The Wife’s Silence

• Author: Amanda McKinney
• Genre: Thriller
• Publication Date: May 23, 2025
• Publisher: Storm Publishing

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for providing me an ARC of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

She sits motionless in the corner, white-blonde hair framing her face like a halo, one finger tapping an endless rhythm on the leather armrest. ‘This is Lucy,’ Thomas says, gesturing to me. ‘She’s going to take care of you.’ The tapping suddenly stops. Like a ballerina on a spindle, her head twists to meet my gaze, and her lips part into a silent scream.

Lucy Greer is at the end of her rope. Desperate to pick up the broken pieces of her life—and atone for past mistakes—she finds herself on the doorstep of successful entrepreneur, Thomas Caine, who has hired her to care for his ailing wife. But beneath the polished surface, something is terribly wrong.

It all began when the Caines’ teenage son vanished years ago. The housekeeper has theories, the ex-wife has secrets. But Emilia, now trapped in her silent prison, knows the darkest truth of all. Now, with Lucy’s help, the carefully constructed lies within this beautiful home are about to shatter.

A dark psychological thriller about deception, vengeance, and the mask we wear to hide the truth. The Wife’s Silence will keep you guessing until the final page. Perfect for fans of Behind Her Eyes, The Silent Patient, and The Perfect Marriage.

Just like I was drawn to The Silent Patient, this one pulled me in strictly because I love the kind of book where I can’t predict the twist, and where things aren’t always what they seem. I loved that it was available as an audiobook, because I didn’t have to stop listening unless I needed to take my headphones out. 

Elise Roth did the narration on this one, and I love how she voiced the characters. It can’t be easy to get the perfect voice, tone, and vibes for the story, but she managed it well with this one. 

A woman who sees no options sees one chance at a more stable life than she has at the moment, and it lands her a job with a successful businessman, as a caretaker for his wife, Emilia. It doesn’t seem to matter that Lucy has no experience at caretaking, especially for someone who has experienced a stroke. It made mw wonder why Thomas with all of his money wasn’t able to hire a nurse, or at least someone with specialized training for his non-verbal, mostly paralyzed wife. 

However, the way that the story is told isn’t simply from Lucy’s perspective in the present day. Each chapter in this timeline is interspersed with a viewpoint from Emilia’s past, eventually leading up to some really big revelations. I found my impression of the characters changed dramatically based on the info revealed in the plot twist, and that’s a good sign when I’m reading a mystery or suspense novel.

I initially connected with Lucy’s character, and that only got stronger throughout the book. However, the way that I thought of Emilia changed a lot more than once. And so did my perspective of Thomas. There was one plot twist that really surprised me, and I was hoping it would play out as a good surprise rather than a disappointing one. Once the surrounding circumstances were clear, I appreciated how it wasn’t as disappointing as I had first expected. While it still gave me a slight case of “the ick,” I could understand what the author was aiming for, and thought that it was handled pretty well.

This is a fast-paced and engrossing thriller, where each new chapter revealed more secrets. A book with this style tends to keep me sucked into the story, and not wanting to put this down until I had finished, no matter how late it was. There is also an element of disability representation in the story, and it touches on how people with disabilities, particularly severe ones that require higher levels of support, are often infantilized. The way that characters behave towards Emilia offers an insight into how the people helping us may also be the ones holding us back by underestimating us and viewing ‘a disability’ instead of a person with our own desires, hopes, dreams, emotions, goals, and struggles, just like anyone else. Overall, this is a good book to curl up with if you are looking for a thriller you can’t put down until the shocking end.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, and I may earn a small commission at no cost to you if you purchase through my links.