The New Wife - J P Delaney

Description

'Unputdownable' MICK HERRON
'Fast-paced and exhilarating, you'll be hooked' HEAT
'A summer read which exudes menace' SARAH VAUGHAN

When Finn Hensen gets a call from his sister Jess to say their father has died, neither is heartbroken. Their parents divorced many years ago, after which their father, Jimmy, continued to live a bohemian lifestyle in sun-soaked Mallorca.

Ownership of his beautiful but dilapidated farmhouse in the mountains now passes to Finn and his sister. The only problem is that Jimmy recently remarried and his new wife, Ruensa, is still living there.

The pair agree that Finn should go to Mallorca and tactfully take possession of their inheritance. When he arrives, however, Finn is surprised to find that Finca Siquia has been completely transformed into a chic Mediterranean bolthole by Ruensa and her twenty-seven-year-old daughter, Roze. The Spanish police, meanwhile, are asking awkward questions about Jimmy's death . . .

Are Ruensa and Roze the helpless victims of circumstance? Or will they stop at nothing to get Finca Siquia for themselves?

Review

More twists and turns than the Sa Calobra Road.

Set in Mallorca this book had more of the air of the 1930s than a modern day tale. Perhaps it was the remote farmhouse setting, as modern technology was hardly mentioned. I felt it gave an eerie but calm feel to the story.

Finn and his sister Jess inherit a farmhouse in Mallorca. Their estranged Father recently remarried and neither of them have met the new wife. However, due to an arrangement with their late Mother, Finn and Jess actually inherit the farmhouse not the new wife.

A trip to Mallorca is called for to ensure they do not have squatters. So Finn agrees to go and sort out the inheritance rights. When he gets there he is not at all prepared for what he finds. He definitely doesn't recognise the characteristics being described as those of his late father. Did he change that much?

I found this book a little like a magic square puzzle. Just as you thought you were getting to the truth you realised there were so many dead ends to stop you from getting there. For me it was a real page turner and I found the writing easy and enjoyable to read as with other books by this author. Though this is not in the usual vein of the earlier books it is nonetheless for me a masterpiece.

I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars. My thanks to netgalley for the ARC to review.

Comments

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