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Reviewed by Viga Boland for Readers' Favorite
Despite the stinging cold and short days, given the superb and majestic scenery, who wouldn’t want to live in Switzerland? Newly married Rose Blackwood, that’s who. Rose is The Expat Wife referenced in the title of Courtney Hargrove’s latest book, a protagonist who, bit by bit, suspects something's "rotten" around her, but has no idea who it's coming from or who she can trust.
A journalist, Rose quickly feels at a loose end with too much time on her hands as a non-working wife who spends her days socializing, sipping wine, brunching, and shopping with other ex-pat wives. There seems to be a lot of pressure on the wives to get pregnant, and too little information from Wesley on precisely what his high-paying career entails. Rose also has limited access to money, cannot locate her passport, puts her inability to sleep at night down to jet lag, even after weeks in Switzerland, and has a big blank about six hours following a party after which one of the ex-pat wives has disappeared, and no-one seems particularly disturbed. What on earth is going on in the land of the Matterhorn?
The mysterious atmosphere surrounding the people and events, the robotic servants and pill-popping parties, and references to witches, runes, Ouija boards, and more in this story are as chilling as the snowy Swiss setting. Hargrove is a master at keeping us as confused and questioning as her protagonist. Rose and I sensed a dramatic climax, but Hargrove kept us waiting until the last few chapters. Then, when all became clear, it was most unexpected. Hargrove’s clever use of dialogue is as skillful as her beautiful descriptions of settings and the creation of credible characters. Couple those style elements with her ability to keep us in suspense for over 300 pages, and you know why Courtney Hargrove is a number one best-selling author.
