An Inconvenient Wife
A Modern Tudor Mystery
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- $17.99
Publisher Description
This astonishing crime novel—inspired by the Tudor era—takes the reader into the world of Kate Parker, who has just married billionaire Hank Tudor when a headless body is discovered near their summer home . . .
Kate Parker knows what she’s getting into when she marries billionaire businessman Hank Tudor—she’s his sixth wife, after all, and was by his side (as his assistant) when his fifth marriage to actress Caitlyn Howard fell apart.
But honeymoon plans go awry when a headless body is discovered near Hank’s summer home, forcing Kate to contend with two more of his exes: Catherine Alvarez—the first—who lives as a shut-in with her computers, carefully following Tudor Enterprises; and Anna Klein—the fourth—who runs a bed-and-breakfast where she and her wife keep a steady eye on things—particularly Hank’s children, Lizzie and Teddy.
In this clever and suspenseful reimagining of Tudor era betrayals, these three women become entwined in a deadly game of cat and mouse—with each other, Hank, and Hank’s brilliant fixer, Tom Cromwell—as Kate seeks to solve the puzzle of who the murdered woman is, who killed her, and whether her death has any connection to the other headless body from eight years ago.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this clever riff on the saga of Henry VIII, Olson (the Annie Seymour mysteries) introduces executive assistant Kate Parker, who's just become billionaire Hank Tudor's sixth wife. Kate's knowledge of her husband's many divorces has prepared her for the possibility that their marital bliss might be short-lived, but not for the discovery of the headless body of Hanks's fifth wife, Caitlyn Howard, near their honeymoon villa in Tuscany. Caitlyn's corpse is found in the same condition as Hank's late second wife, Nan, who died eight years earlier, raising the possibility of a serial killer or copycat (Hank had strong alibis for both murders). Worried her head may be next on the chopping block, Kate sets out to solve Caitlyn's death, zeroing in on a series of suspects including Hank's three children, his first and fourth wives, and his ruthless business partner. Some readers may balk at the conclusion's loose ends, but Olson's intelligent plotting—in which she recasts Tudor dynastic maneuverings through the lens of 21st-century ultra-wealth—make this much more than a simple in-joke for history buffs. Those willing to go along for the ride will be happy they did.