Readers Guide for First Wife’s Shadow

I won’t go into every detail of the first half of the book, which is the whirlwind romance between Matthew and Emma, her friends’ warnings, a series of strange and menacing things that happen to Emma (she’s locked in a sauna, there are break-ins at her house, and her parents’ graves are desecrated) and a lot of gaslighting. Plus an elopement to the Maldives!

Emma’s friends are correct: there are a LOT of red flags about Matthew:

• He seems to have no friends or family at all
• He is very evasive about his past
• He refuses the church wedding Emma dreams of due to some trauma surrounding Becky’s death
• His first wife Becky died in a “tragic accident”. This was a bit of a plot hole for me. Becky died falling off a ladder while working in a New York City theater, which would have been ALL over the New York Post. I would have Googled the crap out of that! But more on that in a bit…

It seemed to me there were four possibilities:

• Matthew killed Becky and is trying to kill Emma. But if this were the case, he’s starting his set-up a bit fast
• Matthew’s wife Becky is alive and NOT happy about his new romance. But how is she accomplishing this reign of terror?
• The book is going to turn paranormal
• Emma serious psychological problems and is imagining things, or making them up as attention-seeking behavior.

But halfway through the book, we get a … POV switch

Yes, Becky is alive and well

I was not surprised as that can be a common reveal in a Gothic novel.

• Becky, who is the daughter of Emma’s cleaning lady, Susan, has been conspiring with her boyfriend Matthew to get their hands on Emma’s money,

• The cleaning lady connection is genius, as that helps Becky get into Emma’s house, where she breaks items, tries on Emma’s clothes, goes through her computer, and generally makes Emma think she’s going crazy.

• Susan gets in on the fun by pushing Emma off a ladder during a time when Matthew (and Becky) have an alibi.

• Matthew manages to distance Emma from her two best friends, gaslight her like there’s no tomorrow. He tries to convince her that she’s a hallucinating alcoholic, but Emma decides she’s being haunted by Becky’s vengeful ghost.

But one day, Emma has had enough

• After a terrible argument with Matthew, Emma heads out for a drive to clear her head.
• It’s very bad weather and Emma hits a woman in the road.
• The police tell Matthew that the woman Emma hit and killed was Susan, her cleaning lady (and Becky’s mom).

• The police drop another bombshell: Susan was responsible for the death of Emma’s parents in a car crash decades ago. And was convicted of the crime and did prison time.

• Matthew is shocked. Becky lied to him? Becky claims she “just found out.” Okay, Becky.
• Becky offers to plant evidence on Emma’s laptop that Emma was researching her parents’ deaths.

• The police charge Emma with Susan’s murder
• But Matthew, unhappy with Becky’s deception of him, tells the police that he has evidence Emma’s car was tampered with. Just like her parents’ car!
• The police are like “your ex-girfriend’s mother killed your wife’s parents and now your ex-girlfriend tried to kill your wife?? What are the odds of that?”

Becky isn’t going down without a fight

• Becky tries to convince Matthew that her mother tampered with the car, but he has found security footage of her in the garage.

First Wife’s Shadow The Ending Explained

• Becky and Matthew are charged and convicted. Becky receives a four-year prison sentence and Matthew gets community service.

• Emma meets with Matthew and tells him he’s a big fat liar but she will give him a million pounds (or so) to leave her alone forever. He accepts.

• Matthew visits Becky in prison and she still claims she did nothing to Emma’s car. She asked Matthew if he did it.

• Then Emma visits Becky in prison.
• Emma asks why Susan killed her parents and Becky says that Emma’s father was having an affair with Susan. He wouldn’t leave Emma’s mom, so Susan killed them both.
• AND … Becky is Emma’s half-sister.
• Emma decides to help Becky out financially

That ending was a LOT.

Thoughts? Is Emma too forgiving? A complete numpty?

Who do you think really tampered with the car? Susan, Becky or Matthew?