BookSparks’ IT’S ALWAYS THE HUSBAND by Michele Campbell & GIVEAWAY

BookSparks’ Summer Reading Challenge continues with Michele Campbell’s, IT’S ALWAYS THE HUSBAND (St.Martin’sPress). And for me, IT’S ALWAYS THE HUSBAND is the first novel I’ve ever read where I can say I didn’t like any of the characters. Not one. They were interesting and there were times I felt sorry for them, but likeable, not so much. It made reading the book kind of challenging, but not unpleasant. Based on the PR and blurbs, I expected IT’S ALWAYS THE HUSBAND to be a fast-page turning, thriller. It’s not. It is a who-dunnit, in two parts.

Three girls become roommates at Carlisle College, an elite Northeast Ivy League school. Kate Eastman is the rich, beautiful bad girl who loves to party. Her father is one of the College’s trustees. Aubrey Miller is a scholarship student from Las Vegas, completely out of her element, who is in awe of Kate. She is willing to do anything to put her poor white trash childhood behind her. Jenny Vega is the good girl, who grew up in town. Her parents own the hardware store. She’d rather study than party and knows her roommates are bad for her.

The three quickly connect and commit to being friends forever. They proceed to participate in lots of college drama like having secrets, lying, cheating and being in and out of like with boyfriends. A tragedy at the end of their freshman year, forces them to  swear to keeping a secret amongst themselves.

The first half of the book is basically backstory of their college years. Then it’s twenty-plus years forward and we’re all grown up, but not any wiser. They decide to go back to the scene of the crime and one of them ends up dead. Murder? Suicide? Who did it? The book explores the twists and turns of love, friendship, loyalty and infidelity. You really won’t know who did it until the very end.

*****

Michele Campbell is a graduate of Harvard College and Stanford Law School and a former federal prosecutor in New York City who specialized in international narcotics and gang cases. A while back, she said goodbye to her big-city legal career and moved with her husband and two children to an idyllic New England college town a lot like the one in IT’S ALWAYS THE HUSBAND. Since then, she has spent her time teaching criminal and constitutional law and writing novels. She has had many close female friends, a few frenemies, and only one husband, who – to the best of her knowledge – has never tried to kill her. Michele currently lives in New Hampshire.

Thanks to BookSparks and St. Martin’s Press, we have one copy of IT’S ALWAYS THE HUSBAND to give away. Just tell us which book you’re looking forward to reading this Memorial Day weekend. There are so many exciting choices. We’ll announce a winner Monday.