Title: The Husbands by Chandler Baker
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Genre: Contemporary, Domestic Mystery
Length: 352 pages
Book Rating: B
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley
Summary:
To what lengths will a woman go for a little more help from her husband?
Nora Spangler is a successful attorney but when it comes to domestic life, she packs the lunches, schedules the doctor appointments, knows where the extra paper towel rolls are, and designs and orders the holiday cards. Her husband works hard, too… but why does it seem like she is always working so much harder?
When the Spanglers go house hunting in Dynasty Ranch, an exclusive suburban neighborhood, Nora meets a group of high-powered women—a tech CEO, a neurosurgeon, an award-winning therapist, a bestselling author—with enviably supportive husbands. When she agrees to help with a resident’s wrongful death case, she is pulled into the lives of the women there. She finds the air is different in Dynasty Ranch. The women aren’t hanging on by a thread.
But as the case unravels, Nora uncovers a plot that may explain the secret to having-it-all. One that’s worth killing for. Calling to mind a Stepford Wives gender-swap, New York Times bestselling author of Whisper Network Chandler Baker’s The Husbands imagines a world where the burden of the “second shift” is equally shared—and what it may take to get there.
Review:
The Husbands by Chandler Baker is a clever mystery with a topical storyline.
Nora Spangler is a personal injury lawyer who is up for partner at the law firm where she works. She is also married with a young daughter. Nora’s frustrations with husband Hayden’s lack of help at home is reaching the breaking point. With their family expanding, they are considering moving into a larger home. Attending an open house in the exclusive Dynasty Ranch neighborhood, Nora falls in with the home’s amenities. As she meets more of her perspective neighbors, she begins to notice how involved the husbands are with shouldering their share (and more) of the domestic duties. Nora is soon asked to represent Penny March in the wrongful death case of her husband, Peter. With her investigation into Peter’s horrific death beginning to take shape, Nora starts noticing troubling similarities in the Dynasty Ranch husbands. What, if anything is happening in this close-knit community? And what will happen when Nora accidentally stumbles onto the truth in the wrongful death case?
Nora loves Hayden but her building resentment is affecting their marriage. She is expected to work extra hours at the law firm if she expects to make partner. Her boss is also demanding and somewhat inept when it comes to ordinary tasks at the office. As Nora juggles all of these different areas of her life, she is bound to drop a ball or two. The question is, which part of her life might suffer the worst consequences?
Dynasty Ranch is home to uber successful women who are extremely intelligent and ambitious. Nora is happy to be included in their ranks but she continues to harbor reservations about Peter’s wrongful death case. She greatly admires Penny but is the widow revealing everything she knows about the fire that killed her husband? And are the residents being entirely truthful with Nora as she continues gathering evidence for the case.
Chandler Baker’s The Husbands is an engrossing mystery that highlights the “second shift” many mothers end up working after their paying job. Nora is a realistic blend of loving and irritated with her husband. Hayden is a great dad and loving husband, yet he is totally clueless about how much he dumps on his wife’s shoulders. The women of Dynasty Ranch have achieved marriages that are true partnerships. Will Nora and Hayden make the move to the tranquil enclave where equal marriages abound? Will Nora stop trying to understand what was going on in Peter’s life that contributed to his death? And was his death a tragic accident? Or something far more sinister?
