The Wife: A Novel of Psychological Suspense

By Alafair Burke

“This might be the most gripping, insightful work from the best-selling author Alafair Burke yet. She poses a seemingly impossible, if undeniably compelling, challenge: a woman must either save her life or defend her husband, but not both.” — Entertainment Weekly From New York Times bestselling author Alafair Burke, a stunning psychological domestic thriller in the vein of Behind Closed Doors and The Woman in Cabin 10—in which a woman must make the impossible choice between defending her husband and saving herself. His Scandal - Her Secret When Angela met Jason Powell while catering a dinner party in East Hampton, she assumed their romance would be a short-lived fling, like so many relationships between locals and summer visitors. To her surprise, Jason, a brilliant economics professor at NYU, had other plans, and they married the following summer. For Angela, the marriage turned out to be a chance to reboot her life and bury her secrets. She and her son were finally able to move out of her mother’s home to Manhattan, where no one knew about her tragic past. Six years later, thanks to a bestselling book and a growing media career, Jason has become a cultural lightning rod, placing Angela near the spotlight she worked so carefully to avoid. When a college intern makes an accusation against Jason, and another woman, Kerry Lynch, comes forward with an even more troubling allegation, their life begins to unravel. Jason insists he is innocent, and Angela believes him. But when Kerry becomes a missing woman, Angela is forced to take a closer look—at both the man she married and the women she chose not to believe. This much-anticipated and gripping thriller, a follow-up to Burke’s Edgar-nominated The Ex, asks how far a wife will go to protect the man she loves.

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Published Jan 23, 2018

357 pages

Average rating: 7.41

37 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

Mary Pat Holt
Feb 05, 2026
8/10 stars
This is the first book by Alafair Burke I have read. There are so many psychological thrillers out there it is hard to stand out from the typical storyline, but this one had several twists I never saw coming. This is thriller, courtroom drama (a bit too much for me) and suspense all rolled into one. It started a bit slow for me but quickly picked up and then I was all in.

Angela and Jason seem to have a solid marriage. He's a handsome, smart economics professor at NYU. Angela is a young woman with a tween son and a catering business. She has worked hard to avoid the spotlight and keep a low profile. Clues about her background are slowly revealed. Several years into their marriage, Jason is accused of inappropriate behavior and when a second woman comes forward with more troubling allegations, their perfect life begins to crumble. How will Angela's past play into this? Will she stand by Jason if it means exposing her past?

There are a lot of characters (detectives and police that I sometimes got confused
Anne-Marie Eberhardt
Jul 02, 2025
10/10 stars
Where have I been? Somehow I completely have missed Alafair Burke. Now I feel compelled to go back and read all of her books! So good and the end so caught me off guard I had to go back and reread the last 15 pages :)

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