The Last Wife by J.A. Baker

It’s my stop today on the blog tour for The Last Wife by J.A. Baker. Many thanks to Rachel from Rachel’s Random Resources for the tour invite.

Fiona and her husband Neil leave their terrible past, secrets and guilt, and move to Winters End. It was supposed to be a new beginning for the husband-wife duo. But, from the moment they arrive at the small, isolated island community, the locals make sure the couple know they are not welcome. Fiona is warned to go away before it is too late.

Fiona’s thoughts are spiraling and her husband thinks she’s a tad paranoid. She needs a woman to talk to. Then comes a shocking realization. She’s the only wife at Winters End…

Leave this place. Better that way. You shouldn’t be here.

The Last Wife by J.A. Baker is a gripping and engrossing page turner. From start to finish, the atmosphere is eerie and danger’s lurking around the corner. When Fiona realizes she’s the only wife on the island and so many young women died in the past couple of years, her curiosity is piqued. Did they perish during the pandemic? Or, is there a sinister reason behind their deaths?

Fiona and Neil have left their old lives behind and wanted a clear-slate start at Winters End. But looks like, Karma has other plans for them. Will Fiona succumb to the punishment? Or, will she fight back?

I loved the island part of the story – an isolated community and no women around, it certainly brought about an eerie feeling. What I didn’t find convincing enough: Fiona’s past -the reason she and her husband decided to make a fresh start. Well, given that this was a creepy thriller, I was under the impression Fiona and Neil got away with murder and were making a fresh start at Winters End. (Don’t shoot me for expecting an evil protagonist.)

I loved the storytelling. The mystery behind the mysterious deaths of women on the island kept me guessing till the end. The book is divided into two parts. I loved Part II better than Part I because this is where the action and suspense is at an all-time high.

The ending was spine-chilling. Though we are given a gist of what made the perp a monster, their identity was a shocker. Also, they had some weird connection with the island and it’s people. I didn’t see it coming and I was pretty much shocked when their truth is finally out.

Though the book is divided into two equal parts (19 chapters each), I wish Part II was longer. A bit more about Fiona’s struggle, perp’s past and some more backstory on perp’s previous victims would have made this a 5-starrer read.

Overall, this was a good and gripping thriller. Kept me hooked from start to finish. Excellent character portrayal and shocking turn of events at the end. If you love creepy thrillers set on an island, you might want to give The Last Wife by J.A. Baker a try.

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