The New Husband
A Novel
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4.1 • 171 Ratings
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
The New Husband is a riveting thriller about the lies we tell ourselves from D. J. Palmer, the author of Saving Meghan.
What makes Simon Fitch so perfect?
-He knows all her favorite foods, music, and movies.
-Her son adores him. He was there when she needed him most.
-He anticipates her every need.
-He would never betray her like her first husband.
The perfect husband. He checks all the boxes.
The question is, why?
Nina Garrity learned the hard way that her missing husband, Glen, had been leading a double life with another woman. But with Glen gone—presumably drowned while fishing on his boat—she couldn't confront him about the affair or find closure to the life he blew apart.
Now, a year and a half later, Nina has found love again and hopes she can put her shattered world back together. Simon, a widower still grieving the death of his first wife, thinks he has found his dream girl in Nina, and his charm and affections help break through to a heart hardened by betrayal. Nina's teenage son, Connor, embraces Simon as the father he wishes his dad could have been, while her friends see a different side to him, and they aren't afraid to use the word obsession.
Nina works hard to bridge the divide that’s come between her daughter and Simon. She wants so badly to believe her life is finally getting back on track, but she’ll soon discover that the greatest danger to herself and her children are the lies people tell themselves.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this cleverly plotted but creepy domestic noir from Palmer (Saving Meghan), 30-something Nina Garrity thinks she has found Mr. Right after her unfaithful husband vanished, presumed drowned during a solo fishing trip, more than a year earlier. Nina's 13-year-old daughter, Maggie, has reason, however, not to welcome Nina's now live-in relationship with widower Simon Fitch and resolves to do everything possible to sabotage it. Beyond the "ewwh" factor of Simon's being a teacher at her Seabury, N.H., school, Maggie gets flashes of an explosive, darker self beneath his solicitous fa ade. But when she tries to share her fears, Nina is quick to brush them aside until Simon's efforts to exert increasing control over many aspects of Nina's own life plant seeds of doubt. Tension mounts as mother and daughter independently snoop into Simon and his past. Twists proliferate as the plot becomes increasingly implausible and bloody and also, despite the appealingly spunky Maggie, less pleasurably suspenseful than just plain disturbing. That said, Palmer fans will be satisfied. 100,000-copy announced first printing.
Customer Reviews
Excellent
Really enjoyable read with interesting twists and turns. The characters and relationships are portrayed in a relatable way, and the author does a great job of guiding you through the story from multiple perspectives. Highly recommend.
A page-turning psychological thriller!
Okay, that was so good! Psychological thrillers are my new obsession and when I saw D.J. Palmer announce this book, I couldn't wait to read it. I had previously read Saving Meghan and loved it, so I was very excited when I got an advanced paperback copy of The New Husband in the mail.
Nina and her family's life has been upended with the disappearance of her husband after his empty fishing boat is found. Quickly Nina learns her husband was not at all who she thought he was. How can she have lived with someone for the past fifteen years and not know who they truly are? Very soon after Nina's husband's disappearance, she runs into Simon Fitch, a teacher at her daughter's middle school. He is like the perfect man, attuned to Nina's every need and doing and saying all the right things. Before she knows it, he is completely ingrained in her and her children's lives. How did it all happen so quickly? Is it too soon for her to be with another man when her husband's body has never been found? And is she wrong to place her trust in this new man that she barely knows? After all, she thought she knew her husband, but all signs point to him leading a life she knew nothing about.
D.J. spins a twisted tale that I couldn't put down. I was totally immersed in this story, trying to figure out early on what was really going on. And then as chapters were revealed and the reader gets to see behind the curtain, I was so invested in how this storyline was going to play out. I felt like a fly on the wall, observing all that was going on and wanting to help this family, but having no voice to get their attention.
The story was a tad slow for me in the beginning but gradually gains momentum until the heart stopping conclusion. I absolutely loved the character of Maggie, her chapters were my favorite. If Mr. Palmer wants to write more about her in the future, I would not mind one bit.
If you're looking for a page-turning psychological thriller, this story fits the bill perfectly! I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. Even when my allergies were in full force and I couldn't see through blurry eyes and constant sneezes, I still powered through because I HAD to know what happened!
Bravo, Mr. Palmer!! Another amazing read!
Many thanks to St. Martin's press for providing me with an advanced review copy of this book in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
The New Husband
2/5 stars Entertaining, but I hate reading stories with stupid characters. It’s like watching a B horror movie and yelling at the screen...”Don’t go up into the attic...Don’t hide behind the chain saws...”. HER