Good Husbands by Cate Ray BLOG TOUR #GoodHusbands @CateRayWriter @septemberbooks @RandomTTours #BookReview

 

Jess, Priyanka and Stephanie are all happily married to men they think they know inside out.

Then each woman receives a letter accusing her husband of involvement in a sexual assault that took place 20 years ago.

Who do they believe, what should they do and can they come together as their lives are upended?

Good Husbands by Cate Ray was published on 14 July 2022 by September Publishing. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review as part of this #RandomThingsTours Blog Tour. 

Good Husbands is a book that would keep a reading group talking for hours. It's a domestic noir type story, filled with suspense and incredibly well created characters who are all flawed, yet all so realistic. 

The premise is intriguing and it was the blurb that enticed me to read this one. Three women, all strangers to one another, receive a letter from a woman who they've never heard of before. That letter opens a very very wriggly can of worms, casting doubt on their marriages, on their husbands and their own morals and ethics. It's a letter than no woman would want to receive.

The three women who are central to the story are Jess, Priyanka and Stephanie. They live in and around Bath and each of them seem quite content with their own lives. When the letter arrives that accuses their husbands of raping a woman many years ago, none of them quite know how to react. The writer of the letter claims to be the child of the rape victim, and the daughter of one of the husbands. Each man is named and it is Jess who decides to track down the other two women.

This is a study in relationships, and each marriage is examined carefully, exposing the cracks and the flaws that they've all so expertly covered up in the past. The three women couldn't be more different, and each of them reacts in a different way, but they form a bond, they become a team, even if somewhat reluctantly, and that bond and that team gets stronger as the story progresses. 

Cate Ray does not not hold back. There are parts of this story that are incredibly painful for the characters involved and emotionally draining to read at times. She looks at loyalty and she examines the spousal relationship, she also concentrates on the the power of female friendship, along with the long held masculine beliefs about power. 

Good Husbands is a story that will shock. It's written with empathy and knowledge, and is utterly compelling throughout. I have to say that I finished this book with a sense of 'what???', the ending is another talking point that will divide readers for sure. 

An insightful and emotional book that raises questions that can be very difficult to answer. 

Cate Ray writes suspense novels with compelling moral dilemmas, shining a light on the issues
affecting women today. 

Her stories are created for readers to treasure and share with booklovers everywhere. 

She is the author of four previous novels of suspense published under the name Cath Weeks. 

She was named an ‘Author to Watch’ by ELLE. 

Cate lives in Bath with her family.

Twitter @CateRayWriter

Instagram @cateraywriter

www.cateray.co.uk