My Darling Husband

Written by Kimberly Belle

Narrated by Seth Podowitz, Natalie Duke and Charlie Kevin

Everyone is about to know what her husband isn’t telling her...

Jade and Cam Lasky are by all accounts a happily married couple with two adorable kids, a spacious home and a rapidly growing restaurant business. But their world is tipped upside down when Jade is confronted by a masked home invader. As Cam scrambles to gather the ransom money, Jade starts to wonder if they’re as financially secure as their lifestyle suggests, and what other secrets her husband is keeping from her.

Cam may be a good father, a celebrity chef and a darling husband, but there’s another side he’s kept hidden from Jade that has put their family in danger. Unbeknownst to Cam and Jade, the home invader has been watching them and is about to turn their family secrets into a public scandal.

With riveting twists and a breakneck pace, My Darling Husband is an utterly compelling thriller that once again showcases Kimberly Belle’s exceptional talent for domestic suspense.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperAudio
• Release date: Jan 5, 2022
• ISBN: 9781867242109

Kimberly Belle

Kimberly Belle is the USA Today and internationally bestselling author of five novels of suspense. Her third, The Marriage Lie, was a semifinalist in the 2017 Goodreads Choice Awards for Best Mystery & Thriller, and has been translated into a dozen languages. Before turning to fiction, Kimberly worked in marketing and nonprofit fundraising. 

Reviews for My Darling Husband

[nyiper · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Whew!!! Quite the page turner.... There are just enough twists in the story to make you wonder what's up and what's down! Although she explained in the author's note where the idea came from...it's still amazing to be able to write with such detail.

[dreesie-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Another solid domestic thriller from Belle.Love the twists and turns, the red herrings, the fast pace. These are perfect audiobooks for me--fast and twisty, yet somehow I don't get confused or miss things even when not giving my undivided attention.Jade and her kids come home to a home invasion as they pull into their garage. They are being held for ransom, as her celebrity-chef husband runs around town trying to drum up the cash ransom in just hours. Why is he taking so long--he's a celebrity chef with several successful restaurants. And what's with the weird ransom amount?Yes, it's mostly unbelievable. Which, frankly, makes it more fun and less creepy.

[lorikboyd · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book had my heart pumping, pulse racing and gave me a knot in my stomach. I would put it down, then seconds later pick it up again because I had to know what happened next. Scary, twisted and so eerily realistic. I usually can’t read in the car, but this one kept my nose in the book during a long car ride! Perfect suspense novel with lots of twists and turns.Jade and Cam Lasky are a perfect couple .. beautiful, rich, owning a chain of high end steak houses. Happily married with 2 precocious children. But, you can’t get to these heights without making enemies, whether intentional or not, real or imagined. Their perfect life takes a chilling turn when Jade and her children are taken hostage in their home by a masked intruder. With an odd monetary demand and a race against the clock, Cam, already having a bad day, is faced with trying to solve a puzzle while his families life is ticking away. Jade is full blown Mama Bear, trying to keep her kids calm and safe while trying to get to the bottom of the intruder’s demands and identity. Story is told thru Cam, Jade, Intruder and thru an interview, which really keeps the reader engaged and the story moving fast! Thanks to Ms. Belle, Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC. Opinion is mine alone.

[gpangel_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

My Darling Husband by Kimberly Belle is a 2022 Park Row Books publication. Jake and Cam are living the life. Jake is a celebrity chef and provides his family with a comfortable lifestyle. But a home invasion changes everything. Jade and her two children are held captive in their home, while Cam is instructed to gather ransom money to keep his family alive. While Cam calls in favors and furiously scrambles to gather the required amount of cash, Jade is left to wonder why her family has been targeted, as secrets float to the surface, exposing the dark corners in her marriage for all the world to see…The home invasion premise is always one of the most intense crime fiction scenarios. A ticking clock, the constant threat of injury or death, intense, anxious criminals, are fertile ground for revelations to surface, which is what happens here. I thought Cam relating the story in hindsight was unique, gives the reader a little break from the intensity, and never gives anything away in advance, other than Cam has been ripped apart by the press, he is now ‘canceled’, and carries around a massive chip on his shoulder. It will now be up to the reader to decide if Cam’s fate is deserved. Still, for the story to work, it must be properly paced, and well-constructed and the author did an admiral job with both. The characters aren’t as well defined as I would have liked, but the surprises are well-timed, and mostly effective. The safety of two young children helps to increase the urgency and might even have saved the story from being just another run of the mill domestic thriller.This is a solid effort by Kimberly Belle. It checks all the right boxes for a psychological/domestic thriller and delivers, overall, in all the ways that really matter. 3.5 stars

[bookchickdi · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In Kimberly Belle's newest thriller My Darling Husband, Jade's life, while hectic, is pretty good. Her husband Cam is one of Atlanta's most celebrated chefs, known as the Steak King of Atlanta. He owns several popular high-end restaurants, and they live in a McMansion in a wealthy neighborhood.Jade spends her days shuttling her nine year-old daughter Beatrix, a possible violin prodigy, and six year-old son Baxter, a typical energetic little boy, between school and activities. One day they returned home to find a masked man with a gun in their garage.Frightened, Jade offers to give him her SUV, her wallet, phone, anything, if he will just leave. But that is not what he wants. He moves them all into the house and instructs Jade to call Cam and tell him that if her doesn't bring a very specific large sum of money to him by 7pm, he will kill the family.Cam is dealing with a disasterous fire in his most profitable restaurant when Jade calls him. Although he tells the man he can't get that much cash in that short a period of time, the man reiterates his threat to Jade and the children.The masked man knows a lot about Jade's husband, and tells her that her husband isn't the successful, wonderful man she thinks he is. Jade has to use her wits to figure out who this man is and how to keep him from hurting her children. The action moves between Jade in the house and Cam racing to find enough money to save his family.My Darling Husband is breakneck thriller that gets parents right where they live- the safety of their children's lives. Your heart will pound as you read, and you'll wrack your brain as you try to figure out along with Jade how this man knows so much about Jade and Cam.This novel has all the makings of a great Lifetime thriller movie, I wouldn't be surprised to see it next year on my television screen. If domestic thrillers are your favorite reads, My Darling Husband should be next up on your list.Thanks to Harlequin for putting me on their Fall 2021 Mystery & Thriller Blog Tour.

[jhscolloquium · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Bestselling author Kimberly Belles says that My Darling Husband is "a story rooted in truth." A significant number of violent crimes occur in Atlanta, Georgia every year, including many home invasion robberies. It happened to someone she knew. A woman found two armed strangers waiting for her in her garage when she came home. Holding her and her two young children at gunpoint, they forced their way into the residence and demanded "a very large and strangely specific ransom from her husband." They tied her to a chair and broke her jaw. Eventually, she was able to escape and get help by flagging down a passing motorist. But it was not a random crime. "The ransom amount was a number they’d gotten off a bank statement pilfered from the mailbox," according to Belle. Belle says the ordeal that woman and other crime victims survived "wouldn't leave me alone." She asked herself, "What would I have done in that mother's shoes? How far would I go to save my children?" Her musings provided the structure for Jade Lasky's experiences in My Darling Husband.There are few crimes more frightening than home invasions and Belle takes readers on a horrifyingly realistic journey with Jade, who is enjoying a pretty charmed life. She enjoyed a meaningful career designing offices and boutiques before marrying, but has used her skills and experience to create a beautiful home for her family and design the restaurants owned and operated by her handsome ("six and a half feet of big, Mediterranean man"), charismatic husband, Cam. A celebrated chef, Cam is known as Atlanta's Steak King. Beatrix, their nine-year-old daughter is a sassy, energetic, and perfectionistic violin prodigy, while Baxter is an adorable six-year-old. Cam has branched out, opening several restaurants but the flagship store is critical to the enterprise's financial survival. As the story opens, Jade observes the same "skeevy" man dressed in all black with a distinctive "comb-over man bun" in the parking lot of Beatrix's music school that she has previously seen at the gym and grocery store. She calls Cam to tell him that the man has appeared yet again, seemingly following her, and learns that there has been an electrical fire at the flagship restaurant, caused by faulty wiring right next to a giant tub of cooking oil. When she asks Cam how bad the fire was, he responds, "On a scale of one to ten? Four hundred and fifty-seven." But Jade's day is about to get much, much worse.Belle employs a first-person narrative from Jade to relate her experiences. In terrifying detail, she describes pulling into her garage with Beatrix and Baxter in the car and finding a "black figure in the shadows." Her first thought is, naturally, of her children. "This is parenthood in a nutshell: utter terror for your children's welfare, always." She quickly confirms that there is, in fact, "a man, looming in my garage. Breathing the same air." He's wearing a mask and wielding a gun. And from that point on, Belle takes readers on a hellish journey with Jade as she attempts to learn who the man is and why he has targeted her and her children. Things only become murkier when he orders her to call Cam and tell him to bring $734,296.00 in cash to the house . . . and not alert the police. The specific ransom demand is puzzling, and the man smiles when he instructs Jade to "'tell your darling husband seven o'clock or else.' Almost like a dare."Belle also relates Cam's story via a first-person narrative that reveals how deeply Cam loves his wife and children. But Cam's business dealings have been, unbeknownst to Jade, quite complicated. In fact, they are a dangerous house of cards that Cam feverishly tries to keep from collapsing as he frantically scurries about town trying to borrow money and liquidate assets in order to pay the ransom and save his family. Even as Belle deftly exposes Cam's nefarious motives and affiliations, not to mention his downright despicable choices, she manages to endear him to readers by also examining the reasons for his actions, his emotional struggles, and acknowledgment of his mistakes. Cam is cornered and shamed, but he is committed to his family.Easily the most effective literary technique used by Belle is her inclusion of alternating chapters detailing, in salient chunks, an interview of Cam being conducted by a local television reporter months after the home invasion. It is the first time Cam has spoken to the media and is occurring at his request because he has decided it is "time to set the record straight." Belle cuts away from the interview to the aforementioned time-stamped narratives of Jade and Cam without revealing whether Jade and the children are still alive or if their assailant was captured, compelling the story forward in an almost cinematic manner. Interestingly, she drafted the entire story before deciding to add the chapters depicting the interview which she "thought . . . would make it a little more interesting." Indeed it does. My Darling Husband is a fast-paced, wholly believable thriller into which Belle injects shocking revelations at expertly-timed junctures. Her characters are fully developed and sympathetic -- especially "the B's," Beatrix and Baxter, who quickly make their way into readers' hearts and remain there for the duration. Jade is intelligent and resilient, and confronted with horrific, unimaginable choices. But she heroically remains observant and calculating as she works to outsmart her abductor. Belle's story is cleverly plotted and scarily plausible. Once again, she explores a marital relationship with compassion and finesse, as readers ponder how many lies and deceptions it can sustain . . . assuming that Jade and her children survive. Once again, Belle proves her storytelling prowess by creating empathetic and credible characters who find themselves in ghastly, terrifying circumstances. It is a heart-pounding, harrowing, and brilliantly drafted thriller. One of the best books of 2021.Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader's Copy of the book.

[rmarcin-630843 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Happy Publication Day to Kimberly Belle and My Darling Husband! I opened this book today and read it straight through. My heart was racing as I felt the stress experienced by Jade and her children, Beatrice and Baxter. I felt the tension in Cam as he struggled to rescue them. And, I was tense throughout the drama of the home invasion, the reason for it, and the financial stress and struggle the characters were feeling. I also thought the commentary on the healthcare system in this country was spot on. I also loved how the ending is just a bit vague. Kudos Kimberly Belle!

[twink_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

My Darling Husband is bestselling author Kimberly Belle's newest domestic suspense novel. Jade and Cam have it all - five successful restaurants, two adorable children, a beautiful house and numerous luxuries. They're living large.Someone else knows that as well. What could be more frightening than a home invasion? A home invasion when your children are home. That's what happens when Jade. What the invader is demanding is is a very specific amount of money - and Cam has a limited time to come up with it.Great setup! My Darling Husband is actually told from three points of view - Jade, Cam and the invader. As readers, we're privy to the details that Jade doesn't have. Suffice it to say that Cam has been keeping secrets from Jade. Not unexpected in this genre.Jade is feisty and resists the captor both physically and verbally, even as she tries to figure out why he has chosen their family and home to invade. As she gathers info from her interactions with him, she begins to have her own suspicions - about Cam.The timeline has now and then movement. We're in the present with Cam as he scrambles to put together the cash. But we're also in the future as he gives an interview to a reporter about the events. The captor's point of view lets the listener know a bit more than Jade does. However, Belle caught my off guard with unexpected developments in the last bit of the plot that surprised me. (Surprises are good!) Without providing spoilers, there's definitely some social commentary woven into the invader's impetus and the book's epilogue. My Darling Husband was a fast paced, action based listen. There were a few situations where I had to suspend disbelief, but overall an entertaining entry in the domestic suspense genre.I chose to listen to My Darling Husband. Natalie Duke, Seth Podowitz and Charlie Kevin were the performers. They all did an excellent job. Each played one of the three main players and employed voices that absolutely suited the characters. Within those characters there are interactions with other characters and each narrator conjured up yet another voice for those situations. Each reader was easy to understand, pleasant to listen to and spoke clearly. There's lots of emotion in the book and each narrator easily captured and portrayed the action, situations and more.

[bettytaylor56 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

3:18 pm - Jade Lasky pulls into her home garage. With her are her two children Bea and Bax. Unknown to her, someone else is in the garage. A masked and armed man forces them into their house. 4:07 pm - Cam Lasky, Atlanta celebrity chef, gets a call from his wife. She tells him she and her children are being held hostage. He has until 7pm to deliver $734,296 cash or she and their children die.The next four hours are a nightmare as Jade fights to protect her children and to find a way out, and Cam races against time to save his family. The story is told from the perspectives of Jade, Cam, and the intruder. Tying it all together is a media interview with Cam. As we wait for Cam to get the money, the chapters with Jade dragged on with not much happening in the house. But the finale is worth the wait. There is one big surprise that I didn’t see coming, but, thinking back, it made perfect sense.I liked the characters; nine-year-old Bea is my hero. I even liked the intruder…a little bit.

[bookanonjeff · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Hole E Sheet! Belle tosses us into the fire from the get-go... and only turns up the gas. All the way until the closing moments. If you're a fan of Panic Room / The Purge type thrillers, you're going to *love* this one, where roughly half of the action takes place as a stranger holds a family inside their house - with the other half being the husband/ father of the family racing to try to save them. An interesting story mechanic is also thrown in for good measure, and between the heavy foreshadowing with this and the frequent (usually chapter heading) timestamps driving just how quickly the clock is turning to the pivotal moment... you really are in for a wild ride with this one. There *is* some minor commentary late that is more YMMV, and while it does speak to motivations (as close as I'll get to mentioning anything remotely specific), it isn't actually truly essential to anything. Which is why its inclusion is a bit of an irritating note in the aftertaste of the book, but isn't any real reason to like the book any less. If you want to end your year on a bang... you might consider making sure you have this book when it releases in the week between Christmas and New Year's 2021. :) Very much recommended.