A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick
I ran across this book when it first came out and it sounded odd and dark and a bit morbid…meaning, right up my alley. Sure enough I loved it, couldn’t put it down, sat through stop lights reading this book. It’s certainly not for everyone. It’s not one of those books I’d insist everyone read in fact, but I thought it was fantastic.
It’s definitely dark and more than a little twisted…and if you are a bit prudish then don’t even consider it.
Here’s the synopsis… He placed a notice in a Chicago paper, an advertisement for “a reliable wife.” She responded, saying that she was “a simple, honest woman.” She was, of course, anything but honest, and the only simple thing about her was her single-minded determination to marry this man and then kill him, slowly and carefully, leaving her a wealthy widow, able to take care of the one she truly loved. What Catherine Land did not realize was that the enigmatic and lonely Ralph Truitt had a plan of his own. And what neither anticipated was that they would fall so completely in love. Filled with unforgettable characters, and shimmering with color and atmosphere, A Reliable Wife is an enthralling tale of love and madness, of longing and murder.
I wouldn’t read the reviews first if I was you. They are all over the place and very mixed. No help at all. Like I said it’s not for everyone. Which is probably why I loved it. Things that are “one size fit all” bore me to nauseum. I have no idea how to spell that word and the spell checker doesn’t either.
