The Pocket Wife

The Pocket Wife
Susan Crawford
William More
Harper Collins Publishers
New York, New York
ISBN: 978-0-06-236285-8
Hardcover
2015
$ 25.99
305 pages

Who is a pocket wife?  Any wife who feels that she is as useful and wanted as forgotten loose change in a pocket, no longer practical, just a weight dragging down.
Unfortunately this is how Dana Catrell feels.  Her husband is a tax lawyer and values her as much as loose change. 
Years ago she was the one who was the one who was valued.  She was the one who taught her husband to become the success that he is now.  
So how does he show his appreciation?  When he receives a phone call from his devoted and loving wife, he drops the phone into his pocket.   There are obviously more important things than their relationship.
Dana has an additional problem.  She is bipolar.  She realizes that she has problems due to her mental illness, but daily works to keep herself balanced and well.  Part of her problem is her memory lapses.
Dana's problem is her neighbor, Celia who was just murdered.  Guess who is the only one with a key to Celia's house and who was probably the last one to see Celia alive?  Could she have killed Celia?   With a murder of her friend, the breakdown of her marriage and the mental illness, how does Dana discover these answers before the police arrest her for murder.
The Pocket Wife reveals the investigation into Celia's death through Dana.  Dana knows that she is intelligent but fears trusting her husband or the police. She knows that her husband would quickly blame her for killing Celia, even though she believes that she is completely innocent.  She even wonders if he had an affair with Celia which would give her a reason to be the murderer.   She also cannot explain to the police that she is bipolar and while Celia was being killed, she had a blackout.   She is fairly certain the police would not ignore that but target her as the most likely suspect.
Susan Crawford is a native of Florida.  Through her adult life, she has lived in New York City, Boston, and now Atlanta with her husband, daughters, and cats.  The Pocket Wife is Ms. Crawford' debut novel.
The Pocket Wife is a fast-paced page turner, well-panned with realistic characters that all mystery readers would enjoy.