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The Liar's Wife: A gripping psychological thriller with edge-of-your-seat suspense by [Samantha Hayes]

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Samantha Hayes

The Liar's Wife: A gripping psychological thriller with edge-of-your-seat suspense Kindle Edition

by Samantha Hayes (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

2,117 ratings

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When Ella wakes up in hospital following a hit and run incident, she is scared and confused. Close to tears, her eyes fall on a get-well-soon card on the window sill and the nurse reassures her that her loving husband will be back soon.

But Ella has never been married…

Absolutely love twisty and unputdownable psychological thrillers like Girl on the Train, The Wife Between Us and Gone Girl? Then you will be totally hooked by this jaw-dropping novel about the dangerous secrets behind a perfect marriage.

What readers are saying about The Liar’s Wife:

‘Oh my freaking god! What a fabulous and intriguing read… this is definitely the best book I’ve read by her YET!... I absolutely loved this shocker of a book… left me stunned, as to the why, well you are just going to have to read the book and see… One of the most exciting psychological thrillers I’ve read all year… just buy it you won’t disappointed I promise.’ The Book Review Café, 5 stars

‘This book was INSANE… The plot twist at the end slapped me in the face and I am still in shock about it!! I COMPLETELY recommend this if you’re a fan of books like “The Girl on the Train”, “The Woman in the Window”, and “Gone Girl”.’ Goodreads Reviewer

‘A brilliant and gripping thriller! It’s very fast-paced (I was racing through to find out what happened)!’ Cloud of Thoughts, 5 stars

‘Pushes all the right buttons from the off and continues to push them right up until the last page. The story is mesmerising as it draws you in and won’t let go (well didn’t me) and at times I had to reign myself back from wanting to find out the outcome, NOW!!... The ending will shock you and left me reeling a bit if I’m honest. In my top 3 reads of this year… Awesome… wonderful… 10/10, 5 stars.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

‘Wow!... grabs your full attention and keeps it until the very end… This read kept me wondering where it was all going and I could not wait until the end to find out… You will not regret picking this one up!’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

‘Writing that gets the hairs standing up on the back of my neck,… A fast-paced psychological thriller of the finest order… chillingly good.’ nigeladamsbookworm, 5 stars

‘Holy cow, all I can say is this is one of those books that will have you craving more… be ready for the shock that might just blow your mind… Riveting, chilling, thrilling, and absolutely shocking'!!! A must read for any thriller lover!’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

‘Just couldn't tear myself away no matter how hard I tried… A seriously compulsive read that you won't want to put down. It was an addictive read that I couldn't get enough of and the build-up of tension was just off the scale. You know how great a book is when your heart is still racing hours after finishing the book as the adrenaline was still coursing through my body. Compulsive, addictive, what more do you need from a psychological thriller?’ bytheletterbookreviews, 5 stars

‘OMG this was one of the best psychological thrillers I have read! The ending will shock you!... This is a must read!’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

‘Yessss! This book is compulsively readable, so much so that I did the thing where I walked all over my house with it today, greedily consuming page after page as I pretended to do other things and hoped no one needed anything... Woot, woot, is this a thrilling, suspenseful, surprising and altogether satisfying journey! WOW!’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

Print length

358 pages
Language

English
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On Kindle Scribe
Publication date

November 22, 2018
File size

968 KB
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Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07GX16TFM
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bookouture (November 22, 2018)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 22, 2018
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 968 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 358 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #249,089 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #1,728 in Psychological Fiction (Kindle Store)
- #2,658 in Psychological Fiction (Books)
- #2,692 in Psychological Thrillers (Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews:
2,117 ratings

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Samantha Hayes

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Samantha Hayes grew up in Warwickshire, left school at sixteen, avoided university and took jobs ranging from private detective to barmaid to fruit picker and factory worker. She lived on a kibbutz, and spent time living in Australia and the USA, before finally becoming a crime-writer.

Her writing career began when she won a short story competition in 2003. After writing several books under another name, her eighteenth crime novel THE TRAPPED WIFE is out now, with her next due for release in summer 2022. Her books are family-based psychological thrillers, with the emphasis being on 'real life fiction'. She focuses on current issues and sets out to make her readers ask, 'What if this happened to me or my family?' And you'll always find a BIG twist at the end!

GOOD HOUSEKEEPING says "We’re big fans of Samantha Hayes. Her believable psychological thrillers are completely gripping..."

To find out more, visit her website www.samanthahayes.co.uk

Or connect with Samantha on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/SamanthaHayesAuthor

And she's on Twitter @samhayes

and Instagram at samanthahayes.author

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5

2,117 global ratings

5 star		56%
4 star		23%
3 star		12%
2 star		6%
1 star		4%

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Top reviews from the United States

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HELD HOSTAGE BY THE PAST

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 29, 2018

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When Ella wakes up in hospital following a hit and run incident, she is scared and confused. Close to tears, her eyes fall on a get-well-soon card on the window sill and the nurse reassures her that her loving husband will be back soon.

But Ella has never been married…

Absolutely love twisty and unputdownable psychological thrillers like Girl on the Train, The Wife Between Us and Gone Girl? Then you will be totally hooked by this jaw-dropping novel about the dangerous secrets behind a perfect marriage.

My Thoughts: A story that goes back and forth in time, revealing dark secrets and hidden dangers, The Liar’s Wife kept me enthralled throughout.

Ella Sinclair has a strict routine in her life, one that doesn’t allow for much socializing. Her isolation will work against her after the hit and run accident that sidelines her. In fact, the news about her accident brings someone from the past back into her life. Someone who has leverage against her.

He sits by her bedside in the hospital and arranges for her things to be moved into a house he owns. House and wheelchair bound, Ella has no way to find help.

A frightening tale that kept me rapidly turning pages, the story gripped me and made me want Ella to find a way out of her situation.

What had happened to Ella in the past that would allow the man called Jacob to hold her hostage? Why is he able to control everything in her life, and prevent her escape? Finding those answers kept me glued to the pages. 4.5 stars.

24 people found this helpful

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Kindle Customer

Loved it!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 17, 2023

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Wow,loved the book,it was such a good and twisty ending,read it,loved it so much,wont b a waste of time at all!!

Helpful

This was okay, I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it either.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 5, 2019

Verified Purchase

2 1/2 - 3 stars (more on the 2 1/2 side)

Ella is a loner. She works as an film editor in a media company. She never goes out with the people she works with. Work, Home, Sleep repeat is her life. That is until the night she was riding her bike home from work and was hit by a car. When she wakes up in the hospital she has a cast on her leg and arm and her nurse tells her that her husband Jacob will be back soon. That is all well and good, except Ella is not married. When Jacob shows up at the hospital Ella recognizes him and knows that she needs to go along with what he says. You see, he was there 10 years ago and knows the secret that Ella has been keeping. The secret she does not want anyone to find out, the secret that has made her isolate herself.

This was alright. I liked the idea of the plot, had a problem with the characters and some of the things that happened. To me the characters were just there, none jumped off the page and they came across as flighty. Especially Ella's neighbors. One neighbor when she came to visit and no one answered when she knocked she looked through the mail slot in the door. And then when something was revealed (don't want to say what an spoil anything) they just took Ella's explanation. I was just shaking my head, thinking seriously that did not send up red flags for you?

This was told mostly from Ella's POV, present and past. I will say while none of the characters jumped off the page to me, I did sympathize with Ella. Especially the past chapters.

I had who "Jacob" was narrowed down to 2 people. And who he ended up being was one of my 2. And while the ending felt like it was wrapped up way to easy. I did like when it was revealed what happened that Summer night 10 years ago. I so did not have that figured out.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 28, 2022

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Very seldom does a story take me by surprise. I enjoy trying to figure the ending.
Not this time.
Enjoy

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 15, 2020

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Ella Sinclair is heading home from work on her bicycle when she gets hit by a truck. She wakes up in the hospital and has been told her husband had been very worried about her. Problem is, Ella does not have a husband. Enjoy this roller coaster of a book. Well done!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 14, 2022

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I couldn’t put this book down. It’s very well written, so much so that just one more page is never enough. Psychological head trip that will leave me thinking about it for months.

Helpful

DIANE PATTERSON

☆ TRIGGER ALERT ☆ RAPE & INCEST ☆

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 2, 2018

Verified Purchase

The last 10 years of Ella's life, she's had little communication with anyone. She doesn't socialize with co-workers because she doesn't want to reveal details about herself & about what happened a decade ago.

Her life changed, the night Ella bicycled home from work & was hit by a van. She goes down & blacks out. When she comes to, she's in the hospital. They tell her she's had an accident & she's been in a medically induced coma for days, because she wasn't wearing a helmet & has swelling of the brain. Also, her leg & wrist are fractured. They had to operate & put a metal pin in her knee. The nurse tells her that her husband has been visiting her, reading her poetry & bringing her gifts. But, Ella isn't married.

She made the local news. The driver of the van didn't stop. It was a hit & run. The police were appealing for witnesses. They released her name & picture hoping the driver would come forward. The man, who calls himself Jacob & is claiming to be her husband, heard about her accident on the news.

After a lengthy hospital stay, she's discharged. But, she's wheelchair-bound & her cell phone is useless. Ella finds herself in a terrifying situation where she has little choice but to go along with everything he says until she figures out what to do.

Freeing herself is going to be complicated. He has taken her to a home in a gated development & has set up CCTV cameras that he can monitor thru an app on his phone. He won't allow her to leave the house, have any friends or even a phone. He's violent & abusive. Not only is he holding her captive, he hits her & rapes her repeatedly.

He goes swimming every night after work, (except for Friday's). She uses that time to work out a plan to escape. If he's in the pool, then he can't be checking the app on his phone. She wonders if she can disable the cameras without him noticing.

Then, Jacob kidnaps a baby. Now, there's someone else reliant on her. She doesn't like it. But, she can't ignore it either.

Neighbors come knocking wanting to welcome her to the neighborhood and a work colleague goes to great lengths to locate her & see how she's doing. None of them have any idea that she's in grave & imminent danger. There are reasons why she can't tell any of them that she's being held against her will.

Meanwhile, there's a concurrent thread about Ella's college years, her relationship with her twin brother (Harry), her first love (Zach) & memories of days spent with friends at Zach's family lake house; where everything turned bad.

73 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Louise886

What did I just read?!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on February 15, 2020

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I very rarely leave bad reviews for books. I also suspend reality and accept certain things within books that would not happen in real life. With this book... what?!? Why?!? The whole thing could have been 10 pages long. I also never write spoilers but I need to this time!

*****SPOILERS AHEAD*****

So we start with quiet and unassuming Ella. A boring routine, hints of a sordid past, a secret blah blah blah... she is in an accident and is in hospital... a man claims to be her husband... he is obviously from her past and is blackmailing her with something to stop her speaking out.

Issue: she goes home with him then tries to escape. Why bother going home with him? Just speak up and get help at the hospital. Story finished! Why leave the hospital? Why then try to escape which would ultimately lead to him revealing the secret?!

He has high tech equipment which records her every move BUT can only watch it live and cannot record and watch later to see what she has been up to... hmm

He stole a baby which has national coverage 24/7 BUT HAS NO IDEA HE TOOK A GIRL NOT A BOY!!! How?!?

The twist was not a twist. It was clear it was not Zach. The creepy guy was a cover. Ok I didn’t suspect Harry but it hardly smacked me in the face.

No copies of a decade old tape? Ok then...

Jacob has been through so much he wants a boy so I let him think.... and they just accept it! WHAT!?!? They don’t even suspect?!?!

Ella is so worried what he will do if he knows she tried to get away/talk to anyone. She doesn’t say anything at the hospital. She doesn’t tell Liz. She just gives a coded message to poor Liam. Just so he can be a hero.

Are we ignoring that she actually killed him? Despite everything the police would investigate and she would most likely go to court. Yes, she would be found not guilty but...

Aside from huge plot holes, the characters felt forced, the secrets not overly exciting and the whole thing was far too long. The start was especially slow.

I considered giving up at 10% and again every 5%. I wish I had.

21 people found this helpful

Becky

Unexpected- but slightly sickening

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on November 30, 2018

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I’m torn with this review- as I found the start of the story quite slow- but rapidly more interesting when the baby was abducted etc... But it all then became really unrealistic & far-fetched & slightly ludicrous. Eg. There was a national hunt for a missing baby- yet the neighbours didnt even realise it was the same one plastered all over the news with very suspicious circumstances? And Liz didnt find it strange that Ella’s husband was calling the baby a boy all this time?! Very bizarre stuff.
I also found the twist at the end to be quite sickening- and I felt it ruined the story. I have loved this author’s books in the past- so I am slight disappointed at this one. It does have good reviews though- so I am in the minority- but just being honest...

22 people found this helpful

Jojomaman

Dark, twisty and brilliant!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on November 26, 2018

Verified Purchase

I’m a huge fan of Samantha Hayes and she never fails to surprise me with her domestic psychological thrillers that give her readers an insight into their worst nightmares by asking “what if?” Her move to Bookouture seems to have breathed an even bigger shock factor into her books and The Liars Wife really will leave you with your jaw firmly dropped onto the floor!

I purposefully don’t want to rehash any of the plot here in my review as I’m terrified of giving something away! But basically, Ella awakes in hospital after an accident to a loving husband by her bedside. How sweet, you all say! And I would have agreed….apart from the rather small problem in that Ella actually isn’t married!!! And there you go. But from that simple plot point radiates a storyline full of shocking twists and turns that defy the readers attention. I wanted to applaud by the last page and hold the book up as the perfect example of how to plot and deliver a psychological thriller. Ms Hayes really does go from strength to strength and is one of the few authors where I will preorder their books without even reading the blurb.

The Liars Wife is a dark, disturbing and tension filled shocker that completely overwhelmed me whilst I was engrossed in it. I have to say that I followed the almost invisible trail of breadcrumbs and did come to a conclusion quite quickly about where the book was going but that’s my thing! For me psychological thrillers aren’t all about “the twist” or I would have stopped reading them years ago! No, I want that suspense, the “I can’t believe she just did that!” and to truly believe that this is happening to the characters and could, one day, just as easily happen to me…..or even YOU!!

Top marks once again for Samantha Hayes!

10 people found this helpful

Katie

Strange combination of various other books

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on May 18, 2019

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I usually read all books all the way through, but this is one of those that I just couldn't. I actively disliked the heroine from the beginning and the book made no sense. She keeps attempting to escape but then when the neighbours come round and even take her out shopping she doesn't do a runner but meekly goes, "home", because she's being blackmailed. Nonsense. It's like a combination of, "Eleanor Oliphant", "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo", and "Behind Closed Doors", but without the good qualities of any of them. I flicked through it till about the 90% mark and I thought it slightly redeemed itself in the last 10% which is why I gave it 2 stars instead of 1.

8 people found this helpful

Amazon Customer

Not a good book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on May 31, 2020

Verified Purchase

I'm sorry but I had to write a review on this book, 'The Liar's Wife', to help other potential readers avoid having to...
SPOILERS
So, a young woman has an accident on her bicycle and ends up in ICU. Having been in a coma for a few days, she comes round to discover that a man, whom she knows from her past and of whom she is terrified has rocked up at the hospital pretending to be her husband. He tells the staff that they're in the process of moving to their lovely new home and he can't wait to take Emma home and spoil her.
Every opportunity he has, he hurts her - putting his hands over her face so she can't breathe, digging his nails into her flesh and bashing her wheelchair into the wall so that her broken, plastered leg is hurt. YET - no-one at the hospital spots anything untoward and Emma tells no-one. The bloke has a video of Emma apparently doing something bad, which he threatens to take to the police. So, instead of Emma reporting him while she's safe at the hospital to Sue, a nurse to whom she has become close or to her physio, she docilely lets him take her home and lock her in before she immediately starts plotting how to escape him. A concerned neighbour calls in and even takes her shopping (with a new, kidnapped baby, Girl-Zack - I can't even....) but does Emma raise the alarm, calmly walk into a police station while she's out and about? Of course not!! She calmly goes back to the house and continues plotting to escape! It's ridiculous.
The 'climax' is implausible, rushed and just plain silly. But if you've got this far, anything else would have been a surprise.
:(

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