Book Review | As Long As We Both Shall Live by JoAnn Chaney

As Long As We Both Shall Live

by JoAnn Chaney

Flatiron Books

Publication Date : January 15, 2018

Pages : 336

Synopsis From Publisher :

"My wife! I think she's dead!" Matt frantically tells park rangers that he and his wife, Marie, were hiking when she fell off a cliff into the raging river below. They start a search, but they aren't hopeful: no one could have survived that fall. It was a tragic accident.

But Matt's first wife also died in suspicious circumstances. And when the police pull a body out of the river, they have a lot more questions for Matt.

Detectives Loren and Spengler want to know if Matt is a grieving, twice-unlucky husband or a cold-blooded murderer. They dig into the couple's lives to see what they can unearth. And they find that love's got teeth, it's got claws, and once it hitches you to a person, it's tough to rip yourself free.

So what happens when you're done making it work?

As a general rule I do not like surprises. I am a planner. I like to know what is going on around me at all times. However there is one exception to this rule. I absolutely positively love being surprised by a book. When I start to read a book, I usually have a general idea of what kind of story I am reading. Nothing excites me more than when I realize my assumptions were completely wrong. 

Matt and Marie Evans have been married for 24 years. They have two daughters in college, a beautiful home, their health, and a fulfilling life ahead of them. On a romantic gateway in Rocky Mountain National Park tragedy strikes. Matt emerges from the forest shouting to strangers “My wife, I think she might be dead.” Matt tells park rangers his wife fell over a cliff into a roaring river. The search for Marie’s body begins and Denver detectives arrive to start an investigation into Marie’s death. Witness statements, physical evidence, and a detective’s intuition all contradict Matt’s story. Matt’s past is not doing him any favors either. His first wife died tragically as well. Matt is either the unluckiest man on earth or a stone cold killer. 

The story is told with the use of alternating timelines; jumping between the years of 1995 and 2018. In 1995 Matt is married to his first wife Janice, in 2018 he is married to Marie. Chaney writes so readers know the end results pretty early on, but what lead up to the results is the mystery. The ending being so diabolical, readers will have to know what lead up to the twisted conclusion.

I enjoyed the original descriptions and analogies used through out the story. For example one character is described as the piece of food that gets stuck in your teeth which you cannot get out. As Long As We Both Shall Live is filled with these types of comparisons. While simplistic everyone has had the experience of food getting caught in their teeth. This realistic therefore relatable description will tell readers everything they need to know about the character being described. 

For me the stand out character in As Long As We Both Shall Live is Detective Reid. Reid investigated the death of Matt’s first wife Janice. In 1995 he is a weathered but clever and witty investigator. From the beginning he knew something was off with Matt’s story of what happened to his wife. He makes few appearances in the book but his impact on the 1995 and 2018 investigations are huge. 

I found this review a bit difficult to write. I want future readers to go in with the same expectations I had. Just based on the synopsis most readers will, but I do not want to spoil anything for those who have not read the book. At the same time I want readers to understand just how awesome this book was for me.

The best part of As Long As We Both Shall Live is that the book was not what I was expecting when I started reading. It is so much more than a story of a marriage gone wrong. I cannot remember the last time I enjoyed the story of EACH character. Even the “bad guys”. As Long As We Both Shall Live thrilled and chilled me. It was great! As Long As We Both Shall Live is the book I will be raving and recommending for all of 2019. 

Murder and Moore Rating : 

5 out of 5 Stars

** Thanks to Flatiron Books for my free copy of As Long As We Both Shall Live**