I have always believed honesty is the best policy so I will admit that when I received a copy of this book I had not read the first in the series - The Last Mrs. Parrish. But because I am diligent and thorough I tried to put in a request at my local library for a copy. But the Library's online system was down undergoing some lengthy maintenance so I ended up getting a copy for the kindle. There. I've said it. Me, who loathes kindles is such a dedicated reader and book blogger that I endured the dreaded device so that I could read the first book in preparation for the next!
So I read the books back to back, and frankly after reading the first one I was so full of disgust for Jackson and Amber that I wasn't sure if I could endure another book featuring them so soon. But, I did. Of course I did!
And the first thing that occupied my thoughts was how can such a fiendish plot can be created? How are minds capable of such vileness?! And how can a book that is a tale of nasty, despicable, manipulative, fraudulent people doing nasty, despicable, manipulative, fraudulent things to reasonably decent people who resort to devious behaviour simply to survive and find out the truth be so damned compelling!!?? I couldn't put the wretched book down!!! 🤣🤣 Also I was reminded slightly of The Talented Mr. Ripley and of Virginia Andrews’ Flowers in the Attic series where there seemed no end to dreadful behaviours. I also realised that I could have read the second without the first because I think it stands up as a standalone ok but I wondered how quickly I would have loathed Amber and Jackson without reading the first.
But I'm rambling a bit. Let's get to the nitty gritty. The Next Mrs. Parrish is a thriller with lots of suspense as well as a psychological domestic tale. The characters play cat and mouse with each other throughout and there are twists and turns around every chapter! The duplicity of the two main characters is unsurpassed. I think. But the naivety of Daphne sometimes made me want to slap her!
Briefly Daphne was married to Jackson in an abusive car crash of a marriage that ended when he succumbed to the charms of the obnoxious Amber Patterson. Jackson ends up in jail for tax evasion. That's the first book in an extreme nutshell. The second begins as Jackson's release from prison become imminent and Amber has to begin a new round of conniving and scheming. Meanwhile ex wife Daphne seemingly safe in California has to contend with her eldest daughter running away to try and see her beloved father. Throw in to the mix a blast from Amber's past and the stage is set for a tour de force of deceit, two faced, dishonourable machinations between the lot of them!! The only characters I really felt consistently sorry for were the children, especially Jax and even Tallulah who really was the catalyst for much of what followed.
Structurally the tale is told in the third person with the exception of Daphne's story which is told in the first person, an interesting device which is more likely to engage the reader positively towards Daphne.
The narrative stays focused, more so perhaps than in the first book? There is much that you simply can't second guess in terms of the twists and turns that it almost unbalances the reader. It's pretty well paced and simply so compelling.
The ending was good and I can see a way for another book but I wonder if that would be a mistake? I think I would find it too stressful!!
I was interested to learn that the author is in fact two people! Two sisters. I wondered what their roles might be in the writing of the books. Are they both responsible for these fiendish plots? 🤣
My thanks to Ana McLaughlin at Quercus Books for a gifted copy.
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