BOOK REVIEW: The Second Husband by Kate White #thesecondhusband #bookreview @katemwhite @harperperennial

It’s definitely no secret that Kate White has been one of my favorite authors since I stumbled across a copy of The Sixes randomly at Powell’s in Portland. Now I’ve read (and even re-read!) everything she has published and every summer I get so excited for her latest thriller to drop. This summer that thriller was a standalone (and while I love a good Bailey Weggins, I like that Kate White always mixes it up between another Bailey mystery and a standalone thriller) titled The Second Husband and I was hooked before I even received my copy!

A tangled, twisted mystery with enough clues you can follow and a few that you’ll miss along the way. The Second Husband is one of the best thrillers I read this summer!

About the Book

A woman’s seemingly perfect second marriage is rocked by a discovery about the death of her first husband in this twisty psychological thriller from Kate White, the New York Times bestselling author whom Entertainment Weekly called “impossible to outwit.”

Recovering from the unsolved murder of her first husband, Derrick, thirty-something Emma Hawke has built a new life with Tom, a handsome, successful, and loving widower who finally makes her feel safe again.

Then one day a police detective shows up at their house on the Connecticut shore, asking questions about Derrick’s death. Emma was sure she’d been cleared in the days after the tragedy. So why is law enforcement taking another look now–and questioning the timing of her relationship with Tom? She hadn’t even met him until after Derrick’s death.

Then Emma is shocked to discover that, in fact, she and her second husband attended the same business dinner two months before Derrick’s murder. Did Tom, unbeknownst to Emma, spot her there? Could he have set his sights on her and orchestrated a plan to make her his wife, whatever the cost.

With twists and turns all the way to the last page, this fast-paced, expertly plotted novel will have you asking that age-old question: how well do you really know the ones you love?

Reflection

I always like to start my reviews for Kate White with some level-setting that her books are much more on the mystery end of the psychological thriller spectrum typically. Readers looking for books full of unreliable narrators and twists that come out of left field may not find that here. I like to think of Kate White’s books as what Nancy Drew lovers will enjoy when they grow up to be women who a glass of wine or a cocktail and an HBO Max series.

One thing I love about Kate White is her attention to detail, both in how she crafts her mysteries and plots and in how she writes. I rarely crave a great salad or pasta dish more than when I’m reading a Kate White mystery. She puts in a level of detail that I can picture every setting, character, and scene in vivid color in my mind. I also like the way the clues tie together at the end. She rarely leaves any major questions unanswered.

Her leading lady Emma Hawke is new to me, while also feeling familiar in the way Kate White heroines do. White writes about women who are career-oriented, successful, appreciate a good meal or glass of wine, and pursue relationships but not at the expense of their own mental health. I’d describe her heroines as pragmatists who tend towards a light touch of healthy anxiety. They think through the events in their lives and tend to play their own devil’s advocate as things become more and more tense around them. These aren’t impulsive or overly emotional women. They are women that feel familiar—like women I’d actually know in real life. And since they feel so close to real life, sometimes that can make the mysteries feel even more tense. They feel like real stories, and that brings its own sort of terror.

Emma Hawke’s first husband was murdered in a random shooting. Within weeks, Emma sold their house and did her best to move on, getting an apartment in Manhattan. It isn’t long before Emma meets the man who becomes her second husband, Tom Halliday in her work as a trend forecaster consultant. Emma and Tom have a beautiful home in Connecticut with Emma’s office in a guest cottage out back. Things should be bliss as Emma finally finds herself in a happy, healthy marriage, but everything isn’t settled just yet. Tom’s stepdaughter Brittany from his previous marriage is staying with them for the summer and she is not a fan of Emma’s.

When a detective shows up on their doorstep saying they are re-opening the investigation into the murder of Emma’s first husband, Emma dreads going back to the headspace she was in during her first marriage. Emma didn’t share this with anyone, but her first marriage wasn’t as happy as others thought. In fact, Emma was relieved when it ended, though of course she didn’t want her first husband to die… did she?

And if not Emma behind it all, then who? Her ex-brother-in-law who always hated Emma? A business associate? A random stranger? Or could it be possible that her own second husband was somehow involved? There are too many suspects to keep straight, and yet all of them seem to tie back to Emma herself. Desperate to clear up the case and close that chapter of her life permanently, Emma does everything she can to do her own investigation into any leads the police might be pursuing. But what happens if she doesn’t like the answers once she finds them?

I loved how this mystery was laid out. I had a lot of different theories and suspects and I liked how clues were resolved, new clues were introduced, and the suspect list shuffled throughout the book. It kept the pace of the mystery moving forward, as some leads got closed out while new information arrived. By the end it was like putting together a puzzle of what I knew, what I thought I knew, and what I had overlooked. I definitely didn’t guess exactly how the mystery would resolve! I enjoyed getting Emma’s thoughts along the way.

Fresh, easy, and light—Kate White’s The Second Husband is the perfect summer mystery!