Monday, May 30, 2016

Book Review - My Husband's Wife by Jane Corry

Not Sponsored or Paid | Book Received as an ARC from the Publisher. Review Policy here

Hi!

A few weeks ago, I was offered a copy of this debut psychological thriller by author Jane Corry. I didn't get much information, just that the author had spent some time working in a maximum security prison and had been inspired to write this story afterwards. I accepted, and read it yesterday.


Genre | Fiction, Suspense, Psychological Thriller
Published | Paperback August 2016, Available on Kindle now
Page Count | 528 Pages

PLOT

Tuesday 20 October 2015. 
The artist Ed Macdonald has been found stabbed to death in his home. It is thought that...

So begins our story. In order to find out more about the victim, we go back in time fifteen years, to when Ed and Lily were married. Lily is a newly qualified solicitor, specialising in criminal law. She agrees to take on a particularly difficult case, and it almost immediately begins to consume her. Ed, meanwhile, is a struggling artist. His paintings aren't as successful as he'd like - until he finds a muse in the form of ten-year-old neighbour Carla Cavoletti. Carla lives with her mother, a fiesty Italian woman who is struggling to keep herself and Carla afloat. Carla just wants to be like all the other children at school - whatever it takes, she will do.

I don't want to go much further into the plot - I will tell you that the story is told by Lily and Carla in alternating chapters. It spans over fifteen years, and is as much a portrait of a marriage as it is a thriller. It's also a study in human behaviour - what motivates us, what drives us to succeed, how far we will go to get what we want, and the lengths we will go to in order to protect the ones we love.

THOUGHTS

It's hard to discuss without giving much away - I can't particularly say I liked any character, but I (maybe surprisingly) enjoyed the character of Joe Thomas - I found him menacing, intelligent, and liked seeing how his mind worked. Both Lily and Carla are very calculating, determined characters - but they're driven by different things. One by ambition, one by guilt.

The book reeled me in with the first hundred pages - I was determined to finish it in one day. Even though I had received a physical proof copy, I actually bought the book on Kindle as well so I could continue reading in bed.

I think this is a good choice for a holiday book this year. For me, the latter 20% fell down a little compared to the rest of the book - I just thought Lily began to unravel - but overall I'd recommend it, it's an accomplished debut. There are enough twists and turns to keep even the most seasoned reader interested.

RATING





5 comments:

  1. Sounds like a great read. I love books that pull you into the story

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  2. Thanks for the review :-)

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  3. Jaysus any book ya finish in a day is epic right xxx Siobhan

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  4. This book is only 99c on Amazon for the kindle now. June 2016. https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B018WWOEE0/ref=pe_2544871_136515021_nrn_image

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