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The Other Wife cover art

The Other Wife

By: Michael Robotham
Narrated by: Sean Barrett
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Publisher's Summary

Childhood sweethearts William and Mary have been married for 60 years. William is a celebrated surgeon, Mary a devoted wife. Both have a strong sense of right and wrong.

This is what their son, Joe O'Loughlin, has always believed. But when Joe is summoned to the hospital with news that his father has been brutally attacked, his world is turned upside down. Who is the strange woman crying at William's bedside, covered in his blood - a friend, a mistress, a fantasist or a killer? 

Against the advice of the police, Joe launches his own investigation. As he learns more, he discovers sides to his father he never knew - and is forcibly reminded that the truth comes at a price.

A mesmerising psychological thriller from one of the greatest crime writers of today, Michael Robotham, the international best-selling author of The Secrets She Keeps.

©2018 Michael Robotham (P)2018 Hachette Audio UK

Critic Reviews

"Will have you turning the pages compulsively." (The Times)

"Robotham doesn't just make me scared for his characters, he makes my heart ache for them." (Linwood Barclay) 

"Superbly exciting...a terrific read." (Guardian)

What listeners say about The Other Wife

Average Customer Ratings
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  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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Story
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Well worth waiting for

I absolutely love the book from start to finish
The ending was very powerful
Love the relevant quotes throughout the book
I am feeling very close to Joe after all he's been through

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21 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Enjoyed this book

I enjoyed the story that turned & twisted before reaching its conclusion. Good read the narrator was excellently

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11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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A Great Read

This the 2nd time I have listened to The Other Wife. When I first listened to it, I didnt realise it was part of a 9-book series. Initially I found the narrator's monotone voice annoying but eventually realised it was an important part of the character & started to appreciate it. I enjoyed the story first time round & when I realised it was part of a series, I began at the beginning & worked my way through them all. Listening to The Other Wife again in conjunction with the other books put everything into place. I particularly enjoyed the friendship & interaction that developed between O'Louglin & Ruiz. A great read, a great series & a great writer.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Great Story

Excellent Read I found listening to a man narrator great as so many audiobooks are read by women.
Easy listening with lots of twists loved this book..

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

great easy listening

on occassion the narrator got on my nerves. his voice was difficult to understand in some parts. the story itself is good. a couple of twists in there. i enjoyed this book.

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Another absolute brilliant listen

I am devastated the series is over. Each Joe O'Loughlin book has been a masterclass in suspense and human emotion. A true roller coaster ride and one I am delighted to have read. Please Michael, let us have more of Joe

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Issues with narration.

It was disconcerting that the narrator was much older than the man he was portraying.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Excellent

Really enjoyed this series and what is currently (I hope) the last in the series. This book does leave it open fire more to follow so I'll keep my fingers crossed. Great narration throughout the seties by Sean Barrett.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Not the best one I’ve read

The reader sounds far too old for the character he’s playing. I kept thinking I was listening to the old man talking, not the son, and it kept messing up my perception of the story.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A captivating storyline

The only downside of this story is that the narrator sounded far too old for the main character.

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  • Lia
  • 28-06-2018

Fantastic Installment To The Series

I really enjoyed this book. Great story, well written. Beautiful observations of the nature of humanity.
I loved the way the story is interwoven with deep insights on humanity, grief, relationships, power, greed, jealousy and fear. Superb.
Great respect for the narrator , sensitive, intelligent and a skilled actor.
Well done the whole production team. Highly recommended, much more than a crime story.

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18 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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  • RBL
  • 09-09-2018

Spoiler alert warning

Author turns this book into political commentary at one point. . Scorning a political figures in the middle of a mystery destroys the entire mood. If I wanted political Opinions I turn on the tv. Be forewarned!

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10 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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  • andrew
  • 04-09-2018

not good enough

I've listened to many Robotham's books, but this one was too dry, uninteresting, with the usual red herrings. the end was of course unpredictable but I also didn't care at that point (I skipped a few charters toward the end). those were the obligatory twists.
I didn't find the story nor the characters interesting, and as a frequent reader of the author's book, I found it annoying that the professor, at the beginning of the book, acted like a child despite his previous experiences and cases. also, his disease seems to be conveniently managed in this case while in other books it seemed much worse.
It was too much of a cookie cutter book. I wouldn't recommend it.

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9 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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  • Shirzy
  • 20-10-2018

Narration doesn’t quite fit

Good story but not engrossing. I had trouble with the narrator - he sounds too old and stuffy for the character.

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7 people found this helpful

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    2 out of 5 stars
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  • Nancy
  • 22-02-2019

Need good hearing for this one.

The reader of this novel has a beautiful voice and a beautiful British accent. But the voice is so low in volume, that I sometimes couldn’t hear it well enough even with the volume turned way up. Also, there is so little variAtion in tone that I sometimes couldn’t concentrate on it. The story is just not that special and by the time the culprit is revealed, I was beyond caring.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • M. Ryder
  • 07-07-2019

Another Great One!!!

Once again, Michael Robothum and Sean Barrett knocked it out of the park with both their writing and performance of this book! I’m so glad that Mr. Robothum always chooses S.B. to do the narration. I really feel like I know the characters, especially Joe and Vince, through Mr. Barrett’s voice inflections and tone. The characters are complex, and the storyline keeps moving at a steady pace. As with all his books, you’ll laugh and tear up at times, and not expect the outcome. Since I don’t want to give away anything, all I will say is definitely listen to The Other Wife!!!

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    4 out of 5 stars
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  • Mark
  • 05-01-2019

Good not great

This is one of Robotham's best books if not his best (I have returned about 4 of his books). He didn't rely on shock which he has in previous books. It was not exactly a complex mystery (pretty obvious half way in), but it remains entertaining . It kept me interested till the end but it was not "The Wife Before Me" or "Girl Gone". Kate Morton actually writes better mysteries out of Australia. But if you want a book that is good while driving (half pay attention), this works. I was offended over the disrespect for the US President. Excluding the negative comment involving his psychological state, as a foreigner, it is insulting he refers to the American President as Donald Trump. I would not call the English Queen or the President of France without their titles.

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    1 out of 5 stars
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  • Jess
  • 20-10-2019

Those Unfathomable Females

I really enjoyed the latest two Michael Robotham books, but this one had me throwing things at the computer. The characters seemed really shallow and every time Joe would encounter a female character he'd describe her first and foremost based on her current, future, or past sexiness. Even his daughters! They had grown into their beauty or would soon grow into their beauty. It was creepy. His way of comforting a family friend who he'd JUST talked out of suicide was to basically tell her how desirable she was and then she THANKED HIM. It made no sense. He's supposed to be a psychologist?? His relationship with the young hot cop was even more non-sensical. Plot, meh. Characters, meh meh. The only bright spot was RUIZ. A likeable boiled-sweet sucking character who's always saving the day.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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  • FRITZ STOOP
  • 25-07-2019

Editors are child-like

Robotham is a very talented author. His books, this one in particular, are unintelligent and hopelessly childish in terms of a serious reader. He deserves better and one hopes his handlers see the light.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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  • Soft Knocks
  • 15-02-2019

Great but for one thing.....

I had difficulty hearing parts of it.
Nice twisty plot with an ending that was believable.

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  • Gollygee68
  • 11-03-2019

Gripping storyline. Superbly read!

Loved it!

I loved the story!

I loved the narration! I can not fault Sean Barrett. He's a master at interpreting the text & bringing life to the characters.

If you like psychology thrillers then you'll love this author, Michael Robotham.

Enjoy!

I actually read 'The Other Wife' first, not realising there was a Joseph O'Loughlin series. Therefore I've detailed the running order below as provided by my good friend Google 😁:-

The Suspect(2004)
Lost(2005)
Shatter(2008)
Bleed for Me(2010)
The Wreckage(2011)
Say You're Sorry(2012)
Watching You(2013)
Close Your Eyes(2015)
The Other Wife(2018)

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • mollyeyre
  • 16-06-2018

Really excellent

This was a very good story, when I first started listening I thought - Oh will it just be about lies within a family? That wouldn't be my cup of tea, but it proved to be a very good mystery about an attempted murder. Sean Barrett is such a good narrator, and he adds to the story. The characters are so well developed and one feels one knows them personally. I did guess the guilty party just a little while before the unveiling, but this didn't spoil my enjoyment.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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  • David M
  • 15-06-2018

The formula still works

This must be about book 9 in the Joseph O'Loughlin series but the formula still works. This book is as good as any of the previous 8. Great descriptive writing from the author. He makes you feel believe you are there in London following Joe O'Loughlin's every move and every thought. I like the Vincent Ruez character as well. This time the victim of the crime is Joe's own father. I got through the book in just 2 days, eager to find out "who done it", I was hooked.

Rather morose like all the other books in the series. Much of that being down to Sean Barrett's inimitable voice.

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  • Sheila
  • 26-06-2018

Brilliant book.

I really enjoyed this book. Great story, well written. Beautiful observations of the nature of humanity.
I loved the way the story is interwoven with deep insights on humanity, grief, relationships, power, greed, jealousy and fear. Superb.
Great respect for the narrator , sensitive, intelligent and a skilled actor.
Well done the whole production team. Highly recommended, much more than a crime story.

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7 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Anonymous User
  • 27-06-2018

Another good story in the series

Another very good story in this series, these characters are like old friends, Sean Barrett is my favourite narrator with the best voice for story telling

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6 people found this helpful

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    2 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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  • Allison64
  • 24-06-2018

Far fetched and disappointing

I’ve loved the other Joe O’Lachlan books but didn’t enjoy this one. It was so far fetched and unbelievable!
Brilliant performance by Sean Barrett as always but not a great story.

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  • Amazon Customer
  • 17-09-2020

Average at best

First person narrative is always the minority, it is more difficult. Perhaps this book would have been better were it written from a narrator’s objective point of view but I don’t know that would have saved it. It reads as incredibly self indulgent. It doesn’t add up in any way, almost everyone is annoying and fundamentally it’s about a bunch of self-centred, boring, middle class idiots with more money than sense. I found it impossible to care about any of them, oh dear, they’re all shagging each other & robbing each other’s millions from each other. So what. I listened to the end in case there was something I was missing but there wasn’t. By the time I got to the end I just wished more of them had been killed, especially the annoying, pathetic, narcissist “hero” Joe.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Kirstine
  • 09-08-2018

Excellent listen

I've listened to many of the author's books featuring forensic psychologist Joseph O’Loughlin working with former cop Vincent Ruiz. This book is a bit different, for although some detective work is involved, it mainly delves into O'Loughlin's relationships with his parents and the discoveries about his father's hidden life. I found the narrative gripping and romped through the recording in a day and half of intermittent listening. There are no gruesome murders or torture the story being largely about peoples' behaviour and character. O'Loughlin is an engaging character who is disabled by Parkinson's Disease. As with previous books, though disabled, O'Loughlin is depicted in some scenes more like Superman bounding up flights of stairs or hurling himself through a plate glass window: not plausible but it seems a tenent of this genre that it is necessary to have a swashbuckling crescendo to round off the story.
Sean Barrett dramatizes the text with his usual skill.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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  • Jo
  • 21-06-2018

Good but not amazing!

Was so excited when I saw a new Joe O’Loughlin novel was out as I have all of the previous ones and really enjoyed them!
This one was also enjoyable but I didn’t feel it was quite up to the previous standard. Although I understand that life has been difficult for Joe recently this book was melancholic all the way through and became a little depressing!
I won’t give up on Joe but please cheer him up and give him a good non personal case to get his teeth into!!!

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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  • Sigrin
  • 31-01-2019

Skeletons in the O’Loughlin cupboard


I have enjoyed this series but do not feel it is hs best, still an enjoyable listen.

Sean Barrats voice is superb throughout these books he bedrooms feeds darkness and foreboding so well.

Try The secrets she keeps byMichael Robotham, not part of the series but equally an enjoyable read.

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