It’s Always The Husband
Welcome to The Heights, an exclusive enclave in Hope Ridge, Pennsylvania, where the lawns are manicured and the lives look perfect. But behind the grand doors of these upscale homes, darkness lurks. When true crime enthusiast Bella Wright moves in with her husband, Jack, she quickly becomes the neighborhood's favorite confidante. But as the women of The Heights unburden themselves to her, Bella realizes she is collecting more than just gossip—she’s gathering evidence. Every husband has something to hide. Every wife is living a lie. And amidst the scandals, one deadly secret is waiting to be found before it’s too late.
- Bella Wright/Anna Williams- Jack’s wife, 42
- Jack - Bella’s husband, 45
- Anthony - Bella’s brother
- Nicole - Bella and Jack’s neighbor, 48
- Dave - Nicole’s husband
- Wendy - Lance’s wife
- Lance - Wendy’s husband
- Julie - Single mom
- Mia - Samuel’s wife, 30
- Samuel - Mia’s husband, 80
- Martin and Mason - Samuel’s sons
- Sheriff Brady - Police Sheriff
- Bella goes to a party at Nicole’s house and meets the neighborhood women.
- Mia tells Bella that Samuel’s sons were abusing him, and that she and Samuel married so they could take care of each other.
- Samuel dies and leaves everything to Mia, cutting his sons out entirely.
- Martin and Mason kidnap Mia and drive her toward a cliff, but Bella tracks Mia’s phone and rescues her moments before the police arrive.
- Martin and Mason are arrested.
- Julie starts gossiping about Mia, and Bella explodes, telling Wendy that she saw Lance at a hotel with Julie.
- Nicole comes to Bella asking for help and shows her bruises; she admits Dave abuses her.
- Mia puts her house up for sale and leaves the neighborhood for California.
- Bella tells Sheriff Brady about Nicole being abused by Dave and shows him a photo she took of Nicole’s bruises.
- Bella cracks a cold case from her old neighborhood and plans to do one last thing before leaving Hope Ridge to be with Jack in DC.
- The next morning, Anthony goes to Bella’s house and the truth comes out: Jack died five years earlier of a heart attack while out jogging, shortly before Bella and Anthony’s parents. Afterward, Bella had a breakdown and spent time in a psych ward.
- Anthony finds magic mushrooms that Bella says she takes on weekends, claiming they make Jack come back to her.
- Bella believes Jack was hit by a car, which led to the heart attack that killed him.
- She has been tracking down everyone who lived in the neighborhood at the time and checking their alibis.
- Anthony leaves and Bella goes to Nicole’s house.
- Bella reveals that she is really Anna Williams and confronts Nicole about hitting Jack with her car five years earlier.
- Nicole says Emily was driving because Nicole was too drunk.
- Bella lunges at Nicole and chokes her to death while wearing men's gloves.
- Afterward, Bella stuffs the gloves in Dave's hamper.
- Six months later: It’s revealed that Anna tried to kill herself the day after she killed Nicole. When it didn’t work, she decided to get better and checked herself into a wellness facility.
- Dave is arrested for Nicole's murder.
- Lance visits Anna at the wellness facility and poisons her, blaming her for ruining his life by exposing his affair with Julie.
- Anna dies.
This was a solid, fun read for me, primarily because of the ending. The twist was excellent—I didn't see it coming until right before the reveal, and it’s one of those books where you look back and suddenly realize how important certain moments were for foreshadowing.
I found the main character, Bella, a little odd but genuinely likable, especially when contrasted against her self-absorbed new neighbors. However, it felt like there was a lot of "stuff just happening" rather than events actually moving the plot forward.
There were quite a few subplots that fell flat or felt unresolved. For example, the bookstore, the job application, and the newly released book didn't seem to add anything to the actual story. It also suffered from having too many characters to keep track of, some of which barely make an appearance and added nothing to the story.
Despite the clutter and the pacing issues, the payout at the end made it a worthwhile thriller.
- Jack - Dead - Heart attack while jogging
- Bella/Anna - Dead - Poisoned by Lance
- Nicole - Dead - Strangled by Bella
- Dave - Alive - In jail awaiting trial for Nicole's murder
- Mia - Alive - Living in California
- Martin - Alive - In jail for kidnapping Mia
- Mason - Alive - In jail for kidnapping Mia
- Alcohol
- Domestic violence
- Infidelity
- Infertility
- Murder
Publisher: Independently published
ISBN: 9798860627154
Publication Date: September 7, 2023
Note: Details are for the original edition. Other formats, editions, and audiobook versions may be available.
