I very rarely choose to pick up a contemporary crime novel, but I’m always happy to make an exception for Sharon Bolton. I think I’ve read all of her novels but one and have loved nearly all of them, so I had high hopes for her newest book, The Fake Wife, published last month.
The novel begins on a snowy evening just before Christmas when Olive Anderson, on her way home from a business trip, is staying at a hotel in Hexham, Northumberland. She has managed to get a table in the busy hotel restaurant, but when she enters the dining room she is surprised to see another woman sitting in her place. With no other tables available, Olive agrees to dine with the stranger, but is even more surprised when the woman tells the waiter that she and Olive are a married couple. For some reason even Olive can’t explain, she finds herself going along with the story and accompanying her ‘wife’ back to her hotel room after the meal.
PC Garry Mizon has twice tried and failed to qualify as a detective and has had to settle for a job with the traffic police, patrolling the roads at night and in bad weather. When politician Michael Anderson reports his wife, Olive, missing, Garry is ordered to accompany DS Lexy Thomas to interview him. Believing Olive may have had an accident on the country roads after leaving her hotel, Garry and Lexy head out into the snow to see if they can track her down. Olive, however, isn’t the first woman connected with Michael Anderson who has gone missing and to get to the truth behind her disappearance, Garry and Lexy will need to delve into the politician’s past and the story of his first wife, Eloise.
When I first started to read The Fake Wife, I wasn’t at all sure that I was going to like this particular Bolton novel. Those opening scenes in the hotel seemed ridiculously contrived – Olive’s reaction to having a strange woman stealing her table then pretending to be her wife certainly wasn’t the way I would have reacted! – and as I read on, other parts of the plot felt very implausible as well. It was also clear from early on that there was going to be a lot more sexual content in this book than you normally get from Bolton, something which I don’t really enjoy. Somewhere after the first few chapters, however, I became immersed in the story and then it didn’t really matter how far-fetched the beginning had been. I’m glad I didn’t abandon it, because otherwise I would have missed out on all the twists and turns of the plot as the novel headed towards its conclusion – and I wouldn’t have got to know Garry Mizon.
Garry is a wonderfully endearing character, one of my favourites in all of Sharon Bolton’s books. He’s one of those people who always try their best, yet nothing ever seems to go right for them, as we see at the beginning of the book when he makes a catastrophic and embarrassing mistake during a raid. Having proved yet again his unsuitableness for detective work, he is only asked to drive Lexy to the Andersons’ because nobody else is available, but as the investigation begins to unfold, we quickly discover that he is much more intelligent and resourceful than his superiors think he is – as well as being a genuinely nice person. He and Lexy make a great team and I would love to meet them again in a future book, although I suspect this is probably just going to be a standalone.
This book isn’t a favourite by Bolton, then, but the characters made it worthwhile. It’s also the perfect novel to read at this time of year, as so much of it is set outdoors in the snow. I’ll look forward to her next book, but meanwhile I really need to find time to go back and read Blood Harvest, which I think is the only one I still haven’t read!
Thanks to Orion for providing a copy of this book for review via NetGalley.
She Reads Novels 
I see our library service has dozens of books by Bolton on the shelves so how come I’ve read not a single one? Your review didn’t convince me she was for me, but there’s only one way o find out …
I’ve enjoyed most of her books, so hopefully you’ll like her too if you decide to give her a try.
I read Blood Harvest years ago and thought it was a dark, scary book and one that I found disturbing, but thoroughly absorbing and I enjoyed it . Each time I had to stop reading it I was eager to get back to it. I’ve read some of her other standalone novels and some of the Lacey Flint books. She does write scary/creepy books, powerful book, full of tension and fear, and sometimes too much violence and graphic detail for me.
I think her earlier books had a darker, more gothic feel than the recent ones. This is more of a police procedural, though still a bit creepy in places. I’m glad you enjoyed Blood Harvest!
I still haven’t read my 2nd Bolton book yet…. I need to do something about that after being very impressed by her first. I think I started in the middle of a series though. I need to circle back and pick up the first book – but ‘starting’ *another* series… [muses!]..
If that’s the Lacey Flint series, those books are some of my favourites. They probably don’t need to be read in order, although it would make it easier to understand Lacey’s character. I have lost track of the number of series I have started and never finished!
I hadn’t heard of Sharon Bolton which isn’t really surprising since I hardly ever pick up a modern crime novel, but I like the sound of this and that it’s not your favourite is great! I’ll have a look out.
She’s one of the only modern crime writers I read these days. I’m sure there are others I would enjoy, if I could only find the time to try them!
I think a visit to the local library may be called for – I don’t mind some implausibility providing the writing makes up for it!
Yes, the writing and the characters made this one worth reading, despite that implausible scenario at the beginning!
It’s hard to tell whether I would like this one or not. I agree that the beginning sounds totally implausible. I liked her The Craftsman but found Dead Woman Walking implausible, although with a pretty good twist, and that’s all I have read by her.
I enjoyed Dead Woman Walking, but I know what you mean about it feeling implausible. You might like The Buried, which is the sequel to The Craftsman.
OK, thanks!
Sharon Bolton’s a favorite author of mine, too, and even though the beginning of this one doesn’t sound all that great, I’m looking forward to meeting Garry and to all those twists and turns. 😀
I hope you like this one! Garry is a great character 🙂
Hmm, that beginning does sound ridiculously far-fetched, but I shall bear your comments in mind and push on past it! Garry sounds good…
I’ll be interested to hear what you think of it. I hope you’ll like Garry, at least!