On their first date back in law school, Natalie and Will Clarke bonded over drinks, dinner and whether they could get away with murder. Now married, they’ll put the latter to the test when an unchecked danger in their community places their son in jeopardy. Working as a criminal defense attorney, Nat refuses to rely on the broken legal system to keep her family safe. She knows that if you want … justice…you have to get it yourself.
Shocked to discover Nat’s taken matters into her own hands, Will has no choice but to dirty his, also. His family is in way too deep to back down now. He’s just not sure he recognizes the woman he married. Nat’s always been fiercely protective, but never this ruthless or calculating. With the police poking holes in their airtight plan, what will be the first to fall apart: their scandalous secret–or their marriage?
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What would you do for your child? What would you do to calm your craving for vengeance?
After discovering a dark, shocking secret about a well-known member of the community, residents step back and let investigators do their job. But when the ramifications of this person’s actions hit her home, Natalie Clarke takes matters into her own hands. As a criminal defense attorney, she has seen first hand the consequences of an intrusive legal process and her protective instincts are on full alert.
Natalie plans to quench her personal quest for justice all on her own. It wouldn’t be fair to involve anyone else. She knows criminal defense inside and out and is certain she can navigate any suspicion that might arrive at her doorstep. But she learns that committing a crime isn’t as easy as all her clients make it seem. She needs help so she calls the person she trusts the most, her husband.
Marriage vows are put to the ultimate test in this exploration of marriage, crime, and parenthood. This domestic thriller came to me highly recommended from a source I trust, and I devoured it in one sitting. It’s not a fast-paced thriller, but it was certainly one that I found engaging and easy to invest in. For Better and Worse offers unexpected revelations, an ending that surprises, and a kick-@ss heroine that is sick and tired of defending the bad guys. She has a better idea. Check it out.
This is an addictive page turner that will have you clearing your calendar and staying home to read. It presents a clear dilemma – how far would a parent go to punish someone who has hurt their child? Would a parent plan to murder the person that affected their child? Would they????? Would you???
When Will and Natalie go on their first date in law school, they joke that they could probably commit the perfect murder – they were both highly intelligent lawyers. Now after 15 years of marriage, that possibility comes up again – could they commit the perfect murder? Natalie is a defense attorney and Will is a real estate lawyer. They have one son, 11 year old Jacob who is the biggest joy in their lives. When they find out that the principal of Jacob’s school has been accused of molesting a boy at school, they are angry but when Jacob confesses that the principal did the same thing to him, Natalie decides the predator must die. As she starts making plans, she has to use her knowledge of the law and police procedures to plan the crime. Can she do it? If she does, can it be the perfect murder that will go unsolved?
Despite several holes in the plot, this is an addictive suspense novel. It’s a quick read because you just have to know how it ends. And the question you’ll ask yourself at the end is – What would I do if someone harmed my child?
Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.
Quick and entertaining read, you don’t know what’s going to happen, then the ending just twists your mind
For Better and Worse by Margot Hunt, this book covers a hard subject, pedophilia to read about but read it I did. For better and worse takes you on a journey with one family whose son has been targeted by a pedophile and the lengths the parents go to to get revenge. This wasn’t a thriller but it is full of suspense and twists and turns making it a very good read. Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishers for allowing me to read this ARC book and give my own personal opinion.
For Better and Worse was completely up my alley and a book that I absolutely loved. The author, Margot Hunt, is new to me, but I’m checking out what else she has written as soon as this review is done!
The plot is fast paced and the main characters, Natalie, Will and Charlie are likable and relatable. Well, okay, Will is a bit of a wimp. Okay, okay, a bit more than a bit, but so be it.
When one of the things every parents fears happens to their son, Natalie reacts pretty much the way I think I would have. She’s all about justice and getting it now without dragging innocent victims into the search for justice. Good for Natalie!
But, whoops! Not everything is as easy as we think it will be and there are twists and turns to this that will make you sit up and take notice. I found myself wanting to read faster and faster to find out how this book ended and to me, that is a sign that this is a winner.
If you like high tension thrillers with a great plot, this is definitely one for you to read. I want so badly to write more, but it would be far too easy to delve into spoiler territory, so take it from me. Read this book!
I requested an ARC and was thrilled to be approved. Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and author. All thoughts and this review are my own, freely given.
How many times have you made the comment ‘if someone ever did that to my kid I’d kill them!’? Not really planning on ever needing to act on it.
When the unthinkable happens to Charlie, Nat knows what she needs to do. As an attorney, she knows how to do it, but can she get her husband on board? This is a story of loving parents, a marriage gone stale, vigilante justice and a small town judicial system. Not to mention lies, gossip and taking matters into your own hands. But, can they get away with it? Will things change? Where does it stop?
This book is a page turner. Yes, you can pick out some holes in the story but it’s a fast paced read that will leave you shaking your head! Characters are interesting, not necessarily likable, yet somewhat relatable. Small town setting, gossip included, spot on.
Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC. Opinion is my own.
Will and Natalie meet in college where both are studying to be lawyers. They marry and have a son Charlie. A boy in Charlie’s school accuses the principal of molesting him. It turns out maybe the boy is lying but then Will and Natalie find out Charlie was alone with the principal, Robert Gibbons, who used to be good friends with them before his wife divorced him. Natalie questions Charlie and finds out that Robert did indeed molest him. From there until the end of the book, there are lots of surprises that come to light with a real surprising ending. I really enjoyed this book. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Twisted thriller, incredible characters with real emotions, started and couldn’t put it down
FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Synopsis:
When they fell in love back in law school, Natalie and Will Clarke joked that they were so brilliant, together they could plan the perfect murder. After fifteen rocky years of marriage, they had better hope they’re right.
Their young son Jacob’s principal is accused of molesting a troubled student. It’s a horrifying situation—and the poison spreads rapidly. One night before bed, Jacob tells Natalie he is a victim, too. In that moment, her concept of justice changes forever. Natalie decides the predator must die.
To shelter Jacob from the trauma of a trial, Natalie concocts an elaborate murder plot and Will becomes her unwilling partner. The Clarkes are about to find out what happens when your life partner becomes your accomplice—and your alibi.
This book has me on the edge of my seat, I love how it started out funny and grew serious. Natalie and Will met in law school and fell in love. Later they had a son name Charlie. Suddenly the principle of the school is fired and soon The Clarks are about to find out why. If that’s not shocking enough, he did the same thing to Natalie and Will’s son. Soon Natalie and Will are planning the principles murder but will they get away with it?
Thank you Net Gallery and Harlequin MIRA for this page turner. I highly recommend.
Cherie’
Easy to read and entertaining!l.
Intriguing, tense and morally ambiguous, a stunning novel you won’t be able to look away from.
4.5 stars, some typos throughout the book but nonetheless, this kept my attention going!!! Funny thing is, I question, would I have done the same thing as Nat? If I was ever in her shoes of course
This word reflects the anguish that many would feel in a simalar circumstance. We feel the families hope, pain and anger and understand the insteps as they try to extricate themslvesfrom something not really of their own making. How they would extricate themselves remains a mystery to the end but did nit disappoint.
Vigilante justice and the perfect murder. Except it’s not so perfect. What the blurb doesn’t give away on the who and why of this one is answered pretty quickly, so there’s no suspense on that angle. The suspense here lays in whether or not Will and Nat will get away with it. On an emotional level, any parent can understand and even empathize with this couple’s actions – the need to protect our children from harm and the anger and despair when we can’t. So, while that part certainly tugs at the heartstrings, I still couldn’t find anything likable about this couple other than their love for their son. Natalie is almost robotic as she goes through the motions of life. She’s cold and calculating with everyone except Charlie. Will is the more human of the pair, but he’s also weak to the point of being spineless. This story does have its moments. There are some truly brilliant scenes, including some that had me on the edge of my seat. The problem is that they are too far and few between. What should’ve been a steadily rising tension is stilted with too much lag time in the story. We do get a couple of interesting twists, and I did want to see how it came together. So, in the end, there were things I liked and things I didn’t, leaving me somewhere in the middle on this one.
Favorite Quotes:
She was a delicious, fizzing secret that had transformed my boring, colorless life into something exciting.
He was an affable guy in his late forties, with the sort of annoyingly boyish good looks that women always went for. My main impression of him, after being law partners for a number of years, was that while he led a charmed life, he was about as deep as a puddle. He had a pretty, vapid wife and a couple of good-looking, vapid children who all excelled at sports.
He lifted the corners of his mouth up in a sly smile. He suddenly, vividly reminded me of the crocodile exhibit at the Palm Beach Zoo.
When I was a kid, my dad used to tell me, ‘Some people just need killing.’ I always thought that he was being overly harsh. After all, my dad also made me go to Sunday school, where they talked about turning the other cheek and forgiving your neighbor. But if you live the life I’ve lived, seen the things I’ve seen…” He shrugged, as if trying to push away a whole history of bad memories. “I can’t say that my father was wrong.”
She thought that sometimes she loved Will, and sometimes she hated him. Sometimes she couldn’t tell the difference between the two.
My Review:
Margot Hunt has mastered the art of building and maintaining tension and suspense in her artful and brilliant arrangements of words. This wasn’t a thriller or a “who done it” murder mystery as we witness the murder being committed and I will confess, I even wanted to help and felt a bit complicit. I was taut with tension, nibbling on my cuticles, and largely unsettled while reading Ms. Hunt’s compelling and well-crafted storylines. If ever there were a case for justifiable homicide, this would fit most anyone’s criteria. The premise was ingenious; the writing was superb and maddeningly paced; the characters were intriguingly nuanced, and the ending left me smirking. Sequel, Ms. Hunt?
Great book, hard to put down!
This book a few turns that were unexpected. It was hard to put down!
The blurb basically tells you most of what happens in the book. For me that already eliminates a “star”, there should be more mystery left for the reader to discover. Here is part of the blurb:
“Their young son Charlie’s principal is accused of molesting a troubled student. It’s a horrifying situation—and the poison spreads rapidly. One night before bed, Charlie tells Natalie he is a victim, too. In that moment, her concept of justice changes forever. Natalie decides the predator must die.
To shelter charlie from the trauma of a trial, Natalie concocts an elaborate murder plot and Will becomes her unwilling partner. The Clarkes are about to find out what happens when your life partner becomes your accomplice—and your alibi “
To this reader I did not find that Natalie “concocted an elaborate murder plot” but a method of killing someone that has been used by hundreds of authors in mystery books for at least the last 50 years. So this was a huge disappointment, I was waiting for a unique murder plot but what I read was very mundane.
The main characters, Natalie, Will and Charlie were not very well described. We jump from law school to this event 15 years later in their marriage. I didn’t like either Natalie or Will, they were both self serving, narcissistic and completely dishonest with each other. I need to have characters that I can care about and understand.
The worst part of this book, for me, was that it took a very sensitive topic, children being molested, and turned it into a story of vigilante justice, which is never alright even if the crime committed is terrible, scary and horrific to parents. One of the police officers, Reddick, stated this well “You see, vigilantes piss me off. They keep me from doing my job. He pointed to himself. If you’d come to us, filed a report, we could have nailed that _____________. It’s how it’s supposed to go. We work the case, we take the bad guys down, they rot in jail for the rest of their lives. I believe in that system” . I guess I believe in that system also.
I was hoping for a really good ending, but that did not happen. The ending is very unbelievable and then the Epilogue One Year Later wasn’t any better.
I guess the two stars would be for an interesting premise and it did make me turn the pages and was a quick read. I will need to be more picky in choosing thrillers because I seem to be in the minority when it comes to this book.
I received an ARC of this book from the author through NetGalley.