The Millionaire's Wife
- Shalini Boland
- Apr 22, 2017
- 2 min read
Shalini Boland is a skilful writer of suspense and The Millionaire's Wife is as tense and gripping as her first two of this genre – The Girl From The Sea and The Best Friend.
The story is set over two timelines – now 2017, and ten years earlier, 2007 when all the characters first met. It dramatically starts with the death of Fin's wife when she is run over by a high speed motor boat while holidaying in Barbados. A few days later, Anna, newly married to Will and was many years ago the girlfriend of Fin, receives a text saying “you're next” with a photo attached of Fin's dead wife.
Anna's story becomes very tense, she can't tell her husband about the alarming text because she would have to tell him her whole story and that could spell the end of their marriage. She doesn't want to tell her best friend, Sian, at this stage because she can read Anna like a book. For now, Anna is in limbo with her past threatening to collide with her comfortable present. Anna lives a millionaire lifestyle with an unwanted past creeping dangerously close. He's near, sending her texts, in the shadows outside her house and a threat to those she loves.
In the 'past' part of the book, we learn how Anna and her boyfriend, Fin, get together, are so attracted to each other, and start their life living in a fairly squalled flat and as things get financially worse, have to move into Fin's father's garden shed. We see how Fin manipulates and controls Anna and has a hold over her way beyond the break up of their relationship.
Shalini Boland's writing is so very easy to read, she writes interestingly of relationships, both the dizzying heights of first love and the vicious, and toxic disintegration of those same romances. She cleverly weaves past and present so as not to give the whole plot away, while at the same time building characters that we love or despise.
I like to try new authors but as this is the third book by Shalini Boland in the space of a year, I think it's safe to say I love her books and will definitely read more by her.
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