Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In this barn burner of a novel from Walsh (The Love of My Life), a woman unearths disturbing truths about her short-lived first marriage. In 2022, former surgeon Carrie Cole leads a sedate life in Devon, England, with her second husband, Robin, and their young twins. With Robin struggling to find work, Carrie accepts an invitation to travel to Stockholm for a conference held by Roof, the Airbnb competitor through which she leases her vacation property. While she's there, she plans to meet with a prominent Swedish surgeon who could reignite her medical career. Browsing Roof for rentals in Stockholm, Carrie comes across a property owned by Johan Kullberg, the man she married 12 years earlier in Thailand who was arrested for drug trafficking the day of their wedding. Johan insisted that Carrie leave Thailand and forget him, but the shock of stumbling upon him gets the best of Carrie's curiosity. After arriving in Stockholm, she meets up with Johan and learns details about his arrest that dramatically recast the past decade of her life. With breakneck pacing, simmering romantic tension, and jaw-dropping twists, this raucously entertaining domestic thriller stands apart from the crowd. It's pure popcorn. Agent: Allison Hunter, Trellis Literary. (May)
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Review by Library Journal Review
In 2010, Carrie Cole marries Johan on a beach in Thailand. Moments into their first dance, armed police arrive and arrest Johan, leaving Carrie stunned and alone. Twelve years later, Carrie is now married to Robin and raising their young twins in England. After years at home with her children, she is preparing to return to her career as a surgeon and plans a trip to Stockholm to reconnect with an old mentor. While searching for a Swedish rental, one listing stops her cold: one of its photos shows Johan, whom she believed was still imprisoned in Thailand. The novel jumps between the present day and 2010, when Carrie first met Johan. In the earlier timeline, a few months into their relationship Carrie and Johan elope to Thailand, but it ends in betrayal with Johan's arrest for drug trafficking; he urges Carrie to forget him. In the present, Carrie finds Johan in Stockholm, and her search for answers draws them together once more, until a devastating revelation shatters everything she thought she knew. VERDICT Walsh (The Love of My Life), who also writes as Lucy Robinson, skillfully blends emotional tension, family drama, and suspense. The novel's steady twists will appeal to fans of Lisa Jewell and Mary Kubica.--Kerri Copus
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