Childhood sweethearts William and Mary have been married for sixty years. William is a celebrated surgeon, Mary a devoted wife. Both have a strong sense of right and wrong.
This is what their son, Joe O'Loughlin, has always believed. But when Joe is summoned to the hospital with news that his father has been brutally attacked, his world is turned upside down. Who is the strange woman crying at William's bedside, covered in his blood - a friend, a mistress, a fantasist or a killer?
Against the advice of the police, Joe launches his own investigation. As he learns more, he discovers sides to his father he never knew - and is forcibly reminded that the truth comes at a price.
The Other Wife, Michael Robotham
THE OTHER WIFE is the latest bittersweet entry in an excellent series that progressively takes a little bit more of your heart with each encounter. And these are crime novels, so that is truly a testament to the author’s mastery of characterization. Creating characters that we are fully invested in will always trump the impact of a complex and clever plot. THE OTHER WIFE is a shining example of both achievements.
THE OTHER WIFE serves well as a standalone but if you’ve been on the bandwagon with the rest of us crime readers, you have likely read at least one of the priors in the Joe O’Loughlin series. Oh yes, reading this series is totally a personal concern now – we have a genuine need to see how Joe is faring with each series entry. This latest work does not have the frenetic pace of some of the others but your heart will still pound in concern for Joe, and you will definitely want to cheer him on as Joe battles to keep it all together in such difficult circumstances. Joe is a little edgier in this outing, and you do get a sense of that ticking time clock with his health.
In a time where novelists from all genres seem to be turning inwards and examining the complex nature of family relationships (as opposed to globally looking outwards, with that not being the most positive thing perhaps to be doing with your time right now), THE OTHER WIFE reinforces that the biggest mysteries are always present, whether ignored or simply as yet undiscovered, in every family.