Review with Spoilers for What the Wife Knew

Note: I do have a lot of notes on this book, but most of them involve who visited Addison at her home (Elias, the police, Kathryn, Portia, and Wyatt. Rinse and repeat.) Plus Addison getting threatening messages.

If you have more questions, please leave them in comments!

Spoilers for What the Wife Knew

We soon learn that Richmond, praised as a hero for thwarting a school shooting back in high school, was lying about that and was somehow involved. Addison used this information to blackmail him into marriage.

How did Addison get this information and why did she blackmail Richmond?

It will be a long time before we know!

How did Richmond die?

The police initially think he fell, but decide he was hit in the head.

Most of the story involves Addison holed up in her marital home, being visited by Wyatt and Portia, Richmond’s teenage children, and Kathryn, Richmond’s bitter ex-wife.

Addison also gets visited by Elias, Richmond’s lawyer, and the local police.

Possible Suspects:

• Peter Cullen, the father of one of Richmond’s surgical patients, who died.
• Kathryn Doughterty, the bitter ex-wife
• August Christopher, the doctor who allegedly operated on Peter Cullen’s son (not sure what his motive would be, but whatever.)

Addison gets threatening messages in her mailbox and painted on her wall.

We learn that Richmond had two near-death experiences: an allergic reaction to a turkey sandwich, and a car accident. Addison admits the blackmail to the reader but denies doing anything else.

Peter Cullen sued Richmond, claiming he did not carry out Peter’s son’s surgery. The doctor who allegedly did (and botched) the surgery, August Christopher, mysteriously vanished.

What is Addison hiding?

A lot. First off, we learn that 17 years ago, at age 11, she killed someone.

Also, she owned a bat. Which she finds in her greenhouse, covered in blood. And she cleans it.

She’s able to access Richmond’s office safe and finds some papers in there.

BUT Addison has an alibi for the time of Richmond’s murder: she was with her young, gritty mom, Lizzy Jenkins.

Addison gets Attacked

This was not a surprise. She’d received a couple of threatening notes in the mailbox, plus a painted warning on the bedroom wall. In any case, she goes out to get the mail and is knocked unconscious.

For some reason, she thinks August is the one who assaulted her.

Finally More Details on Addison’s Blackmail

• Richmond had a younger brother, Cooper.
• In a seemingly Menendez brothers situation, Richmond convinces his brother to kill their wealthy parents.
• Richmond then frames Cooper as the culprit in a school shooting and, pretending to be a hero, shoots Cooper to stop his alleged rampage.

Lizzy Jenkins: What is She Up To?

We immediately see that Lizzy is up to no good.

• She is somehow behind Addison’s blackmail.
• As a child, Addison killed someone connected to Lizzy, like a boyfriend or husband
• She claims to be distraught over the death of a guy named Zach Bryant, who was hit by a stray bullet as Richmond wrestled Cooper for the gun. Unlikely, as clearly money is her motive.
• She gives Addison a thumb drive with damning information on Richmond that she wants released.
• We begin to suspect that Lizzy and Kathryn (Richmond’s widow) have history and some bad blood.

Addison gets attacked … again!

Addison thinks that Peter Cullen is coming over to talk to her, but no. It’s Richmond’s medical office partner, Thomas Linfield, who stole Peter’s car (?) and shows up with a gun.

Because Richmond’s son Wyatt is ALWAYS lurking around, he is able to distract Thomas as Addison hits him over the head.

But Addison’s up to something too…

Addison asks Elias, the lawyer, to help “get rid” of any DNA that was left on the bat she washed. Though she still claims she did not kill Richmond and that her DNA on the bat was planted, she still does not want her DNA run by the police. (I would think they might have collected her DNA already when they processed the crime scene, but okay….)

To no one’s surprise, Kathryn is up to something as well…

So far Kathryn has just shown up and made vague threats, but one day while Addison is entering her driveway after a coffee run, Portia shows up looking for her mom, Kathryn.

Kathryn flipped out and attacked Lizzy with a bat, and now she comes after Addison too.

Kathryn then asks Addison if she is Richmond’s daughter. What?

Wyatt shows up and is as creeped out as we are. But he also confesses that he is the one who poisoned Richmond and tampered with his car, as instructed by Richmond.

Kathryn and Addison then get into a brawl.

During this, Addison tells Wyatt that his father was NOT a hero and, in fact, masterminded the murder of his parents and then killed Cooper to cover it all up.

In addition, she claims that Kathryn (Richmond’s high school girlfriend) knew all about it.

Who really killed Richmond?

Addison then accuses Kathryn of killing Richmond.

in response, Kathryn comes at Addison with a pair of scissors,.

Elias shows up and Kathryn explains her motive: Richmond was going to lose all their money in the lawsuit with Peter Cullen.

As Kathryn again comes at with scissors, Lizzy appears and shoots her.

What the Wife Knew: the Ending Explained

So Wyatt helped his father stage the fake threats and wrote the threatening notes to Kathryn

Kathryn was the one who killed Richmond and hid the bat in the greenhouse.

Kathryn might also have been involved in planning the murder of Richmond and Cooper’s parents

Who was Addison’s father?

Addison and Elias discuss the fact that Lizzy had a relationship with Cooper, so Richmond was Addison’s uncle.

Elias says that Lizzy had to drop out of school after her pregnancy.

As Richmond was Addison’s uncle, her marriage to him was illegal and void.

BUT Addison is still suspicious about the extreme hatred between Kathryn and Lizzy.

Yes, Richmond WAS Addison’s father. Ew.

Addison writes her mom a check to get rid of her. Lizzy says she’s entitled to the Doughtery fortune. Addison tells her she will never see any more of that money but the check.