bookchickdi: For Better and Worse by Margot Hunt

Friday, December 14, 2018

For Better and Worse by Margot Hunt

For Better and Worse by Margot Hunt
Published by Mira ISBN 9781488088544
Trade paperback, $16.99, 336 pages

Margot Hunt's For Better and Worse begins with Natalie and Will Clarke meeting in law school, and soon they fell in love and married. Natalie and Will were very different- she was serious, decisive and driven, knowing from the beginning that she wanted to be criminal defense lawyer. Will was more laid back, handsome and athletic, and he made Natalie laugh.

On their first date they joke about committing the perfect murder, how to do it, how to cover it up and get away with it. Seventeen years later, it comes back to haunt them.

Nat doesn't know why Will is suddenly so angry with her. He hates her family organization calendar, hates knowing exactly what they are going to have for dinner every night. Nat notices that Will now uses a password for his phone and he is frequently texting someone. Is he having an affair?

That falls to the wayside however when their eleven-year-old son Jacob's school principal is accused of molesting a troubled student. Nat and Will doubt the accusation at first; they have known the man for twenty years, were good friends with him and his ex-wife.

When Jacob tells Nat that the principal molested him on a class trip, Nat is infuriated. She has defended people accused of this crime and she knows what trauma Jacob will be put through if he tells what he knows and has to testify at a trial.

The only solution to the problem as Nat sees it is to kill the man. She knows he did this and to prevent him from doing it to others and to protect her son's future, she concocts the perfect murder. When something goes wrong, she has to drag an unwilling Will into it and things begin to fall apart.

For Better and Worse is a propulsive thriller, and I read it in one sitting. The reader can put themselves in Nat's shoes, trying to protect their child. And once Nat makes the decision to kill the principal, you will hold your breath the rest of the way as you see things going from bad to worse.

The story is told first from Nat's point-of-view, and when it switches to Will's point-of-view, you'll find your heart in your mouth. Will doesn't understand why his wife would do this, and he begins to question who he really married. It is a roller coaster of ride from there.

You really don't know how this will end, and I confess that I did not see that ending coming. It will be a topic of discussion.

That being said, if you are looking for a thrill ride of a book, something to take you away for a few hours, For Better and Worse should be next up on your TBR list. Just remember to breathe while you are reading. I highly recommend it.