The New Husband almost feels like two separate novels. The first part of The New Husband is largely domestic drama (except for those first few really gory pages!) as the widower Simon and presumed widow Nina (her husband Glen failed to return from a fishing trip, although his body was never found) embark on new lives together, along with Nina's two children, Maggie and Connor. As with many blended families, there are adjustments and tensions-especially between Maggie and Simon. Connor seems as taken with the kind, generous and loving Simon as his mom, but Maggie sees a dark side to Simon that Nina and Connor are oblivious to. Half way through The New Husband turns into a sinister thriller, and the twists (along with the body count) escalates at a feverish pace. Among a crowded literary field of unstable female characters like Gone Girl's Amy and Girl on the Train's Rachel, Simon more than holds his own. He's got more secrets than the deodorant aisle at Walmart, and as Maggie desperately tries to convince her mom that Simon is not the saint he appears to be, Simon grows just as desperate to cover his tracks. Although somewhat predictable, the pulse pounding writing is what makes The New Husband so intense. D. J. Palmer uncannily knows the buttons to push to keep the plot from going stale, and he pushes them at exactly the right moments. This should make The New Husband one of the best selling psychological thrillers of 2020.

4.5 ⭐ Wow. This was my 2nd ARC for DJ Palmer and it did not disappoint. I had a feeling things were not what they seemed. I mean when are they ever in with psychological thrillers? But, I was not expecting these twists and turns! I highly recommend this one!! Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

I was really intrigued by the title to give this a shot. I'm glad I did because it was suspenseful. I enjoyed the characters and the story kept me hooked. I never knew what was gonna happen until it did. Although some parts were a little slow at times, I still enjoyed it. Pretty good book.

Thank you Netgalley, the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was very excited to read this book based on an unusual review that I read about the book on NetGalley. Having read the author’s previous book,”Saving Meghan,” I couldn’t wait to begin. I found the book very readable but a little slow and far-fetched. Nina readily accepted this new man into her life after her husband has gone missing for the past 2 years. The choices she makes despite the doubts she has about him seem a little unbelievable as well as the ending. I enjoyed the author’s writing because it compelled me to continue and so I will round my 3.5 stars up to 4. #TheNewHusband #DJPalmer #NetGalley

The New Husband by D.J. Palmer is a wholly addictive read that pulled me in from the very start. Having read the author's previous novel, and enjoying it immensely, I knew that I was in for a treat. Let it suffice to say that my expectations were far exceeded by this one. D.J. Palmer is an author to watch.

When her husband Glen goes missing and is presumed dead, Nina soon finds love again with teacher Simon, and moves him into the family home with her children Maggie and Connor. Daughter Maggie is reluctant to allow Simon to fill the gaping hole that her father has left, and tensions simmer between the two from the very start. Maggie is convinced that Simon has a dark side that he has somehow managed to conceal from Nina and Connor, and she is determined to expose his true nature, but at what cost?

This is an engrossing thriller that had me on the edge of my seat as the tension continues to escalate throughout. I will say no more, but I would highly recommend reading this one. I cannot wait to see what comes next from this talented author.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC.

I was really hoping to like this book. However, though the writing style was suspenseful, it was a really slow burn. Too slow, in my opinion. I felt like absolutely nothing happened through most of the book. And, I thought that Nina was a pretty unlikeable and kind of selfish character who didn’t listen to her instincts or her daughter. I also found Maggie’s chapters a little annoying. She’s supposed to be in middle school, which to me, maybe isn’t the best choice for a narrator in an adult thriller. Her chapters seemed both trivial at times and I felt like her character voice didn’t really match her age. Overall, this was an okay book, but not the best I’ve ever read.

The New Husband by D.J. Palmer was every bit as suspenseful and twisty as I had hoped. What happens when a woman’s new boyfriend isn’t as perfect as she thinks he is? Does she believe her surly teenage daughter who feels something is off about him? And what really happened to her husband who everyone believes is dead? What a fantastic premise for a book and the author doesn’t let us down!

I enjoyed this book and know you will too!

Nina Garrity learned that the hard way after discovering that her missing husband, Glen, had been leading a double life with another woman. But Glen’s gone—presumably drowned while fishing on his boat—so she can’t confront him about the affair or any of his other misdeeds. A year and a half after the accident, Nina considers herself a widow, even though the police never found a body. Following a chance encounter with Simon Fitch, a teacher from her daughter Maggie’s middle school, Nina finds love again and has hopes of putting her shattered life back together.

Simon, a widower still grieving the suicide of his first wife, has found his dream girl in Nina. His charm and affections help break through to a heart hardened by betrayal. Nina’s teenage son, Connor, embraces Simon as the father he wishes his dad could have been, but Maggie sees a far darker side to this new man in their lives. Even Nina’s good friends wonder if Simon is supremely devoted—or dangerously possessive.

But Nina is committed, not only to her soon-to-be new husband but also to resuming her former career as a social worker. Before she can move forward, however, Nina must first clear her conscience that she’s not making another terrible choice in a man. In doing so, she will uncover the shocking truth: the greatest danger to her, and her children, are the lies people tell themselves.





I couldn’t put this down! It was a very satisfying read, I look forward to the author’s next book.

This one comes out on April 14, 2020 but you can order it right now.

This book was a real page turner. A bit far fetched but an interesting story of a woman who believes her husband died in a boating accident. No body is found but she feels she needs to move on when she discovers he was fired from his job along with photos and a text that turn up implicating he was having an affair as well, The story was good and kept you wandering. I was disappointed in the ending it was more outlandish than the story itself. Also, in the epilogue the daughters essay to Darmouth admissions seemed preachy and out of place.

There were so many twists and turns in this that I had no clue what to expect. It definitely wasn't what I imagined but I LOOOOVED this book. I can not wait to buy this when it comes out in April. I feel like this is the kind of thriller I have been waiting on. The writing was great, the plot was great, the character development was great. Wow. Just wow. Well done D.J.!

Nina’s husband Glen disappears without a trace and she’s left to raise her two children alone. Enter Simon. D.J Palmer has just soared to the top of my favorite thriller authors! The New Husband grabbed me and wouldn’t let me go. Wow!! It’s one of those books that’ll stay with you. Creepy, disturbing, and totally twisted. My kind of book!

*ARC provided by NetGalley for an honest review.

The new husband is a psychological thriller not to miss. This twisted page turner will leave you in utter disbelief. 5 stars.

This book was unbelievable. Told in a few different view points. Nina’s husband Glen has been declared deceased, however, she can’t move forward with Simon, her boyfriend of 18 months. Simon and Nina are living together, however, Nina’s daughter Maggie has her suspicions of Simon.

This book is unbelievable. This is my first book by the author, however, I will be looking for others to read.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martins Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a great book. Would definitely recommend to it others I no. Great work will look out for this author again

This was a very fast-paced and suspenseful book. It was very difficult to put down once I started! And WOW what a twist about halfway through the book. I am a huge fan of this author and really enjoyed this book!

One of this year's best!

Nina lives with Simon about 18 months after her husband had disappeared (and is presumed dead). Though Glen's death cannot be not legally declared until 2 years, Simon has asked Nina to marry him. Still a bit unsettled, and with a daughter (Maggie) in junior high and son in high school (Connor), Nina hesitates to give Simon an answer - at least not yet.

Simon is a junior HS teacher. He comes off as a decent enough guy - especially to Connor. Somehow he and Maggie do not get along. He gets even with her at every chance. We also notice Simon's subtle (and not so subtle) ways of controlling vulnerable Nina. She wants to be able to "pay her way" and be independent - Simon does not like that idea. Unfortunately, they both moved out of their homes to buy this house together, so...

Maggie's dislike of Simon and his animosity towards her backfires when Maggie befriends Ben, a very smart kid.

Things go from bad to worse as we learn that Nina also sees a therapist each week and hides this from Simon.

The question is - is Glen still alive? And if so, is he REALLY with another woman?

An extremely good adventure of a woman who has let in someone who is questionable and possibly dangerous. A MUST READ!!!

Many Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for a truly wonderful read!

This story will keep you up at night. It's a slow build in the beginning- setting the scene, if you will. We get to know Nina, Simon, Nina's kids. Most of the story is told in third person but some of it in Nina's daughter's perspective. Obviously a young teen girl whose dad disappeared would have different thoughts on the new man in their lives.

The second half is where things get, um, crazy. Like crazy crazy. Disturbing, suspenseful, a story it's hard to walk away from but at times hard to read. Even when I knew the how and why, I still couldn't guess what all would happen. This was just the kind of book I was looking for right now.

Thank you to netgalley, the author D.J. Palmer and St. Martin's Press for the advance copy of The New Husband.
Nina's husband disappears. Is he dead or hiding out? A new man enters Nina's life. Is he being honest?
Read this book to find out. I thoroughly enjoyed this one.

WOWWWW! This is SOOOO DISTURBING, MINDBENDING! This is nightmar-ish, terrifying, unputdownable, sick, nasty! My head is spinning! My mind already left my head, running out of the town with a valise filled with my remaining grey cells!

This book hooked me up from the first sentence. I couldn’t stop reading. I couldn’t also bite my nails because they were too short and freshly manicured so I accidentally consumed 3 bags of doritos, 2 bags of gummy bears, 2 pounds of tomatoes (I might have killed my husband’s cooking tomato soap dream, but they were only eatable things on the fridge), 2 tubes of Colgate (don’t judge it, at least I rejected to bite lavender soaps!) as a result I took a nice visit to ER for stomach pumping. (After my lack of culinary skills, ER crew got used to our visits and they planned to give my name to the one of the hospital room!) But throughout the stomach pumping experience, I resumed reading ( thanks to lovely nurses gave their permission to use their fingers for turning the next page at my kindle!!! They even gave audiobook services by sharing the characters to read!)
I adored D. J. Palmer’s spooky, sneaky, thrilling words, even though there are some missing pieces about characters’ motives, some exaggerations, nonsense and illogical parts, I could only cut half star and I’m willingly rounding 4.5 to 5 stars again.

I didn’t like “Saving Meghan” so much and had difficult time to relate with the characters and the slow paced storytelling even though I enjoyed stories about Muchausen by proxy syndrome. (Stephanie Wrobel’s upcoming book “Darling Rose Gold” is an amazing example how to create so disturbing but also entertaining thriller about that subject) But at this book, all characters are vivid and I liked to read their POVS, visiting their minds and learning more about their struggles, motives and different opinions. And pacing was incredibly fast, heart throbbing. I kicked the air with my legs in excitement and fear to learn what was gonna happen next!!!

I mostly loved teenage daughter Maggie and her determination to believe in her own instincts to save her family from the danger. And of course Nina, a survivor and strong character who struggles to get on her feet after her husband’s betrayal, disappearance, left them penniless, vulnerable.

The story starts with Glen a.k.a seems like a douchebag husband deserves my ten thousand slaps or five thousand punches in the face punishment campaigns, disappears, leading a double life with another woman. Two years passes and his body has never been found. Nina builds a new life by moving with Simon Fitch, teacher from her daughter’s middle school. Simon seems like a dreamy boyfriend, financially supports to the family, having a close relationship with Nina’s son Connor. He is protective, romantic, caring and supportive guy. But according to Nina’s daughter Maggie, those dreamful attributes of Simon were not sincere. Her gut tells her there is something wrong and dangerous with this guy and she still believes her father is out there, alive, coming back to them.

So is Glen really liar douchebag who left his family and having a fantastic new life with his mistress?
Is Maggie jealous of her mother’s second chance of love? Is she too paranoid about Simon’s motives?
Is Simon really too good to be true kind of manipulating, obsessive guy? Could Nina be sleeping with her own enemy?

There are too many twists, surprises, nothing as it seems (my spider senses caught them all but I still enjoyed each one the twists!)

There are not so many things really thrill me. If I listed what I really scare me below:

MY HUSBAND’S NIGHTIME CONCERTS: Most of my neighbors think our house is sound effects studio or a zoo only works at the midnight time because my husband’s snoring resembling the wild animals’ chorus singing “We’re the world! We’re the animals just left the National Geography Wild Channel”
My neighborhood kids still ask for zoo tickets to visit our house and see all those wild animals (I couldn’t tell them only one man made all those sounds by snoring! Nobody believes me!)

Second thing is CLEANING: When I see a vacuum cleaner I thought it can become alive any minute and choke me with its hose and I’m allergic to bleach!

But this book more terrifying than husband snores and acrid smell of bleach! It excited me, made me sit at the edge of my seat and fall down too many times, also gave me paranoid thoughts. (I still give my suspicious looks to my husband with widen eyes which make him check if something are wrong with my contact lenses. So I’m not threatening enough. I should practice my looks in the mirror.)

I highly recommend this to all thriller lovers looking for twisty, smart, entertaining but also agitating stories.

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin Press to share with amazing ARC COPY in exchange my honest review! Maybe it’s early to say but I might have read one of the best thrillers of 2020!

Full of twists and turns kept me guessing page after page a terrific read An author Inwill be following and recommending #netgalley #st.martinspress

Wow! What a book!
I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review -
Nina's husband disappears and with this, stories emerge of an affair, money stolen etc - but is this what really happened?
Simon pursues Nina and they buy a home together.
But another side of Simon appears as he tries to control Nina's life and her children.
Nina starts to question things and investigate, Simon discovers this and thing turn very scary for the family -
Will Nina and her family survive?