Editorial Review:

Product Description:
He placed a notice in a Chicago paper, an advertisement for "a reliable wife." She responded, saying that she was "a simple, honest woman." She was, of course, anything but honest, and the only simple thing about her was her single-minded determination to marry this man and then kill him, slowly and carefully, leaving her a wealthy widow, able to take care of the one she truly loved.

What Catherine Land did not realize was that the enigmatic and lonely Ralph Truitt had a plan of his own. And what neither anticipated was that they would fall so completely in love.

Filled with unforgettable characters, and shimmering with color and atmosphere, A Reliable Wife is an enthralling tale of love and madness, of longing and murder. 

I am very picky when it comes to books. I have read half of more books then I have finished. If I do not just love a book I put it down and never pick it back up. This book was one I read every free moment I had. This is a real page turner. This is a book you will read till 1 am telling yourself that you will put it down after one more chapter. I am surprised that this book got as many bad reviews as it has. I love this book.

Average Rating:

Rating: - I read this book in 5 days
I am very picky when it comes to books. I have read half of more books then I have finished. If I do not just love a book I put it down and never pick it back up. This book was one I read every free moment I had. This is a real page turner. This is a book you will read till 1 am telling yourself that you will put it down after one more chapter. I am surprised that this book got as many bad reviews as it has. I love this book.

Rating: - Theme resounds of Cornell Goolrich's book Waltz into darkness.
'A Reliable wife', while being a very well written novel, held no intrigue for me as it is almost a copy of Cornell Woolrich's novel, Waltz into Darkness. Mail order bride, picture does not match the real person, the sister, the lover from the past, the slow poisoning of her husband, and the husband falling madly in love with her despite all these, are all taken from the previous novel, Waltz into Darkness, made into the movie 'Original Sin' starring Angelina Jolie.Has no one else seen the resemblance?

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Rating: - I'm glad I wasn't the editor.. this guy wouldn't have gotten published!
What's with all the rave reviews on the back cover? This book, pure and simple, was a huge waste of time. Nothing in the entire book was even remotely believable, and as someone said on Goodreads, it just backs up the theory that men think about sex every 7 seconds. More like every 3 seconds in this book. I want the last week of my life back! Save your money, find a reliable author!

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Rating: - I didn't like any of the characters
I read this book since the jacket said it was "suspenseful" but when I got into the book I was very disappointed. I could not stand any of the weird characters. Ralph Truitt the older man was a totally unlikeable person and his relationship with Catherine unfathomable. Catherine Land and Antonio MOrelli, Truitt's second wife and son respectively were totally unbelievable and Morelli was somewhat of a cartoon villain--but oddly enough the book came somewhat to life after pressing through chapters about dreary Ralph and Catherine. The ending which I won't divulge was very offputting as well and it was like the author wanted to wrap things up fast. I do hope sincerely there is no sequel and these characters are not resurrected.

The story is about a lonely widower whose secrets are gradually revealed meeting a "mail order" bride who advertised for a husband. He asks her to be his wife but also wants her to play detective. Flashbacks reveal a Rebecca style plot but this is by no means anywhere near the quality of the novel Rebecca!

There are side characters like Catherine's sister and the Larsens but they are really uninteresting and deadly dull. The author never gave them any life.

It also is a real bodice ripper type of novel so these many elements are mixed together: Rebecca type theme, plenty of sex scenes, and "mystery." But the ending was a cop out in my opinion and very very unrealistic.

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Rating: - outside the crowd
I was surprised to see so many negative reviews of this novel and feel somewhat outside the crowd in my views. Is the book predictable? Yes. Is it gloomy? Perhaps a little. Yet, I find the prose beautifully pieced together to create a story about redemption. I feel the characters are believable in motivation and reaction, and I appreciated the setting as one of those characters. I actually sympathized with Ralph and Catherine--either because or in spite of their human failings. One of the better books I've read in a while, as I'm tired of all the stories about wealthy divorced women and mothers in mourning who decide to move somewhere to start over or travel the world (yawn).

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