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QBD Reviews: The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty

9781742613949The Husband’s Secret is a great novel by Australian author Liane Moriarty, from the very beginning I was captivated and found myself thinking about the book even when I wasn’t reading it and eager to pick it back up from where I left off at every opportunity. The Husband's Secret is a story of three women all going through their own personal issues and who hardly know each other but soon their lives intertwine. Everyone will be touched by this dark secret.

Cecelia Fitzpatrick is an extremely hard working perfectionist. She is a picture of motherhood, the perfect wife and trusted friend. Until one day it all begins to come undone when she discovers a letter from her still alive and well husband John-Paul, a letter that is only to be opened in the event of his death. What would you do? Would you go ahead and open the letter? Would you be prepared for the truth it may hold? The Husband's Secret is a thought provoking page turner about truth, loyalty, betrayal and above all love. After reading this book I will definitely be reading more by this wonderful author.

~ Alana, QBD Canelands

By Alana   0 Comments

QBD Book of the Month: The Husband’s Secret

9781742613949This was such an interesting book, I greedily read through it in a day.

The Husband's Secret centres its focus on 3 seemingly unconnected women and their families, the story weaving threads around characters and drawing them closer, pulling them uncomfortably tight together.

Cecilia Fitzpatrick, a Stepford wife-esque character, finds a letter from her husband while he is away. It says to be opened in the event of his death. Cecilia keeps thinking about opening it. What could his secret possibly be? What could he possibly keep from her and their perfect lives and family? I can see what her dilemma is, that she trusts her husband. I'm not sure I wouldn't have ripped a letter like that open the second I found it, to be honest.

There is also Tess, who's family is being pulled apart against her best wishes. While the dust settles, she and her son spend time with her mother under the guise of helping her while she recovers from a broken ankle, meeting Cecilia and our other main character, Rachel.

Rachel is a delightful older woman. I really enjoyed her as a character, finding her really relate-able. She is still grieving her daughter who was killed in 1984, and trying to remain connected to her grandchild through her still living son.

The chapters are often shorter, moving between each of these women and their lives. The characters seem well thought out, and very real. Even after the "big reveal" of the letter, you still want to know where the story is going, where everything is heading, how is this possibly going to end?

The parallel between Pandora and the box she opened makes perfect sense in this book. The character's curiosity makes you question what you would do in that situation.

-Karina, Belconnen QBD

By Karina   0 Comments

Have you read The Dry?

the-dry-smaller-version"As he rode away the blowflies were already starting to circle."

Reading this book, I was so intrigued by the two central stories. The holes in the evidence of a present day murder-suicide and the questionable suicide of a young girl 20 years earlier. Harper is a great writer and her background in journalism allowed her to develop a well rounded story that gives and takes at the right moments.

I loved the small town dynamic and the ripple effects of rumours and lies. The characters were well rounded (none of them were bland or unnecessary page fillers) and every one of them played a role in the small dying town of Kiewarra. The effects of the drought on a small farming community were devastating. I really enjoyed how Harper reflected the drought in the personalities and actions of different characters and the overall tone of a dying town. The weather was essentially a focal character in itself, with the effects of the heat uncovering emotions and resentment buried over the years. This was a great debut novel by a promising Australian author.

"His own naivety taunted him like a flicker of madness."
- Zena, QBD Northland

By Zena, QBD Northland   0 Comments

Spark by Rachel Craw

Having recently lost her mother, all Evie wants is some time and space to grieve – but that’s not what she gets.

9781922179623Instead she has a bizarre pins and needles sensation that won’t go away. She’s breaking objects all around the house, her strength quadrupled overnight. She has little appetite but is experiencing some weird sort of growth spurt. Her photographer Aunt, who comes home from one night from a job bleeding profusely, is definitely lying to her about something and to top it all off, she can’t shake the feeling that someone she loves is in danger.

Rachel Craw’s debut novel “Spark” will have you curious from the get go. Evie, her best friend Kitty and her fabulous, drool-worthy love interest Jamie (who also happens to be Kitty’s brother) form a slightly chaotic trio that dedicate their time to staying one step ahead of the mysterious killer that’s hunting Kitty. If Evie wasn’t a genetically altered super soldier, her mission would be impossible. It’s okay though because Jamie shares her talents and teaming up with him seems like a sure fire way to keep his sister safe. As we all know, delicious teenage hormones just love to rear their head at critical times like these and training with Jamie really just leads to more of a distraction for Evie than anything else.

Between the ever increasing danger, the crazy action-packed skills Evie is expected to hone to perfection and her ever fatal attraction to Jamie getting in the way of the job that needs to be done, you would think there wouldn’t be room for any more drama or chaos. But every author loves a few good surprises here and there and Craw definitely throws out some shockers. Spark is without a doubt a unique novel that throws you headfirst into a whirlwind of genres which blend so harmonically that you’ll be craving more the second you finish that last chapter! With no news of the sequel on the horizon, buckle up for a long ride of withdrawal symptoms.

Spark by Rachel Craw: A Recipe
* Start with one cup of sci-fi, sifted.
* Mix in liberal amounts of thriller with a dash of crime for good measure
* Let the mixture sit for a while before seasoning well with romance
* Add a couple of pinches of good quality plot twist and stir vigorously.
* Serve with a nice cup of tea or coffee and enjoy!

~Karen C. @ Tweed Heads QBD

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