The Wife Stalker

Not even a late-breaking, game-changing twist can quite salvage this disappointing psychological thriller from Constantine (The Last Mrs. Parrish). Much of the fault lies in the story’s two protagonists, alternating (and unreliable) narrators Piper and Joanna, who are vying for the affections of Leo Drakos, a depressed, workaholic—but well-off—Westport, Conn., lawyer and father of two. Glamorous recent arrival Piper, who has bought a local recovery center as part of a new identity to distance herself from the suspicious deaths of her husband and teen stepdaughter in a sailing accident, quickly sets her cap for Leo, never mind that Joanna is already living with Leo. For her part, Joanna is slow to recognize the danger posed by the seductive interloper—and swiftly finds herself on the outside looking in. Though readers may root for Joanna as she delves into the narcissistic Piper’s past in a race to win back the family she loves so fiercely, many of her actions are puzzling if not downright off-putting—for reasons that will only become clear with the flabbergasting final reveals. Constantine has done better. [em]Agent: Bernadette Baker-Baughman, Victoria Sanders & Assoc. (May) [/em]