Following the death of her first husband, Tom, who was killed in a tragic skiing accident, Alice fell into a dark hole of depression and anxiety. Now, ten years later, having survived the ordeal and come out stronger on the other side, she’s married to a man named Nathan and is finally feeling happy. After years of balancing her thriving career with the demands of raising her two children, Alice is finally reaping the fruits of her labor—as her business, AT Designs, which she began building with Tom, starts to really take off.
Through it all, Nathan has always remained by her side no matter what, lovingly encouraging her to work through her fears, doubts, and anxiety. Thrilled to have received a second chance at finding joy, Alice’s “happily ever after” ending is disrupted when, out of nowhere, Nathan suddenly begins acting cold and distant, prompting her to wonder if he’s having an affair.
To spitball the situation and talk things out, Alice turns to her BFF Beth, who has offered a constant shoulder to cry on over the last few years. The two both have daughters who are the same age and have other similarities, but neither expected to find out that they share one other shocking truth in common . . . a revelation so earth-shattering that it prompts Alice to question everything around her and forces her to wonder who she can really trust as everything she thought she knew about her life, her career, and even her first husband are suddenly called into question.
It doesn’t take very many pages for Sandie Jones to put to rest any fears that she might be a one-hit wonder following her hyped debut. As good as The Other Woman is, she takes her game to another level here, delivering a novel so addicting and hypnotic that it begs to be read in one sitting. The less readers know about this one the better, as The First Mistake isn’t your average, typical domestic thriller. Jones sets the table with her engaging, compelling characters—including Alice, who also serves as the story’s narrator—then ramps things up by combining blind-siding twists with nail-biting suspense, never taking her foot off the gas pedal for a second. Even those who do guess where the plot is heading before it gets there will enjoy the hell out of the journey Jones takes them, and her characters, on as the plot unfolds.
The Other Woman was a special debut, but with her latest, Sandie Jones proves that she’s one of the best writers the genre has to offer . . . and The First Mistake is a must-read for fans of Gillian Flynn, Greer Hendricks, and Shari Lapena.
Book Details
Author: Sandie Jones
Pages: 311 (Hardcover)
ISBN: 250192021
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Release Date: June 11, 2019
Book Spy Rating: 9.0/10
Praised as “one of today’s finest book reviewers” by New York Times bestselling author Gayle Lynds, Ryan Steck (“The Godfather of the thriller genre” — Ben Coes) has “quickly established himself as the authority on mysteries and thrillers” (Author A.J. Tata). Steck also works full-time as a freelance editor and pens a monthly thriller column for CrimeReads. For more information, be sure to follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He currently lives in Southwest Michigan with his wife and their six children.