cover image The First Wife

The First Wife

Erica Spindler. St. Martin’s, $25.99 (352p) ISBN 978-1-250-01254-8

In this heated romantic thriller from Spindler (Justice for Sara), Bailey Browne knows virtually nothing about Logan Abbott, the man whose marriage proposal she accepts 10 days after they meet on a Grand Cayman beach. Back at Logan’s horse farm in Wholesome, La., the members of his household see an uncanny resemblance between Bailey and Logan’s first wife, True, whom he claims left him suddenly. Others, notably the obsessed police chief Billy Ray Williams, believe Logan killed True, along with several other young women who have disappeared. Strong personalities make for some wonderfully tense revelations, and whether Bailey should trust her husband or his detractors remains convincingly up in air, but Billy Ray’s long vendetta doesn’t form a believable excuse for lazy law enforcement. This psychodrama works best for those who like to piece together carefully placed puzzle information. Agent: Scott Miller, Trident Media Group. (Feb.)