The New Husband by D.J. Palmer

A year and a half after her husband Glen goes missing, Nina Garrity, makes a decision to let Simon Fitch, her loving, attentive boyfriend, move in with she and her two teenage children in a new home. Glen, an investment banker, provided for the family financially, but ever since he never returned from a routine fishing trip, Nina hasn’t been able to afford the lifestyle she once knew. Now, thanks to Simon, she and her children are being provided for again, and this time with so much more attention and care. Glen was always at work, and even when he wasn’t at work physically, he seemed to be there mentally. He had distanced himself so much from Nina and their kids, and now Nina knows why. Shortly after his disappearance and presumed drowning, Nina received a text message with photos showing Glen with another woman, a waitress named Theresa. How could she not have known that he was cheating on her? Was he really working so much, or was he simply living another secret life with Theresa? Nina wonders if she’ll ever know the truth. Is he dead? Why wasn’t his body recovered? She is left troubled by these questions, and feeling betrayed by Glen’s lies.

However, Nina is thrilled with the new man in her life. She can hardly believe her luck in finding Simon. Simon showed up rather randomly when he found their family dog, Daisy, roaming and brought her back to Nina. The two hit it off right away and began seeing each other, despite the unease from Nina’s parents and best friends that she was moving a little too fast. But Simon Fitch, a handsome, widowed social studies teacher at her daughter’s school, is just so perfect for her. He knows exactly what she likes and anticipates her every need. He treats her like a queen…until she begins to question some things about his past and their relationship. Why doesn’t he have any photos of his two ex-wives? Why doesn’t he want her to see her best friends at the gym or for their annual girl’s weekend? Why is he so against her having a job? As Nina starts to secretly dig into Simon’s past, she discovers some disturbing things that cannot be explained away by Simon and his tendency to have a prepared logical explanation for everything. Nina’s son, Connor, enjoys Simon’s company, relishing in all the time Simon spends with him that Glen never did. Her 13 year old daughter Maggie, has taken an instant dislike to Simon, but her worries and allegations bounce off of a love-struck Nina. Simon would never do anything to put her daughter in danger, would he?

Fans of suspense will delight in this domestic thriller with a huge twist at the end. Palmer does a great job of setting the scene, sprinkling all the clues, and then sending readers reeling when they discover what is really going on with Simon. I would highly suggest this book for fans of Harlan Coben and Lisa Jewell.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an early review copy of this title.