"The Wife Stalker"

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“The Wife Stalker”

Written by Liv Constantine

Reviewed by Diana Iozzia

“The Wife Stalker” is the fourth book I have read by the two sisters that use the pen name, Liv Constantine. Their first book, “The Last Mrs. Parrish” is a phenomenal psychological thriller, and unfortunately, none of their later books have never held up to “Parrish’s” gold standard. I anticipated “T.W.S.”, because of its plot premise. The premise boasts a scorching thriller about Piper and Joanna, two wives of Leo, the second and the ex respectfully. Piper found Leo, enticed him with her wiles, which stopped his attention for Joanna. However, Joanna refuses to let her husband leave without a fight, choosing to terrorize him and Piper and stalk them. The wife stalker becomes the stalked. In a final, maddening but satisfying twist, we learn about who Joanna really is and her final intentions.

 

I admit, I enjoyed this more than I originally anticipated. The plot was intriguing and certainly entertaining, however, because this was a slow burn story, the reading experience dragged in some areas. The suspicion and the blame alternates between characters, as you desperately hope for the safety of the children. What’s in those green smoothies? Why is the nanny taking suspicious phone calls? When the final reveal came forth, I was ecstatic for a plot twist that finally made sense. I chose to re-read certain passages in the new light, seeing how there were certain clues. This reminded me much of my experience with “The Sixth Sense”, “The Wife Between Us”, and “The Silent Patient”. The dramatic turn reminded me of what I loved so much about “The Last Mrs. Parrish”. The Constantine sisters went back to the roots of what made their first novel so excellent and created a great new one.

 

There’s always a ‘but’, so here it is. Due to the twist, a new character was implicated as the villain the whole time. Because of this, the characters’ intentions in certain dramatic moments were left unexplained. So, there was nothing in the smoothies? Sometimes, when we have certain reveals, they are remembered through the perspective of the villain or the character with new understanding, like in “The Sixth Sense”. However, there were too many unanswered questions for me to find this book to be as perfect as “The Last Mrs. Parrish”.

 

I eagerly recommend this to my readers and anyone reading this review, even if thriller is not often the genre you enjoy reading. You can read this with a critical eye, or you can lazily read it by the beach with a cocktail. I think that this book has many sides and edges to it, that can appeal to anyone. Naturally, I also recommend the Constantine sisters’ first book. Their two in the middle were flat and unimpressive, and please feel free to read my reviews on them: “The Last Time I Saw You” and “The Network”.

From me, this book receives a four-star rating out of five stars, due to its occasional slow pace and unanswered questions.

 

I received a complimentary finished copy from Harper Books in exchange for reading and reviewing. Thank you to the publishing house for the opportunity.

"The Network"

“The Network”

Written by L.C. Shaw

Reviewed by Diana Iozzia

“The Network” was a highly disappointing read, due to the many tropes of novels in the political thriller and psychological thriller subgenres. After truly loving “The Last Mrs. Parrish” by Lynne and Valerie Constantine of the pen name, Liv Constantine, I had been disappointed by their second thriller, “The Last Time I Saw You”. L.C. Shaw is an additional pen name, created by Lynne Constantine. I had been interested to try out this novel, to see how it would compare.

Unfortunately, “The Network” encompasses so many tired trends from the thriller genre, including big evil corporations called “The Institution”, two main characters that used to love each other, evil corporate villains who want to rid the world of sin, and disinteresting main characters.

Jack Logan is an investigative reporter, who is tasked with hiding his ex-girlfriend, whose senator husband has just been murdered. Taylor, the wife, is pregnant with complications that require her to take certain medication and have as much bed rest as possible, which makes their situation all the more complex. We learn about their previous relationship which is eerily similar to another perspective, of Maya. Maya had been taken in by a super secretive and scientific institute, ruled by the power-hungry and righteous Damon Crosse, who has impregnated her illegally. He holds her hostage in the corporation, to help him take over the world.

As the story continues, we learn more about Maya’s unfortunate scenario and see how her parents’ relic coins with supposed powers tie in with Taylor’s family history. Are they connected?

Very early on, it can be quite predictable to see how this story is progressing. I found myself rolling my eyes at certain dialogue, especially with scenes involving sex. Also, can a dog be trained to bite into a neck artery and kill a bad guy? That was a question no one had ever asked or thought, “Wow, that must be included in a action thriller.

Personally, I felt very disengaged from the story. I never felt connected with any of the characters. I was very surprised to see that this may be the first in an action / political thriller series, with Jack starring as the lead character. He’s not an offensive character, but I certainly would not continue onto the rest of the series. The writing feels incredibly immature, which combines with “The Last Time I Saw You”, makes me wonder if I would still love “The Last Mrs. Parrish” as much as I did when I initially read.

Due to my true disappointment for the story, I cannot recommend it. If you love big, bad government corporations that want to take over the world, I recommend “Recursion” by Blake Crouch instead, which has very realistic science fiction and well-written characters. I was disappointed with the story turning out into more of a Dan Brown / religious conspiracy novel. Lastly, I am not sure if I will continue to read from the Constantine sisters.

I received an advance edition of this novel in exchange for reading and reviewing purposes. Thank you to Harper Collins for the opportunity.

"The Last Time I Saw You"

“The Last Time I Saw You”

Written by Liv Constantine

Review written by Diana Iozzia

“The Last Time I Saw You” was a disappointing read for me, in stark contrast to the first book, written by the ladies behind this pseudonym. Their first book, “The Last Mrs. Parrish” is a favorite thriller of mine, which is high praise, because I do not often pick favorites.

“TLTISW” follows the immediate grief that our main character, Kate, is sucked into, after her mother’s murder. Kate is also receiving suspicious packages, like dead animals and strange objects in packages with threatening notes. Kate begins to feel paranoid and worried that she and her family will be hurt or killed. We also have a second perspective, from her bizarre, old friend, Blaire, who seems to still hold a grudge over Kate’s dismissal of their friendship. However, Blaire is helping with Kate and her family’s grief and trying to forgive Kate.

To be honest, I had very high expectations, considering the authors and my previous reading experience from them. I was not very interested in the premise initially, thinking that this was a pretty basic, run-of-the-mill psychological thriller. Unfortunately, every typical trope that I do not enjoy in thrillers popped up, also allowing a very predictable ending. There are two main twists, one that was not surprising. The other was not predictable, but it was not very shocking or compelling.

For those who like unreliable narrators, suspicious main characters, gaslighting, and calm resolutions, this might be for you. However, I like big dramatic climaxes that feel satisfying and justify the entire read. I do have to mention that I love the prose, dialogue, and detail. I feel that the authors still crafted a well-written story, by writing style standards. I love the detail that the authors put into every scene. Everything is very visual and allows for a very clear mental image of the story. I remember enjoying those aspects in “The Last Mrs. Parrish”. If you hope for a book that you can “see in your head” like a movie, this is very cinematic.

Sadly, I was still very unhappy and not satisfied with this book. I feel that I was let down in comparison to their first book, so I still highly recommend that one. I’m sure that some readers will enjoy this, but I prefer to stick with “The Last Mrs. Parrish” and hope for a movie or miniseries.

Thank you to Harper Books for sending me an advanced reader’s edition in exchange for reading and reviewing purposes.