The English Wife by Lauren Willig

Narrated by Barrie Kreinik

I’ve read and/or listened to a number of the books in Lauren Willig’s Pink Carnation series, but for some reason haven’t yet read or listened to anything she’s written since. Nothing against the author – it’s my fault for having so little time to partake of books I’m not reviewing! – but the buzz about her latest novel, The English Wife, and good reports of it from friends whose opinions I trust, made me determined to experience it in one format or another, so I was pleased when I saw it would be coming out in audio and that Barrie Kreinik was on board as narrator. I’ve only listened to her once or twice before, but I remember being impressed with the quality of her performance in general and her English accent in particular, so that was a win-win.

The book opens on the night of the Twelfth Night ball being given by Annabelle and Bayard van Duyvil, in January 1899. The van Duyvils are a golden couple, he the scion of an old Knickerbocker family, she a daughter of the English aristocracy, and they seem to have everything – good looks, a pair of lovely children (twins), wealth and social position. But secrets lurk beneath the surface; rumours abound about the close relationship between Bay and his cousin Anne, and there is much gossip about affair rumoured to be going on between Annabelle and David Pruyn, the architect who has spent the last eighteen months overseeing the work on the van Duyvil’s new house, a grand reproduction of Annabelle’s stately home in England.

The ball is a glittering social occasion, held to mark the opening of the new house, but also, in part, to put a (temporary) stop to the continual carping of Bay’s obnoxious mother, who keeps insisting that Bay and Annabelle should move back to the city in order to fulfil their social obligations, something neither of them has any interest in doing. With not long to go before Bay and Annabelle need to open the ball with a dance, Mrs. van Duyvil sends her daughter, Janie, and Janie’s cousin, Anne, to find the couple, who haven’t been seen for a while. Directed to the folly in the grounds, Janie and Anne are searching for Bay and Annabelle when Janie sees a flash of something blue in the river out of the corner of her eye, and is convinced it’s Annabelle – and then Janie hears Anne chanting “Oh God,” over and over and turns to see her brother’s body, covered in blood, lying on the ground. A small, bejewelled dagger is protruding from his chest, but he’s not dead. Not yet. But it’s too late to save him.

The scandal surrounding the deaths is massive, and speculation is rife. Did Bay murder his wife and then commit suicide? Or did Annabelle kill her husband and then run away – after all, her body hasn’t been found. Was Annabelle’s lover somehow involved? There are no answers, only questions – and Janie decides that she must get to the bottom of it and find out what happened. Her mother refuses to countenance the idea of hiring a detective, so Janie instead approaches investigative journalist, James Burke – whom, she is galled to think, probably has better access to information than she does – and asks him if he will help her to uncover the truth.

From this point, the story diverges in two different directions, as we jump back in time four years and follow Bay and Annabelle’s whirlwind courtship in London a few years earlier and then chart the course of their married life right up until their deaths. Alternating chapters/sections set in the days, weeks and months following the murder(s) see Janie and Burke growing closer to the truth – and to each other ; and as it gradually emerges that neither Bay nor Annabelle were not quite who they seemed to be, Janie has to find the courage to decide what she believes in the face of all the rumours and lies.

Ms. Willig has penned a complex, multi-layered mystery in which everybody has secrets, and everybody has reasons for wanting to conceal the truth. The romance between Bay and Annabelle is beautifully done – and is all the more poignant because we know what will happen to them – and the secondary romance between Janie and Burke is sweet but compelling. In addition, the characterisation of both principals and secondary cast is superb; Annabelle is a delightfully down-to-earth woman with guts and backbone to spare, while Bay is charming and devoted (even if he turns out not to be the knight in shining armour Annabelle had believed him to be); Mrs. van Duyvil is a horrible woman for whom appearances are everything and who bullies her daughter and tries to do the same to her son. Anne is embittered and likes to stir-up mischief (why should anyone else be happy when she’s miserable?) and Janie lives in her mother’s shadow. One of the delights of the story is listening to Janie find the confidence and resolve to stand up for herself, and I loved her evolution from someone who wouldn’t say “boo!” to a goose into a strong, self-assured young woman who could determine her own path. This is definitely a story to savour, and one that needs time to properly develop, but if I have a criticism, it’s that some of the earlier portions (set after the deaths) were a little slow-moving. Otherwise, however, The English Wife is a splendidly wrought historical mystery that is wonderfully brought to life by Barrie Kreinik’s excellent narration.

As I said at the beginning, I’ve been impressed by Ms. Kreinik on the few occasions I’ve listened to her, and her name attached to the project was a definite draw. Her performance is excellent on every level; her pacing, delivery, differentiation and characterisations are all superb and as I said at the beginning, her English accent is impeccable. Her portrayal of the men in the story is every bit as good as that of the women; Bay is softly-spoken and his wry sense of humour is nicely judged, while Burke has a stronger accent and a more forceful manner. Mrs. van Duyvil sounds exactly like the gorgon she is, a slight drawl and nasal tone clearly marking her out as someone enamoured of her own self-consequence, while Annabelle’s crisp, English accent and no-nonsense air paint a clear picture in the listener’s mind of a young woman who knows how to stand up for herself and to give as good as she gets. In fact, each of the main characters is so well-realised that it’s impossible to pick a stand-out – and all of them are easy to identify when they appear.

The English Wife is atmospheric, romantic and heart-breaking, and I’m glad I opted to listen to it. The enthralling story, coupled with Barrie Kreinik’s outstanding narration, makes it an audiobook I’d definitely recommend to anyone looking to enjoy an intricate, well-constructed and character-driven mystery.

Caz