Freida McFadden has rapidly gone from being a prolific author of addictive psychological thrillers to becoming an institution. Each of her novels is unique, featuring characters who are easy to follow but difficult to know --- and she always throws a significant plot twist or two into the mix to keep you constantly on your toes.

McFadden’s latest release is no exception. THE DIVORCE really ramps up the suspense in a story that appears to be straightforward until she pulls the rug right out from under you. The Prologue hurtles us directly into a scene that will be revisited midway through the novel. Someone is in a house with two dead bodies as police sirens draw closer. This is just the start of what is bound to be another well-plotted Freida McFadden thriller.

"THE DIVORCE is impossible to put down once you start it. Following the change in narration, you should lock all your doors and plan for a few undisturbed hours before this wild ride comes to an end."

Naomi returns to her posh Long Island house with her young son, Teddy, only to find that her keys aren’t working. Her husband, Jeremy, eventually emerges and says that he had planned to surprise her with some major home renovations that would have them relocate temporarily to his late parents’ old apartment until the work is finished. He also indicates that he changed the locks because all the contractors will be in and out of the house during their absence, a reason that later will seem ridiculous to her when she ponders it further.

Jeremy gives Naomi the keys to their new digs and says that he and Teddy will see her the next day. She arrives at the apartment and begins to get a weird feeling about the situation. To Naomi’s mother, it sounds like Jeremy is kicking her daughter out and most likely is having an affair. Naomi scoffs at this theory, but as she begins to dig deeper and question him, his answers seem odd and his behavior is not at all typical. In quick succession, she is hit with divorce papers and later spies Jeremy kissing a much younger woman.
 
With her supposedly happy marriage crumbling around her, Naomi will do anything to try to repair it. She ignores emails and letters from Jeremy’s attorney and insists that they pursue marriage counseling. When she finally accepts the reality and attempts to secure her own lawyer, she finds that Jeremy has cornered the market and retained all the top names in the area. Naomi’s behavior becomes increasingly erratic, and eventually the intriguing scene from the Prologue comes into play, though I will not reveal the particulars here.

McFadden then takes us completely by surprise by retelling the entire story from the point of view of Jeremy’s girlfriend, Veronica. Not only is this pivot insanely clever, it will force you to decide which of the two women at the heart of this tale is the unreliable narrator and who the true victim is. 

THE DIVORCE is impossible to put down once you start it. Following the change in narration, you should lock all your doors and plan for a few undisturbed hours before this wild ride comes to an end.