My Wife Is Missing Review

Author: D.J. Palmer

Genre: Suspense Thriller

Publisher: St. Martins Press

Release Date: May 10, 2022

Order Link: Amazon

4 Hearts

Many thanks to St. Martins Press for an arc of this book.

Reviewed in Mystery & Suspense Magazine

Review:

Natalie and Michael Hart and children Addie and Bryce take a mini vacation to New York City for two reasons - to work on their failing marriage and to show the kids the sites.  It's a trip that should heal a broken family . .. or so Michael thought.  When he returns from picking up pizza for his family, he finds their hotel room empty with his son's beloved teddy bear laying on the floor.  His family is gone lock, stock and baggage.  When security cameras show his wife fleeing with his children, his search begins.

My Wife Is Missing is a complex thriller told through the dual points of view of Natalie and Michael - two highly unreliable narrators.  Readers quickly learn that Natalie suffers debilitating insomnia leaving Michael questioning her sanity, while Michel has some dark, buried secrets that he'll do anything to protect.  Needless to say, communication is non-existent between the couple, leaving them both worrying and contemplating different possibilities.  What does Natalie suspect that has her fleeing with her children?  Is Michael having an affair or is something more sinister happening?  Is Natalie having a breakdown or is she also burying secrets?  Michael follows her trail with an unexpected ally, hoping to find answers.

This is another solid thriller from author D. J. Palmer.  Alternating past/present scenes from both Natalie and Michael allow readers to partially figure out what brought them to this point.  The plot is quite twisted and convoluted with enough red herrings to keep readers guessing which kept me turning the pages.  While the action moves steadily, the story tends to falter somewhat in the middle mostly from overly repetitive speculations and scenes about Natalie's insomnia which is understandable as it's the driving force behind the story serving to fuel the dilemma of who to believe.  I'm happy to say the pace picks up again and readers will need to buckle up to avoid whiplash on the chaotic rocket ride to a surprise ending.

I'm a fan of this author, and while My Wife Is Missing isn't my favorite of his work, I'm happy to say it's worth the read and one I can highly recommend to fans of suspense and thrillers.

Synopsis:

A family vacation turns into a nightmare for Michael Hart when he discovers his wife and two children have disappeared from their New York City hotel room. Horrified, he fears they've been kidnapped. Michael's frantic search to find them takes a shocking turn when he discovers that his wife, Natalie, appears to have left quite willingly, taking their children with her. The police want to know why, and so does Michael. But there may be a reason why Natalie ran, something Michael can't tell the police -- the truth about his past. While untangling his deceptions might be the key to locating Natalie, Michael knows it could also be his undoing. To find his wife, he must now turn to the one person capable of exposing all that he's been hiding. Natalie thinks she has Michael all figured out and has hatched a plan to escape from him permanently. One detail, though, threatens to derail her efforts: sleep -- or more accurately, the lack of it. Since the moment the shocking revelations about her husband came to light, Natalie's insomnia has worsened to the point that she now suffers from delusions. Are her fears about Michael valid -- or a symptom of her condition? With her children's lives at risk, the stakes for Natalie could not be higher. On her own, running low on energy and resources, avoiding increasingly close calls with Michael -- who is on the hunt and closing in fast -- Natalie needs someone to turn to for help. But who can she trust when she can't even trust herself?