I loved this book. I had a sense of what was going to happen from the first few chapters, which felt very intentional. But then the twists and suspense kept coming. D.J. Palmer did such an amazing job of showcasing how an abusive relationship starts and how easy it is to be blinded by a manipulative person when you are in love. As a counselor myself, I really liked how the main character was a social worker who still failed to see the signs. This book is so great and I loved how "family" was the center of it all.... dog included.

The New Husband by D.J. Palmer is truly a page turner. I stayed up until 2 am to finish this book and it was well worth it.

Simon is a master manipulator who presents himself as the perfect new husband of Nina, whose own husband has deserted her and their family. His deviousness is apparent early on but the level of deceit is truly astonishing when all of his wicked schemes are unearthed.

For all of his wicked ways, I'd actually like to take a class on organization, time management, and planning from Simon. He'd be a heck of a project manager. He is actually the most interesting character in the novel. I wouldn't want to be his fourth 'wife' but I'd definitely talk to him at a dinner party while using an assumed identity.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

D.J. Palmer has done it again. He has written a wonderful thrilling book that you cannot put down until the last word has been absorbed into your being. The New Husband starts off with Nina, moving in with her new love Simon after dealing with the mysterious vanishing of her husband. Simon appears to be the perfect gentleman and their relationship seems to be just what Nina needs to get over her husband Glen.
The only problem is that Nina's daughter and Nina's friends don't seem to like Simon quite as much as she does but that's only natural considering the situation. It isn't until well after they are settled in their new home that the cracks in their relationship appear. These cracks turn into fissures before erupting into an avalanche.
This story starts off sweet and romantic and quickly turns dark and foreboding. It has many twists that make you scream at the characters to wake up and see the truth. It engages you as you become part of the story as a witness to the domestic turmoil.
I couldn't wait to get to the end which was satisfying. The book feels familiar in some parts, as though you've read it before, but overall, it leaves you wanting to read the whole book in one sitting. I look forward to reading more from D.J. Palmer.
Thanks to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for the advanced copy of the book. The opinions are my own.

Nina Garrity is at a very vulnerable point in her life when she meets the charming Simon Fitch, a teacher at her daughter's school. Nina's husband Glen has been missing for a considerable amount of time, leaving her to raise their two children on her own with limited financial resources. No one knows if Glen is dead or alive--was he the victim of an accidental drowning, or did he stage his own death to escape his marriage? And as shocking secrets about Glen surface, Nina is shaken to her core.

At first, Simon seems too good to be true. He provides the family with a comfortable home and financial stability, and dotes on Nina. Yet in her attempt to restore a normal family life for her children, Nina overlooks Simon's shortcomings. Is Simon the white knight he first appeared to be, or has Nina's choice of a new husband put her and her family in a dangerous situation?

The New Husband is a page-turning thriller that send chills up the spine. It's best to read this book with all of the lights on.

The book is finished and I can get on with my life! It was that good that other commitments fell by the wayside. I needed to keep reading. I enjoyed the authors decision to let us in on the antagonist early in the story. Often in a thriller you must read to the last few pages for the “whodunnit” but it takes great skill from an authors standpoint to let you see what is happening and then let you witness why the characters are able to explain the behaviors away. @DJPALMER weaved a suspenful, brilliantly told story. It was believable and terrifying. I appreciated that Nina saw and felt inconsistencies but followed her gut. Her gut was wrong! Really well written. I highly recommend this book when published in April 2020. Write it down and watch for it! #netgalley #stmartinspress

4.5 Stars!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book! The novel did what it was supposed to do—kept me turning the pages to see what happened next—creating thrilling entertainment from the first pages to the last.

I wanted the protagonist, Nina, to be smarter and more cautious about allowing a new man into her life and home and the home of her children, but there would have been no story if she’d done that, right? The New Husband is another of many cautionary tales about what can happen when otherwise smart, capable women ignore their instincts and good common sense and give the benefit of doubt to someone they barely know. Worse, when they take the word of a man over that of their own child(ren) and side with him. When we ignore our instincts and our children’s feelings and perspectives, we invite monsters like Simon into our world. A chilling thought.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and review this book. I definitely recommend The New Husband for an adrenaline-filled experience.

Oh my, what a dark, twisted ride this was and I couldn’t put it down. I loved the way it was told through different points of view, mainly mother and daughter which added to the suspense. There was a big twist smack dab in the middle of the book which also added interest after I picked my jaw up off the floor. I was drawn in from the very beginning and while the ending was somewhat predictable, that didn’t matter one bit! Will definitely look for more by this author. Thanks Net Galley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

Nina is devastated when her husband suddenly disappears from his fishing boat. Did he run off or did he drown or did something else happen?

In this psychological thriller, one of the characters is a sociopath who successfully manipulates people to satisfy his needs. His sick personality is very well portrayed. It is a long time before the people he preys upon realize they are victims of mind games.

I raced through this one as we know there's something suspicious about Nina's new boyfriend, Simon from the beginning. Her husband Glen has gone missing--presumably drowned--after his bloody fishing boat is discovered with only their dog on board. Two years later there is no body and few clues; Nina is attempting to move on with her daughter's middle school teacher, Simon. They've bought a house together and Simon continues to woo Nina, hoping to marry her. But daughter Maggie isn't happy about it. She sees something in Simon that none of the others see--a devious, dark, and "soul less" look that intensifies as she defies Simon's requests. Is she a typical teenager who thrives on normalcy or is there more to her suspicions? And so the plot twists and turns until we discover the secrets underneath this seemingly healthy and loving relationship. It will keep you up at night for sure!

How well do we know our spouse? Can we believe what a picture to tells us? These questions should have pretty straight forward answers. In The New Husband nothing is as it seems to be. Nina's husband disappeared over a year ago. A boat with unexplained blood and the family dog was found drifting. The was no sign of Glen.

I never expected the surprising turn this story delivered. The characters are well developed and the plot held my interest. People laugh at the old sayings. Just remember, bad things do happen to good people.

I received an Advanced Reader's Copy from St Martin's through NetGalley.The opinions expressed are entirely my own.
#TheNewHusband #NetGalley

The New Husband is definitely a page turner, it does get a little old when Nina doesn’t see what’s really going on with Simon, but you do want to see how this book ends. I’ve never read anything else by this author; but would like to read more. Also I’m not sure why this book is call The New Husband? Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy.

A good suspense thriller. A little predictable and it was awhile before Nina realized how awful Simon was. Kudos to her daughter Maggie for not giving up on her father. Too many deaths that perhaps were not needed for the story to proceed. A good book club selection.

Please let me preface this review by saying that I am 43, I have read a lot of books. There are only so many plots and ideas out there, I get that. I have read a lot of books and seen a lot of movies. All that to say, this book was just too familiar. How many times can I read or watch about a girl who falls in love with someone that is pure evil but she doesn't see it. Her kids see it, her friends see it, but she is in love. I found myself wanting to hit my head against the wall and just pull her out of this love affair. Ugh!! It wasn't a bad story, it just wasn't great. If you are new to suspense or young, this will be GREAT. I enjoyed D.J Palmers last book, "Saving Meghan" much better.

This book was not interesting at all. I honestly tried to give it a good go, but the story fell flat for me. This is a DNF. Thank you for the chance to read and review.

Very good read. Each character had a specific role that worked well in the story. Was hooked from the first page and happy all explained in the end.

Search for the following strings of words that I think are typos:

What good what that do

Did his drug addiction made him impulsive...

She'd  be in the one in trouble

Simon had at last had gotten

He's had such hard life

The same kind gulf

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advance reading.
I almost don’t know where to start with this book.
It begins with a roar and keeps on moving. When Nina’s husband (main character) goes missing and is presumed dead it begins a series of twists and turns that will take you on a ride. There are some excellent parts of the book but the ending was not one of them. I thought the book overall was a good one but the ending just wrapped up a little too neatly and quickly.
Everything was just so predictable and fast.
I thought that the details lacked focus sometimes. A good example was the 3 amigos having Tea, Chai and Latte and on the next page the wrong person is drinking the latte.
I also thought that attacking the therapist rather than going to see her was WAY over the top.
I will say on a very positive note that the story was interwoven nicely and using the voices and multiple perspectives was a really effective way to write the story. I would definitely read another book by this author and overall really enjoyed his book.

SPOILER INCLUDED....( NOT ‘the’ *major* spoiler - but...’a’ spoiler)....
I can’t resist ...
I don’t drop spoiler-bombshells - often in reviews- but I was ROLLING ON THE FLOOR LAUGHING ... when discussing this book with my husband, Paul.
It’s amazing how fun & alive books become with buddy/chats.

This wasn’t the first time I’ve laughed ( inappropriately actually) - when reading a domestic-psychological thriller book.
The uncontrollable laughter happened to me at the end of the book, “The Couple Next Door”, by Shari Lapena, too.

So... in D.J. Palmer’s, “The New Husband”.....I/we laughed silly about scenes in this book.
We are a sick human beings in this house.

HERE’S A SPOILER:
A ‘therapist’ gets murdered in this story. ( you’ll get details when you read the entire book)...
Paul and I were cracking up & cracking jokes -
“REALLY?”......”the *therapist* has to die?”. What did she do that was so bad?

THIS IS A FUN BOOK TO DISCUSS... whether you like it or don’t.... whether you find fault with it or not....
Whether you like the characters or not.

“Lying takes effort…because eventually everyone gets tripped up in their deceit… because secrets don’t stay hidden forever”.
The above excerpt epitomizes my over all feelings about “The New Husband”.....(a domestic psychological thriller).

The first half of this book was both ‘readable’ - page turning interesting ‘and’ a little boring...( not awful boring)...
but familiar -in storytelling...( “Sleeping With The Enemy”?).... and familiar dialogue: yada, yada, yada... with typical teenage-issues & attitudes - typical ‘mom’ denials: a story that started out sounding like many other stories we’ve read or seen in movies.
But... this book kept getting better - more original in time.
By around 50% into this book - things became much more sinister-twisty.

Honestly, I saw problems...
a few odd sentences...a little too repetitive...a little draggy at times...could be classified as a young adult book...
but ....overall it was mindless-puzzling-intense in parts-entertaining reading.

This will be a popular book for twisty-psychological thriller readers.
It’s good. It’s creepy. It possibly lowers our intelligence... ( by that I mean ... SUSPEND DISBELIEF)... ha...ha ...🤨...
....it’s got that adrenaline addictive thing going on. ( especially towards the end).

A few more details: BUT NO MORE SPOILERS...

Chapter 1…
The beginning....
“It was a chilly predawn morning when Anthony Strauss eased ‘Sweet Caroline’, his seventeen-foot-Boston whaler, from the trailer into the water so dark it was indistinguishable from the sky.”
“Anthony thought he was alone on the water, but then saw another boat with only a dog on board.
A sickening realization set in when he saw the amount of blood that covered the deck”.

NOTE: Do not get hung up on the name Anthony Strauss.
He’s only a name-drop character.

Chapter 2....
*Seventeen* months later:
We are introduced to Nina Garrity and her 13-year-old daughter, Maggie...(“a middle school aged tennis player with unmistakable
hostility”)....
MAGGIE NEVER PLAYS TENNIS ONCE IN THIS STORY...
She played lacrosse until needing to wear a ‘boo-boo’ cast-boot on her leg from an accident for a few weeks or longer.
Maggie was wise beyond her years - but no tennis matches are in this novel...
...unless.... you think of tennis as symbolically reflecting relationships. Hm?🎾

Nina’s other offspring is 16-year old son, Conner ( a High School football player:not hostile like his sister)
NOTE: don’t expect much football playing either).

Conner ‘might’ be wisest character in this tale ( I’m kinda kidding - and kinda not), — [*13-*YEAR OLD **MAGGIE**is the wisest character]...
Conner is not in the story very much.
Yet....he was cool, calm, and collective....
He disconnected from the emotional-heat taking place in his family every day. Smart guy!

Daisy, the golden retriever, was easy to feel neutral about. Nothing not to love about her!

*Simon Finch*: he was the new man in Nina’s life. YIKES...
Keep your eye on this guy...
Super good cook? Yes
Super secretive? Yes
Super lier? Yes
Super controlling and manipulative? YES!
Super CREEPY? Yes!!!
Super DISTURBING? YES, YES, YES!!!

Maggie ( superstar character)....had many reasons to be angry.
“Nina was partly to blame because she had opened her heart and soul to another man –– a man who was not her daughter‘s father”....
Nina was hooking up with Maggie’s social studies teacher from her middle school.

Nina’s divorce was not finalized yet with Glen, (the missing husband/seventeen months earlier), ...when only his bloody boat was found.
However...
She was planning on saying ‘yes’ to the marriage proposal from Simon, soon.
In the meantime Nina, Simon, Maggie, Conner, and Daisy, moved into a new house....
in Seabury, New Hampshire, ....
a few miles away from where Nina and her kids had lived before... with Glen.

Nina was no longer living near her two very close friends Susanna Garston and Ginny Cowling.
However... Susanna and Ginny were great supporting characters... women I enjoyed. They contributed feelings of normalcy.... in a story that was everything but!

A favorite supporting character - another 13 year old: is Ben: ( friend to Maggie)

Nina ( the character I often felt the most exhausting heartache for even with her blindspots and naïvely), was dealing with a lot!!!
Her husband, Glen, was missing. She was filled with confusion, anger, and shock....
....she was moving on pretty fast. She was often in ‘hope’... but not awake to her potential disasters.
Nina discovered Glen hadn’t been working for two years.
She discovered his lies and secrets. Readers will learn as the story unfolds.

Nina was an opening to receiving the sweet talk-support- that Simon was dishing out...but less an opening to believing he was dangerous or a lier.

With so many lies - secrets - betrayals - and downright frightening/ unsettling situations going on in this book...from everyone...
in the very end....
It’s
**Maggie** whom I’d most like to see again in another novel.
I loved this young mature pre-teen!

If D. J. Palmer writes another book about Maggie, I’ll jump right in!

In the meantime... I’m happy with my old husband!

Thank you, Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press, and D.J. Palmer

This was a quick read that kept me not wanting to put it down. Predictable- yes - but still well written. I was kind of hoping the end would take an unpredictable turn but will read this author again.

I love a thriller that actually has an intelligent victim. Unfortunately for the wife of The New Husband, she's not the one I'm referring to; rather, 13 year-old, clever daughter Maggie wins the prize.

When Nina's husband Glen disappears and news of his infidelity and dire financial straits comes out, the Garrity family is devastated. Their knight in shining armor comes in the form of resident social studies teacher Mr. Simon Fitch, who finds their lost dog, Daisy, and slowly insinuates himself into the Garrity household. He wins Nina's broken heart over with romantic overtures and guarantees of loyalty; he wins 15 year old Connor over by spending time playing football and listening, something Glen apparently did not do.

The only hold out is Maggie, keenly sensitive and wise to Simon's antics. She does not trust him, and rightfully so.

The rest of the thriller unfolds at a quick and entertaining pace as we find out what happened to Glen, what's happening with Simon, and what will happen to the Garrity clan. As is not unusual with thrillers, some of the events are completely outlandish but keep you reading nonetheless. Most of the loose ends were tied up nicely, and some - like Glen's job/financial situation and daily life before he disappeared - could use more explanation.

Three cheers for smart kids like Maggie; I can definitely see her as a future heroine in a follow-up story of her own.

Thank you Netgalley for this preview!

Excellent story, I enjoyed reading this book just as much as Saving Meghan and I can’t wait to see what this author comes out with next.