Guilty Wives
James Patterson and David Ellis
Read by January LaVoy

Hachette Audio
March 26, 2012 / ISBN: 1607884682
Mystery/Thriller / Audiobook (Unabridged) / 10 hours and 21 minutes

Reviewed by Jo Rogers

Abby and three of her friends, Serena, Winnie and Brea, were going to Monte Carlo for a four-day vacation from their husbands and children. They each had eighty thousand Euros to spend as they chose, courtesy of Serena, whose husband, Simon, was quite wealthy. She was also financing the whole trip, including the stay in a luxury hotel. Though none of the women were poor, Serena was the only one with a lot of money.

Their first two days were spent shopping, gambling and just relaxing. They also spent a lot of time drinking champagne, whisky and wine. They had a blast for two days. Unfortunately, Brea's husband, Colton, decided they were having too much fun. He was a controlling man and abusive mentally and emotionally, though there was no visible evidence the abuse went further. He called the other husbands, Simon, Christian, and Jeffrey, to come to Monte Carlo and see for themselves.

That evening, the husbands' revenge began. The women had met four men. They were quite tipsy by that time and inhibitions were gone. They spent the night with the men. The next morning, their nightmare began. Two of the four men were dead, shot with a handgun. The police found it in Abby's purse. The men were the French President and his bodyguard. The women were charged with the murder.

This thriller is vintage James Patterson. The characters are typical with the kinds of mistakes they made. They are atypical in the grand scale they used to make them. Colton's jealousy is typical with his personality. The revenge, however, was hardly normal, but fits with the husbands' backgrounds. So, listen to Guilty Wives and pray you never live a nightmare like this one.

Reviews of other titles by Patterson & Ellis

Mistress [audio]
Guilty Wives [audio]
Invisible [audio]