My Wife's Husband

by E.H. Davis

What you don't know about your spouse could kill you.

Jens Corbin is a comfortable, successful writer, with a wife and a teenage son. After saving a man from a bear attack in the New Hampshire mountains, Jens decides to step away from his popular but formulaic mystery series to begin a new cycle, featuring a female protagonist devoted to saving kidnapped children. Unbeknownst to him, a convicted murderer has been released from prison after twenty years. A killer who is vengeful, angry. A killer who used to be married to Jens' wife! Writing about killers is one thing, but outwitting them in real life is another. How far would you go to protect your family? An intelligent thriller about a writer who has to fight for everything he's ever cared about -- because of his wife's hidden past.

Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Thriller Suspense, Fiction

380 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 13, 2019

Reviews

[Dick Darlington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, This is fast paced action, carefully set, in a scenic New England background. I could feel the writer was communicating with more than just me, the reader. As I finished the book, I read E.H. Davis's description of his motivation, He was not only sharing his thoughts with us, the readers, but with his son. A well developed and conceived narrative that never lets you know what's around the next corner.

[Christina Kupfer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Totally fascinated by this book...constantly action packed! Very well written by keeping the reader on the edge their seat...keeps you guessing till the end. Looking forward to the next book!

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Wife's Husband has something for everyone! Dysfunctional family drama meets action thriller. A sensational, fast-paced story full of intriguing characters, many surprises, and a beautifully rendered New Hampshire backdrop.

[Sandy Donahue · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent read. Kept me on my toes wondering what was on the next page.

[Uma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thrilling, compelling and fascinating!!

A tale that starts innocently enough suddenly changes its colors and becomes something sinister and fearsome! Serene lives of Jens, a writer of crime thrillers, his wife Vivian, an artist and a painter and their son Teddy turn chaotic, full of trepidation and dread when Vivian's past comes back to haunt all of them!

How this past haunts their lives terrorizing them in different ways, how the family deals with the threats and menaces that accompany the entry of unwanted presence into their life with help from the state trooper officer Ferdie Morrison forms the content of this brilliant psychological thriller.

With its spellbinding narrative and enchanting characters, this book takes the reader on a roller-coaster to find out what or who is lurking in the next corner! A thoroughly enjoyable reading experience!!!

[Jewel Beth Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! This was shockingly good. I'm not much of a thriller reader but this story kept me reading and staying up late at night. My favorite aspect was the family dynamic that continued all the way through. The colorful descriptions of the NH woods and Portsmouth, with which I'm very familiar, were a joy to read and deliciously satisfying. The details of the main character's frightening ride into the ocean near Kittery made my heart speed up and pound. My Wife's Husband was well written in its entirety.

[Marci Kimball · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow!!! New author for me!!🤗

Great suspense throughout this book. Bringing all these vivid characters together &doing it so deftly!!!!! I was a nervous wreck through half of this book; especially near v the ending!!! Relax &'enjoy!!!Keep a light on!!!.lol

[Patty · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh. The characters just don't seem believable and they keep changing moods and behaviors. If this is part one of a trilogy, I am not in for the next two. I am happy others seemed to really like it. It just didn't do it for me.

[Michael J · Rating 5 out of 5]

When the past comes back to haunt you. This is a fast-paced thriller with interesting characters, one of whom is the title wife’s former husband come back from jail to reclaim her. Mix in the state of her current marriage which is less than satisfying and you have an intriguing page-turner. Highly recommend to fans of this genre.

[Merrill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Davis' background as a screenwriter really comes through--compelling action scenes involving bears and bridges. Love that Portsmouth is a fully developed character, like Louise Penny's Three Pines, and looking forward to the next book in this trilogy-to-be involving the city's unsolved murders.

[CD · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. I was hooked from the first chapter and could not put it down. The beauty of Mr. Davis's book is that it is rich with sensory details, compelling characters, and a plot that kept me on my toes from the first page to the last. Mr. Davis has created unique players you'll root for in a plot with excellent pacing and beautiful descriptions. There were a few places I felt the story slowed--just a tad-- due to some of the details but that didn't take away from the plot or make me stop reading. I highly recommend this story to fans of literary thrillers. A 4.5/5, but Goodreads wouldn't let me rate it at 4.5 so I, in fairness, rounded up.

[Scot · Rating 3 out of 5]

Other people seemed to like this novel more than I did. It's the story of a successful crime fiction writer who lives at home in New England with his artist wife and their teenage son who loves Xbox.
On a hike the dad and son encounter a man attempting suicide and then a bear and this interaction sets the writer off on a crime investigation of his own.

Meanwhile, the wife's first husband has just got out of prison, where he served a long time for murder, and he wants his baby back, and he wants her now. Things are not good between the author and his wife, to complicate the situation even more.

I found the novel to ramble, wandering around trying to find its way but sometimes doing so aimlessly. Dialogues between the husband and were were often unrealistic. Characters emotions could change without evidence of adequate trigger, and this included with interactions with the son as well. The scenario with the bear I found ridiculous. An enraged mother bear should never be treated as they did here, and in real life would not have responded the way this one did. As a country boy, this whole in the woods scene read to me like the imagining of a city slicker.

[Lynda Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't like this. The dialogue and actions between Jens and his wife especially just didn't ring true for me. People don't speak to each other like that !! And I didn't understand why we even had the whole scene with the bear at the beginning, either. It just seems totally needless. I packed it in at 31% so perhaps it was all going to be revealed at a later juncture, but I'd read enough by then.
As soon as I opened it I wondered what I'd let myself in for when the title is written so peculiarly....'My wife's Husband.....A Family thriller,' with the odd usage of capital letters. Then before every single chapter there is a blank page with 1 at the top then a page with My wife's husband and the number 1 again on the ensuing page and AGAIN before the chapter is announced the title is again at the top of the page......it happens every single chapter and irritated me a great deal. He gets his apostrophes wrong a lot, eaves is not spelt eves, I spotted dropped speechmarks and tic is not spelt tick.
I did laugh that Bruzza the dog also spits out the pickle in a McDonald's burger, though !!

[Roberta Burkey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad first book. Now that the author has done all of the cliche characters- the crime novelist who finds himself in the middle of a real crime, the woman traumatized as a child, the lesbian cop, the learning disabled kid picked on by a gang, the adoring fan, the pot growing ex-con, the innocent man turned evil by being sent to prison unjustly, and the cute little dog, his next characters should be more original or at least composites with more depth. While he spends a lot of time on the area where the story was set, it's almost like his information came from studying a map. He doesn't seem to have much actual knowledge of New Hampshire. A "Korean gang" in Lee? All of that being said, it wasn't a bad novel. Maybe a little "young adult" in its lack of nuance. Not much gray anywhere. No real surprises in the plot. But there's potential. I'll give book 4 a try.

[J.M. Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked this book. I kept me involved to the last page. The characters were well rounded and believable. I like a book where the protaganist grows, and thats true here. The story follows a family who start out with secrets and living seperate lives. They end, appreciating the importance of their love, even as a divorce tears them apart. The villains, think as villains do, of themselves, their needs and their past wrongs. Eventually they have to turn on each other.
All ends satisfactorily, the hero gets his reward, the villain gets his punishment, and everybody is happy. I will watch for the next book by this author.

[Suzanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This us one of those unputdownable books. I just had to know what was going to happen next. Along the way I became “attached” to some of the characters and desperately hoped that they would emerge unscathed by the evil intent lurking throughput the story. I have given this book 5 stars but in truth would have given 4.5 if the option were available. There was one section of the story line that didn’t gel for me and I wondered why the author thought to add it in. I can’t say what this section was as it would be a spoiler.

[Michael Sisti · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about a successful fiction writer facing multiple crises. As an author, I found this novel particularly interesting as it provides the insights into the writer's thought process in creating a story. Set in the mountains and oceanfront of New Hampshire, it offers a beautiful background for all the action. The plot is intense, and its energy is increased by all the sub-plots. You want to read this well-written novel.

[Tammy Broadbent · Rating 3 out of 5]

I finished this book because I hate to start and not finish a book. Makes me feel like I didn't accomplish a goal. But, I did catch myself looking to see how much more I had to read. There was too much going on maybe.
Scenes that I didn't see the need to be there. And my biggest gripe of all, and it's very minor to other readers im sure, but it bugged me so much that Teddy kept calling his father Daddio. I don't know why maybe didn't sound realistic?

[Dee Cash · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting

My Wife's Husband was a little confusing at times and a little hard to keep up with. The main character was a man with the name Jens. I kept having to go back and re-read a paragraph because I kept mixing him up with the many women because of his name. I advise checking all the characters and being familiar with the names and the book will be worth your time.

[Gary Myers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I completely enjoyed this book. It was fast paced and had appropriate lulls only to rebuild momentum.
I enjoyed Mr. Davis use of colorful words and descriptive phrases that are often missing in today's literature. I enjoyed the character building and look forward to meeting them again in future stories.

[Scott Chapman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

A new author to me, I was pleasantly surprised to find such depth in the characters. There were stories within stories. The descriptions of the landscape put me right there. At times, I felt Jens was somewhat wussy. The son, Teddy, manned up heroically. I will certainly read this again.The

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting plot concept, and the characterization of the main narrator, Jens, is a complex study involving the process a writer goes thru in developing a novel. Portrayals of some of the other players are a bit thin, esp. lacking in motivation, but once you accept them just as they are, the novel reads well.

[Norma Anderson]

I did not finish it as I am not wasting any more of my time on it. Not well written, terrible premise; must be a new writer. I am not happy with the type of writing on books offered on Unlimited, will probably cancel my membership as I had rather use the monthly charge to buy better reading material.

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic

This is the first book I’ve read by this author and now immediately I want to search out his others. It catches you up and won’t let you go. You want to know the ending and yet you don’t want it to end. Some of the writing was beautifully poetic and I’m not really given to poems but it stirred my heart and mind and took my breath away.

[Kathy and Jerry brush · Rating 5 out of 5]

How will it end?

The sub plots each work well with realistic characters whose flaws add to the reality. While I personally didn’t enjoy the detailed descriptions of places some readers would relish the imagery that is skillfully portrayed.
I enjoyed the climax and the epilogue and felt satisfied from completing the book.

[Chantelle J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pleasently surprising read, discovered on the kindle unlimited app. A somewhat fast paced thriller found with the drama of a good hook this book lingered towards a more balenced end. Reminds me of a thriller that dragged in the story telling rather then making the hints more clear. I didn't detest the read I just think it slowed in maintaining my interest.

[karin whitehead · Rating 5 out of 5]

What drew my selection of this novel was the title. And the plot will help you understand the title, A well
written story with great characters, and a plot line with twists and turns throughout. Loved the characters, especially Teddy and his bond with both his mother and his father. A book I'll not soon forget.

[Susan Margaret Leedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fabulous book

I loved every page of this book! It dealt with every emotion in the book. Also dealing with family and family extra marital affairs, that they can become deadly in the right circumstances, finally the desperate race to protect those whom we love! Phew, what a ride!

[Charlene Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Time to stay awake

Excellent! This is the type of book that you stay awake to finish ..Because you just can't let put it down it's that good. The Main character blossoms and he will take care of his family!

[Myrna Iosue · Rating 3 out of 5]

My wife’s husband

Another thriller, about a wife that doesn’t tell her husband about her past life and marriage and that husband going to prison defending her in the killing of her Uncle, get’s out after serving 20 yrs .