MY WIFE IS MISSING

4 stars out of 5

I've read three of this author's books and enjoyed them all. This one keeps the record intact, although I must admit it's not my favorite of the four. It's longer than it needs to be (repetition was an issue for me), and the main characters spend way, way too much time inside their own heads trying to figure out who's out to get them and why. All that aside, though, it's an entertaining story that I'm quite sure many other readers will enjoy thoroughly.

The initial focus is on Natalie Hart, who is on the run from her husband, Michael - taking with her their two children, Addison and Bryce. Their marriage has been on the rocks of sorts for some time now, and she suffers from debilitating insomnia that certainly hasn't helped ease the situation. But she's not only certain that Michael has been carrying on an affair right under their noses, but that he's been keeping an even darker secret from his younger days that at the very least could kill any chances for a reconciliation if the details come to light.

Michael, though, seems gobsmacked by his family's disappearance - even though he admits (to readers) some of the truth and hints that there's more to come. Needless to say, he's fiercely intent on finding his on-the-run loved ones - if not to repair his marriage, but to get the children away from a mother he believes is seriously disturbed.

Chapters shift from perspectives of Natalie and Michael both in their present and past, thus weaving backstory threads that readers presume (rightly) will make a coherent tapestry at the end. Adding texture is Natalie's workplace experience and friendships as well as a meddlesome but seemingly well-meaning police detective who insists on tagging along with Michael as he tries to learn Natalie's whereabouts. As the end closes in, the action heats up to the point of meltdown - leading to what I'm sure is supposed to be a bigger surprise than it was to me. All in all, it was worth reading - and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review it. 

My Wife Is Missing by D.J. Palmer (St. Martin's Press, May 2022); 384 pp.