Author: Natasha Boydell
Narrator: Rupert Degas, Penelope Rawlins
Publisher: Dreamscape Media
Publication Date: September 2021
Genre: Thriller / Suspense
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN | Audible
Description: Kate and Pete have been the perfect couple ever since they were teenagers. Fifteen years later they have two young daughters, live in a beautiful London townhouse and seem like they have it all. But one day, Pete leaves for work and never comes home.
In a note Kate discovers, he confesses that he’s been unhappy for a long time and that he’s met someone else.
Distraught, Kate later learns that he has left everything, including his mobile phone, behind and sets out to learn the truth about her husband’s disappearance.
But is she prepared for what she will learn?
When nothing is as it seems, who can you trust?
My Thoughts: So, yeah, my least favorite trope is at play here. Adultery… Pete the adulterer says to his wife that he didn’t go looking for it, but it just happened… How about just saying no, Pete? Guess that never occurred to you, did it? Obviously, not. You’ve been so unhappy and unsatisfied in your marriage for so long. I suppose it never occurred to you to talk to your wife and let her know if it’s something that can actually be resolved. You know, before you swan off to France with your little chippy to live that perfect life. Nope, not good ole Pete. Instead, his plan is to leave a note on the pillowcase and take off. No goodbyes, no explanations. How did it work out for the brilliant Pete? You have to read this book and find out.
Before we tie Pete to the stake and set him on fire, let me just say that Kate isn’t completely innocent in all of this either. She never bothered talking to Pete about the resentment and frustration building within her. Raising two small children, she feels like she has given up her whole life, while Pete gets to continue living his life and having no cares in the world. I understand that having children and being a first-time parent is a life-changing experience, a game changer. Feeling overwhelmed is a natural reaction to my way of thinking. Kate doesn’t ask for help and resists attempts for help for a long time.
So much anger, heartache and misery could have been avoided if they had just communicated and if they had just tried, any effort really. I saw zero effort being made on both of their parts.
I really wanted to despise the other woman, Claire and for the majority of the book I did. She didn’t cause the problems in Pete and Kate’s marriage, but she knew he was married and she should have nipped that right off the bat. It would be really difficult for Pete to enter into an affair with her if she isn’t entertaining his flirtatious behavior and encouraging his attentions.
So, the burning question is what happened to Pete? How does Kate pick up the pieces of her life and be the parent her daughters need and deserve?
I thought this story was riveting, though I absolutely hate adultery story lines. I believe there are some lines that one should never cross and this is one of them, but the author does a great job of drawing the reader in with just enough details to keep the reader engaged, sitting on pins and needles.
The chapters are broken up and narrated by the different points of view of Kate, Pete and Claire. Rupert Degas and Penelope Rawlins did a fantastic job of bringing these characters to life with the right amount of emotion that made their actions believable and kept the story progressing.
My Final Verdict: How can a reader expect a happy ending or any closure with a story like this? I had zero empathy for any of these characters. I found them all to be quite selfish and despicable in their own right. My compassion lay with the children, Lilly and Maggie. They are left to grow up without their father in their lives. He won’t be a part of all the milestones they will achieve.
There are no winners in this dynamic, just varying degrees of coping, moving on and survival. I highly recommend this story to fans of thrillers and suspense and books that surprise the reader.
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of The Missing Husband from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
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