The First Wife by Erica Spindler 

Narrated by Tavia Gilbert

If you’re looking for something a little different, and enjoy suspense/thrillers with romantic elements, then The First Wife may be a title worth exploring. In a classic “who done it” style, Erica Spindler will keep you guessing the identity of the ultimate culprit as she slyly drops hints that could implicate just about every character. In the end, uncovering the true cause of the hero’s first wife’s death will make you feel like you are playing the board game Clue, as you slowly rule out the potential murderers. But if you are a true romance die-hard, please note that this title is heavily weighted towards the suspense/thriller angle, with a very minor romance subplot, and therefore may not be your primary preference.

Having met on vacation in the Grand Cayman Islands, and fallen in love in a true whirlwind fashion, Bailey Browne and Logan Abbott get married after a few short days of knowing one another. As you can imagine, such a fast engagement means that they really begin to know one another once they return from vacation and Bailey moves in with Logan into his Southern estate and horse farm in Louisiana.

It doesn’t take long before the people of the small town begin to gossip and comment on Bailey’s uncanny resemblance to Logan’s first wife – a wife Bailey had no knowledge of – and who disappeared unexpectedly. Add in the fact that the Abbott family has quite a tragic history with several of its members dying young, plus the disappearance of unrelated young women over the last few years, and you have good reason for the town’s rumor mill to go into overdrive regarding who might be responsible

At first, Bailey tries to ignore the vicious implications that Abbott may be involved. As the facts begin to pile up, however, even Bailey must start to question her deep conviction of her husband’s innocence. Further complicating matters is an overzealous sheriff who seems convinced that Logan is to blame. Who is the true Logan Abbott – the man Bailey thought she married or the one the whole town seems convinced he truly is?

Being a big fan of Tavia Gilbert’s, I was not surprised with her magnificent performance of The First Wife. As usual, her attention to detail and differentiation of characters was fantastic. Not only could you easily distinguish the males from the females, but Ms. Gilbert actually created completely different voices for each one of numerous same gendered characters. Each role contained the right intonation for the particular personality type scripted by the author. This focus on individual traits greatly helped me enjoy the suspense and unfolding of the plot without any distractions, such as needing to rely on dialogue tags.

Additionally, particularly given this is a mystery/thriller type of novel, I was greatly pleased with Ms. Gilbert’s ability to convey the mood of each scene with the inflection of her voice. Several times, I knew we were reaching a crucial, spine tingling moment just with her delivery.

Perhaps my favorite part of Ms. Gilbert’s performance, however, was Bailey Browne’s characterization. You could clearly hear the youth and somewhat innocence of her nature. Ms. Gilbert magically infused Bailey with the right touch of doubt, and yet loyal determination to defend her husband, which greatly helped me believe Bailey’s seemingly untenable quandary and yet caused me to root for true love to win in the end.

All in all, I enjoyed The First Wife, particularly with Ms. Gilbert’s expert narration enhancing the overall story. While the romance is not the primary emphasis, there still was enough of a romantic influence to keep me interested.

BJ

Narration:  A

Book Content:  B-

Steam Factor:  Glad I had my earbuds in

Violence:  Fighting

Genre:  Romantic Suspense

Publisher:  Macmillan Audio

The First Wife was provided to AudioGals by Macmillan Audio for review.