THE DECEIT

The threat of a secret imperils the balance between a husband and wife. Who is the person determined to reveal the past?

Not all the love between Lenny and Claire has translated into a happy marriage. After more than a decade together, a pair of school-age twins, Jake and Emily, and a bearded dragon named Bob, the couple seem more like roommates than husband and wife. Claire’s even gone so far as to ask Lenny for an open marriage so that he can enjoy some of the intimacy she can’t find it in herself to give him. As the story unfolds in alternating chapters from each of their perspectives, Lenny longs for a time when he and Claire were deeply in love, and he feels conflicted about his new relationship with Saskia, another parent from the school. Claire presents herself as an overworked personal trainer trying to do what’s right for her family but unable to move beyond a startling secret in her past, a secret she’s never been able to share with Lenny. But the truth may be at hand. Lenny’s been receiving text messages that tell him, “Your wife is a liar.” Though he’s not inclined to believe them, Claire’s distant behavior has him wondering. Ostensibly uncomplicated events like the arrival of new neighbors and a come-on to Claire from a client’s husband are tinged with creepiness and suspense. Will Claire be able to keep the past in the past, or will something—or someone—nefariously push their spin on the truth on the couple and drive them apart forever?

The fast-moving flow from placid family life to a deeply disturbing secret drives this suspenseful tale.