‘Daddy has been lying.’Faye Townsend has planned the perfect summer trip for her family. But returning to the small seaside town her husband grew up in does not go to plan, the rain pours and the long days become stifling. And then the unthinkable happens… windswept clifftops. They don’t come back.
As the hours tick by, Dylan’s red baseball cap is found on the beach and Faye finds herself being questioned by the police. They want to know everything about the man she married – is Faye ready to face her husband’s dark past? Or will she have to confront her own secrets first?
And just how far will a mother go to save her only child?
From the million-copy-bestselling author of The Secret Mother and The Perfect Family, this utterly gripping psychological thriller will make you gasp out loud as you race towards the unforgettable twist. If you loved The Girl on the Train and The Wife Before You this book is for you.
Why readers are totally gripped by The Marriage Betrayal:
‘Wow, wow, wow, wow! Shalini Boland is one hell of a story teller. I think I may still be in shock after reading this. I really don’t know how she does it but yet again she has totally knocked my socks off… I loved the build-up of suspense… The Marriage Betrayal is a gripping story that will send your heart racing… Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant!’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘WOW!!! OMG!!!… if you are looking for a psychological thriller with twists and turns and a major killer twist at the end, The Marriage Betrayal is for you. You will just have to read this book. This book has a killer twist at the end which I never saw coming. And even in the epilogue, there is another twist. Just fantastic!!!’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘All the stars!!! Such a great book from beginning to end. Twists then more twists… loved it!!! Can’t recommend it enough. Pick it up today and read it if you haven’t. This author never seems to disappoint!!!’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘WHAT A TWIST!! It’s not often a psychological thriller manages to surprise me, but this twist left me with my mouth hanging wide open and consequently saying ‘NO WAY!’ over and over again.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘FIVE STARS FOR SURE. Wow, what a page turner! This was a great, gripping, tense, compelling, fast-paced psychological thriller that sucked me in from the very first page!… I most highly recommend this book 100 %.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘Oh my God this was a fantastic read! Best ever! Started it this morning but gave up on doing my daily errands because I just HAD to finish it. Totally shocked by the ending. Didn’t see that one coming. Don’t want to do any spoilers but just highly recommend this book. Do NOT miss!’ Netgalley reviewer, 5 stars
‘Shalini Boland is THE Queen of Twists and Psychological Thrillers! And this new book is pure Shalini crazy! I loved every word, page and paragraph! I was hooked and I did get emotional reading it… Put this on your summer must read shelf now! 10 stars!’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘OMG! What a story! Another exciting thriller to get lost in, which I just LOVED!! this was such a good story. You have to read it for yourself! Loved it!!’ Goodreads reviewer
‘Wowza… the biggest surprise ending I’ve read in a long time. You will not regret purchasing this book!’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘Oh my soul what a twisted web Shalini Boland weaves…. I literally could not stop reading… Exciting and spellbinding. If you like to read psychological thrillers, don’t miss this one!’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
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5 STARS FOR SURE.
Wow, what a page turner! This was a great, gripping,tense, compelling , fast – paced phycological thriller that sucked me in from the very first page ! I am very impressed by this writer. The characters are well developed and hold my interest. I most highly recommend this book 100 %. However, don’t start reading it if you have anything important to do for the next 24 to 48 hours. If you do, you will either be highly frustrated because you can’t get back to the book or you will find yourself neglecting things you really should be doing in order to read. When I was not reading it, I was thinking about it. It’s well written and nicely paced. Shalini Boland has become one of my favorite authors.
Pre Order Now ! Comes out July 8th
The Marriage Betrayal quickly draws you in and doesn’t let go for a great ride/read.
Don’t want to say too much about this book, as I am afraid I will give things away.
Many twists and turns as Faye and the police search for her missing her husband and son.
Be sure to clear your calendar before starting The Marriage Betrayal.
This was my first book by Shalini Boland so I am off to catch up on her other novels.
Thanks to Net Galley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read The Marriage Betrayal.
Wowza! As a huge Shalini Boland fan I have enjoyed her writing and the stories she tells are so imaginative and original. The Marriage Betrayal is no different and has the biggest surprise ending I’ve read in a long time. You will not regret purchasing this book!
Typical of Shalini Boland’s books, the last quarter of The Marriage Betrayal made the first three-quarters totally worth reading. I had a feeling where this was all going, but wow, Boland made it difficult to stick to where I thought the book was going. She created some pretty believable characters. Faye Townsend, and her brother-in-law, Tom, have planned a couple’s trip as a surprise birthday present to Faye’s husband, Jake. The trip is to Jake and his sister Laines hometown. Jake is acting odd and sullen the whole time, and sister Lainey isn’t much better. From the first moments, weird and unlucky things are happening to ruin the trip, culminated by what it appears as Jake kidnapping their seven-year old son, Dylan, and taking off with a beautiful woman. Everyone is devastated and shocked, none more than Faye herself. The police have evidence Jake has taken Dylan to France, and Faye leaves the next day to go to France to look for them. And now our story takes off. The dialogue through this book was a bit stiff and wasn’t natural, but the ending was worth it.
This author not only keeps you turning pages, but gives you a great twist at the end…then gives you another twist that pulls the rug out from under you.
Faye and Jake and their son Dylan, along with Jake’s sister, her husband and their two little girls are spending a week in the small seaside town where Jake and his sister grew up.
This was supposed to be a birthday surprise for Jake, but things aren’t as much fun as they first thought. Jake is quiet, a bit morose, and he hates surprises. They all decide to leave early as no one is happy, other than the kids.
Jake and Dylan go for an early morning walk, hoping to spot some dolphins in the sea. They never return.
As the hours pass, all Faye can think of is the possibility that they may have fallen off a cliff … been washed out to sea and drowned … caught in an underwater cave. When the police spot Dylan’s red baseball cap and spots of blood, everyone thinks the worst may have happened.
Faye finds herself being questioned by the police and what the police have found and now tell her spells out something that she would never have imagined. Did her husband have a deep dark secret kept hidden all these years?
This absorbing tale is well written with stand out characters. The suspense is well paced starting at the very beginning and not subsiding until the very unpredictable ending and the huge twist it presents.
Many thanks to the author / Bookouture / Netgalley for the digital copy of this psychological fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
This story has one shocking surprise after another. If you like dark, twisted suspense as much as I do, you can’t go wrong with this book!
*I received a complimentary ARC of this book from NetGalley & Bookouture in order to read and provide a voluntary and honest review, should I choose to do so.
#TheMarriageBetrayal #NetGalley
Shalini Boland is one of those authors that I know is going to provide a great read and she did it again. Faye rents a seaside Victorian home in her husband Jake’s childhood hometown as a birthday surprise. She invited Jake’s sister, Laney, and their kids to come along which they did. This book grabbed me from the very first page and what a twisted, riveting, gripping thriller this book is. This book is brilliantly written and it provided twist after twist until the very surprising ending. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a great thriller.
I liked it it had twist that surprised me and that’s hard to do when you read as much as I do
Quick read. Loved the book and recommend it highly.
Loved this book. Very twisty and entertaining.
Two families vacation in the seaside town of Swanage. Jake and Lainey aren’t happy with the location given it’s where they grew up. Something from the past haunts both the brother and sister.
The timeline switches between the past and the present slowly easing the reader into the mysterious behavior between Jake and Lainey’s unease with being back in Swanage.
Overall:
The revelations were unexpected surprises. I was shocked by the twists and turns. Everything unfolded by the disclosure of Shalini. Nothing was mentioned that lended the reader to figure it out on their own. The story flowed despite being unable to solve the mystery on my own.
I’m impressed and a little worried and maybe even scared at the brilliance of Shalini’s plotting skills.
What an excellent book. I highly recommend
The author keeps the suspense up until the last pages.
Twisted. Plenty of turns but not all that interesting.
Faye Townsend has planned a surprise trip for her husband Jake’s birthday. Faye, Jake, and their son, Dylan, are renting a house with Jake’s sister, Lainy, her husband, Tom, and their two daughters. The house is in Jake and Lainy’s hometown of Swanage, which Faye thinks Jake will love. However, when they arrive, the trip seems to have the opposite effect. Jake is sullen and moody and it is clear that he is not happy to return to his past.
Faye is hopeful that everyone can still have a good time but it quickly becomes apparent that this is not going to happen. They decide to cut the trip short and head home after a couple of nights. Jake is going to take Dylan out early to look for dolphins, Tom and Lainy will take their girls to the beach with Faye to build sand castles and they will all meet up for a picnic lunch before heading home. As the day progresses and Jake and Dylan don’t show up, everyone starts to get uneasy. Cell phone calls go unanswered and their concern escalates. Finally, Faye and Tom head to the police station to file a missing person’s report.
The investigation into what happened to Jake and Dylan takes many twists and turns. The house is broken into, people from Jake and Lainy’s life refer to situations from the past and it is very clear that Jake and Lainy have not been honest about events from their childhood. The reader follows along on this winding ride full of twists and turns with a completely unexpected ending. I couldn’t wait to see what happened next and get answers to the many, many questions that arose. I was surprised by the ending and enjoyed how the story came together. The one small criticism I had was that the ending had one twist too many. However, I really enjoyed the story and the characters and would definitely recommend to anyone.
This book has an average-to-good plot. However, there were missing pages in every chapter. This is very annoying for the reader to have to guess what happened on those pages. Didn’t this author have an editor?