July Read: An Inconvenient Wife by Karen E. Olson

 

I'm a huge fan of novels that put a spin on the epic story of King Henry VIII and his six wives. When this came across my radar I immediately grabbed it. I had just started it when I was leaving for vacation, but couldn't take it with me in hardcover, and I couldn't wait until I got back to read it. Thankful for library resources that got me the ebook, which I immediately devoured. 

This is a modern day mystery set in the world of New York finance and Cape Cod. It all starts with the body of a woman, found on the beach near Hank Tudor's summer home on the Long Island Sound. She's dead; found without her head. 

Who that woman is remains a mystery through most of the novel, but you figure out pretty quickly who it probably is but the motive for her murder remains murky. 

What I found enjoyable about this novel was discovering each wife and how they were written into the modern world. It was pretty interesting! I did find renaming Henry to Hank a bit jarring; he just didn't seem like a Hank to me. He's a billionaire sixty-something handsome man, ruthless and always has an eye for the ladies. Currently he's just married his previous assistant, Kate Parker, following a disastrous marriage to Caitlyn, a young starlet caught cheating with an actor. Anna Klein (Anne of Cleves) runs a successful high-end bed and breakfast with her wife, and takes care of Lizzie and Teddy, Hank's kids. Catherine Alvarez, (Katherine of Aragon) also lives nearby--she never leaves her house and lives alone, except for the assistance of her housekeeper. She's got a few tricks up her sleeves, for sure. She hasn't quite left the corporate world and secretly keeps tabs on all of it, especially Hank's empire. 

The biggest surprise was Anne Boleyn's character. Where was she? Known as Nan, she disappeared one night years before, when Lizzie was a few years old. No one knows where she is and it's just assumed by everyone she's dead. 

I found the characters very interesting, and the machinations between the remaining wives kept me turning the pages. Hank wasn't as much of a prominent character, which was disappointing but makes sense in a novel that focuses on the wives. The ending left me with a big WHAT?? and there were a lot of loose ends that didn't tie up.

Overall, it was an interesting read with a bit of a thud ending. There were surprises, for sure, but what I most enjoyed were the modern versions of Henry's wives. I always wonder what they'd be like as modern women, so anytime I find a novel that puts a fresh spin on the saga, I'm immediately intrigued. 

Rating: 3/6 for a mystery that is more of a thriller, with an ending that left me hanging. However, if you are a fan of all things Tudor, you'll enjoy the modern spin and tangled web of the wives and their relationships to each other. 

Available in hardcover, ebook, and audio. 

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July Read: An Inconvenient Wife by Karen E. Olson

The Secretary by Renee Knight

I've read so many husband-wife thrillers over the past few years it was refreshing to read a thriller that took place in a work environment; one that is between a female executive and her personal assistant. Office power struggles take on a whole new meaning in The Secretary.  

Told from the perspective of Christine Butcher, PA to Mina Appleton, we are looking back with Christine over the past 18 years of her life working for Mina. What started out as a seemingly innocent opportunity for a full-time job with great pay and benefits turned into a nightmare for Christine. A nightmare that cost her her marriage and her family, and left her completely reliant on Mina and her job as the only things that mattered in her life. 

You, as the reader, know from the beginning that something bad has happened, and Christine spends most of the novel giving you  plenty of foreshadowing. Mina is a manipulative, conniving, horrible woman who--you guessed it--puts on a face for the public that has everyone convinced she's actually a warm, wonderful, brilliant executive for her family's grocery company, Appleton's. Mina does what it takes to kick her father (the founder of the company) out of the business, and take it over in order to become one of the top grocery chains in England. Christine is along for the ride, making sure Mina's every wish, demand, and desire are taken care of; Christine will do whatever she has to in order to stay on Mina's good side. Unfortunately for Christine, she's just being used and falls for Mina's manipulative ways. She realizes too late just what Mina will do and who she'll ruin in order to keep herself on top. 

It's easy to see how loving your job can evolve into something that occupies more and more of your time. We've all done that at some point in our lives. At first, I got Christine's desire to prove herself indispensable and wanting to give her all. But after her marriage ends, and her relationship with her daughter grows distant, I felt alarmed and desperately wanted Christine to wake up! 

It takes a public humiliation before Christine wakes up, but she eventually does. And when she does, hoo boy, Mina has no idea what's about to happen. The ending may surprise some; for others, it may seem over the top. How far would you go to destroy someone who destroyed you?

Thank you to HarperCollins for sending me an advanced copy of this novel. It's definitely a thriller, and a look at the art of manipulation. It's a quick read; I read it in one day and couldn't put it down. 

Available in the U.S. on February 12 in hardcover, ebook, and audio. 

Rating: 4/6 for a different kind of relationship-thriller-drama; this time it takes place in the business world. A novel of loyalty, manipulation, and revenge. 

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The Secretary by Renee Knight