The premise of this, although rather campy and Lifetime Movie of the Week-ish, makes for a very entertaining psychological thriller. But the tension was unfortunately loosened for me throughout by what was revealed when. The most prominent example of this was when the main mystery underlying everything was fully revealed at the midpoint.
This may work well for some readers, but as someone who LOVES psychological thrillers, I felt let down by it. I want to be curious - until the very end - about what truth is lying underneath. This book was certainly plot — and not character — driven. If I’m honest, I was a bit surprised by chunks of prose that seemed like early draft exposition that perhaps should have either been cut or weaved into the action. Due to this, my read of the book turned to skimming at a certain point. This is the first book I’ve read by Daniel (D.J.) Palmer, and I’m guessing he must be great with story and he’s certainly prolific, because he’s built a solid career on churning out books. I’m thinking I might give one of his earlier books, Saving Meghan, a try at some point, since I’ve seen people rave about it! Look, I’m probably the weirdo here who doesn’t watch reality TV and snobbishly seeks out depth and ‘human truths’ in the stories I read, even if they’re page-turning thrillers. I’m painfully aware that if I thought less and just experienced shocks and thrills more, I’d most likely be a happier person. If you are looking for depth and truths here, you may be disappointed. But this type of supremely commercial fiction really thrills certain readers and sells millions of copies - I get that, and I do not judge at all. In fact, I am kind of jealous. If you are one of those lucky people, definitely get this book and give it a read! A huge thank you to #netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of #thenewhusband in exchange for my honest review! |