The First Wife

By: Erica Spindler

Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert

As a child, Bailey Browne dreamed of a knight in shining armor swooping in to rescue her and her mother. As she grows older, those dreams transform, becoming ones of a mysterious stranger who will sweep her off her feet and whisk her away from her ordinary existence. Then, suddenly, there he is.

Despite the 10-year difference in their ages, her working class upbringing and his of privilege, Logan Abbott and Bailey fall deeply in love. Marriage quickly follows. But when Logan brings her home to his horse farm in Louisiana, a magnificent estate on ninety wooded acres, her dreams of happily-ever-after begin to unravel. A tragic family history she knew nothing about surfaces, plus whisperings about the disappearance of his first wife True, and rumors about the women from the area who have gone missing - and when another woman disappears, all signs point to her husband's involvement.

At first Bailey ignores the whispers, even as circumstantial evidence against Logan mounts. But finally, Bailey must make a choice: believe what everyone says - or bet her life on the man she loves, but is realizing she hardly knows. From the author of Justice for Sara, Erica Spindler's The First Wife is a thrilling new novel that will have you gasping every minute.

©2014 Erica Spindler (P)2014 Macmillan Audio

Good Suspense, Okay Narration

Erica Spindler writes reliably good suspense. They're great beach reads with compelling story lines and "The First Wife" is no exception. The characters were well developed, quirky and interesting. I did guess the perpetrator about halfway through the book, but I used the process of elimination to do it so I don't think that's a reflection on Ms. Spindler's writing or story development. It's probably more likely that I read too many suspense novels!

I have listened to several Tavia Gilbert books and I think this is going to be my last. I think she's a tremendously gifted voice actress but time and again her dramatic choices lean heavily towards "distress" on the part of the heroine when the situation or character may not warrant it. In this case, I think Bailey is written as a very strong woman but Ms. Gilbert voices her as an alarmed, frightened damsel pretty much from the start. There were many opportunities to use other inflections - anger, sarcasm, disbelief, but time and again Ms. Gilbert's default was whiny fear when it came to Bailey. Then when Bailey finally did fall apart, it lacked the dramatic punch of a strong character giving in to the situation because we'd heard her whining for the past six hours already.

Erica Spindler is definitely a winner! Tavia Gilbert has all the right stuff to be one, too, but falls short. Please don't let the genre influence your dramatic choices, let the dialogue do that.

Kept Me Guessing

I enjoyed the anticipation of not knowing who the killer was. Normally I always guess who the "bad guy" is. This time I didn't know FOR SURE until the very end.

Cliche' but Interesting

Would you try another book from Erica Spindler and/or Tavia Gilbert?

Took me a while to get into this story as the beginning was just too convenient for me; guy and girl (Logan & Bailey) both randomly meet while on this lavish vacation to escape their realities and fall hopelessly in love. They foolishly marry and move back to Logan's old and large family farm that is tainted with blood and family secrets. The honeymoon ends quickly when Logan returns to his real life responsibilities and leaves his wife alone to uncover mystery after mystery about the family and close friends. There is the cliché bad southern cop out to destroy the cute, rich farm boy who has it all, and you will read a variation of the expression, 'She let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding,' at least three times. Despite the cliché tid bits and overly trusting wife....seriously; who trusts a man she just met when the town is accusing him of murder and all signs confirm....the story is interesting has you suspecting several characters of the accused crimes before revealing the true villain. A decent read for those who are interested in crime stories with a slight romantic trail.

I recommend this book for adults only due to the slight sexual content.

Excellent read

Awesome plot and fabulous voice acting. Enjoyed very much. Literally clapped at the end lol

Predictable

I kept reading, hoping this sappy book would get better. What a waste of time. I would not even recommend this as a beach read

Ok

The narrator was not the best. The story was ok. I actually suspected someone else to be the killer.

Awesome

loved this. Erica spindler writes amazing thrillers. you will not be disappointed. fast paced from beginning to end with many twists

Awesome

As in her other books the suspense was riveting and surprising !
Excellent, highly recommend. Should be a series on TV

Like a long winded soap opera

The story was ripped from a daytime soap. The performance was terrible and overly dramatic. It was painful to listen to the character's voices.

Amateur Writing at its Worst

Would you try another book from Erica Spindler and/or Tavia Gilbert?

No I would not. The characters, plot and narration grated on me to the point that I had to stop listening. This book was not mysterious or smart. The characters were one dimensional, whiny and unrealistic - like characters from a Soap Opera. The main character was supposed to be a grown woman and yet she whinges and bemoans her way through the book like a spineless teenaged girl. It was infuriating to listen to her naïve and downright stupid narration through the book.

What was most disappointing about Erica Spindler’s story?

The entire story was a HUGE disappointment and a waste of a credit.

What didn’t you like about Tavia Gilbert’s performance?

She really made all the women sound like hysterical, weak little girls. Her voice, when narrating dramatic and/ or emotional scenes literally made me roll my eyes and curse in annoyance.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from The First Wife?

If I could play editor, I'd throw the book back at the author and tell her to try again.

Any additional comments?

Waste of a credit!!! Amateur writing and rage inducing narration. No thanks.