a day ago
Succession meets White Lotus in this week's Psychological Thrillers: It's Always the Husband by C. L. Taylor, How the Other Half Die by Rachel North, The Stranger In Room Six by Jane Corry
It's Always the Husband is available now from the Mail Bookshop
It's Always the Husband by C. L. Taylor (Avon £16.99, 352pp)
This is a cute title that sums up what the mums at the school gate think. The object of their suspicion is Will, a single father. His two former partners appear to be either dead or have disappeared. And Will is doing nothing to dispel the gossip.
Then newly arrived Jude is attracted to Will, who is the father of her daughter's best friend. But will the attraction prove fatal for Jude?
The book is packed with characters who are relatable as school-gate types.
Although the plot examines themes such as murder and grief, its key strength is the clever analysis of the part played by gossip. Super plot and snappy chapters.
How the Other Half Die by Rachel North (Corvus £9.99, 400pp)
Enjoying the psychological suffering of the rich has become a respectable pastime ever since the massive TV hit Succession.
In this smartly observed tale the author has not only nailed the finer details of the lifestyle of the uber-wealthy, but also the subtle damage it can cause.
All-powerful CEO Geri uses her 70th birthday as an excuse to summon her niece and two nephews to her private Italian island to discuss their inheritance.
Predictably, they don't like what they hear. We already know from the prologue that someone dies.
North's controlled story-telling maintains tension and also instructs us on the deeply-felt motivations of everyone involved in the dark events that unfold. There is a freshness about her characters that keeps you interested at all times.
The Stranger In Room Six by Jane Corry (Penguin £9.99, 448pp)
After serving a 15-year sentence for the manslaughter of her husband, Belinda takes a job as a carer in Devon, at the Sunnyside Home for the Young at Heart. There she strikes up a friendship with Mabel, the oldest resident and also the owner.
Gradually, both women begin to reveal their secrets to each other. Meanwhile, a mysterious occupant in room six is watching, with plans of her own.
The story flits easily between Belinda's life in prison and Mabel's past in the Second World War, conveyed in Corry's deceptively simple prose style. She has a rare talent to see beyond the physical degeneration of old people and portray them with all the rounded characteristics we take for granted in the young.
It's also a history of parts of the war we don't know enough about.
