Such a good wife

Glass' second thriller, following Someone's Listening (2020), takes awhile to launch from rom-com territory to suspense, but once it does, it becomes a real nail-biter. Melanie has all the trademarks of a rom-com heroine: She faces a number of challenges on the home front, including a son on the spectrum, an obnoxious teen daughter, and an ailing, live-in mother-in-law. She even has the rom-com hallmark of believing that she looks a mess even when men are falling all over her. The plot takes a turn when she meets a wildly successful romance writer, and starts an affair with him. When she discovers his dead body, she is plunged into increasingly frantic attempts to erase any evidence of him from her life. Melanie narrates her story; her takes on living in a wealthy, constricting community outside New Orleans are priceless (for example, a meeting of the local book club is lavishly catered). The pacing is slow to start, but then it really takes off.

Melanie Hale, the narrator of this uplifting but never saccharine psychological thriller from Glass (Someone's Listening), has a young son on the autism spectrum and is the primary caregiver for her husband's aging mother, who has dementia. Melanie feels isolated in her upscale Louisiana community and understandably exhausted by her daily routines. When her husband suggests she join a writers' group at the local bookstore, she jumps at the chance. At the store, she meets bestselling author Luke Ellison, and their mild flirtation soon develops into an affair. Feeling guilty about lying to her faithful, forgiving husband, Melanie goes to Luke's mansion to break things off, only to find him dead. She flees the scene, but her presence is not unnoticed. Her little white lies blossom into darker, more dangerous territory when she's subsequently blackmailed and becomes a murder suspect. To what lengths will she go to protect her family and herself? The pleasure of this book comes from seeing Melanie morph from mildly depressed suburban housewife into a woman who's unafraid of fighting fire with fire. Glass remains a writer to watch. Agent: Sharon Bowers, Folio Literary Management. (Aug.)