Kate White dazzles with The Second Husband, a domestic thriller full of misinformation and doubt. After Emma Hawke’s husband Derrick dies in a mugging, she is secretly relieved that her troubled marriage is over. When she meets Tom, a widower, they fall in love almost instantly and quickly marry. Then two disturbing things happen. First, Tom offers his sullen stepdaughter an internship at his ad agency. She moves in with them for the summer. Then a detective drops by to interview Emma. Derrick’s case is being reopened because of new information. Although Emma clearly remembers the first time she and Tom met, there is evidence that it happened earlier…while she was still married to Derrick.

And we’re off on the twisty wild ride that defines The Second Husband. The faced paced plot moves to an exciting, surprising conclusion as Emma tries desperately to find the truth buried under what may be lies. This is an enjoyable, quick read that begs to be taken to the beach with you. Enjoy!. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Perennial and Kate White for this ARC.

I’ve seen a few negative reviews about The Second Husband but I truly enjoyed it. I think the pace & plot of the book was spot on. But our protagonist, Emma, certainly has my sympathy. TWO marriages & though it appeared she lucked up the second time around, with Tom, what if that isn’t the case?? Never mind that he brings his stepdaughter, Brittany, from his first marriage into his 2nd marriage with poor Emma. Bless her heart to the Nth degree for sure!! Hope others enjoy this Kate White book as much as I did!!

Thank you Netgalley for providing this ARC.

I liked the premise of this book. Emma's first husband was murdered in an alley. The murder was unsolved and the marriage was an unhappy one.
Emma was surprised to meet and find happiness with her second husband, Tom. He is kind, caring, and successful.
But then the unsolved murder case of her first husband is re-opened. Is Emma a suspect?
What secrets is Tom hiding? Was he behind her first husband's murder?

The plot was engaging, but the book fell flat for me. There was a lack of tension and suspense. It got a little repetitive with Tom. The ending seemed rushed and very anti-climatic. I was expecting the book to go out with more of a bang.

Three stars for me!

Emma lost her husband 2 years ago in an unsolved murder. Now, 30 years old, she has moved on and started a successful business and remarried to a wealthy businessman. All is well in her world until a detective knocks on her door with news that the cold case has been reopened. As the detective begins digging around, family members from her previous life turn up with questions. Suddenly, everything Emma believes comes into question.

This a novel of great twists and fast paced action. If you like domestic thrillers and marriages gone bad the Second Husband is for you! #Harper #HarperPerennial #HarperPaperbacks #Netgalley #Netgalleyreads

This was a quick and easy mystery read. I liked all of the details that were included. Sometimes, authors try to include too many different things but I think it worked in this book. The paintings, notes, embezzlement, etc. all added to the plot and made it difficult to guess who the killers were. However, I don’t feel like all of the details were wrapped up well. The ending felt a little rushed. I also found the dialogue to be unrealistic. Emma and Tom were constantly narrating their lives to one another and people just don’t talk like that. Overall, I enjoyed reading this and didn’t guess the ending early on.

I have read over 55 percent of The Second Husband and have been patiently waiting for something suspenseful, mysterious, or exciting to occur.

Two sinister dashboard notes, a possible office intruder, and innuendo and misplaced comments regarding the second husband does not make for an exciting thriller.

There is too much emphasis on clothing and food and not nearly enough time building likable characters and or a nail biting plot.

It doesn't take the seasoned reader long to see where this plot is going (or not going) and what the twist will be, ( Derrick, Kyle) and at this point I am not sure that I care.

I will complete the book, but my opinion stands no matter how many great meals or outfits, twists or turns occurs.

Emma’s first husband is shot and killed in a NYC alley while at a conference. They investigate but never find the killer and several years later interview Emma because shortly after the murder she sold their house and moved. Now she is remarried to the perfect man but he may be too perfect.

Murder mysteries aren’t really my genre but this book was well written and intriguing, it kept you reading to see what would happen next. I kept thinking she should just go to the police!

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book.

Interesting premise and I was excited to read this, but it fell flat for me. I just didn't find the story engaging, and the ending seemed abrupt and unfinished. In general, there were a lot of irrelevant details that kept pulling me out of the story.

The Second Husband by Kate White was a fast-paced psychological thriller. The author weaves a tale of lies, deception and manipulation. She illustrates how suspicions and mistrust can alter relationships. This one held my interest and kept me guessing to the end.bravo!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
If you love a good plot twist, this one’s for you!
A lot of “are you serious moments”, but enough twisty secrets to keep me hooked!
Emma’s first husband was murdered, and she never got answers as to who did it or why.
Two years later she’s remarried, living her dream, when the murder case is reopened and detectives come poking around her perfect new life. Secrets start coming out from every direction and Emma is questioning everyone in her life. Will they find out who did it before her life implodes?
Check for this one out June 28th!
Thanks @netgalley !

I am a big fan of Kate White's domestic suspense novels and this one is no exception. A woman's emotionally abusive first husband is murdered in NYC. Two years later she is in a blissful second marriage on Connecticut's Gold Coast when she learns his murder is being re-investigated and she and her second husband are seemingly under suspicion. Lots of twists, red herrings, suspicious characters etc.

I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review - What a book! Kate White has written a winner!
Emma's first husband was murdered. As time passes she meets Tom and they marry. But the detectives come again with questions - Emma was cleared once but more questions are asked. Then she finds notes left for her leading her to question her husband. Where was he that night? Could he be the killer? Each question leads to another - Will they ever find the murderer? Will she ever feel safe?

Good book! This book had suspense, intrigue, action, and a twisted story! I definitely enjoyed reading this one! The storyline was very interesting and kept me glued to my kindle! It was a little slow building but not to bad, I will definitely recommend reading this book as it was worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

I really, really enjoyed this book! It was captivating and it hooked me from the very first chapter! I was glued to my seat!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

I have read all of Kate’s books and have loved them all. This one is fast-paced and kept me guessing throughout!

Emma’s first husband was murdered and the killer was never found.

Now, she is married to Tom and finally happy again.

Until one day, the police show up at Emma’s door to tell her they are looking into the murder again.

New things come to light, things begin to spiral out of control and Emma doesn’t know who she can trust.

I'm giving "The Second Husband" 2 stars because while I enjoyed some of it, there were so many loose ends and things that made no sense as part of the story. It moved along at a really good pace. The plot was somewhat interesting in that the main character had to pretend to grieve her verbally and emotionally abusive husband and there were a few twists and turns that kept my interest piqued. But there were so many inconsistencies and loose ends with some of the characters, the step daughter for example, that were frustrating.

All of the above mentioned issues could have been overlooked, however, the ending left me feeling really dissatisfied. It seemed like the story just stopped abruptly. I was shocked that the book ended and thought that perhaps there were paragraphs or pages missing. There was no closure, no cliff hanger, not even a thought provoking statement.

In the beginning I was excited to be reading it and had high hopes, however unless the ending is changed I would not recommend it.

One of the things I enjoy about Kate White’s books is when I think I have figured out what is going on, the storyline takes a turn and all my theories go out the window. I was so sure I knew who was behind the murder of Emma’s first husband Derrick in this book, and I was so glad to be proven wrong once again by the master thriller writer that is Kate White.

Throughout the book I kept questioning if I could truly trust Emma when you learn about how the relationship really was between her and Derrick. I wondered many times if she was an unreliable narrator. I enjoyed how information was revealed slowly throughout the book to plant the trail of what really happened, and honestly the conclusion of who was behind it really did surprise me because I never saw it coming.

People have commented that the ending feels off in the arc, and it is just a paragraph that seems out of place that will most likely not be in the final draft of the book since you can tell where it was cut from a few chapters earlier. If you ignore it, the ending has in my opinion a really great conclusion.

I think my ARC is broken because this ends so oddly?? I think some content was missing because it just didn’t make sense. I was just ok about this book, the main character just came off super materialistic and the story was a bit dull.

The Second Husband is the latest book by Kate White. Emma, the main character, is easy to like and care about. Emma had lost her husband in an unsolved murder and now (in her mind) is questioning her second husband and wondering if he was involved with his death. I want to thank NetGalley and Harper Collins Publishers for an early copy to review.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: June 28, 2022
Emma’s husband, Derrick, was killed in a seemingly random crime less than two years ago. Now, she has once again found happiness with her loving second husband, Tom. Emma believes she has finally found the perfect man, and is well on her way to living her perfect life when a police officer contacts her, telling Emma that new information has led them to reopen Derrick’s case. Now on edge, Emma begins to question the events of that day. When she realizes Tom has been keeping secrets from her, she soon starts to doubt her new husband, and begins to once again evaluate events form the past, hoping her secrets, too, will stay hidden.
Kate White is old hat now as an author, having published sixteen works of fiction. I loved “The Fiancee” and was very excited to get a chance to read her newest novel, “The Second Husband”.
The beginning of the novel is told in two time periods; then (when Derrick is killed) and now (when Emma is married to Tom), and eventually the timeline shifts to the present and remains that way for the rest of the novel. The story is told well, and the jumps between time lines are clearly marked, contributing to the novel’s good flow.
White has a few suspect characters in her novel, leaving room for speculation and many twists and turns, which is the sign of a good suspense writer. I, along with Emma, questioned everyone in her life, however was still not that surprised when the culprit was revealed. Each character has a pertinent role in the storyline, and isn’t just thrown in to add more suspects, and I always appreciate a well-thought out plot like “The Second Husband” provided.
The premise of this novel is overdone (dead spouse, other spouse is suspected, questions about manner of spouse’s death), and there are too many novels like this to even mention. However, White still manages to make “Husband” interesting and engaging. I enjoyed the buildup and slow release of suspense, culminating in an unsuspecting suspect reveal.
The last few sentences of the novel completely threw me. I read them. I re-read them. I assumed they were a typo. To me, they made absolutely no sense. I have no idea what White was trying to portray with these specific lines, but they missed the mark completely for me.
Overall, “Husband” is an entertaining and suspenseful addition to the genre, with unexpected twists and turns and moderately likable characters. I would like a bit of explanation on the final few sentences, but beyond that, most of the story concluded in a satisfying way.