The Husband by Daniel Hurst
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
The Husband follows dual-perspectives, Jenny and Lachlan, a seemingly-perfect couple, married for the past 20-years. They have two teenage children, Bonnie and William.
When a new documentary releases that features the unsolved cold case murder of a 15-year old girl in a rural-village in Scotland, Bonnie, and the rest of her peers, become obsessed. Even though the crime was committed 25-years ago, the doc has gone viral and everyone is talking about it.
When Lachlan catches Bonnie and Jenny watching it, he has an absolute meltdown. As it turns out the girl was from the same village he fled decades before and has never returned. In fact, he was in the same class as the girl in school.
Jenny is surprised at her husband’s reaction. Sure, he hasn’t shared much with her about his past, but could this have something to do with it? Was he traumatized by all that happened there, including this vicious murder?
The longer the battle over the documentary goes on, the more Jenny starts to suspect that something is off. Lachlan’s behavior is off. Thus, she plans a family holiday to take the kids to see where their father grew-up.
Lachlan is flabbergasted. Why would anyone want to go there? He hated it and vowed never to return, but how can he convince his suspicious wife and true crime obsessed daughter that it’s a waste of time?
After arriving in the Scottish Highlands, long-buried secrets begin to come to light and Jenny realizes the truth may be more complicated than she ever anticipated.
Fearing for her life, as well as the lives of her kids, Jenny needs to get them away from this cursed village. How can she possibly do that though, as it seems that the killer is onto them now as well?
The Husband was quick and easy. I’ve no major complaints, besides the fact that if I ever hear someone say, ‘my husband’ again, I may throw myself off the closest pier.
This was my first time reading from this author and while I may not scramble to read more, if the opportunity arises, I’m not against it. This is an enjoyable weekend read, though I’m not sure how memorable it’ll be in the long run.
It was an interesting idea. These True Crime documentaries that go viral, there have to be unsuspecting people waiting in the wings to be impacted by them all the time. Besides the victims of the family, I never really considered all the other individuals who could be impacted by such docs.
I didn’t find this particularly suspenseful, however, it did grow in intensity as the book continued. I might have preferred just to have Jenny’s perspective until a bit closer to the end, I’m not sure.
Overall though, this is definitely entertaining and I did have fun with it. Thank you to the publisher, Bookouture, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’m glad to have given this prolific author a shot!