From bestselling indie thriller writer Natalie Barelli comes a new deliciously dark novel about a woman who married the man of her dreams, only for him to become her worst nightmare.
Mention of child abuse.
Jodie always dreamed of being a housewife. And after a whirlwind romance, she marries renowned psychologist Dr. Roy Davies and moves into his perfect Beverly Hills home. But the fairy tale fades fast. Roy is distant, his friends view her as a gold-digger, and the house still reveres his late wife, Deborah, whose presence still looms over everyone and everything.
When Jodie learns Deborah became a recluse before death, she begins to suspect Roy was behind it. And the deeper she digs, the darker Roy’s past appears—obsessive, controlling, unfaithful. Increasingly convinced he had something to do with Deborah’s death, Jodie knows she should go to the police, but that would require revealing her own secret. A secret that could destroy her.
But Jodie won’t be silenced. Because the truth about Roy is worse than she imagined—and now, trapped in a house built on lies, she must find a way out before she becomes the next perfect wife to vanish.
Don't just take our word for it...
“Complex and twisty…[Barelli’s] main characters are well-crafted, showing complexities and contradictions that make it difficult for readers to determine their innocence or guilt. Murder mystery fans will enjoy solving this one.”
– Library Journal
“A taut, twisty triumph! Natalie Barelli’s The Housewife hooked me from the very first page. Jodie’s voice is irresistible—fresh, flawed, determined—and Barelli uses it to pull you straight into a beguiling Beverly Hills fairy tale that curdles into something much darker and far more delicious.”
– Kaira Rouda, USA Today bestselling author of We Were Never Friends
“Thrilling and absolutely entertaining! THIS is how you write an original main character!”
– Iliana Xander, author of Love, Mom
Taste the very first page
“They got married very fast. Very fast, if you know what I mean.”
I’m about to bring out a tray of whipped goat cheese tartlets with caramelized onion and thyme when I hear Meredith talk about me. I know it’s me they’re discussing because Roy and I did indeed get married very fast. Not even three months after we first met, I stood at the altar in my exquisite Elie Saab wedding dress, a thick, gold wedding band encrusted with pavé diamonds sliding onto my finger.
I retreat behind the archway leading to the living room and listen.
“She’s very pretty,” Eileen says.
“And very young,” Meredith says. “Twenty years younger than him, I’d say.”
“Typical,” Eileen mumbles.
“Deborah was barely in her grave,” Barb says.
“But why so soon?” Eileen asks.
“She was pregnant, didn’t you know?” Meredith says.
“Jodie was pregnant?” Eileen asks.
“Yes!”
“Right! Well, that explains a lot!” Barb laughs.
“But she’s not pregnant now, is she?” Eileen says.
“Apparently, she lost the baby,” Meredith says. Then, sotto voce, she adds, “They always do, don’t they? Her type? As soon as they’ve got the ring on that finger, that baby magically disappears down the toilet. And I don’t mind saying, thank God for that.”
“You want me to take that, Mrs. Davies?” Marie says behind me, loud enough for the guests to hear. Marie is our housekeeper. I turn around and find her smirking at me. Not that I’m surprised since she’s always smirking at me. At first, I used to think it was a deformity, that maybe there was something wrong with her mouth, but then I’ve never seen her smirk at Roy.
“No, thank you. I’ve got it,” I say, then walk through the arch with my tray and my head held high.
I don’t usually mind what people say about me, but in this case, I do. These ladies — these harpies, as my mother would have called them — are my husband’s friends. I want to get to know them so I can ask them questions about my husband because, as Meredith rightly points out, we did get married very fast. I want to ask things like, What is Roy really like? Does he actually like offal? Because I made an offal dish once, and he didn’t eat much, even though he said he loved it. Any hidden personality quirks I should be aware of ? Have you ever seen him lose his temper? Because I’m yet to see that, but then, still waters run deep. Isn’t that what they say?
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