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    It’s Always the Husband
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    It’s Always the Husband
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    It’s Always the Husband
    Audiobook10 hours

    It’s Always the Husband

    Written by Michele Campbell

    Narrated by January LaVoy

    3.5/5

    ()

    Unavailable in your country

    Unavailable in your country

    About this audiobook

    It’s Always the Husband… unless it’s the best friend.

    The Top 10 Sunday Times bestseller

    ‘A page-turning whodunnit that will speak to anyone who's ever had a frenemy’
    Ruth Ware

    ‘A gripping, tangled web of a novel — it pulls you in and doesn’t let you go. I loved it!’
    Shari Lapena

    Kate, Aubrey and Jenny are inseparable at college – friends who promised they’d always be there for each other.

    But twenty years later, their friendship is about to take a deadly turn.

    Kate married the gorgeous party boy, Aubrey married up, and Jenny married the boy next door, but when one of the friends dies in shocking circumstances, will everyone assume that it’s always the husband? Or could it be the best friend?

    It’s Always The Husband is the gripping debut which will keep you guessing until the very last page.

    Praise for It’s Always the Husband:

    ‘A gripping page-tuner…will suit fans of Liane Moriarty’ Hello

    ‘A page-turning whodunnit that will speak to anyone who's ever had a frenemy’
    Ruth Ware, bestselling author of The Woman in Cabin Ten

    ‘A gripping, tangled web of a novel—it pulls you in and doesn’t let you go. I loved it!’
    Shari Lapena, author of The Couple Next Door

    ‘A cracking whodunit that will keep you guessing’ Woman’s Own

    ‘Secrets and scandals in an Ivy League setting. What could be more riveting?’
    Tess Gerritsen, Sunday Times bestselling author

    ‘A skillful and addictive story of friendship, betrayal and ultimately love, It’s Always The Husband will keep you turning the pages until its dramatic end’
    B A Paris, bestselling author of Behind Closed Doors

    ‘A brilliantly layered, utterly compelling, clever mystery story that crackles with poisoned friendships and dirty secrets… Twisted, shocking and sharply observed. It’s Always The Husband has blockbuster movie written all over it!’ Samantha King

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins Publishers
    Release dateJan 11, 2018
    ISBN9780008271145
    Unavailable
    It’s Always the Husband
    Author

    Michele Campbell

    A graduate of Harvard University and Stanford Law School, Michele Campbell worked at a prestigious Manhattan law firm before spending eight years fighting crime as a federal prosecutor in New York City. Michele is the author of She Was the Quiet One and It's Always the Husband.

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    Reviews for It’s Always the Husband

    3.5/5

    152 ratings29 reviews

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    • 1/5
      REALLY BORING!
      This was one of those books that was so stupid it makes you angry when you finish it because you wasted all that time for something to actually happen and nothing did.
    • 5/5
      Left me guessing till the very end. Great, easy read!
    • 3/5
      What to say about this book? The topic had merit (which explains the 3-star review) but the actual telling of the story fell flat. The first half of the book was slow-paced and give background details that weren't really needed. The second half of the story moved like a race car...way too fast. It felt like the author got tired of writing and just wanted to finish the story, no matter how it ended. I did appreciate the little twist at the end but I found myself counting down the pages until the book was over.
    • 5/5
      Three young women, totally different, meet as college roommates and somewhat stick together...through life. An incident in their early years is never totally forgotten and resurfaces later in life. Very suspenseful, but yet interesting. I would read other books by this author.
    • 3/5
      This uneven novel suffers from a lack of focus. It can’t seem to decide whether it’s about toxic friendships, obsessive behavior, or whodunit and how.Three young women, assigned as roommates at a small private college in New Hampshire, develop a complex interdependency that still exists decades later when one of them stands on a crumbling bridge in the middle of the night, being urged to jump. Campbell attempts to hide the identity of the potential suicide (or murder victim?), but most readers will figure out early on who is the most likely candidate. She does a better job of keeping the enabler/accomplice (killer?) under wraps.This is where things go off the rails, as a big-town cop turned small-town police chief hijacks the tale for about 100 pages, wanting to pull out all the stops in his investigation, while townspeople (specifically the mayor) want the whole thing to be simply swept under the rug, for a variety of reasons. There’s apparently an off-page confrontation, since passing reference is made to the police chief having been replaced by a more malleable character; the investigation loses momentum and is eventually abandoned as a plot thread. The Ultimate Revelation of exactly what happened on that bridge and who was involved is saved for a two-years-later epilogue, by which point most readers no longer care.Because frankly, none of these three women is particularly likeable. Kate is the poor-little-rich-girl, who wants to buy affection via her money, sex appeal, and access to drugs and alcohol, but who routinely dismisses her friends’ preferences and needs; Aubrey is the poor-little-poor girl on scholarship, crushing on the glamorous Kate and willing to accept whatever crumbs fall her way; Jenna is the blue-collar striver who turns out to be just as ruthless and manipulative as Kate, but in a more subtle and devious way. Jenna starts out being the most sympathetic of the three, but eventually allows her drive for power to set own moral compass spinning.None of this adds up to anything more than a mediocre read with Aubrey, in particular, given an inconsistent, unbelievable character arc. The reader looking for something non-taxing to fill a couple of afternoons can find many more satisfying selections without much effort.
    • 3/5
      I liked this book, but I found it very hard to connect with any of the main characters. It was a decent story and it flowed smoothly but something was missing for me. Maybe because none of the characters were very likable in my opinion. They all seem to petty and selfish, and the few characters that seemed likable weren’t given a chance to develop for the reader.
    • 3/5
      Nice twists. However, the people in the book were terrible, the dialogue weak and unrealistic. There was no one to like. Not worth the read
    • 3/5
      An average thriller, at best. The first half of the book built up the relationships between the characters, a group of roommates at an Ivy League college. None of the characters are relatable or even very likeable, but something kept me wanting to continue reading. I had such high hopes for Aubrey, that she wouldn’t be submissive to Kate, the girl who has everything. At times, the writing quality in the first section just wasn’t there for me, but it got better later on and in part 2. There was so much build up to the final event, and so much to read to get to that point. I liked the ending and didn’t see that coming, so that was a pleasant surprise. Wouldn’t necessarily recommend, but didn’t hate it. *I received a copy of this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*
    • 5/5
      This book hooked me from the first paragraph. Loved that it had a small list of characters, went from present to past and back again. Storyline was well thought out, with twists and turns. Many developments in characters personalities. Highly recommend. Great vacation read. Will keep you reading well into night, and up early.
    • 3/5
      Rich kids doing stupid things.. but then it caught me.. pretty good. Kept you wondering. I liked it.
    • 4/5
      It's Always the Husband by Michele Campbell is a twisted tale of jealousy, secrets and murder.

      Twenty-two years earlier, Aubrey Miller, Jenny Vega and Kate Eastman are assigned as roommates at the prestigious Carlisle College in Belle River, NH.  The three young women come from  very disparate backgrounds yet they immediately become best friends. Over the course of several months, their friendship gradually turns toxic and a tragic event occurs near the end of their freshman year that forever changes their lives

      Fast forward to the present when a change in fortune brings one of the trio back to Belle River where the other women currently reside. Jenny is very influential in town but questions swirl around her husband Tim's construction business after he wins several lucrative contracts for projects at the college campus. Aubrey is married to a doctor whose serial cheating endangers the future of their marriage. Kate is also married and a financial scandal leaves her at the mercy of her wealthy father who does not exactly jump in to rescue her. Their reunion is uneasy and fraught with tension and when one of the women is apparently murdered, is her death a result of long events or something in the present?

      Aubrey is from very humble beginnings and she is convinced that college will finally give her the sense of belonging that is missing from her life.  A scholarship student, she is uncomfortable in the wealthy college environment and she is desperate to fit in with her roommates. Jenny is a townie who is über organized and does not plan to let anything get in the way of her plans for a lucrative career far from her small town roots. Kate is a poor little rich girl who is incredibly charismatic despite her very troubled past.  Aubrey practically worships Kate and she is easily drawn into her new friend's partying life style.  Jenny remains the responsible one in their friendship but even she cannot resist some of Kate's more outrageous exploits. Kate might be charming and a great deal of fun but she is incredibly self-absorbed and thoughtlessly acts without taking anyone else's feelings into account. Both she and Aubrey are in an increasingly downward spiral that culminates in a tragedy.

      In the present, Aubrey, Jenny and Kate remain essentially unchanged from their college days. Their personality traits have become more exaggerated over the years and they are still plagued by the same insecurities and idiosyncrasies they experienced when they first met. However, they each have a lot to lose if the truth about the events from their freshman year is ever revealed.  What, if anything, does the past have to do with the current murder? Or can the motive be found among the events that have occurred in the present?

      Despite the extremely unlikable cast of characters, It's Always the Husband is an engrossing mystery that is full of unexpected twists and turns. Michele Campbell has penned a dark and atmospheric whodunit that will enthrall readers from beginning to end. With plenty of suspects with plenty of motives for the murder, the killer's identity is cleverly concealed until the novel's jaw-dropping conclusion.
    • 2/5
      Not a single likeable person among any of the main characters. The one nice guy gets killed, setting the basis for the entire story. His younger cousin is the second-best person but he barely makes an appearance so... The 3 women are a bunch of psycho morons who are supposed to be sooo brilliant and drop-dead gorgeous, but with no discernible moral code. Kate was the personification of just an evil slut. Every male (and actually her 2 roommates too) who sets eyes on her is instantly and permanently obsessed with her. Literally. It's ridiculous. I finished it because I was curious about what happened to her, but I pretty much hated everyone, so whoever was found to be responsible for the opening chapter mystery wouldn't hurt my feelings one little bit. (PS: Just read the LibraryThing reviews--apparently I'm not alone)
    • 4/5
      This book moved very quickly. It was told in two timeframes, which seems to be a prevalent way to tell a story lately. I felt the story kept you guessing up to the end.
      The story examines the friendship of 3 college roommates and the ups and downs of their relationship. It is a story of trust and betrayal.
      #ItsAlwaystheHusband #MicheleCampbell
    • 4/5
      Loved it!!!! There is so much going on in this book! I love a good thriller---and even more when they keep you guessing. This keeps you guessing to the very end. The. Very. End (don't you dare skip to the last page and look!!!!).
      Amazing! I've already recommended to several others! I love watching them struggle with who they think is the guilty party!
    • 3/5
      The second half of the book is what gave it the three-star rating; prior to that it would have been less. I liked the ending; I liked how everything was tied together and there weren't loose ends. However, getting to that point took some time. I did want to find out what happened, but there wasn't a lot of action or anything truly compelling to get there.

      The character development could have been a bit better, especially with a little more backstory connecting the three girls during the 20 year gap. However, it was a decent read, although not a true thriller.
    • 4/5
      On the show “Major Crimes”, one of my favorite characters, Detective Lt. Provenza, has a tag line that he lives by. “It’s always the husband, it’s always the husband it’s ALWAYS the husband.” Of course, on the show it isn’t ALWAYS the husband, but it plays to the sad statistic that when a woman is murdered, the odds are that her murderer is going to be her husband or boyfriend. It probably doesn’t surprise you that when I first heard of the book “It’s Always The Husband” by Michele Campbell that this phrase was going through my head. But like on “Major Crimes”, I had a feeling going in that it would be a bit more complicated than the steadfast and all too real adage that Provenza likes to toss about.The story is told through two time periods that tend to flip flop from one to the other. The first is twenty years in the past, when three women start their freshman year of college at a prestigious school in New England. Aubrey is the girl who got there solely on her brains, and is escaping an impoverished life back in Nevada. Jenny is a townie who has ambitions and hopes to become more than her small town expectations. And Kate is the entitled and rick party girl, who expects life to be handed to her. Their differences were stark and while I had a hard time believing that they would have been as close as the book makes them out to be (specifically Jenny; I just don’t believe that she would have put up with Kate’s bullshit), I felt like they were all well explored and fleshed out. I liked seeing how they changed and shifted in their personalities from their freshman year to the present day, when they have all gone their separate ways and established themselves. I also liked that none of them were all good, or all bad. While Kate was absolutely a wretched and toxic human being, Campbell threw in some background and plot points that humanized her. While Jenny was determined and incredibly competent, and absolutely my favorite of the three main characters, she makes stupid decisions and mistakes that I wanted to smack her upside the head for. And Aubrey is so damaged and innocent that you definitely feel sorry for her, but a dark side lingers there, and when it rears it’s ugly head you can’t help but be a bit freaked out by it. As a reader I cared about all of them in some way, and was invested in how things turned out for all of them, and who it was that ended up on that bridge. It may also be a testament to how good the narrator was on this audiobook, as she varied her voices and inflections for each character wonderfully.The mystery itself was very well done. The clues to what happened are laid out in both the past and the present, giving hints both in actions and the characters personality traits. This book definitely kept me guessing as it went on, and I never had a complete handle on what the ultimate solution was, which I really liked. My thoughts and opinions shifted in the ways that Campbell probably wanted them to, and I didn’t even mind that I was being led about like a puppet on a string because it was so fun to be taken on this journey. It eventually becomes clear just who it is on the bridge, but even getting to that first reveal was a fun trip to take, and it was even more enticing to find out who put her in that position, and why.I will say that there were a couple of things that I took umbrage with. For one, there is a storyline with the new Chief of police in town who is investigating the murder, Owen. He goes in completely biased, as he had a VERY short dalliance with the victim before she ends up dead, and I found myself just irritated with everything about him and his motivations. I also found it a bit hard to swallow that an unexpected dinner with a woman who didn’t even give him her real name would affect him so much, no matter how magnetic she was, and it felt like an unnecessary way to throw in some drama. There are plenty of cops who try to fit evidence to a perp as opposed to the other way around without having a personal connection to the victim, so that seemed a bit superfluous. And this book also does that thing that I just cannot stand, in that in the last page and paragraphs of the book a FINAL TWIST is revealed. Man, that made me roll my eyes super hard. But unlike other books that have implemented this strategy in my recent reading, I enjoyed this one enough for everything else that I couldn’t hold it totally against it. Just know that it’s coming.“It’s Always The Husband” was a sudsy and compelling thriller that I had a great time listening to. While it had some flaws, overall I greatly enjoyed it. And I think that it would truly get Provenza to rethink his usual mantra.
    • 4/5
      3.5 stars. This book was entertaining but I wanted a little more mystery and suspense. He first half read very fast and had an addictive quality that had me reading late into the night but the second half had a much slower pace. Overall, it was a quick read and a decent mystery. Love the title!
    • 4/5
      This book really impressed me in places. It's not often that you get such a detailed background about a person's life before you read about all that went into trying to capture her killer.

      It would be easy to giveaway spoilers for this book and so I'll keep this review short... is anyone in this story really innocent?

      I would recommend this book to folks who like an unreliable narrator. Not that the narrators in this are unreliable, but there is the same feeling of surprise from some of the characters and the lack or trust in others. I found myself going back and rereading passages that had details that I missed the first time. I wouldn't be surprised if this book gets more buzz soon or even gets turned into a movie.
    • 5/5
      This was a great murder mystery, unlike any I have ever read. Starts off with a death of a woman, whose identity isn't revealed until you get far deeper into the story. The deeper you go, the more suspects you find as well. This mystery keeps you guessing until the end. And just when you think you have been given the true killer's identity, it laughs at you, pointing and screaming "Guess again!"

      This is a unique take on a mystery in the sense that it makes you become enamored with the three main characters, Aubrey, Jenny, and Kate. Then it reveals the victim, who had the most to gain from their death, and ultimately the real killer's identity. Highly, highly recommending this to any readers I come across in the future.
    • 5/5
      Kate, Aubrey and Jenny meet at a prestigious college as roommates and become friends for life. However, all friendships have a price, and these three paid it when a tragedy that affected them all occurred while they were in college that had ramifications later on. There are numerous twists in this tale that compelled me to read on since every time I thought I had it figured out, I was proven wrong. It was a fascinating story!
    • 3/5
      This novel follows three girls, college roommates and best friends for life. Each one is very different from the other and each one comes from a different background. Kate is a magnet for all things bad….drugs, alcohol, and men! Jenny is the mother hen. She tries to fix everything that goes wrong. And Aubrey, well, she is from the wrong side of the tracks and follows Kate wherever she leads. One of them ends up dead! This is a slow read. Well, maybe I should say, it is laying the ground work for the finale, which is a WOW moment. It does pick up about half way through the book and then moves pretty rapidly. I did figure out the murderer. The author drops several hints and if you are paying attention….YOU GOT IT! It is overly dramatic in places but, that could be because you are dealing with young adults through most of this read. It rotates between time periods, the girls college years and around their 40 year old selves. I did not enjoy any of the characters and I do think that was intentional by the author. I believe this is why the first part of this novel to moved slowly. I probably would have enjoyed it more if I related to one of the girls. This is an interesting mystery that CAN leave you guessing till the end. I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.
    • 4/5
      4.5 starsIT’S ALWAYS THE HUSBAND brought to mind something my mother would say if she thought a friend was a bad influence, “with friends like that you don’t need enemies.”The past never really dies, usually coming back to haunt, and often bite, as it does in IT’S ALWAYS THE HUSBAND. Ms. Campbell opens with someone being encouraged to jump from a bridge. Who and why we discover later, after a trip down memory lane to explain the why if not the who.Kate, Aubrey, and Jenny meet as roommates freshman year at Carlisle College and become known as The Whipple Triplets. They vow to always be there for each other and they are, in their own pernicious way.The character driven plot isn’t for those inclined toward action packed adventures. That being said, only one of the characters in Ms. Campbell’s debut was likeable. Yet, as disagreeable as they were I was sucked in by my curiosity regarding who was on the bridge and why.Hats off to Ms. Campbell. IT’S ALWAYS THE HUSBAND kept me questioning my deductions right until the bitter, satisfying end.Reviewed for Miss Ivy's Book Nook & Novels Alive TV
    • 5/5
      Michele Campbell, in It's Always the Husband, crafts a story that offers the reader several characters who are flawed and in many ways unlikable but also developed to the point that, if the reader has the ability to empathize, will cause some conflicted feelings. As a reader I tend to like the idea of more nuanced characters than ones that only illicit the very basic like or dislike response.Three young women, Aubrey, Jenny and Kate, are thrown together as freshmen at an Ivy league-ish school. The story goes back and forth from that year in college and a period about 22 years later. These characters have come from different backgrounds and so have very different issues to deal with and drastically different coping mechanisms. It is primarily through their coping strategies, both short term and long, that we see the dark and ugly sides of each of them. Yet each, even Kate, has some redeeming qualities, even if those qualities are mostly hidden and deformed by their pasts.As a mystery it offers enough options for who "did it" that even though you likely made the correct guess at some point only the most desperate to appear superior will claim it was obvious from early in the story. but, as with every mystery, there are those who "knew" who did it after the first word, kinda like "Name that Tune." Well, we are living in the time of alternative facts so whatever floats their tiny boat. You will pick the correct person, as well as the wrong ones, since that is what the process of reading and thinking leads us to do.The first part was a little slow but was necessary to give enough background for each as well as display the dynamics of their relationship so that we don't take the simplistic route of just liking or disliking without trying to understand each character's rationale. Make no mistake, you will find some actions reprehensible and, like me, you probably would not like them in real life. But this is a novel and without these people being who and what they are we would have no story, so...I would recommend this to readers of the mystery/thriller genre who like complex characters who spend a lot of time in the grey areas of life. The thriller part is later in the book but does get going once we have a solid foundation. This is most definitely a character driven novel rather than action. If you have to like one of the characters in order to like a book, this may not be your cup of tea, these people are not part of some either/or universe but one more resembling real life with both good and bad qualities and many in between.Reviewed from a copy made available through Goodreads' First Reads.
    • 2/5
      For me this book was just ok. I never really connected with the characters. The first chapter (which was only a page and a half) got me hooked. The more I read the less I cared. I found the story predictable and had solved the "mystery" before the end.
    • 4/5
      I would like to thank NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Michele Campbell, for the ARC or "It's Always the Husband" by Michele Campbell for my honest review.The genres of this story are Women's Fiction, Fiction, Mystery and Suspense. The timeline of the story occurs within a 20 year period exploring the past and present. The setting of the story is in a college and college town. This is where we meet the characters. I find that the author describes the characters as complex, flawed and complicated. Kate, Jenny and Aubrey are introduced as three young college roommates. The three girls have different personalities, and come from different backgrounds. Kate is extremely wealthy and on the one hand seems to feel entitled to many things. Kate's father is involved with the Board of the College. Kate is out-going, appears confident, loves partying, and breaking the rules. At other times, Kate seems very unhappy. Jenny comes from a stable hardworking family, and is motivated to achieve success. Studious, staying on task and achieving her goals her very important to Jenny. Aubrey comes from extreme poverty and has been lucky to get a scholarship. The author portrays Aubrey as an insecure, innocent, lost and naive. Somehow the three roommates become friends, and have ambivalent feelings towards one another. They do promise to be friends for life. During their college years, there is a tragic event, which places stress on their relationships with further consequences. There are twists and turns and lots of tension. Twenty years later, the three women have married. The author shows us how the characters have changed and shown growth, in good and bad ways. The women live near each other and stay in touch. In this story there is loyalty and betrayal, jealousy, adultery, and murder. Of course any of the characters could be suspect. Somehow the police focus on the husband. "Is it always the husband?" There is heightened suspense, and the ending is quite a surprise!! I certainly was caught off guard. I would recommend this intriguing and suspenseful mystery.
    • 4/5
      *I received this book through a GoodReads Giveaway.*The author truly does keep one guessing in this contemporary mystery centered around three college roommates, each from a very different background, whose friendship may not be as strong as they claim. I don't want to give away the story, but I will say I was impressed by the author, who very carefully kept one guessing who the real killer might be and holding the final revelation for the very last page. Highly recommended for those who enjoy mysteries and thrillers.
    • 5/5
      What can I say about this book? I think (I read it several days ago) that the major thing I remember is the ending. The ending was never ending, the author kept coming back and adding just a little more. Just when you think you know what happened on the bridge, the story is added to. Then back to the other plots going on and then back to the bridge, another addition. So now you know. Then back to the other plots, then bridge, then another addition. And, again you know. This happens several times and each time, my jaw dropped. Until the last two or three pages of the book, then my reaction was "OMG".I loved this book. This story of three girls rooming together in college and then growing up leading their own respective lives. Always in contact until the children and life came around, but they always made time for each other. And, the differences in these girls. They definitely would not have picked each other out to be friends. However, they did go through a lot together during their time in college.I would definitely recommend this book. The story from the first page to the last kept me very intrigued and mesmerized. And, the ending, "WOW".Thanks to St. Martin's Press and Net Galley for approving and allowing me to read and review this book. Again, "WOW"!!!
    • 1/5
      This is one of the books that I was really looking forward to reading. Yet, I was lucky to just get a third of the way into the story. None of the three women were appealing, especially Kate. She came off as a self-centered bitch. Actually, I felt for her in the beginning seeing how her family treated her and wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt but that is not how the story was leading. Jenny was not much of a friend. It was like she matured and wanted to forget about her college years. Aubrey lived in denial. Even when she was faced with facts, she did not react. The husband in question is a douche. Whatever may have happened to him if anything he deserved it. I so wanted to know what happened back in the past that lead to the present but try as I might, I could not ignore how unlikeable the women were. I guess I will just be kept guessing what the shocking conclusion was.
    • 4/5
      I really enjoyed the book. I loved the writing style and the story. The three main characters were not very likable but it didn't matter because I wanted to keep reading about them. Kate, Jenny and Aubrey are roommates in college and call themselves friends. The term friends needs to be used very loosely. The girls come from three different backgrounds and probably wouldn't have associated with each other if they didn't share a room. Before the school year is up, the death of a classmate has occurred, and the friends lie about the events of that night. Kate returns to the college town years later where both Jenny and Aubrey live with their husbands. Then tragedy strikes again. Similar to what happened all those years ago. I kept changing my mind on who was the killer. I think I went through each person convinced they were the killer. Loved the ending because I never saw it coming. The book definitely kept me entertained and held my attention. I look forward to reading more books by the author. Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and the author, Michele Campbell, for a free electronic ARC of this novel.