Evelyn, a no-nonsense doctor who has learned how to create human clones, is recovering from a divorce that blindsided her; her husband left her for another woman, Martine. Evelyn is shocked to find that Martine is a clone of her, but made soft, feminine, and very obedient--qualities Evelyn lacks. We learn that Nathan has taken Evelyn's research and used it to create his perfect version of her. When Martine comes to Evelyn's house in a terrible panic one night, the two women must work together to cover up Nathan's murder. Inevitably, things do not go as neatly as Evelyn planned. Evelyn is an intensely unlikable character; her dealings with her cloning subjects are clinical and cruel. But Martine forces Evelyn to see her not as a specimen but as a person. Xe Sands narrates the psychological thriller with intensity and perfect pacing. She has a creepy, cold way of voicing Evelyn, who analyzes every situation with a detached tone. Martine starts out tentative and deferential but slowly learns to express anger and opinions. Sands also ably conveys Nathan's self-serving, misogynistic character. Listeners won't want to stop until they reach the ending of this enthralling and unique meditation on the ethics of cloning. VERDICT Highly recommended for all collections.--B. Allison Gray, Goleta Valley Lib., CA

Gailey's latest (after Upright Women Wanted, 2020) is a razor-sharp psychological thriller. Evelyn, the scientist who unlocked the key to creating clones, is still hurting from her divorce from the emotionally abusive Nathan. The worst part? She can't tell anyone the thing that finally broke them apart: the woman he's living with and engaged to, Martine, is a clone he created using Evelyn's own research, which if discovered, could ruin her. It's not just any clone, either. Martine is a reprogrammed clone of her. This is a twisting thought experiment about both the creation and the humanity of clones. Evelyn is a fascinating character, a brutal, practical scientist who often grates at the reader with her stubborn refusals to apologize--a "strength" she learned from her cold father. The Echo Wife is a slow burn, but the emotional intensity simmering under Evelyn's skin and the revelations that spin out of the plot are well worth the investment. Gailey's expertise with suspense and their success in presenting the reader with impossible choices about the ethics of cloning, biological programming and editing, and of Evelyn's specific, difficult situation, will leave the reader thinking about the novel long after the final page.

This creepy, exhilarating science fiction outing from Gailey (Magic for Liars) dissects an unconventional affair that violates both a couple's marriage vows and scientific integrity. Dr. Evelyn Caldwell is startled to discover that her husband, Nathan, has been seeing another woman--and even more shocked to learn that the other woman is a clone of Evelyn herself. Nathan created Martine to be everything Evelyn isn't: attentive, submissive, and family-oriented. Adding insult to injury, Nathan used Evelyn's own research to do so. An explosive confrontation among the three ends in Nathan's murder, leaving Evelyn and Martine forced to work together to cover up the crime. It's a situation that is not entirely unfamiliar for Evelyn, whose troubled past is teased out bit by bit. The women slowly discover that Nathan was hiding more secrets than either of them knew, forcing Martine and Evelyn to think on their feet in order to save themselves and the odd little family they create along the way. Gailey's story unspools as a series of dark reveals that leave both the characters and the audience reeling. Readers won't want to put this one down. (Feb.)