The Second Wife
A Novel
-
-
2.8 • 5 Ratings
-
-
- $4.99
Publisher Description
She’s part of the family now. For better—and for worse . . .
When Alex met Natalie she changed his life. After the tragic death of his first wife, which left him a single parent to teenage daughter Jade, he was desperate to leave the pain of his past behind.
But his newfound happiness is shattered when the family home is gutted by fire and his loyalties are unexpectedly tested. Jade insists she saw a man in the house on the night of the fire; Natalie denies any knowledge of such an intruder.
One of them must be lying, but Alex is faced with an impossible choice: to believe his wife or his daughter. As Natalie’s story unravels, Alex realizes that his wife has a past he had no idea about, a past that might yet catch up with her.
But this time, the past could be deadly . . .
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
At the start of this twisty domestic thriller from Fleet (The House Swap), recently remarried widower Alex Carmichael, a Brighton, England, advertising executive, returns to his house late one night to find firefighters battling a roaring blaze and his 14-year-old daughter, Jade, being carried out unconscious. After regaining consciousness, Jade insists a strange man was in the house just before the fire. When Natalie, Jade's stepmother, firmly denies this, Alex suspects his wife of having an affair. His subsequent search through the rubble for evidence of Natalie's infidelity uncovers a cache of documents among her belongings referring to a woman he's never heard of, Rachel Castelle. Natalie's evasive nonexplanation spurs Alex who functions more as a plot propellant than a fully realized character to begin digging into his spouse's past. The ensuing sinister, if not completely convincing, revelations, including the nature of Natalie's connection to the mysterious Rachel, will surprise many. This tale of deceit, obsession, and betrayal should win Fleet new fans.
