By: Matthew Farrell
ISBN: 9781837903740
Publisher: Bookouture
Publication Date: 04/26/2023
Format: e-book
My Rating: 4 Stars (ARC)
When I first met Malcolm, I knew that he was everything I had ever wanted. When we had our beautiful, blue-eyed son Finn I felt like my life was finally complete. The past eight years have been the happiest of my life. Until now.
Because Malcolm’s been lying to me.
I’ve been following him. I finally saw him with her. How could he betray me and my darling boy? Of course, we all have our secrets. But everything I’ve done, I did for my son.
So I have a plan. When the police knock on our door tomorrow morning, Malcolm will have no clue what’s in store. All I need to do is pick up Finn and we can start our new life together.
But I don’t notice the car tailing me. The sudden crushing impact takes my breath away. As my heart pounds and my car is forced towards the rushing river below, my only thought is for my precious Finn. Because I know with certainty that if this is happening to me, then he’s in grave danger too…
Did Malcolm know what I was planning after all? Is this his revenge? Or worse, have my own secrets and lies finally caught up with me—and has my time finally run out?
The Woman at Number 6 is a totally twisty and gripping psychological thriller that will have you wondering who to trust and turning the pages well into the night! Fans of Gone Girl, The Couple Next Door, and T.M. Logan will be totally hooked.
My Review
Matthew Farrell returns following The Perfect Mother with his latest, THE WOMAN AT NUMBER SIX, a multi-layered twisty domestic suspense love triangle that expands beyond the three for a dangerous game of obsession and revenge.
Tracy and Malcolm have been married eight years with a four-year-old son, Finn. Tracy has not had much luck with men - Jake and Frank (both dead). A traumatic expereince. She is a survivor.
The only thing she demands in a marriage is fidelity and faithfulness. Unfortunately, Malcolm has failed. He owns a construction company and is having an affair with his younger beautiful real estate attorney.
Tracy sees Dr. Devi, a therapist, due to her past. She has decided she is leaving Malcolm and taking Finn and starting over. Her therapist says she needs to tell her husband, face to face.
On her way home from the therapist, she encounters someone behind her running her off the road, and her car is pushed into the Hudson River. She manages to get out and runs. A stranger named Sam says he is helping but kidnaps her. She is not able to see; everything is black.
While someone was following her, she called Malcolm. Now he wonders what happened to her. Is she dead or alive? If she was taken, who has her? Did he arrange this if he thought she was leaving?
Then the day Tracy goes missing his lover, Kat is found murdered. The plot thickens with the two cases and two detectives and one with an interest that has retired.
Also, you have Missy, the nasty sister. What is she up to? Trust no one.
Between the therapist, Dr. Devi, his son, the other little boy, Malcolm, Tracy, Missy, and the detectives, there are many characters, suspects, red herrings, and twists and turns. How do the two cases connect?
Told over twenty days from past to present, there are unreliable narrators and NO likable characters. You do not care about any of them or what happens to them. Not a lot of depth.
Farrell is a skilled writer, and I realize this is not up to him, but what bothered me the most is the book title, The Woman at Number 6.
There is NO mention of the number 6 anywhere in the book. If so, maybe I missed it, and someone let me know because it bugs me. I even waited until pub day and grabbed a copy from Kindle Unlimited, thinking it would be there, and nope— no mention. In my reviews, I always discuss how the title fits the book. This one does NOT have anything related to the title.
I was a publisher for many years, so I know they must do title changes, but why choose a title that has no reference to the book? So who was the woman at number 6? Was it Kat? If so, no one mentioned #6. Was this supposed to be an apartment, table, address, street, or what?
Another beef when there is a change of POV, I like for the chapters to be titled or labeled as such, so you do not spend time reading a paragraph trying to figure out who is speaking.
I did like the twist at the end: karma, baby. If the book had ONE character to root for, I might have liked it better, and some added dark, sarcastic humor.
Thanks to #Bookouture for an ARC via #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 3.5 Stars, rounded to 4
Pub Date: April 26, 2023
About the Author
Matthew Farrell is the Washington Post and Amazon Charts bestselling author of the Adler & Dwyer thriller series.
Matthew Farrell lives just outside of New York City in the Hudson Valley with his wife and two daughters. Get caught up on the progress of his next thriller along with his general musings by following him on Twitter @mfarrellwriter or liking his page on Facebook: www.facebook.com/mfarrellwriter2.
