She Treads Softly: The Senator's Wife

Wednesday, May 17, 2023

The Senator's Wife

The Senator's Wife by Liv Constantine
5/23/23; 320 pages
Random House

The Senator's Wife by Liv Constantine is a highly recommended psychological thriller. Set disbelief aside and this one is a rollicking good time.

After their spouses are killed two tears earlier, D.C. philanthropist Sloane Chase and Senator Whit Montgomery are marrying and moving on. The only drawback is that Sloane's Lupus has had a flare up and she need to have a hip replacement. They hire a home health aide, Athena Karras, to assist Sloane in recovery and running her foundation. The only question that clearly arises is whether Athena is helping Sloane or harming her.

Chapters are told through the point-of-view of Sloane, Whit, and Athena. It needs to be said again that you need to set disbelief aside. Just roll with the plot and the actions of the characters in order to enjoy the narrative. Both Whit and Athena will clearly be suspect in Sloane's delayed recovery. The plot is a slow-burner, and full of outlandish developments, but it still moves quickly in the same way that a soap opera moves along, holding your attention. There is nothing hidden to uncover or carefully pay attention to here, but there is a whole lot of scheming and subterfuge going on. Careful readers will know exactly where this one is going, but those looking for escapism and thrills will enjoy it. The final twist is epic and fans will be elated.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Random House via NetGalley.

No comments:

Post a Comment

John Updike's six rules for reviewing:

1. Try to understand what the author wished to do, and do not blame him for not achieving what he did not attempt.

2. Give him enough direct quotation--at least one extended passage--of the book's prose so the review's reader can form his own impression, can get his own taste.

3. Confirm your description of the book with quotation from the book, if only phrase-long, rather than proceeding by fuzzy precis.

4. Go easy on plot summary, and do not give away the ending.

5. If the book is judged deficient, cite a successful example along the same lines, from the author's oeuvre or elsewhere. Try to understand the failure. Sure it's his and not yours?

To these concrete five might be added a vaguer sixth, having to do with maintaining a chemical purity in the reaction between product and appraiser.....Review the book, not the reputation.... Better to praise and share than blame and ban. The communion between reviewer and his public is based upon the presumption of certain possible joys in reading, and all our discriminations should curve toward that end.