The Secrets of Second Wives by Kerry Fisher

Blurb

Two husbands. Two wives with a secret. One devastating betrayal.

Maggie loves her husband Nico. He’s caring and thoughtful but the shadow of his ‘perfect’ first wife Caitlin, constantly hangs over her. Then Maggie discovers that Caitlin has done something terrible, which if revealed could change Nico and Maggie’s lives forever …

Lara is married to Nico’s brother, Massimo. Their lives appear happy yet behind closed doors Lara has a secret that she can never tell. When she comes face to face with Massimo's ex-wife, Lara is suddenly forced to confront her deepest fears about her life.

For a family held together by lies, the truth will come at a devastating price.

A heart-wrenching, emotionally gripping read for fans of Amanda Prowse, Liane Moriarty and Diane Chamberlain.

Review

Although the main threads of this novel examine two difficult issues (that of being a step parent and domestic abuse) it is an uplifting story. At times I wanted to cry and at others I wanted to take a frying pan to a couple of the main characters' heads, but at no point did this novel fail to hold my attention.

The author isn't afraid to delve into her subject matter with both gusto and sensitivity. Her handling of the story lines is masterful and her characters are all the more believable and realistic for their many flaws. None of us are perfect and many of us have family dynamics which are deep and convulted and oh so complex, and Ms Fisher highlights this with skill and determination. Not an easy read in parts, but you certainly won't be bored!

About the Author

Born in Peterborough, Kerry Fisher studied French and Italian at Bath University, followed by several years working as an English teacher in Corsica and Spain before topping the dizzying heights of holiday rep and grape picker in Tuscany. She eventually succumbed to 'getting a proper job' and returned to England to study Periodical Journalism at City University. After two years working in the features department at Essentials magazine in London, love carried her off to the wilds of the West Pennine moors near Bolton. She now lives in Surrey with her husband (of whisking off to Bolton fame), two teenagers and a very naughty lab/schnauzer called Poppy. Kerry can often be seen trailing across the Surrey Hills whistling and waving pieces of chicken while the dog practises her 'talk to the tail'. In her third book, After The Lie, Kerry shamelessly exploits every embarrassing dog misdemeanour to create her fictional hound, Mabel. Kerry has spent half her life talking about writing a novel, then several years at Candis magazine reviewing other people's but it wasn't until she took some online courses with the UCLA (University of California) that the dream started to morph into reality, culminating in the publishing of The Class Ceiling. The Avon imprint of HarperCollins picked it up and retitled it The School Gate Survival Guide, published summer 2014. Her second book, The Island Escape, came out in May 2015. It won first prize at the York Festival of Writing for the opening line: 'I was wearing the wrong bra for sitting in a police cell'. Her latest book, After The Lie, the story of how small lies become more toxic as they pass down the generations, is out on 29 April 2016. Best advice ever received: 'This is fiction, we can skip the boring bits.' Lynn Hightower, UCLA Writers' Program. Read more of her thoughts on life at http://www.kerryfisherauthor.com or follow her on twitter at @kerryfswayne