The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey is a queer contemporary mystery by Astrid Dahl (3.5/5 stars)

The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey is a queer contemporary mystery by “Astrid Dahl” (aka Anna Dorn, the author of Perfume & Pain).

The book follows a group of people who are creating and starring in a housewife reality tv series from the fictional Huzzah network. I thought that was pretty funny, as a nod to Bravo. In fact, I laughed out loud a few times while reading this book.

It was initially hyped to me as a thriller. In fact, the publisher blurb calls it “a propulsive page-turning thriller.” However, it didn’t have the pacing that I tend to find in thrillers, so I’d really call this one a mystery over a thriller. I really wish that this book wasn’t mismarketed! If I went into it as a mystery, I may have upped the rating a bit, and that’s why I’m rounding up for this one.

The beginning felt a little on the slower side for me, but I was absolutely on board for the back half of the book. Overall, the plot felt pretty messy, but I feel like that was at least partly on purpose due to the subject material. In the physical book, there’s a cast of characters listed at the front that I found helpful to figure out what was going on.

I really liked the format of the book, which has interstitial chapters that are transcripts from “confessional” interviews. I love seeing mixed media in my reads, and it was especially well done with the audiobook version, which has multiple narrators performing.

If you’re a fan of dramatic chaos or reality tv shows, you should give this one a try!

I received a complimentary review copy from Simon Books, Simon Audio, and NetGalley. All opinions contained herein are my own.

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