The Next Wife

This gripping psychological thriller from Rouda (The Favorite Daughter) offers a refreshing setup: a man tries to rekindle his relationship with his ex-wife after marrying a younger woman. John Nelson and his first wife, Kate, started EventCo, an online event company, 15 years earlier, and it’s now “one of central Ohio’s most prominent and well-respected companies.” But now EventCo is about to go public, and for the sake of appearances John can’t have both Kate, still a trusted employee, and his new wife, Tish, who’s his executive assistant, working for him. When John, who’s considering asking Kate to give him another chance, tells Tish she has to leave the company, Tish starts to worry about their marriage, and pressures him into going on a romantic weekend to Telluride, Colo., where tragedy ensues. Complications involving Ashlyn, John and Kate’s 21-year-old daughter, who was once Tish’s BFF, raise the tension. Rouda keeps the reader guessing as the plot takes plenty of twists and turns. Suspense fans will get their money’s worth. [em]Agent: Meg Ruley, Jane Rotrosen Agency. (May) [/em]