The Wife by Alafair Burke

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From Amazon:

When Angela met Jason Powell while catering a dinner party in East Hampton, she assumed their romance would be a short-lived fling, like so many relationships between locals and summer visitors. To her surprise, Jason, a brilliant economics professor at NYU, had other plans, and they married the following summer. For Angela, the marriage turned out to be a chance to reboot her life. She and her son were finally able to move out of her mother’s home to Manhattan, where no one knew about her tragic past.

Six years later, thanks to a bestselling book and a growing media career, Jason has become a cultural lightning rod, placing Angela near the spotlight she worked so carefully to avoid. When a college intern makes an accusation against Jason, and another woman, Kerry Lynch, comes forward with an even more troubling allegation, their life begins to unravel. Jason insists he is innocent, and Angela believes him. But when Kerry disappears, Angela is forced to take a closer look—at both the man she married and the women she chose not to believe.

My Take:

I was very surprised by the outcome. Let's go through this outline style.

1. Angela meets Jason Powell and was extremely glad he proposed and brought her to Manhattan along with her son. Jason has proven to be an excellent step-father that people assumed he was the real dad.

2. Fast forward several years later. Jason becomes an accomplished best selling writer which has catapulted both their financial and social status. Unfortunately with fame and fortune draws the vultures to your lair. His assistant sues him for sexual misconduct and his mistress, Kelly Lynch, disappears.

What happend next:

Jason is aquitted and urges her to leave so that Charlie, the little boy, would be spared from the scandal. She does leave and goes incognito but for a different reason.

When she was a teen she was kidnapped by a pedophile. When she was getting older, they both decide to replace her with a younger woman. Lo and behold! Trish , a runaway teen ,from a very disfunctional and criminal family, is seen hitchhiking. They in turn kidnap her. Now she replaces Angela  and eventually gets pregnant and gives birth to a boy, Charlie. Then the pedophile brings Trish by the waters and shoots her. Angela escapes with the boy and finds her mother.

Kelly's disappearance:

Before Kelly's disappeance, Angela visits her to comisserate with her alleged plight. Instead of being sympathetic, Kelly ridicules her and starts spewing hate by saying Jason loves her and this was planned so that he can leave her(the wife) and take his son... The word "his son" darkened Angela's mind and filled it with unimaginable fury

After Kelly said this, an enraged Angela gets the glass egg and strikes her on the head. Fortunately (for me bcause I want her to experience pain and suffering) it only stuns her. Though hurt, she did not expect Angela to retaliate with such force. Angela was still full of rage so she pummels Kelly until she succumbs to her head injuries.

She then calls her mom to help her clean up the scene and get rid of his vile and evil woman's body. Her mom also makes sure Jason is suspected.

The Aftermath:

Though Angela seemingly escaped prosecution with the help of her friend, Corrine, the detective is not satisfied. She knows Angela's past. When asked if she will give up she adamantly replies "No Way".

My opinion: 

I believe Kelly deserves her her violent fate. I pity Trish, who became Angela's friend. After the birth of Charlie they should have teamed up and leave the pedophile.