Book picks similar to
The Husband Thief by M.J. Hardy


thriller
suspense
troubled-marriage
crazy-ex

The New Home


Chris Merritt - 2021
    And her beautiful neighbour Emily is everything she’s ever wanted in a best friend. Finally, she has somebody to share her secrets with over a glass of wine. But as Freya watches her new friend setting the table for dinner one evening, she sees something shocking that makes her think that Emily’s life might not be as perfect as it seems. Days later, Emily and her daughter vanish…When you meet Emily’s husband, you will think you know what he’s hiding.You will ask yourself whether Emily and Freya really did meet by chance.You will think you know what happened to Emily and her little girl the night they went missing.But when you discover the truth, it will shake you to your core and you will lie awake at night wondering if you can ever really trust the people in the house next door…Fans of Claire McGowan, Shalini Boland and Lisa Jewell will love the gripping tension and unexpected twists of The New Home. Once you start reading, you’ll be hooked!

The Day I Disappeared


Brandi Reeds - 2020
    Though a local handyman was convicted, suspicion also fell on his friend—Holly’s mother, Cecily. The troubling doubts about her involvement shattered the family, forever driving a wedge between mother and daughter.Twenty years later, another girl goes missing under eerily similar circumstances. It’s just the latest in a series of kidnappings that Detective Jason Guidry thinks Holly can help solve. Though Holly has tried to move on with her life, a young girl’s life hangs in the balance. All she has to do is try to remember…With her memory still mostly blank, Holly is missing vital pieces of the puzzle, and she believes her mother can put them in place. In desperation and fear, Holly and her mother come together again. But in a chilling rush toward the past, Cecily still has secrets she’s yet to share with her daughter. Should she dare to breathe a word, she could lose Holly all over again.

Two Little Girls


Frances Vick - 2019
    The killer confesses.But that’s not the whole story. That’s not even the beginning...It’s 1985 and the disappearance of ten-year-old Lisa Cook shocks the nation. Her best friend, Kirsty, traumatised and fearful, gives evidence that helps to put the Cook family’s lodger behind bars.…But what if Kirsty made a mistake?Now, decades later, Kirsty leaves a life she loves to move back to the hometown she hates – tortured by her memories, she’s determined to finally uncover the truth about what happened to Lisa that day. But someone is waiting for her there, someone close to her family. Someone who is hoping to finish off a job that was started years ago…An absolutely gripping emotional drama for fans of The Couple Next Door, Whisper Me This and Laura Elliot.

Her Perfect Secret


T.J. Brearton - 2021
    The boy whose mother I helped put in prison for life.I recognize the sharp nose and flare to the nostrils. His thick eyebrows and defined cheekbones. But mostly it’s the eyes. Sea green.But my daughter, Joni, keeps calling him Michael. And they’re here at the lake house telling us they’re getting married.It can’t be him. But even if it is, what can I say? Suddenly I’m thrust back fifteen years, looking through photos of a violent and bloody crime scene.I can’t be sure.We haven’t been the perfect family. Joni went through a rebellious phase. Her dad had an affair. But we got through it together. I will do anything to protect us, to protect the life we’ve fought for.Anything.A gripping psychological thriller ready to be devoured by fans of K.L. Slater, Teresa Driscoll, Lisa Jewell, Natalie Barelli, Shalini Boland, Alex Michaelides and Susanna Beard.

The Perfect Liar


Debra Lynch - 2020
    A successful YouTube channel in the trendy OC, martini lunches, a luxurious home overlooking the ocean. So what if she enjoys the occasional shoplifting spree?But then one mistake changes her life forever.When Dennis apprehends Rachel, she realizes her compulsion has gone too far. Because there's more to Dennis than just a security guard doing his job. He becomes obsessive, blackmailing Rachel, and will stop at nothing until he has torn Rachel's world apart.But Rachel has other secrets hidden in the closet of her beachfront home, and when her perfect life begins to spiral dangerously out of control, she finds she's capable of almost anything to save herself.Even murder.

Her Best Friend's Lie


Laura Wolfe - 2021
    Can’t you?This trip was a chance to reconnect away from our busy lives. The five of us used to be so close—going right back to our college days, when we shared a rickety house and all our favorite clothes, as well as every high and low of our lives—but that was then.Now, the thought of three days in a small cabin far from anywhere, surrounded only by water and trees, with my four oldest friends makes my stomach sink and my hands sweat. Because if they knew what I’d done—the betrayals I’ve committed—they’d never forgive me. And neither would you.The straight-A student, the sports star with a bright future ahead of her, the sheltered girl who blossomed away from her family and the hippie child who was going to save the world. Their lives have turned out so differently to how we pictured all those years ago. I try not to think about why.But then danger strikes, and too late I discover I’m not the only one keeping secrets. And I wonder: who will go furthest to keep the truth hidden?Gripping, addictive and totally unputdownable, The Lake House will have you reading late into the night. Perfect for fans of The Girl on the Train, The Woman in the Window and Big Little Lies.

When You Loved Me


Terra Lorin - 2013
    The experience, thrills, and heartbreaking moments of the story will be totally ruined for you, if you do. Just a warning ; )'Unconditional Love' is a very rare thing, but the few who live it, know what 'true love' is.Songwriter Brooke Davenport's fiancé has left her for another woman. She's devastated, but this is not the first time a man she's loved has broken her heart.Tristan Jameson, her brother's best friend, crushed her dreams on the seventeenth summer of her life when he disappeared without so much as a phone call or note to her, or her brother. What could've happened that he left in such haste especially after finally winning him over to confess his love for her?Now he's back in town and Brooke wants an explanation. Will she be able to forgive him? After having been jilted twice by the two men she trusted her heart to, will she ever give her trust and love to a man ever again—much less to one who hurt her once before?As Brooke and Tristan record her duet song together, memories flood her mind and sensual desires surge through her body for the man who she had a crush on since he was a boy—her first love—the one no girl ever forgets.Get ready for a roller coaster ride with curve balls and twists and turns as mystery and suspense come into play in this endearing story of true love and romance. No cliffhanger; HEA ending! =)Word count: Approx. 73,700

The Perfect Marriage


Jeneva Rose - 2020
    At 33 years old, she is a named partner at her firm and life is going exactly how she planned.The same cannot be said for her husband, Adam. He is a struggling writer who has had little success in his career. He begins to tire of his and Sarah’s relationship as she is constantly working. Out in the secluded woods, at Adam and Sarah’s second home, Adam engages in a passionate affair with Kelly Summers.Then, one morning everything changes. Adam is arrested for Kelly’s murder. She had been found stabbed to death in Adam and Sarah’s second home. Sarah soon finds herself playing the defender for her own husband, a man accused of murdering his mistress. But is Adam guilty or is he innocent?

The Social Affair


Britney King - 2018
    For fans of the anti-heroine and stories told in unorthodox ways, The Social Affair delivers us the perfect dark and provocative villain. The only question—who is it?A timeless, perfect couple waltzes into the small coffee shop where Izzy Lewis works. Instantly enamored, she does what she always does in situations like these: she searches them out on social media.Just like that—with the tap of a screen— she’s given a front row seat to the Dunns’ picturesque life. This time, she’s certain she’s found what she’s been searching for. This time, she'll go to whatever lengths it takes to ensure she gets it right—even if this means doing the unthinkable.Intense and original, The Social Affair is a disturbing psychological thriller that explores what can ha

The Man I Married


Elena Wilkes - 2020
    You’ll do anything for him. But do you really know him?This is the story of Lucy and Paul.They met. They fell deeply in love. They got married.Lucy thought that she had everything she wanted.Until she found the photograph from Paul's past life, read the text messages he's so desperately trying to hide. Until she uncovered Paul’s darkest secrets.Now Lucy realizes she doesn’t really know her husband. She doesn’t know if she can trust her own mind. She doesn’t know the lengths Paul would go to keep his perfect life.And worst of all, she doesn’t know that she’s in danger...A gripping, dark psychological thriller with an absolutely nail-biting ending that will keep you hooked - the perfect read for fans of Behind Closed Doors, Mark Edwards, and Lisa Jewell.

Defining Moments


Andee Michelle - 2016
    Determined to make a new life on her own, Ellie sets out on new adventures to find herself and rediscover her happiness.Cord is a man broken by unthinkable loss and heartache. After vowing to make a life for himself that does not include opening his heart again, he is thrown into a tailspin when the beautiful Ellie, and her protective sons, crash into his life.Both have healing to do.Both have demons to face.Can they fix themselves before they destroy each other?

Liars


Anita Waller - 2020
    One Deadly Secret. One Huge Regret.Wendy and Nell have been best friends since childhood but when someone threatens to ruin their relationship, tough decisions must be made. Nell leaves for France while Wendy embarks on marriage and motherhood.Both keep in touch, sending letters baring all, or are they?They hide the truth that homesickness, violence, loneliness and murder form the backdrop of their lives.Some truths are too hard to face and, as time goes by, shame and fear keep Wendy and Nell apart.But when a twisted, deceitful face from the past turns up, obsession and heartbreak wreak havoc on their lives. Someone is seeking revenge and recompense. And someone is a killer.It’s time for Wendy and Nell to face their demons and the truth. But can the bond that has held them together for three decades survive or, will the seismic repercussions of buried secrets break them forever?

Fielding Her Secret


Crystal Perkins - 2015
    Ainsley Martin grew up beating boys at sports, and resigned herself to the fate of always being a girl friend, and not a girlfriend. Transforming from a jock to a computer nerd didn’t help her win guys, but it did get her a job with the Corrigan & Co. Foundation. As the head of computers and technology for the foundation and its secret society, she normally works behind the scenes, overseeing the rescue of women and children. But this time, Jane Corrigan needs her to be on the front lines, and it may just be her undoing. Yes, she knows football, but she doesn’t know how to handle falling in love.He’s never had trouble getting girls into his bed. Zack Taylor learned early on that women only wanted him for his fame. Going home with them has allowed him to take his own pleasure, while knowing his heart will never be involved. Until he mistakes a beautiful woman for a groupie and tells her to get on her knees. When she stands up to him, he knows that he has to have her. All of her. He pursues Ainsley, trying to show her he’s more than what she sees on the football field.Someone’s trying to sabotage the Las Vegas Legions football team, and Ainsley and Zack may just become collateral damage if they’re not careful. Can they learn to trust each other or will the biggest SECRET of all destroy them both?

Ever's Last


Cedar Rose - 2020
    When that night finally came, my best friend . . . the man I thought loved me in return . . . did the last thing I expected— he left.Memphis abandoned me when I needed him the most, and as the years went by, I came to despise him.Now, he’s back and the contestant of a local dating show— while living under the same roof as me.As much as I want to keep hating Memphis, the more I get to know him again, the more I want to be one of the girls on the show.When Memphis finally comes clean about why he left, I’m not sure if it’s going to heal us or rip us apart all over again.MemphisMy entire life is one giant mess up. One questionable decision after the other.Loving Ever is not one of them, though.The night she finally poured her heart out to me, I should have taken her in my arms and never let her go. Instead, I turned my back on her and broke her heart.It’s been forever, but I’m back home, trying to clean up my image with the help of a dating show, and living right down the hall from the woman who’s held my heart and soul since before I was old enough to realize I had either.Working my way back into her life and her heart means coming clean about what happened the night I shattered her . . .I’m terrified of losing her all over again.

I Know Your Secret


Ruth Heald - 2020
    Neither is she.'She thinks she knows me.She believes my marriage is falling apart at the seams, that my husband can barely look me in the eyes. She thinks I’m desperate for a baby, that my longing for a family keeps me up at night. As much as I hate to admit it, all of this is true.She thinks I listen to her advice, that I care about her opinion. That couldn’t be further from the truth.Because she has no idea who I am. She has no clue that I know everything.I know her secret. I know that she did the unforgivable. I know how many lives she ruined.I know exactly what she did. And I’m here for her.An utterly gripping, addictive and shocking read about the dark secrets we’re ashamed to admit, and the lengths people go to for revenge. Fans of K.L. Slater, My Lovely Wife and The Wife Between Us will be racing through the pages, gasping at the twists, and reeling from the explosive ending of this unmissable page-turner.