The New Husband by D.J. Palmer ~ a Review

by Donna Huber

It was a chilly predawn morning when Anthony Strauss eased Sweet Caroline, his seventeen-foot Boston Whaler, from the trailer into water so dark it was indistinguishable from the sky. To the east, the rising sun raced along the riverbank, igniting the shoreline of Lake Winnipesaukee in a buttery glow. Anthony cast his lure about twenty feet out and was beginning to slowly reel in his line when he noticed a fellow boater some forty yeards off his starboard. (p. 1)

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

April 2020; St. Martin's Press; 978-1250107497
audio, ebook, print (384 pages); domestic thriller

I'm so tired. Why? I stayed up way too late reading D.J. Palmer's new novel The New Husband. It was so good that I didn't want to put it down.

After reading Saving Meghan (read my review), I couldn't wait to read his new novel. I will admit I had really high expectations for The New Husband.

Right off the bat, you know that Simon is going to be bad. At first, I thought perhaps it would have something to do with Nina's middle school daughter since Maggie is the first to voice her unease with him and her fear of being alone with him. The book is not about child molestation.

It becomes clear pretty really on that Simon is a manipulator and while not physically abusive, yet, he is controlling. Unfortunately, Nina, who is still grieving the disappearance of her husband, does not see, or maybe doesn't want to believe that Simon is anything but caring, compassionate, and loving.

At first, I wondered why Palmer was so upfront and clear about Simon. Unlike in Saving Meghan, where the reader didn't know who to believe or what the truth was, we know enough from the beginning to not trust Simon. Then when we learn that Nina is a social worker and my first reaction was why doesn't she see what is happening. She's trained to work with cases of domestic violence. She should know better than the average person the many forms domestic abuse takes and the warning signs. And that's when I realized why Palmer revealed so much of Simon's personality so soon. He wanted the reader to judge Nina so that the reader could see that the judgment was misplaced.

Just because we know what Simon is from the beginning, it doesn't mean there aren't a few surprises and definitely a big twist that had my jaw dropping.

The New Husband is an excellent domestic thriller. I highly recommend reading it.

Buy The New Husband at Amazon

Donna Huber is an avid reader and natural encourager. She is the founder of Girl Who Reads and the author of how-to marketing book Secrets to a Successful Blog Tour.

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