead, he's the man who has four wives in this small town in Oklahoma in the 1920s. Everyone is talking and guessing who killed him. I liked how it jumps around to different people telling their side. The writing is good and easy, and the book is short so I finished it fast. The wives are memorable and each one feels different. But I wanted a bit more time with each wife because they seem appealing but the story moves quick. I enjoyed most of it and kept turning the pages, though. So if you like stories with many POVs and some mystery mixed with history then maybe try this one.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
I received an ARC of this book.Four Wives and Five Deaths…is writing reminiscent of Earnest Gaines, spare and compact. This is a story of lies, betrayal, hurt, loneliness, bitterness, anger and desperation – seemingly the universal story of women. The narrative style is warm and approachable drawing the reader in as if we had been away visiting and are now back to hear the news. This is an amazing debut, worthy of all awards!
June 27, 2026
3.5 rounded up! You’ll want to add to this book to your Halloween TBR. Rich Milford is dead and his four wives are the suspects. It’s up to you to decide who to trust as you hear from each of the wives and uncover the rumors that swirl throughout the town that this unconventional family calls home.
The storytelling is overwhelming in a very clever way. The book is under 200 pages, but packed full of details!
Thank you NetGalley and Scribner for the ARC!
The storytelling is overwhelming in a very clever way. The book is under 200 pages, but packed full of details!
Thank you NetGalley and Scribner for the ARC!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
(Note: I received an advanced reader copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley)
What a ride! Multiple perspectives both clash and build upon one another in what I found to be a darkly comedic narrative that flies on by in a riveting gallop. Thompson-Spires' debut novel is a clever triumph, and I am very excited to see what else her creativity will produce.
What a ride! Multiple perspectives both clash and build upon one another in what I found to be a darkly comedic narrative that flies on by in a riveting gallop. Thompson-Spires' debut novel is a clever triumph, and I am very excited to see what else her creativity will produce.
June 30, 2026
You can show me all the historical evidence that people thought and talked the way this book was written and it still wouldn’t sway me: the tone of this book feels too put on and is a distraction. The narrative value sits somewhere between the song « You’re a Mean One Mr Grinch » and « Clue » the movie…not for me🤷🏼
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Who wanted Rich Milford dead? The simpler question is, who didn't? We get a recounting of the day Rich died through the lense of each of the women in his life, his four wives and his housekeeper. Each account followed by the gossip narrative you can expect from a small town.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
What a delightful novella. Chose this because I read Ms. Thompson-Spires short stories a few years ago and loved it. This is charming, engaging, and funny. Love how strong the characters are. And with only 176 pages it’s a one-sit book.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
This might be a perfect book
Read
April 20, 2026Reading for work, not currently rating (but very much enjoyed!)
July 9, 2026
That was a strange book.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
This was a fun book to read. Take it to the beach!
Read
August 3, 2026loved this cast of characters, so chaotic in the best way
Review of advance copy
This story is quick, clever, and incredibly funny.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Love love love the wordplay and setting, but the ending left me wanting a lot more. From each perspective, from the fallout, from Rich. The story could’ve benefited from another 150 pages.
Review of advance copy
I really enjoyed seeing this all come together, and I feel satisfied with where the story led me. The characters were well defined and I wanted to get to know them better!
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Despite the deceptively simple plot, who killed the very disliked Richard Milford and why, this work unfolds through multiple, competing, but not necessarily conflicting testimonies. The central premise is that there is no single truth; by implication, everyone is guilty, because justification boils down to shifting memory. This one is for anyone who believes murder is a lens for unraveling communal storytelling. Thank you, Scribner, for the ARC copy!!!
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