The new year could not have started off better for bookworms with a newly-developed likening for psychological thrillers.

Released on Jan. 23, Alafair Burke’s new novel “The Wife” brings readers the same emotional, tense and complicated characters found in her previous works. Those familiar with Burke’s books, including the popular “The Woman in Cabin 10,” can expect even more mind-shocking reveals in her new novel about what should have been the perfect life.

“The Wife” follows Angela Powell, a stay-at-home mom struggling to adjust to the fame that NYC has thrusted upon her husband Jason, who is a professor, bestselling author and economist. What she hoped would have been a quiet life with her family turns into media turmoil as her husband is accused of sexual harassment by an intern at his firm.

Just as Angela believes things are finally clearing up, Jason is then accused of sexually assaulting a fellow co-worker, Kerry Lynch. However, the nightmare does not end there for the Powell family, as Lynch soon goes missing and Jason is arrested.

Burke uses her own personal experience as a district attorney to give readers a real “behind-the-scenes” narrative of the investigation and trial.

With the novel written in first and third person, each point of view gives the reader a deeper look into the case itself, and the lives of the Powells.

From the first person point-of-view, Angela is seen struggling to keep the little bit of normalcy she has ever had in her life. However, with new revelations coming left and right, she finds herself questioning her husband. Never having been his equal, Angela has gone to great lengths to avoid any publicity, fearing that it would only reveal the truth about what happened to her in Pennsylvania, before her and her son met Jason.

Perhaps Burke’s greatest gift to her readers is her ability to write and argue for all sides of the story. Using a third person narrative, Burke follows a female detective who has too often seen just how hard it is for both victims to come forward and to get people to stop defending those who did wrong.

Sectioned off into four parts, each piece of the novel is written to give a strong focus on the victims, the trial and Angela, who now has to testify in front of the grand jury and explain why she lied to the police. Meanwhile, Angela is also trying to protect her son from the words on social media pages and deal with a mother who has questioned her son-in-law’s innocence from the very beginning.

Through the use of blunt language, Burke refrains from sugarcoating the way such things are handled and looked at. Complex in plot but a very easy read, Burke’s new novel tackles the importance of coming forward, questioning what you know and standing up for those who cannot do it on their own.