Product Description

Molly Keatley is deeply contented with her life, her loving husband, her comfortable home in an attractive London suburb. Things are so pleasant, in fact, that they’re ever so slightly boring, but that changes abruptly one bright September morning, when her husband comes rushing home, mutters a hasty, unexplained apology . . . and disappears. Minutes later, two strange men arrive with news that her husband is in fact a Soviet spy, and that the sleepy joys of her marriage have acted as a cover for years of personal and public betrayal. Her husband, it appears, has spent nearly a decade using her for his own purposes, and now the British intelligence service want to use her for theirs. It would be so easy to give in, to back away from the conspiracies and intrigues that suddenly loom in front of her. But the shock of Sam’s betrayal has woken Molly out of her long, complacent dream, and she is no longer prepared to be anybody’s pawn.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #63523 in Books
• Published on: 2006-04-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 240 pages

Review
"A terrific, suspenseful tale and an extraordinary heroine" – Cleveland Plain Dealer -- Cleveland Plain Dealer

"Hill is probably one of the finest British mystery writers at work today" – Publishers Weekly -- Publishers Weekly

"Quite out of the ordinary, enormously skillful, and absolutely alive" – Library Journal -- Library Journal

“A terrific, suspenseful tale and an extraordinary heroine” – Cleveland Plain Dealer --Cleveland Plain Dealer

“Hill is probably one of the finest British mystery writers at work today” – Publishers Weekly --Publishers Weekly

“Quite out of the ordinary, enormously skillful, and absolutely alive” – Library Journal --Library Journal

Customer Reviews

Fast-paced plot + emotional character development -- This book does it all!
This book was so much richer than I expected! I'm a big fan of the Pascoe and Dalziel series, which is also by Reginald Hill, and I really loved "Death in the Garden," which was also published by Felony & Mayhem Press. Since this book was by an author I knew I liked, and came from a publisher that had published I book I loved, I thought I'd take a chance. I am SO glad I did!

One of the oldest rules of writing is that you should start a scene at the last possible moment - you don't want to waste readers' time slogging through background stuff that isn't critical to the scene at hand. This is a lesson that Reginald Hill knows very well; the first scene of this book starts about ten minutes before A) Molly's husband rushes home from work in the middle of the day and disappears, and B) two men show up and tell her that her husband is a Russian (Soviet) spy. Suddenly, everything in Molly's life is turned upside down. It's as though she's been thrown out of an airplane and is in freefall. There are plenty of people - the British secret service, the Soviets, the press - who are happy to offer a parachute and say "Here, let me guide you to MY IDEA of a good landing." But the book is about Molly's finding her own wind-currents, finding her OWN way to HER idea of a safe landing. In that way, it has a lot in common with the wonderful "Death in the Garden," and it makes perfect sense that the same publisher is responsible for both of these good books.

This isn't to say that "The Spy's Wife" is just about a woman's emotional development: There is plenty of fast-paced plot, and plenty of hurdles for Molly to get over and mazes that she has to find a way out of. I loved this book.

The Spy's Wife
I just rebought and reread this book and enjoyed it even more the second time in some years. Reginald Hill is a fine writer and this is great English suspense as opposed to the other mystery's blood and gore.

Highly satisfying yarn
"The Spy's Wife" is ostensibly a mystery story, but it turns out to be more of a character study--with the subject of the title front and center throughout. This turns the piece into something more than a typical Cold War espionage potboiler. The novel's focus is on Molly Keatley, the badly betrayed wife of an alleged British turncoat, who evolves from a relatively passive soul at the moment of her betrayal into an angry, anything-but-passive woman by the end of the book. The story moves to a surprising and highly creative ending.
There is much humor and wisdom in this very enjoyable book. Highly recommended.