Good Husbands - Cate Ray

Good Husbands is Cate Ray's new novel.

From the publisher - "Three wives, one letter, and an explosive secret that will change everything. He said, she said. Who do you believe?"

And that's the question that three women struggle with after receiving a post mortem letter from a young woman who claims she was conceived after her mother was raped. By all three of their husbands. 

The book is told in alternating chapters by their wives - Jessica, Stephanie and Priyanka. Now, the alleged crime is horrific, but Ray's focus is more on the women and their decisions. Could their husband have done this? They begin their own investigation. But, not every wife is on board with opening up old wounds. This was the most interesting part of Ray's premise for me. She takes us inside every marriage, the wives' actions, thoughts, reasoning and decisions. She also explores the interactions between the three women, as well as their own thinking. As a reader, I too made a decision based on my own thoughts about the husbands. We do hear from the past in the form of a diary and more on the road to conclusion.

I think Ray has handled tough subjects with candor and thoughtfulness. Those looking for a thriller won't find it here. But instead a, well written slow burning suspense novel.

There's a nice twist in the final pages. I'm not sure how I feel about it. I was caught off guard for sure. And it somewhat negated what had come before. If' you've read it let me know what you thought. See for yourself - read an excerpt of Good Husbands. 

Gentle readers, there are trigger situations/descriptions, this may not be the book for you.