Publisher's Weekly Review
Bestseller Lewis (One Minute Later) explores the complexities of marriage in this potent if predictable domestic drama set in Bristol, England. During a gala celebrating her husband Jack's Businessman of the Year award, philanthropist Hanna Madden meets clinical psychiatrist Riona Byrne, who's dating Jack's best friend, college professor Seb Goodman. Soon, Riona becomes close with the Maddens, partaking in their lavish, upper-crust lifestyle, one aspect of which is a secret to their friends: though they love each other, Hanna and Jack have each--with mutual permission--been carrying on several yearslong affairs. The arrangement sours when one of Hanna's lovers (and, incidentally, one of Jack's attorneys) attempts to rape her, and Hanna and Jack's son, Leo, attacks him in retaliation, leading Jack to consider bribing the lawyer to keep quiet. Then, after Jack fails to return home from fishing one evening, Seb finds his bludgeoned corpse half-submerged in a lake. Hanna's friend Andee Lawrence, a former detective, investigates, while Riona uncovers secrets about Jack, and harbors a few of her own. Lewis comes through with fully formed characters and keeps her foot on the gas, but--title aside--some readers will be able to piece together the case faster than Andee does. Still, this is an entertaining slice of domestic suspense. Agent: Luigi Bonomi, LBA. (Oct.)
Booklist Review
When we first meet the characters in the latest domestic thriller from prolific British author Lewis (My Lies, Your Lies, 2020), they are living relatively normal lives. Some have been happily married for years, like Hanna and Jack; some, like Seb, are experiencing new love; and some are trying to balance work and a social life, like Riona. Some of them are also hiding secrets that could shatter the lives of everyone they know and love. When a crime is committed, those secrets come to light, and everyone is a suspect. This well-thought-out story features interesting characters and favors drama over mystery--seasoned mystery readers, used to intricate and surprising plots, may find themselves underwhelmed and guessing a plot twist early on. But the strength of this book is in its characters and the time Lewis spends allowing the reader to know them intimately. Hand this one to mystery readers who also enjoy the fiction of Sally Hepworth and Jodi Picoult.
