Saturday, June 25, 2022

The Second Husband

The Second Husband by Kate White
6/28/22; 384 pages
HarperCollins

The Second Husband by Kate White is a recommended domestic thriller.

A little over two years ago Emma Hawke's first husband, Derrick, was shot and killed in NYC. The killer was never found. Now Emma is married to widower Tom Halliday. The two are happy building a new life together in Westport, Connecticut and both of their businesses are doing well. Emma is excited to finally have a new friend over one night but the evening is cut short when a New York City police detective knocks at her door. They have reopened the investigation into Derrick's murder and have some more questions for her. It seems they have some new information and also questions about when she met Tom.

After an attention grabbing start, the pace slows down. At first the narrative alternates between "then" chapters focused on the time period right after Derrick's murder which serve to tell the backstory, and "now" chapters focused on the present day occurrences. Ultimately the plot is all set during the present time period. This plot device works well to tell the history while adding misgiving in the present.

The Second Husband is a well written novel, but the plot does move rather slowly in spite of the numerous twists, turns, and questions thrown into the mix. Emma is a sympathetic character which will help held your attention, but she is not always very decisive and doubts herself way-too-much. The suspense and tension are present but never reach the level where it would be impossible to set the novel aside. The ending was unsatisfying.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of HarperCollins via NetGalley.

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