Sisters Tully and Rachel are distraught when they meet Heather, their father’s much younger girlfriend. She is even younger than them! And when their father announces they are going to get married, they are completely shocked. Their father is still married to their mother, and even though she has end-stage Alzheimer’s disease and is in a care facility, they think this is disloyal and distasteful.
But as they get to know Heather, they discover she is not the gold-digging trollop they first thought. She’s a woman with a tragic past, looking for a new and bright future. And this book is not just about Heather. It’s a story of other people carrying secrets. Tully has always been highly strung and emotional, but no one realises her addiction to shoplifting. Rachel hasn’t had a boyfriend since she was sixteen years old, and no one seems to have joined the dots with this and her relationship with food. Then there is their father – a respected medical doctor, revered by all. But are there dark skeletons lurking in his closet too?
Add in an old hot-water bottle stuffed with cash, and a wedding where the celebrant ends up covered in blood, and you have a page-turning read with lots of twists and turns.
The Younger Wife is a genuinely suspenseful read, with well-drawn characters and a plotline that will have you devouring the pages. It also handles some sensitive subjects with compassion – it’s extremely well done.
Reviewer: Karen McMillan
Macmillan Publishers