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Cassie Warner is a loving wife and mother who feels as if she is losing her husband, Stephen. She has tried to reignite the spark in their marriage, but Stephen's preoccupation with work leaves her feeling unappreciated and also a tad suspicious. Years prior, Stephen strayed from Cassie, and his infidelity nearly upended their relationship. After Stephen cancels a date night, Cassie's best friend, Beth, suggests something new to spice up Cassie's life: starting a correspondence with a prison inmate. Cassie's letter to Jackson Keller is never meant to be sent; it is merely an exercise in therapeutic writing aided by alcohol consumption. But the message is sent. Keller responds, and soon Cassie's life is about to change in ways she could never have predicted.
Strain in a marriage leads to a decision that triggers a murderous domino effect in this intelligent, emotionally charged dramatic thriller. The collapse of a once loving union has served to inspire more than a few stories and movies, yet Cassie and Stephen's situation is conveyed in a genuinely palpable way. Cassie is the sympathetic protagonist who, despite Stephen's betrayal and slights, still loves him. The narrative picks up steam when Cassie's pen pal and possible paramour, Jackson Keller, is set to be released from prison. Cassie's conflict over whether to leave Stephen proves as compelling as Keller's release and his decision to formally introduce himself to Cassie. This is a story with more than a few surprises culminating in a tense and harrowing denouement.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review