Book Review: Housewife

My rating: 5 dark stars

After having read and loved this author's previously published books I had to give a try to this one too.

Did I love it just as much as the others?
Yes and no.

No - because Taryn from Underbelly and Atone will always be one of my all-time favourite thriller female leads and Erica from Housewife didn't even come close to her.

Yes - because even though the characters in this book aren't the kind to root for, the tale itself is... exceptional.



Raw and gritty, dark and unsettling, Housewife is not for the faint of heart. It is a tale that deals with imperfect people leading imperfect lives, making all the wrong choices at perhaps the wrong times.

A bored housewife in search of adventure decides to go home with an intoxicating stranger. Abandoning her family she allows herself to be seduced by the dangerous and lurid world of a notorious drug cartel.

There's nothing really nice or lovable about Erica and I admit I downright resented her in the first few chapters. And there is nothing really lovable about the other characters either, something that may make some readers find it a bit difficult to get into the tale. But once you turn a few pages you get to see the why behind the entitled attitude and you get to realise why these characters are not the flawless good heroes everyone loves to root for. They are real flawed and imperfect people that could be our neighbours next door. And it is difficult to root for someone who makes one bad choice after another. Just as intense and sobering as it is watching the consequences of those bad choices unfold.

Reading this book is like watching a train wreck happen, knowing what's about to go down and biting your nails at the edge of the seat hoping against hope that you are wrong. And even though the characters are not the kind you love, you can't help but be hooked by their tale. You can't help but feel sorry for all the stuff they go through. And you can't help but hope they'll reach a happy ever after. Despite or perhaps because of all they endure.

Erica's spiral down into drug addiction hits you like a sledgehammer falling on brittle glass. And it's effects on not only herself but also those around her are absolutely heart breaking. Perhaps due to the particular manner in which they are described. In a no-nonsense absolutely credible manner. And here is where the author's experience working with criminal offenders and insight into human behaviour truly shine. Because both that spiral down into addiction and it's effects are masterfully described.

Written in a down to earth no-nonsence manner, alike that of the themes it portrays and message it imparts, Housewife delivers one of the best insights into drug addiction that I have ever read about. It is a book that will shock you. A book that terrifies. A book that will grab you by the scruff of your neck and won't let go till the very last chapter.
A dark and addictive read that will keep you turning pages into the wee hours of the night.
A book you won't be able to set down.

A brilliant dark read I both hated and loved, Housewife is downright memorable.

Check out this book and more of Karen Crawford over at http://www.karencrawfordmysteries.com