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Synopsis
Betrayal was just the beginning…
Melanie Hale is a devoted mother to her two children, a diligent caregiver to her ailing mother-in-law and a trusted neighbor in their wealthy Louisiana community. Above all, she’s a loving partner to her wonderful husband, Collin.
Then there are the parts of herself that Mel keeps hidden. She’s exhausted, worried and unfulfilled. So much so that one night, after a writers’ group meeting, Mel begins an affair with a successful local author named Luke. Suddenly she’s transformed into a role she doesn’t recognize—a woman who deceives with unseemly ease. A woman who might be capable of just about anything.
When Mel finds Luke’s dead body in his lavish rented house, she realizes just how high the stakes have become. Not only does she have to keep her affair a secret in order to preserve her marriage, but she desperately needs to avoid being implicated in Luke’s death. But who would want to kill him? Who else in her life is keeping secrets? And most terrifying of all, how far will they—and she—go to keep those secrets hidden?
Review
Mel appears to be the best wife. She has a son who is autistic and a mother-in-law who is close to dying. She shows compassion and patience in her care and comes up with solutions to soothe them while protecting her husband and daughter from seeing the worst of their conditions. Collin is a loving and kind husband. Mel honestly cannot complain. But she is unfulfilled. She steps out on her marriage and embarks on an affair with a local writing celebrity.
I do not believe that she really fell for Luke so much as she fell for his life. Being this carfree spirit that could travel the world. That was unihibited in expressing his creativity. It certainly does not help that he is a good looking succesful man. That his books are salacious and erotic further piques Mel’s interest. She is flattered by the attention. It has been a long time since she has seen herself as an attractive woman. But now having someone else looking at her that way it means something to her. So she quickly gives in to passion.
She knows all along that she is making a big mistake. She’s conscious of what’s at stake here, what she is risking as far as her family is concerned. She knows that when other parents’ affairs were exposed that it has come back to hurt their children. They have become targets of bullying in the school and on social media. Mel does not want that for her kids. They are already vulnerable. Ben for the obvious reasons and poor Rachel has been walking around on eggshells. Then Mel inserts herself into other people’s problems being fully aware of the danger it might pose. It’s almost as if she cannot help herself. Perhaps she is drawn to excitement after having led what she feels is a humdrum life where her needs are always on the backburner.
The book opens up with Mel discovering Luke’s body. We know SHE did not kill him. But then who did? And who knows her secret? Can it be used against her? Will she take the fall for a murder she did not commit? Will she be able to keep her family out of the fray of the murder investigation while keeping her crimes of passion a secret?
The first half of Such a Good Wife builds around the sexual tension between Luke and Mel while the second half was more fast paced and centered on the mystery. This is where the twists and turns that mystery lovers crave are found. There were plenty of suspects and juicy motives.
Recommendedfor readers who like steamy romance mixed in with their murder.
Meet the Author
Seraphina Nova Glass is a professor and playwright-in-residence at the University of Texas, Arlington, where she teaches film studies and playwriting. She holds an MFA in playwriting from Smith College, and she’s also a screenwriter and award-winning playwright. Seraphina has traveled the world using theatre and film as a teaching tool, living in South Africa, Guam and Kenya as a volunteer teacher, AIDS relief worker, and documentary filmmaker.
Carry a Big Book 