The Baker's Wife by Erin Healy

What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger, so why is Audrey weakening day by day?

It's been a tough year for Audrey's family. Her husband Geoff, a pastor, lost his job after a scandal rocked their congregation.

Audrey hasn't lost faith. She's held her family together. Their attempt to resurrect a failing bakery is an effort to heal the family wounds and restore their place in the community.

Late to the bakery one dim, foggy morning, Audrey turns into the intersection in front of the shop and strikes a vehicle that she can't see even after the collision settles. Emerging from her car into the fog, she discovers she's hit a motor scooter. There's no rider in sight. There's blood, though, so much that she slips in it, injuring her wrists.

The absence of the scooter driver is a mystery, especially to Sergeant Jack Mansfield, the detective and church member who drove Geoff from his pulpit. The scooter belongs to Jack's wife, Julie, a teacher at the local high school. She has vanished like morning fog.

Though there is no evidence to support Jack's growing suspicion that Audrey and Geoff were involved in Julie's disappearance, the detective is convinced of their guilt. Jack's ability to reason slips as the leads on his wife dry up.

When Jack takes the tiny bakery and its patrons hostage, Audrey must find Julie and unravel the secret of her own mysterious suffering before Jack comes undone. (synopsis from  Goodreads)

The Baker’s Wife is a suspenseful thriller steeped in religious overtones.  What started off slowly quickly turned into a gripping mystery.  I really enjoyed this novel of good verse evil.

Protagonist, Audrey Bofinger, works to heal the wounds of her family and community.  With her husband, ex-pastor Geoff, they open a bakery.  She is blessed with a gift, or curse, to recognize when others need her help.  One foggy morning, on the way into the bakery, she hits a scooter. The scooter is destroyed and the scene is covered in blood - too much blood, for anyone to have survived.  The scooter belongs to  Julia, the wife of police sergeant Jack Mansfield. When a body can’t be found and Julia is missing, suspicion soon turns to foul play.  To make matters worse, Jack Mansfield is the man responsible for having Pastor Bofinger fired from the church and banned from preaching.  When evidence isn’t sufficient, Jack decides to take matters into his own hands.

Healy beautifully and skillfully weaves a tale of intrigue, while carefully telling the story of each character.  She has you second guessing as she feeds you pieces of the puzzle.  Aside from being a suspenseful mystery, The Baker’s Wife deals with faith, compassion, judgment and man’s own flaws.

I will be looking for other work by Erin Healy and highly recommend this book.

I want to thank Book Sneeze and Thomas Nelson for this ARC, in exchange for my unbiased review.

I give this book 4 coffee cups out of 5. 

Purchase : B&N

                                                                        Author's website: Erin Healy