How to Murder a Marriage by Gabrielle St. George. Photo: Sarabeth Pollock
Let’s be honest. There’s nothing quite like a good true crime story, and Gabrielle St. George’s new book How to Murder a Marriage is like stepping into the middle of one. When Gina gets drawn into the middle of a dispute between a terrified woman and her angry husband things get ugly very quickly.
Gina is a bestselling relationship advice author who is starting a new phase of her life. With her marriage behind her and her four kids all away at college, she moves to the family cabin at Lake Huron to be closer to her relatives. She hires a contractor, handsome Hugh McTavish, to handle all of the renovations. She thinks life is about to get easier now that she’s moved away from the city to the country, but she’s very wrong.
Gina responds to a fan’s letter asking for advice about her abusive husband. Gina’s advice is to leave, so when the woman ends up missing and her angry husband starts stalking her, she doesn’t know what to do. All she knows is that she’s getting drawn into something dark and dangerous and there are lives on the line.
Hugh and Gina’s cousin Florrie find themselves caught up in the middle of the drama and soon all three are trying to solve the mystery and save themselves from an unseen threat.
How to Murder a Marriage is the first installment of St. George’s new The Ex-Whisperer Files series and if ever there was a book that needs to be made into a movie, it’s this one. The whole thing reads like a movie come to life, splashing across the pages with reckless abandon.
The book is charming and funny, never taking itself too seriously despite the serious nature of the story. You can’t help but feel sorry for poor Gina, who is only trying to move on with her life. Her own ex is a disaster, making the whole situation even worse. Thankfully, Hugh is there to be the rock that she needs when she needs a tether.
One of the things that really stands out about the story is when Gina discovers how hard it is to press charges against someone in a stalking case, particularly in Canada. Countless women have encountered or been threatened by stalkers, and pressing charges is next to impossible. As the sheriff in the story notes, “The system does suck.” It’s gut wrenching to think that people can get away with as much as they can before law enforcement is able to step in, as Gina learns firsthand.
How to Murder a Marriage would make for an excellent book club selection. It’s an eye-opening, edge-of-your-seat thriller full of surprises, a big mystery and lots of heart.
