It's Always the Husband

March 6, 2017
Thrust together as roommates freshman year at New Hampshire’s tony Carlisle College (think Dartmouth) sometime in the 1990s, three wildly disparate young women forge a bond that will shape—and later shatter—their lives in this suspenseful if soapy debut from former federal prosecutor Campbell. You can’t blame emotionally needy scholarship student Aubrey Miller, daughter of a struggling Las Vegas single mom, or even hypercompetent townie Jenny Vega, for being sucked into the orbit of dazzling, daring golden girl Kate Eastman, along with Carlisle’s most eligible males, including fabulously rich Griff Rothenberg and hunky hockey player Lucas Arsenault (who also happens to have been Jenny’s high school crush). But anyone too close to the dangerously troubled Kate risks getting burnt, as evidenced in a shocking tragedy freshman spring—and murder two decades later. Demonstrating diabolical plotting chops and an ability to convincingly conjure settings, Campbell crafts a twisty page-turner that might have been even more powerful if so many of the principals didn’t prove rotten at the core. 100,000 announced first printing. Agent: Meg Ruley, Jane Rotrosen Agency.

March 15, 2017
Three college roommates find their lives inextricably linked after the death of a friend.Aubrey, Jenny, and Kate are assigned to room together at Carlisle College. Aubrey is banking on Carlisle to help her escape her mother's poverty; Jenny grew up in the college town but hopes Carlisle will help her channel her ambitions; and Kate is the rich wild child whose father's connections helped her get admitted to the school. Their relationships quickly become complicated. One of the guys Kate begins to date, Lucas, dated Jenny in high school. Aubrey's grades suffer after her mother's death and because of her drug use with Kate. Jenny agrees to keep Kate's father apprised of his daughter's activities, especially given that Kate has been suicidal in the past, in return for future connections. All of these tensions lead up to Aubrey's decision to commit suicide with Kate, except that Lucas inadvertently dies instead. The girls keep quiet about the circumstances of Lucas' death, but 20 years later, they all end up living back in their old college town. Now all of them are married, and there are new tensions and secrets. Kate has married another boyfriend from college, Griff, though she is unfaithful to him; Aubrey married a doctor, though she has feelings for Griff; Jenny has become mayor and married Lucas' cousin, Tim, though their memories of the night Lucas died are quite different. When Kate dies at the same railroad bridge where Lucas fell to his death, questions resurface not only regarding who killed Kate, but what happened on the bridge 20 years ago, too. Kate's friends, lovers, and husband all become suspects in her murder, but nearly everyone would rather her death be labeled a suicide and the investigation closed. Campbell's debut novel is an intriguing whodunit that examines the explosive potential of secrets to destroy friendships, marriages, and lives. While the novel is a page-turner, the characters at times lack depth and humanity, as each person betrays either a friend, a romantic partner, or both. At times, the characters' self-involvement detracts from the suspense of the novel, as introspective moments are spent reflecting on lies that have been told rather than the more serious ethical and moral implications. However, perhaps this is part of Campbell's larger point: complicity through silence contributes as much to each of the crimes as the acts of violence. Moody and dark in its portrayal of friendship and marriage.

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April 15, 2017
Campbell turns the tables on readers who easily identify the usual suspects in this debut taking place in the New England town of Belle River. Jenny, Aubrey, and Kate, roommates at Carlisle College, couldn't be less alike. Growing up in Belle River, Jenny is hardworking and studious. Aubrey leaves her difficult childhood for the halls of Carlisle yet doesn't feel that she fits in. Kate's party-girl reputation hides the troubled girl behind the facade. They form a strong bond in the first months of school until a tragedy changes everything. Twenty years later, they're back in Belle River, struggling with adult responsibilities and difficult relationships with each other and their husbands. When one is coaxed to her death in the opening scene, it seems obvious. It's always the husband. Isn't it? Twists, turns, and a puzzling mix of suspects, as well as alternating time frames between college and the present, will keep readers turning the pages. The close friendship never quite gels realistically, but the edge-of-your-seat pace and dark atmosphere will appeal to suspense lovers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)