I generally don’t like to write a review when I felt like I HAD to keep reading just to finish a book…which rarely happens, BTW. I’ve pretty much been willing to read ANYTHING my whole life! And I realize I have a less than stellar memory as I get older – but whoa, why didn’t I look back at my views on Mary Kubica’s books Don’t You Cry, Every Last Lie, and When The Lights Go Out BEFORE I had the chance to read The Other Mrs (thanks to Harlequin/Park Row and NetGalley) in exchange for this honest review?? Those three titles received decreasing numbers of stars (four to three to one) – so I probably should have passed on this one. But nope, my faulty memory said “Mary Kubica…(name deleted to protect the identity of a book club crony) really likes her, this should be a good escapist read, get my mind off the current political situation” (TBH I am still trying to get through Very Stable Genius, because I keep stopping to pull out my hair and scream) – but! I digress…

In this latest from Ms. Kubica, Dr. Sadie Foust and her husband Will Foust and their two boys have recently moved from Chicago to a small island off the coast of Maine. Will’s sister committed suicide, leaving her house to Will…oh, and it comes complete with her troubled teenaged daughter – what could POSSIBLY go wrong? Sadie is the primary breadwinner, although early on there’s a hint of trouble as we get references to her losing her last job due to some incident(?) – and there is also a hint of the older son being troubled, kicked out of school for bringing a weapon (a knife) in his backpack – plus Will has a history of infidelity…again, what could possibly go wrong?

The Foust’s neighbor, a young woman named Morgan Baines, is found dead in her home, the victim of a knife-wielding intruder. (Red flag: remember the older son’s history with knives?) Sadie is terrified by the thought of a killer in her very own backyard…but she also shows her own issues early on as she basically reveals herself to be a stalker and she seems to have a bit of a memory problem. Plus, the creepy old house and the super-angry teenager that came with it are menacing AF, and it’s all just dark and threatening.

So we have a boatload of characters, none of which are likable, and they take FOREVER to get anywhere or do anything as the days roll on toward some kind of resolution of this mess. Sadie seems to be a prime suspect in Morgan’s murder, but then there is her son…and the troubled teenage girl…and Will. Red herrings everywhere, but TBH I didn’t really care who did it or who might be the next victim. I just wanted it over with.

And possibly the worst part for me was the epilogue following the climactic scene, complete with crashing waves and sunshine…followed by the author’s afterword with a sort of half-baked nod to the challenges of mental problems. I won’t ruin my perfect record of never spoiling a story, and after reading a few reviews, it is obvious that many people will appreciate this latest offering from Ms. Kubica. And it is highly likely it isn’t her, it’s me, and we just aren’t a match. So, with great relief, I give this one a single star and move on with my life.