From Mapleton to Maple Brook, the key differences that twist the story even further
Netflix’s The Hunting Wives is set to become one of the most controversial, talked-about series of the summer. But if you’ve read May Cobb’s original novel, you’ll know the adaptation took a number of liberties.
Some of these changes are minor, like shifting the town’s name or Sophie’s hometown. Others rework the entire structure of the murder mystery and the people involved.
If you’re wondering what the series kept, what it twisted, and what it left behind entirely, here’s a full breakdown of The Hunting Wives: book vs. screen.
The Setting: Mapleton vs. Maple Brook
In the book, the story is set in Mapleton, a quiet East Texas town pulsing with money and secrets. Netflix changes this to Maple Brook, which carries a slightly more upscale vibe but isn’t a major shift plot-wise.
Sophie’s Backstory: Influencer or Editor?
In the Netflix series, Sophie is portrayed as a newcomer from Cambridge, Massachusetts, with an anxious edge and a clean aesthetic and a pust in public relations. In the book, she’s from Chicago, where she once worked as a magazine editor and ran a small lifestyle blog.
Both versions keep the key trauma: a drunken car crash years earlier that left Sophie with deep guilt and fear. But the show adds a CPS investigation that doesn’t appear in the novel.
Graham and Trey: Husbands and Power
The show names Margo’s husband Jed, an oil tycoon with a gubernatorial campaign. In the book, he’s Trey, a wealthy custom home builder, not a political figure.
Graham, Sophie’s husband, works for Trey in the novel, a detail that subtly ties Sophie’s family to Margo’s world more directly than in the series.
Margo and Sophie’s Relationship
Both versions explore the magnetic, confusing connection between Margo and Sophie. Yes, they kiss. Yes, they spend the night together at the lake house.
But in the book, it’s more emotional than physical, a moment of intimacy that Margo downplays almost immediately. Sophie grows attached; Margo becomes colder and more manipulative. The series leans harder into sexual tension and uses it to complicate the group dynamics.
Jill, Brad, and Abby: Relationships Turned Toxic
The triangle (or square) between Margo, Brad, Abby, and Jill takes on different weight depending on the version.
In the book, Margo sleeps with Brad, and Jill finds out. She’s furious and confronts Margo directly, blaming her for “ruining” her son. Abby is dating Brad, but it is never confirmed that be is pregnant — only suspected.
In the Netflix version, Abby is not pregnant, and Margo is the one carrying Brad’s baby, a twist that never happens in the novel. This leads to Margo killing Abby in the show, whereas in the book, Jill is the killer, driven by rage and shame over her son’s involvement with Abby.
Pastor Pete and Kyle: Added Characters
Neither Pastor Pete, the youth minister turned kidnapper, nor Margo’s brother Kyle, who appears late in the series and dies suddenly, exist in the book.
These characters, and the entire kidnapping storyline involving missing teens and Pete’s violent downfall, were created solely for the Netflix adaptation. None of it appears in May Cobb’s novel.
Their arcs serve to widen the mystery and heighten the stakes, but don’t reflect any events or characters from the original material. The book maintains a tight focus on the social tension, secrets, and shifting loyalties among the women of Mapleton.
Who Killed Abby?
This is the biggest difference of all.
- In the book: Jill kills Abby out of jealousy and desperation. After learning Abby was involved with Brad and possibly pregnant, Jill snaps and shoots her to protect her family’s image.
- In the show: Margo kills Abby to hide her own pregnancy with Brad. Her father covers up the abortion and gives her a fake alibi.
That’s a major narrative shift. The novel paints Jill as unstable but believable. The show portrays Margo as a full-blown sociopath — a characterization the book never reaches to that degree.
The Ending: Justice or Chaos?
The novel ends with Jill’s arrest and Sophie deciding to stay in Mapleton with her family, older and wiser but forever changed.
In contrast, the series ends in chaos: Jill is shot dead, Margo is thrown out by her husband, and Sophie kills Kyle in a panicked hit-and-run. It’s a far darker conclusion, one that leaves the door wide open for Season 2
Final Verdict
Netflix’s The Hunting Wives pushes the drama harder, twists the relationships darker, and rewrites key facts for added shock value. The book leans more into psychological suspense and social dynamics, while the series is more about manipulation, violence, and spiraling secrets.
Both tell a compelling story. But they’re not the same story. And if you’re only watching the show, you’re missing just how dangerous the original Hunting Wives really were.
