The English Wife

“When you think about it, everything has been said before, in one way or another. It's only our experience of it that makes it new.”

Bay and Annabelle's first ball at their new home comes to a tragic end when he is found with a knife in his heart and she is nowhere to be found. Mrs. Van Duyvil will not let murder, disappearance or scandal tarnish the reputation of the family. Anne is dealing with a divorce from her adulterous husband and the death of her beloved cousin Bay by seeming aloof and showing off that nothing affects her. It's only his sister Janie who is interested in finding out the truth and decides to team up with the journalist Mr. Burke to get about it.

The story is told in two timelines – one follows Janie's quest; the other follows Bay in his journey to London a few years ago and his love affair with Georgie. I especially liked their interactions. The mystery surrounding Annabelle, Georgie and Giles and ultimately the murders is very well written and I thoroughly enjoyed not being able to guess true culprit till the very end. My only problem was that I didn't like most of the characters except Janie and Bay in his stint at London. However, the story was so interesting that the pretentious and conniving characters didn't stop me from completing or enjoying the book. I hope to read other books by this author as well.