The Missing Husband by Natasha Boydell

 

Kate is shocked when she reads the letter Pete has left on her pillow.  After years of marriage, he tells her he has fallen in love with someone else and is leaving her and the girls.  Kate had no idea.  Sure, Pete had been traveling a lot for business and working late more but late nights and traveling is a part of his job.  Their marriage has not been that exciting lately but most marriages fall into a routine over the years.

But what Kate never expected was a total cut off of communication.  Pete doesn't call her or answer emails.  He doesn't get in contact with the girls.  Finally, Kate swallows her pride and gets in touch with Pete's best friend.  She finds out that the woman in question was Claire, who had been a temporary receptionist at Pete's company.  The two had taken off to France, where Claire had inherited a house.  Pete had quit his job months ago.

Kate is reeling but as the weeks go by, she realizes that this is her life now and she must go on to keep the girls' world safe.  She starts to make new friends, women whose children go to the same school.  Kate hasn't worked since she had the girls, but she contacts some of her old clients and soon is starting to get some publicity jobs, the field she had left.  As she becomes more independent, she starts to realize that she is actually happier than she's been in years.  Then there is a knock at the door.

This is a debut novel and Boydell has a real career in the thriller market going forward.  She writes about every married woman's worst fear, that their husband will fall in love with someone else and leave their family for her.  Kate survives that happening and is thriving until she finds out that everything she thought has been based on a lie. I listened to this novel and the narrator has the perfect accent to make this English setting seem real.  This book is recommended for mystery readers.