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Novel part set on the Amalfi Coast

12th December 2022

My Husband’s Killer by Laura Marshall, novel part set on the Amalfi coast.

Novel part set on the Amalfi Coast

A group of old friends descends on the Amalfi Coast for a long weekend. They have a luxurious villa at their disposal and plenty of activities planned. Seven people go out, but only six return. Perhaps only a fifth of the novel is set in Italy, the rest is at home in South-East England – in fictional Havenbridge – as Liz, who has had to return without her husband, Andrew, is trying to come to terms with his disappearance on holiday. It is mooted he somehow got swept away by the sea but there seem to be no witnesses and he is simply presumed dead.

We gradually learn how the characters in the group got to know each other over the years, back to their time, for some, at Winchester College / University days, and that there are phenomenal secrets that individuals are harbouring.

One major sticking point for assembled friends is that Saffie and Owen were one of the original group, but Saffie abandoned Owen in favour of wealthy Todd, who is bank rolling this whole trip for the friends. Owen is a touch embittered, at home, sad that the group members seem largely to have moved on from him.

Todd is painted as a controlling and unpleasant man, and Andrew, in the first couple of days, takes a great dislike to him.  They almost spar, eyeballing each other like predators. The group dynamics are skewed and to be honest it is surprising that the friendship group has lasted this long, given all the histories. There is indeed a lot going on. It is no secret, then (given the title of the book), that it appears that Andrew’s death is not all it seems and each character comes under the spotlight, as the potential motives come rolling in thick and fast.

They are a pretty ghastly bunch of people and hard to distinguish early on – I doubt anyone in their right mind would happily join this group on holiday. I have recently read many novels about groups of friends who decamp to luscious locations, where it then all goes awry, so in that sense there isn’t anything particularly new in this novel. However it is a good addition to the slew of friends-on-tour novels. I did wonder about the short time it took from Andrew’s disappearance to the formal declaration of death – a matter of a few months – and that didn’t feel quite authentic but it was clearly essential to progression of the story and it is fiction.

The sense of grief displayed by Liz feels palpable, as she comes to terms with the death of her husband, whilst keeping things level for her children. By the time the novel ends, the reader will have encountered quite a few twists and turns along the way, right to the end.

Setting isn’t particularly strong.

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