The Replacement Wife

by Darby Kane, Karissa Vacker (Read by)

Overview

The #1 International bestselling author of Pretty Little Wife returns with another thrilling domestic suspense novel that asks, how many wives and girlfriends should disappear before your family notices?

Elisa Wright is a mom and wife, living a nice, quiet life in a nice, quiet town. She’s also convinced her brother-in-law is a murderer. Josh has one dead wife and one missing fiancée, and though he grieved for them he starts dating someone new. Elisa fears for that woman’s safety, and she desperately wants to know what happened to her friend, Josh’s missing fiancée.

Searching for clues means investigating her own family. And she doesn’t like what she finds. A laptop filled with incriminating information. Other women.

But when Elisa becomes friends with Josh’s new girlfriend and starts to question things she thinks are true, Elisa wonders if the memories of a horrible incident a year ago have finally pushed her over the edge and Josh is really innocent. With so much at stake, Elisa fights off panic attacks and a strange illness. Is it a breakdown or something more? The race is on to get to the truth before another disappearance because there’s a killer in the family…or is there?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798200747603
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	12/28/2021
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 6.60(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Darby Kane is a former trial attorney and #1 international bestseller of domestic suspense. Her debut book, PRETTY LITTLE WIFE, was featured in numerous venues, including Cosmopolitan, The Washington Post, The Toronto Star, Popsugar, Refinery29, Goodreads, The Skimm, and Huffington Post. A native of Pennsylvania, Darby now lives in California and runs from the cold. When she’s not writing suspense, she can be found watching suspense, thrillers, and mysteries. You can find out more at darbykane.com.

Karissa Vacker is a multiple AudioFile Earphones Award–winning audiobook narrator and actress. After graduating with a BFA in acting from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, she performed in regional theaters across the country before moving to Los Angeles. She has guest starred in network television shows and films and continues to work on screen and stage. Her audiobook credits include romance, young adult fiction, and mystery thrillers.

Editorial Reviews

"I devoured The Replacement Wife. I absolutely loved every minute of this wild ride. I’m left in awe of Kane’s ability to suck readers in from page one. I could not stop turning the pages. Every reveal rocketed up the tension…so well-done and gave me that precious can’t-wait-until-I-can-go-back-to-my-book feeling. Fast-paced and super addictive!" — Ashley Winstead, author of In My Dreams I Hold a Knife

"Kane delivers another fast-paced domestic thriller that’s sure to please fans of psychological suspense and family drama." — Library Journal

"Darby Kane deserves credit for dispensing with anything resembling a slow burn in The Replacement Wife. There is a rollicking, almost absurdist tone to Kane’s writing that kept me engaged…Finally, after several doses of sociopathy, more than a little gaslighting and arguments galore, nearly all of Elisa’s suspicions are confirmed in the worst possible way. “Nearly” saves room for a final surprise I didn’t foresee." — New York Times Book Review  

“[An] engrossing psychological thriller. Kane (Pretty Little Wife) doubles up the action with two unreliable characters caught up in gaslighting, family secrets and betrayal.” — Shelf Awareness 

"Pretty Little Wife is domestic suspense at its best, with a chilling premise that keeps you guessing to the last page. Add Darby Kane to your must-read list! — Wendy Corsi Staub, New York Times bestselling author on Pretty Little Wife

“I devoured it in two days. This is the type of thriller I love the most: A taut domestic suspense with just a shade of police procedural woven in.” — Julie Clark, New York Times bestselling author, on Pretty Little WIfe

"I love it when I find a thriller so fun I can’t put it down, like this one from Darby Kane." — Taylor Jenkins Reid, New York Times bestselling author, on Pretty Little Wife 

"Debut mystery author Kane blends tense domestic suspense with procedural details and legal thriller–like verbal sparring. A page-turner built on skillfully layered plotting and an intriguing protagonist." — Booklist (starred review) on Pretty Little Wife

“Stylish and provocative...well-drawn new characters...subtle twists that nudge the plot in unexpected directions... Pretty Little Wife delivers on its promise.”

— Toronto Star on Pretty Little Wife

“Pretty Little Wife by Darby Kane delights in subverting the expectations of readers” — Popsugar on Pretty Little Wife

“Pretty Little Wife explores the consequences of unacknowledged trauma and dares to ask whether murder is ever justified. It’s an exciting departure for HelenKay Dimon, the bestselling romance author for whom Darby Kane is a pseudonym. There’s certainly no guarantee of a happily ever after, though there is hope for hard-won redemption.” — BookPage on Pretty Little Wife

From the Publisher

"I love it when I find a thriller so fun I can’t put it down, like this one from Darby Kane."

Taylor Jenkins Reid

"Pretty Little Wife is domestic suspense at its best, with a chilling premise that keeps you guessing to the last page. Add Darby Kane to your must-read list!

Wendy Corsi Staub

"I devoured The Replacement Wife. I absolutely loved every minute of this wild ride. I’m left in awe of Kane’s ability to suck readers in from page one. I could not stop turning the pages. Every reveal rocketed up the tension…so well-done and gave me that precious can’t-wait-until-I-can-go-back-to-my-book feeling. Fast-paced and super addictive!"

Ashley Winstead

“Pretty Little Wife by Darby Kane delights in subverting the expectations of readers

Popsugar on Pretty Little Wife

Stylish and provocative...well-drawn new characters...subtle twists that nudge the plot in unexpected directions... Pretty Little Wife delivers on its promise.”

Toronto Star on Pretty Little Wife

"Darby Kane deserves credit for dispensing with anything resembling a slow burn in The Replacement Wife. There is a rollicking, almost absurdist tone to Kane’s writing that kept me engaged…Finally, after several doses of sociopathy, more than a little gaslighting and arguments galore, nearly all of Elisa’s suspicions are confirmed in the worst possible way. “Nearly” saves room for a final surprise I didn’t foresee."

New York Times Book Review  

[An] engrossing psychological thriller. Kane (Pretty Little Wife) doubles up the action with two unreliable characters caught up in gaslighting, family secrets and betrayal.

Shelf Awareness 

I devoured it in two days. This is the type of thriller I love the most: A taut domestic suspense with just a shade of police procedural woven in.

Julie Clark

"Debut mystery author Kane blends tense domestic suspense with procedural details and legal thriller–like verbal sparring. A page-turner built on skillfully layered plotting and an intriguing protagonist."

Booklist (starred review) on Pretty Little Wife

“Pretty Little Wife explores the consequences of unacknowledged trauma and dares to ask whether murder is ever justified. It’s an exciting departure for HelenKay Dimon, the bestselling romance author for whom Darby Kane is a pseudonym. There’s certainly no guarantee of a happily ever after, though there is hope for hard-won redemption.

BookPage on Pretty Little Wife

“Pretty Little Wife by Darby Kane delights in subverting the expectations of readers

Popsugar

Stylish and provocative...well-drawn new characters...subtle twists that nudge the plot in unexpected directions... Pretty Little Wife delivers on its promise.”

Toronto Star

“Pretty Little Wife explores the consequences of unacknowledged trauma and dares to ask whether murder is ever justified. It’s an exciting departure for HelenKay Dimon, the bestselling romance author for whom Darby Kane is a pseudonym. There’s certainly no guarantee of a happily ever after, though there is hope for hard-won redemption.

BookPage

12/03/2021

Kane (Pretty Little Wife) returns with another domestic suspense novel that explores the relationships among extended family members and the question of loyalty. Does one's family always deserve the benefit of the doubt when a relative displays behavior that is downright suspicious, and perhaps murderous? Elisa Wright struggles with this dilemma because her husband's brother, Josh, who has a dead wife and a missing fiancée, has begun dating another woman. Elisa was very close with Abby, Josh's fiancée, before she disappeared and cannot believe he would give up the search and move on. So, despite her husband's incredulity and continued defense of his brother, Elisa begins investigating. What she finds raises even more questions, though others are beginning to question her stability. As she battles the pushback from her husband and Josh, and also an increasingly worrisome illness, the truth remains tantalizingly out of reach. Is the new girlfriend in danger, and is her own family at risk? VERDICT Kane delivers another fast-paced domestic thriller that's sure to please fans of psychological suspense and family drama.—Cynthia Price, Francis Marion Univ. Lib., Florence, SC

Library Journal