Her Husband's Murder - Jaime Lynn Hendricks
Published by Canelo, Thursday 3rd November 2022
Warning - some very mild spoilers for the opening of the novel
I had high hopes for this book from the synopsis. I'm someone who finds travelling anywhere much too stressful compared to just reading about it - so the idea of a destination wedding ending in murder was very compelling.
I'm delighted to say I loved this novel from Jaime Lynn Hendricks - devoured it in two or three sittings and got all the refreshment of a weekend away for a wedding (without the hangover).
As Fiona prepares to wed Trevor after a whirlwind romance, five of her oldest friends arrive in Miami to celebrate with her - all of them apparently giddy with excitement and ready to heap praise on the husband-to-be.
But, of course, not all is as it seems. Trevor has each of them in a chokehold, using their darkest secrets against them to secure his future with Fiona. So when Trevor dies at the just hours after saying "I do", we're spoilt for suspects...
Opening chapters
Hendricks gets straight into the meat of the story. We know that there's something off about Trevor, we're pretty certain someone's deliberately induced his anaphylaxis and we know that most of Fiona's friends, if not all of them, are harbouring dark secrets.
It puts me in mind of Pretty Little Liars - the first season where it was still great. If anything, my curiosity about what each of the friends wanted to kept concealed was a bigger drive to read the book than finding out who the killer was.
I also really enjoyed the setting of the novel, especially in the opening chapters. We start in the airport, slowly gathering the cast to be delivered to the story via a business class flight.
On arrival in Miami, the characters face oppressive, record-breaking heat and humidity. Weather and temperature is used throughout to great effect - not only serving as symbolism but also as a way to ramp up the tension and pressure in the story.
Quite a character
I would say that very few of the characters in the book were particularly likeable, but that's never been a requirement for a great thriller. I won't give away a spoiler but there was one couple in particular I was really rooting for...
There's an element of "willing suspension of disbelief" required around the secrets themselves. They're all excellently chosen, beautifully revealed and very clever. However - there was a lot of serendipity for Trevor that he happened to find a friendship group with so many secrets. Let's face it, in most of our friendship groups the only terrible thing to have occurred is usually gossiped about extensively, and therefore useless for blackmail.
However, that by no means detracts from the story. The quality of Hendricks' writing meant I was more than happy to be swept along on the river of despicable deeds.
Final moments
The ending of the novel was excellent. A satisfying ending that delivered plenty of twists and left me feeling pleasantly sated at the end of the story.
The only potential critique from me would be that I would have liked more from Trevor's perspective, but this didn't spoil the ending for me at all.
A cracking read!
A great read for anyone who is feeling the gloom of Autumn/Winter descending, and wants to escape to the sunshine of Miami. The wedding angle is a great touch - they're so fraught with anxiety anyway, it makes a great setting/premise for a thriller!
Hendricks has truly delivered an excellent second novel and I hope she finds every success.
I have to say I've been very impressed with all the novels I've read from Canelo - and I hope to read more in future!
I was given a free advanced-reader copy of this book, in exchange for a review.