I was intrigued by the blurb for Second Wives, a new psych thriller by Carey Baldwin. While there is a lot going on in this story, I mostly enjoyed it.
As with many a psych thriller, there is a prologue that gets the readers’ curiosity going. I do like it when it isn’t clear as to whether the prologue is in the past or something that will happen in the course of the story.
I’m not going to tell you which one it is in this case.
The setup itself is different. It makes for a lot of awkwardness among characters which naturally feeds the psych part of the psych thriller. Who is authentic? Who is putting up a front? Which character is lying…or are several hiding secrets?
While it makes for many of those types of questions, it also makes it difficult to know who is trustworthy in their narration.
For example, Charity seems too good to be true. And her inner monologues prove that she usually has an ulterior motive for being as nice as she is. Her competition with Brigid is understandable, but it clouds the waters.
Their character development is interesting. as it becomes clear that the two women have more in common than it would appear.
One thing I did struggle with is the sheer number of events that occurred throughout the plot. I get that it is a psych thriller, so the author needs to keep the reader on their toes. It feels like not enough is done to lay the groundwork for the ultimate reveal.
Yes, there are definitely some jaw-drop moments, and the author did surprise more than a few times. But I feel like there are not enough “connect the dots” moments – almost like the author had so many ideas but not a clear path to integrating all of them.
And I did not like the epilogue at all. That felt forced. However, I did enjoy Second Wives. Carey Baldwin certainly kept me guessing, and I suppose that’s what I ultimately want out of a psych thriller.
