Title: THE OTHER MRS
Author: Mary Kubica
ISBN: 9780778389354
Publisher: Harper Collins/Park Row Books
Pages: 416
Source: Private Copy
Sadie and Will Foust have only just moved their family from bustling Chicago to small-town Maine when their neighbor, Morgan Baines, is found dead in her home. The murder rocks their tiny coastal island, but no one is more shaken than Sadie, who is terrified by the thought of a killer in her very own backyard.
But it’s not just Morgan’s death that has Sadie on edge. It’s their eerie old home, with its decrepit decor and creepy attic, which they inherited from Will’s sister after she died unexpectedly. It’s Will’s disturbed teenage niece Imogen, with her dark and threatening presence. And it’s the troubling past that continues to wear at the seams of their family.
As the eyes of suspicion turn toward the new family in town, Sadie is drawn deeper into the mystery of Morgan’s death. But Sadie must be careful, for the more she discovers about Mrs. Baines, the more she begins to realize just how much she has to lose if the truth ever comes to light.
Official Summary
29 October 2024
It’s the last week of October and I am sharing two more reviews this week. I have spent a lot of time working on author backlist books this month and Mary Kubica is one of the authors I have added to my backlist reading.
The Other Mrs. delivers a haunting psychological thriller filled with twists, dark secrets, and unnerving tension. Set in a remote coastal town in Maine, the novel explores the inner turmoil of Sadie Foust, whose recent move with her family is quickly overshadowed by the murder of their neighbour, Morgan Baines.
Kubica does a brilliant job of crafting Sadie as an unreliable narrator, constantly shifting between paranoia, guilt, and confusion. Her struggle to adapt to small-town life, the eerie atmosphere of their old, crumbling house, and her interactions with Will’s disturbed niece, Imogen, all create a suffocating sense of dread. Kubica plays with your perception, keeping you guessing about who the true danger is. The claustrophobic feeling of isolation floods the story, adding to the sense that something is deeply wrong beneath the surface of the Foust family’s seemingly new beginning.
The murder mystery is engaging, though it feels secondary to Sadie’s unravelling state of mind. Each new revelation about Morgan Baines’ death pushes Sadie to question not only the people around her but also her own past and decisions. Kubica weaves in family drama, with Will’s past relationships and the unresolved trauma of the family playing significant roles in the suspense. The pacing is measured, allowing tension to build gradually, though it can feel slow at times as the author delves into Sadie’s psyche.
Without giving away spoilers, the plot twists in The Other Mrs. are gripping, with one major reveal toward the end that completely shifts how you view the entire story. It’s the kind of twist that makes you want to re-read earlier chapters to spot the clues you may have missed.
If you enjoy thrillers that blend a slow-burn mystery with psychological depth and family drama, The Other Mrs. is a satisfying and chilling read. It leaves you questioning the fragility of trust and how well we truly know those we’re closest to.
Also by Mary Kubica
EVERY LAST LIE
“The bad man, Daddy. The bad man is after us.”
Clara Solberg’s world shatters when her husband and their four-year-old daughter are in a car crash, killing Nick while Maisie is remarkably unharmed. The crash is ruled an accident…until the coming days, when Maisie starts having night terrors that make Clara question what really happened on that fateful afternoon.
Tormented by grief and her obsession that Nick’s death was far more than just an accident, Clara is plunged into a desperate hunt for the truth. Who would have wanted Nick dead? And, more important, why? Clara will stop at nothing to find out—and the truth is only the beginning of this twisted tale of secrets and deceit.
Told in the alternating perspectives of Clara’s investigation and Nick’s last months leading up to the crash, master of suspense Mary Kubica weaves her most chilling thriller to date—one that explores the dark recesses of a mind plagued by grief and shows that some secrets might be better left buried.
About the Author
Author bio from the author’s site
Mary Kubic is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of many suspense novels, including The Good Girl, Pretty Baby, Don’t You Cry, Every Last Lie, When the Lights Go Out, The Other Mrs, Local Woman Missing and Just The Nicest Couple. A former high school history teacher, Mary holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Miami University in Oxford Ohio, in History and American Literature. She lives outside of Chicago with her husband and two children.
Mary’s novels have been selected as Amazon Best Books of the Month and have been LibraryReads selections. They’ve been translated into over thirty languages and have sold over five million copies worldwide. She’s been described as “a helluva storyteller,” (Kirkus Reviews) and “a writer of vice-like control,” (Chicago Tribune), and her novels have been praised as “hypnotic” (People) and “thrilling and illuminating” (Los Angeles Times).
Thank you for visiting the blog to read my review. I have lost myself in a few pretty heavy thrillers this month and each one has been brilliant. I hope you enjoyed the review. Are you a Kubica fan? If you have read this book, I would love to hear your thoughts. Please leave a comment below. Until next time…. Happy Reading!
