3.15 out of 4 stars.

I read two Moriarty books: “The Husband’s Secret” and “Big Little Lies” (review for BLL is here). If you are deciding between the two I would go for Big Little Lies by a smidgen.

This is due to the fact that “The Husband’s Secret” starts off with a small roar. It takes a long time for Moriarty to get into the groove of introducing the characters. I didn’t really care about any of them until 100 pages in and then all of a sudden BOOM! One of the protagonists, Cecilia, finds a note from her husband saying, “please read after I die”.

Surprisingly, Cecilia actually thinks about if she should read the letter or not. Personally, I would of had that envelope in shreds the second I found it! I mean c’mon your perfectly healthy husband is writing you a letter to not open until he dies? That is just asking for a bombshell. The rest of the story plays out with a spiderweb of secrets (hence the title) and deceptions with many people in this small town.

A seemingly nice area to reside but after reading this not a place I would like to visit due to all these crazies. I feel emotionally exhausted having read it because the characters are all on the brink of a mental breakdown.

I would suggest taking your time to read this book because if read in long chunks it will leave your head spinning. Chapters jump from different points of views and it feels like I am an Olympian ping-ponger by the end of it.

All in all, a good summer read that holds up to the soap opera title. scandalous.