3.5 out of 4 stars 
 I'd decided that I needed to read Gone Girl before starting The Silent Wife after having seen numerous reviews drawing comparisons between the two books. I much preferred the fast pace of the former, although the latter better lays out the inner thoughts of the main characters and requires more thoughtful reflection from the reader. 
 In The Silent Wife, psychotherapist Jodi and real estate developer Todd are in a live-in relationship that began two decades ago, when they met cute during a fender-bender. Jodi needs counsel only a few clients, rather than a full patient load, as Todd's income affords them a comfortable life. She spends her remaining hours skillfully maintaining their Chicago household. Todd, a bit of a cad, regularly seeks physical intimacy outside his relationship with Jodi. 
 Despite her education and training as a mental health professional, Jodi never permits herself to explore the events of her own early life, events which led her to commit to only a common-law marriage to Todd, who likewise does not appear to realize that his own actions also are driven by his past. Eventually their relationship completely unravels. (view spoiler)[Jodi discovers that Todd has knocked up his best friend's college-age daughter, Natasha; learns that she can make no claim on his assets when the relationship ends; but realizes that she remains his legal heir should he die. So she (sort of) puts a hit out on him. Todd suffers a fatal gunshot wound while stopped at a red light, but whether his death is executed by Jodi's connection or by a contract made by Natasha's father is unclear. (hide spoiler)] Figuring out the hows and whys of Jodi and Todd's relationship makes for an absorbing, intellectual read.