The Third Wife

Lisa Jewell’s The Third Wife (2015) is a psychological thriller that fits within the domestic noir subgenre. Jewell is a #1 New York Times best-selling author of numerous suspense novels, including Then She Was Gone (2017) and The Family Upstairs (2019). The Third Wife follows architect Adrian Wolfe as he investigates the mysterious death of his young third wife, Maya. His search uncovers the secrets and resentments lurking beneath the surface of his idyllic blended family. Thematically, the narrative examines The Fragility of the “Perfect Family” Ideal, The Destructive Nature of Unspoken Resentments, and Grief as a Catalyst for Change.

This guide references the 2016 Atria Paperback edition.

Content Warning: The source material and guide feature depictions of substance use, emotional abuse, sexual content, bullying, death by suicide, suicidal ideation, death, and cursing.

Plot Summary

The novel opens with Maya Wolfe, the third wife of Adrian Wolfe, wandering through London, disoriented and heavily intoxicated. Distraught from the most recent of a series of cruel, anonymous emails directed at her, she lurches into the path of a night bus and is killed. When notified, Adrian learns from Detective Inspector (DI) Hollis that Maya’s blood alcohol level was exceptionally high, and her death has been ruled an accident. Adrian explains that he’s been married to Maya for two years, their marriage is happy, and his divorces from his previous wives, Susie and Caroline, are amicable—so much so that their large blended family (three wives and five children) is unusually close and even takes vacations all together every year. Overwhelmed with grief, Adrian returns to the empty flat he shared with Maya, confused over the circumstances of her death.

Eleven months later, in March 2012, Adrian posts a notice to rehome Maya’s cat, Billie, a constant reminder of his loss. A woman observes him and takes the notice. The woman visits Adrian’s flat, introducing herself as Jane. She has distinctive mismatched eyes and is intensely curious about Adrian’s sprawling family, studying a large whiteboard Maya created called the “Board of Harmony” to organize their lives. Jane ultimately decides not to adopt Billie, telling Adrian she isn’t ready to commit. Later in the week, Adrian takes his children to the movies and bumps into Jane on the street outside the theater. She’s on a date with a man named Matthew and remembers from the whiteboard that it is Adrian’s daughter Pearl’s 10th birthday. That night, Adrian finds Jane’s mobile phone in his sofa and discovers his number is the only contact, confirming she sought him out deliberately.

Adrian enlists his eldest daughter, Cat, to help investigate. Pearl reveals she saw Jane watching her at ice-skating practice, reinforcing the idea that Jane is stalking them. A text appears on Jane’s phone from “Mum,” which leads Adrian to a woman named Jean, who reveals the phone belongs to her estranged daughter, Tiffany “Tiffy” Martin, a multiracial woman who bears no resemblance to Jane, who is white. Meanwhile, Cat tracks the woman with mismatched eyes to a kickboxing class in Highgate, but when Cat asks if her name is Jane, the woman calls herself Amanda and flees. Following another lead, Adrian contacts the children’s home where Tiffany grew up and speaks to her directly. Tiffany says the phone was an old work phone from an estate agency, Baxter and Cross, leaving Adrian at a dead end. He has lunch with his first wife, Susie, who arranges for their aimless 23-year-old son, Luke, to move in with Adrian and work at his firm.

The narrative flashes back to July 2010—the day Maya receives the first of many anonymous, abusive “Dear Bitch” emails, which accuse her of being a homewrecker and assert that everyone in Adrian’s family hates her. Over the coming months, more emails arrive, growing more personal and revealing inside knowledge, such as the fact that she and Adrian are trying to conceive a baby. During a family holiday that autumn, a romantic tension develops between Maya and Luke. Later, while Adrian is away on business, Luke meets Maya for a drink and kisses her. She kisses him back briefly before pulling away, and they agree never to speak of it.

Back in the present, Luke discovers a hidden file on Adrian’s laptop where Maya had saved copies of all the “Dear Bitch” emails. He immediately shows them to his father. Adrian takes the emails to the police, but because Maya only cut and pasted the text before deleting the original emails, they are untraceable. Adrian contacts Baxter and Cross and speaks to the manager, Jonathan Baxter, who reveals he gave Tiffany’s old work phone to his son, Matthew. He also confirms that Matthew’s roommate and employee, a woman named Abby, has mismatched eyes. Adrian tracks Abby down, confronting her outside her office. She agrees to meet him for a drink that evening and tell him everything she knows about Maya.

The story returns to April 2011 in the days before Maya’s death. During a family holiday, Maya feels increasingly alienated. Luke’s ex-girlfriend, Charlotte, unexpectedly joins them, creating further tension. Maya babysits for Caroline the day before she dies. Adrian and Caroline’s son Otis catches Maya snooping in Caroline’s bedroom, and Maya finds a Skype chat left open on the kitchen laptop between Otis and his sister Cat, filled with hateful messages about her, pointing to them as her tormentors.

In the present, as Adrian heads to meet Abby, Otis reveals to Cat and Luke that a woman, whom they later discover is Charlotte, told him Maya killed herself because she was secretly in love with another man. The conversation escalates into an argument, and Otis runs away. Luke and Cat search everywhere, but Otis has disappeared. Luke calls Caroline and then Adrian in a panic. Adrian hesitates when Luke asks him to come right away, not wanting to miss whatever information Abby has about Maya. They agree he’ll go to meet Abby and keep his phone with him so Luke can call him if Otis is found.

Adrian meets Abby, who reveals she is the stranger who sat with Maya in a pub on the night she died. Maya, drunk and distraught after discovering the Skype messages, confessed everything to Abby, including her emotional affair with Luke. She was on her way home to leave Adrian for good. Abby insists Maya was not suicidal and that her fall in front of the bus was a tragic accident. During their conversation, Adrian learns that Otis has been found safe.

When Luke calls to say Otis has returned, Adrian goes directly to Caroline’s house and breaks down in tears, taking full responsibility for his selfishness. To protect his children, he tells a simplified version of the truth Abby told him: Maya was leaving because she had fallen out of love with him. Her death was an accident, absolving Luke, Cat, and Otis—all of whom have believed Maya’s death to be their fault—of blame. He asks his children to write him letters telling him how he can be a better father. The next day, Caroline delivers the letters. Cat confesses to writing the “Dear Bitch” emails out of anger over Adrian leaving Caroline. The younger children ask him to come home. That night, Adrian and Caroline meet for a drink. He explains his destructive pattern of chasing the “golden light” of new love and admits Caroline is the love of his life.

In the Epilogue, Adrian moves out of his flat and into a studio being built in Caroline’s garden, ready to prove he can be part of the family again. He takes Billie the cat to her new home with Abby and Matthew. He and Abby share a moment of attraction, but Adrian identifies it as a moment when the old him would have moved toward the golden light. He walks away, heading toward the Islington house, finally ready to be home.