The Marriage Lie by Kimberly Belle @KimberlySBelle @HQstories

She thought they had a perfect marriage….
When a plane crashes, Iris Griffiths watches the news unfold with horror…and then relief. Her beloved husband Will had just flown out from the same airport, but he was on a different flight.

So why is his name on the list of victims?
Surely there’s some mistake – her husband would never lie to her. Would he? But wading deeper into the truth of her husband’s deception, Iris begins to think the unthinkable.

Maybe she’s glad that he’s dead…

The Marriage Lie by Kimberly Belle is published in paperback by HQ on 29 December 2016.


Iris and Will Griffith appear to have the perfect marriage. Iris certainly thinks so, especially when Will presents her with a beautiful gold Cartier ring on the morning that he is due to fly off to a conference in Orlando. Despite the fact that they've sunk all of their savings into their dream house, and will be paying off their mortgage for ever, Iris is thrilled with her gift.

Later that morning, Iris is at work, she's a school counsellor, when the news comes through that a plane has crashed. The plane left from the same airport as Will did, but was bound for Seattle, not Orlando. Despite her sorrow at the huge loss of life, Iris is relieved that her beloved Will is safe.

Why can she not get hold of him though? Is is phone battery dead? Is he busy rehearsing the keynote speech that he has to deliver? Iris's world crashes around her when the airline contact her to inform her that Will was on the flight to Seattle and is presumed dead.

Iris now has to try to work out just who Will was?  Where did he go, why did he go? Slowly, she realises that everything she thought she knew about the man she loves is a lie. She's not only grieving Will's death, she's also mourning the marriage that was a lie.

Kimberly Belle can certainly hook her readers. I was engrossed from the opening paragraph and found The Marriage Lie to be a clever, well crafted story. I had no idea where it was going, and every new discovery was as much a shock to the reader as it was to Iris. There are characters who deceive everyone, with twists and turns a plenty.

Iris is a complex character. On the whole, I liked her, but she showed flashes, every now and again, of severe misjudgement, things that seemed the opposite to how she would advise the students who go to her for counselling. This also made her feel more realistic, more believable, and entirely human.

Kimberly Belle has written a fast-paced, intriguing story, with plenty of mystery. A novel that grips from page one, right through to the unexpected finish.

The Marriage Lie is an addictive, quick read that is well written. Full of suspense and emotional.

My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review.

Kimberly Belle grew up in Eastern Tennessee, in a small town nestles in the foothills of the Appalachians. 
A graduate of Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia, Kimberly lived for over a decade in the Netherlands and has worked in marketing and fundraising fro various nonprofits.
She's the author of two novels, The Last Breath and The Ones We Trust, and divides her time between Atlanta and Amsterdam.
Find out more at www.kimberlybellebooks.com
Find her Author page on Facebook
Follow her on Twitter @KimberlySBelle





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