The Husband's Secret

Liane Moriarty has done it again.  The Husband's Secret was another quick and engaging women's fiction read.

Set in Australia as her other books have been, The Husband's Secret shares the stories of three women. The three stories appear unconnected at first, but soon lives intersect and the story concludes in an interesting and discussion-worthy way.

Cecilia is busy raising her children, happily married, and the type of woman that other ladies are intimidated by.  She is always on time, always dressed well, and appears to have it all together.  She is a bit worried about her marriage as she and her husband seem to have lost the passion they once had.  When she comes across a sealed envelope with a letter her husband wrote inside she wants to open it, but doesn't per her husband's request.  But when her husband cuts his business trip three days short to come home and Cecilia discovers him going through the attic in the middle of the night to find the letter, she can no longer honor his wishes. Cecilia must know what her husband is hiding.

Tess and her husband Will and cousin, Felicity, are just starting their own business.  The three of them have been inseparable, the best of friends.  When Tess finds out that her husband and Felicity have fallen in love, she takes her son, Liam, and moves in with her mother who is recovering from a broken ankle. While there Tess meets up with an ex-boyfriend who hasn't ever forgotten her.

Rachel Crowley is the secretary of the school that Cecilia's children attend, which is also the school that Liam attends when he and his mother move in with his grandmother. Despite the fact that decades have passed, Rachel is forever known as the woman whose daughter was murdered.  Although Rachel has also lost her husband, it is the death of her daughter that still consumes her thoughts, as does finding her daughter's killer.

The secret in this novel has many consequences and affects everyone in some way.  Although I believe honesty is the best policy, this story definitely brings that thought into question.  I'm not a great guesser and never seem to be able to figure out murder mysteries when I read them, but I did determine what Jean-Paul's secret was before I ever read it.  However, that didn't detract from my enjoyment of The Husband's Secret.  There are great discussion points in this novel, and Moriarty had different characters affected by the secret, that I still wasn't sure what everyone's response would be until the novel's end.

I'm loving Liane Moriarty a little more with each book I read of hers - a great woman's fiction author.