My Darling Husband is one of those cleverly plotted books that a reader lives for.
First, it starts with an interview where the interviewer lays the groundwork for the story to come and then the author drops the reader into the events that precipitate the “main event.”
And it’s off to the races we go.
The action takes place over the course of one day. One horrific day for Jade and her kids. I suppose for Cam as well (the “My Darling Husband” in question). But as he is the one in the interview that opens the story, the reader knows that he survives the incident, whatever that may be.
Even though the reader goes through Jade’s day along with her in “real-time,” there is a nebulous feeling surrounding the interview. This is because there are no real context clues.
Do Jade and her kids survive? Where are they? Where is Cam giving this interview?
We know he feels remorse for how “it” all happened. But other than that, the reader just has to take his word for it as to how things went down – and what precipitated it all.
It is almost like watching a tv show containing flashbacks. The commentary from the interview sets up the action from the past.
It’s effective and requires the reader to actively pay attention.
Along the way, the author drops several hints that cast doubt on Cam’s reliability as a narrator of the past event. That’s another reason the interview format works so well.
And then there are Jade’s parts of the story. This is where the real action takes place. They have excellent pace and palpable tension. Her desperation, along with her disbelief that something like “that” could happen, is relatable and not overly dramatic.
In fact, she is much stronger than she thinks she is, and more than how the author sets her up in the beginning. I really liked her character arc and growth.
Because of this, it feels like two books. There’s the detached interview where the reader gains insights, but then there’s the “smack dab in the middle” tension of Jade’s experiences.
What it boils down to is a roller coaster of a ride where the reader is eager to attack each chapter to discern exactly what happened and why. There are surprises, twists, and more than a few gotcha moments.
And I loved the ending. Authors have a tendency to wrap things up neatly, and there are books where that is appropriate. Not to give it away, but let’s just say that it fits the uncertain feeling of the rest of the book.
In other words, you’re still left with questions. It’s a bold choice and it works for the story.
I highly recommend My Darling Husband as a good suspense thriller.
Here is another review for this author: Stranger in the Lake
Twitter: @KimberlySBelle
Instagram: @kimberlysbelle
About the Author: Kimberly Belle is the USA Today and internationally bestselling author of seven novels, including her latest, My Darling Husband (December 2021). Her third novel, The Marriage Lie, was a semifinalist in the 2017 Goodreads Choice Awards for Best Mystery & Thriller, and a #1 e-book bestseller in the UK and Italy. She’s sold rights to her books in a dozen languages as well as film and television options. A graduate of Agnes Scott College, Belle divides her time between Atlanta and Amsterdam.
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