The Husbands - Chandler Baker

Mystery/Thriller

Rating: 8.5/10

A savvy, shrewd and blistering inversion of the plot of the Ira Levin classic, The Stepford Wives, that might as well be asking the question, how would the husbands like it?

Nora is a frazzled lawyer and mother who despises herself for the ceaseless cringey toned recitation of the daily burdens she bears.  Every word of which seem to be falling on her husband’s deaf ears.

On the hunt for a new house for their expanding family, they tumble into an idyllic enclave where the wives are powerful and accomplished, and the husbands are acquiescent and attentive.  And maybe a little afraid.

Nora jumps at the chance to provide legal advice to one of the women, hoping to impress the residents of this exclusive neighorhood by taking on the case.  But as she digs deeper, she exposes an undercurrent that is malicious and deeply disturbing.  One with far reaching tentacles.

I applaud the author for the ingenious ending. Most mystery novels feel compelled to ensure a proper resolution, and while we get a resolution with this book, I wouldn’t classify it as proper.  Not remotely.

As a childless and unmarried woman, I found it fascinating to read about what women are craving in a partner…and how what should be obvious apparently isn’t.

Book Pairing(s): The Wives by Tarryn Fisher, My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing, The Hierarchies by Ros Anderson