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Ellie Faulkner's world has been destroyed. Her husband Greg died in a car crash - and he wasn't alone. In the passenger seat was the body of Milena Livingstone - a woman Ellie's never heard of.
But Ellie refuses to leap to the obvious conclusion, despite the whispers and suspicions of those around her. Maybe it's the grief, but Ellie has to find out who this woman was - and prove Greg wasn't having an affair.
And soon she is chillingly certain their deaths were no accident. Are Ellie's accusations of murder her way of avoiding the truth about her marriage? Or does an even more sinister discovery await her?
"Crisply written, intelligently plotted and has plenty to say about the necessary selfishness of grief." —The Guardian
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
December 1, 2009 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9781407448909
- File size: 300163 KB
- Duration: 10:25:20
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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Starred review from April 26, 2021
This excellent standalone from the pseudonymous French (House of Correction) opens as London furniture restorer Ellie Falkner learns that her husband, Greg Manning, has died in a car crash that also killed his female passenger, married party planner Milena Livingstone, who’s unknown to Ellie and Greg’s friends, family, and colleagues. Others conclude he was having an affair, but Ellie needs to know for sure. When she stops by Milena’s offices hoping to glean more information, Ellie impulsively introduces herself to the firm’s co-owner, Frances Shaw, as a casual acquaintance of Milena’s, Gwen Abbott (actually the name of a friend) and offers to help. Shaw soon trusts “Gwen” to be alone in the office. Though her search of Milena’s papers and emails neither proves nor disproves Greg’s fidelity, it suggests the car crash was no accident. Obsessed, embroiled in deception, and unable to move forward, Ellie may destroy her own life before she understands Greg’s. Taut prose and psychological insight make Ellie’s quest both moving and suspenseful. French, the husband-and-wife team of Nicci Gerrard and Sean French, doesn’t disappoint. Agent: Joy Harris, Joy Harris Literary. -
Narrator Tania Rodrigues's wistful inflection enhances the sorrow and tumult in French's latest mystery. When Ellie's husband is found dead with another woman in his vehicle, the scandal and grieving process leave her questioning everything about her life and the man she loved. While everyone around her believes it was an affair and a car crash, Ellie is certain that foul play was involved, and she takes increasingly dangerous risks to uncover the truth. Rodrigues's in-depth character portrayals are well matched to a wide cast of characters with conflicting motives to hide their secrets and scandals from Ellie. Gradual pacing teases out tense moments and uncomfortable confrontations, building the stakes to a jarring conclusion. K.S.B. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine
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