3 Books About Crappy Husbands

Marriage can be risky business, at least in fiction land.

According to these books, husbands are deadly. It’s interesting in today’s gender-charged climate, in which the long-silent women aren’t so silent any more and the long-term predatorial men are getting their comeuppance. Depending on the reader, these books in turns be escapist, cathartic, or just plan out there.

So here they are with no further ado: 3 books about crappy husbands.

The Marriage Lie by Kimberly Belle

Published December 2016
Mira

Iris’s beloved husband, Will, dies in a plane crash. But the plane that crashed was not the plane he was supposed to be on. As she digs for answers through her haze of intense grief, Will’s lies pile higher and higher until Iris is in the middle of a quagmire of deceit and danger. The Marriage Lie is great at raising the question, “who is this stranger I’ve called “husband” for so many years??” hackles.

Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris

Published August 2016
St. Martin’s Press

Onlookers would say Jack and Grace have the perfect marriage. He’s rich and doting. She’s the perfect host at dinner parties. He even cares about Grace’s younger disabled sister. But all is not as it seems. When you think about how far you can go with horrific husbands, this book really goes there. It’s also good at providing answers for any “Why didn’t she do X, Y, or Z and dump the guy?” arguments.

The Widower’s Wife by Cate Holahan

Published August 2016
Crooked Lane Books

Ana Bacon’s husband has lost his job, and with it, his reputation and the family’s wealth. While Ana becomes increasingly desperate for the wellbeing of her family, her husband becomes more and more snippy and adulterous. He hatches an elaborate scheme to collect life insurance money, but Ana begins to wonder if she’s in real danger. It goes a bit off the rails, but does a nice job of ramping up the suspense.