ARC - The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty

The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 4 days

Publisher - Penguin

Blurb from Goodreads

From the author of the critically acclaimed What Alice Forgot comes a breakout new novel about the secrets husbands and wives keep from each other.

My Darling Cecilia
If you're reading this, then I've died . . .

Imagine your husband wrote you a letter, to be opened after his death. Imagine, too, that the letter contains his deepest, darkest secret - something so terrible it would destroy not just the life you built together, but the lives of others too. Imagine, then, that you stumble across that letter while your husband is still very much alive . . .

Cecilia Fitzpatrick achieved it all - she's an incredibly successful business woman, a pillar of her small community and a devoted wife and mother. Her life is as orderly and spotless as her home. But that letter is about to change everything, and not just for her: Rachel and Tess barely know Cecilia - or each other - but they too are about to feel the earth-shattering repercussions of her husband's devastating secret.


My review

This story revolves around three separate characters, we start with Cecilia Fitzpatrick, suburban mum/wife and organizer. She finds a very old letter addressed to her from her husband, to be opened in the event of his death. He passes it off as nothing and Cecilia decides to discard it, however events lead her to change her ,mind and everything about her organized, happy life is about to be turned upside down.

Tess O'Leary has a business with her husband and her cousin who is also her best friend. A revelation is about to rock their world and send waves of hurt and anger through their lives.

Rachel Crowley is an older lady, who years after her teenage daughters murder, is still stuck in the past and wondering who done it and why?

These three ladies will be brought together by the events that have turned their lives upside down whilst working through their own issues. This is a story of betrayal, lies, secrets and repercussions.

The story doesn't really pick up, I felt, until over 100 pages in but it really is worth sticking with. The long lead up takes a while as you are introduced to the back story for all three characters. The chapters are fairly short which is always good, especially if your busy so you can drop in and out of it. The author has a nice way of introducing the authors and luring you into their lives and the drama. The end really picks up and at one point I actually gasped, I hate when this happens in public btw, I honestly didn't see it coming. A really enjoyable tale, if a tad slow to warm up but worth it in the end. I would definitely read this author again, 4 out of 5 for me this time. Thanks to RealReaders for sending me and ARC (available from 29th of August 2013) of this book, and introducing me to a new author.

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