Her Prodigal Husband - by Becky Masterman

About the Book

Sam, Liesl's wealthy ex-husband, vanished ten years ago, leaving her a chunk of money but no explanation. Sam is handsome, charming, manipulative . . . and now he claims he's sick. But Alice, with her experience of spinning tales, knows a liar when she sees one.

Book Synopsis

From the award-winning author of the internationally-bestselling Brigid Quinn thrillers, which have been translated into twenty languages, comes this gripping series spin-off: an upmarket novel of domestic suspense about a pair of sisters nicknamed Malice and Lethal, and a husband who vanishes into thin air, only to reappear and throw a bomb into both their lives

Alice Einstein - known as "Malice" to her former schoolfriends - likes to tell herself stories. There's a good one she's workshopping about how, despite once being a critically acclaimed literary novelist, she's ended up blocked and uninspired, living in her timid, conflict-averse sister Liesl's spare room.

But then Liesl sends her an SOS worthy of a thriller novel. The horror! The horror! Sam is back.

Sam, Liesl's wealthy ex-husband, vanished ten years ago, leaving her a chunk of money but no explanation. Sam is handsome, charming, manipulative . . . and now he claims he's sick. But Alice, with her experience of spinning tales, knows a liar when she sees one.

Haunted by a childhood tragedy that gave birth to the cruel nickname "Lethal", Liesl now specialises in saving things: dogs, children, sisters. Telling herself it's time she returned the favor, Alice engages the services of Brigid Quinn, a hardboiled local private investigator with a shady past, to help her get rid of Sam for good.

But as the plot thickens, Alice begins to wonder if she knows anyone involved - most of all herself - quite as well as she thinks . . .

Packed with quirky, colorful characters, and with a nail-biting, slowburn plot, Her Prodigal Husband is a nail-biting novel of domestic suspense that raises thought-provoking questions about self-deception, the power of stories, and what it means to be a family, and marks the long-awaited return of Brigid Quinn, "one of the most memorable FBI agents since Clarice Starling" (Publishers Weekly).

Review Quotes

Gritty, timely, and page-turning-- "Booklist"

A high-IQ, low-key domestic thriller with more than a touch of the metafictional-- "Kirkus Reviews"

Wickedly satisfying-- "Publishers Weekly"

[Readers] are in for a ride as thrilling as they can find outside the pages of Jeffery Deaver-- "Kirkus Reviews on Rage Against the Dying"

A must-read for fans of domestic thrillers-- "Booklist on Maternal Instinct"

A thriller that must be read-- "Lisa Gardner on Rage Against the Dying"

Chilling, smart . . . and what a voice-- "Gillian Flynn on Rage Against the Dying"

Fans of Lisa Gardner and Tess Gerritsen will love this book-- "Booklist on Rage Against the Dying"

Gripping . . . [will] draw in fans of Michael Connelly and Dennis Lehane-- "Booklist on Fear the Darkness"

Masterman keeps the tension high throughout this page-turner-- "Publishers Weekly on We Were Killers Once"

Masterman lives up to her name in this masterly combination of compelling character and plot to keep the pages turning-- "Library Journal Starred Review of Rage Against the Dying"

One of the most memorable FBI agents since Clarice Starling-- "Publishers Weekly Starred Review of Rage Against the Dying"

Will compel both new readers and old fans to cheer Brigid on-- "Library Journal on A Twist of the Knife"