Second Life

Narrator Susan Lyons attempts to infuse energy into Watson's plodding thriller about a married woman who cheats on her husband with a stranger she meets online. When the affair turns ugly, Lyons ramps up the intensity of her performance to mirror the protagonist's desperation. However, the barely audible differences between characters in Lyons's delivery of dialogue, combined with the author's limited use of dialogue tags, make conversations difficult to follow. Additionally, the plot drags, creating, at best, apathy for the main character. Those reaching the story's conclusion will appreciate Lyons's delivery of the plot twists but aren't likely to care about the outcome. J.F. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine

April 27, 2015
Julia Wilding, the narrator of bestseller Watson’s overstuffed second novel (after 2011’s Before I Go to Sleep), lives a comfortable middle-class life in London with her husband, Hugh, a cardiac surgeon, and their adopted son, 13-year-old Connor. In Julia’s younger and wilder days—she’s a recovering alcoholic—she was an art photographer, but now she’s content to take family portraits. Then tragedy strikes. Julia’s younger sister, Kate, is murdered in Paris, and she throws herself into catching Kate’s killer. Though the sisters used to be close, a difficult childhood and Kate’s often unpredictable ways came between them, but not before Julia and Hugh stepped in to care for Kate’s son—Connor is actually their nephew. Julia’s quest for answers leads her to a sleazy online dating website, where she initially masquerades as Kate and meets a mysterious man, Lukas, who may or may not have known her sister. Soon she’s embroiled with Lukas, as well as with Kate’s roommate, Anna, both of whom have the requisite secrets, which are unspooled at a glacial pace. Agent: Clare Conville, Conville & Walsh Literary Agency (U.K.).