My Husband's Wife by Jane Corry is a psychological thriller that spans many years in the life of Lily and her new husband, Ed. Lily and Ed recently returned from a honeymoon in Italy and are now returning to work. Lily works as a solicitor and Ed works in advertising but has his heart set on a career in art. Lily's new case is an appeal of a murder case where Joe has been found guilty of submerging his girlfriend in scalding hot bath water. Joe reminds Lily of her brother who has Asperger's and had committed suicide when she was a teenager. While working on the case, Lily and Ed begin babysitting for one of their neighbors, Francesca, a woman who often spends her time with men who can pay her way in life. Carla is a young girl that is effected by that stigma but finds comfort in time spent cooking with Lily and sitting for portraits with Ed. When Lily finds out about Francesca's affair with a married man and threatens to expose the secret, Francesca and Carla flee back to Italy and Carla is left with a very big ax to grind with Lily.
This novel did not have the crazy twists and turns that are common in many psychological thrillers but I found myself enjoying the book anyway. Corry was inspired to write crime novels during her work in the prison system and it shows in the realism of her work. The suspense builds very slowly but the writing is such that it reads very quickly. I felt it hard to put it down as I wanted to know what would happen next.
The characters are complex and interesting. Carla is manipulative from the beginning but is still very likeable. Even though she lies, cheats and steals, the reader is made to feel sorry for her and the life that has been thrust upon her by unwitting and unkind adults. Lily is a very kind person but she has made terrible mistakes in her life, as well.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I would recommend it to anyone that is looking for a psychological thriller that feels very real when they are reading it and likes suspense to build slowly. It is not really a book for those that like tons of twists and turns from the very beginning or who like a big bang at the end but is a great book, anyway.
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