The Woman He Loved Before

April 1, 2013
When Libby Britcham almost dies in a car accident in this complex, richly detailed novel of romantic suspense from British author Koomson (The Ice Cream Girls), she decides to find out more about her handsome, successful husband, Jack, whom she married after a whirlwind courtship. The police wonder why Jack was driving the car when he knew that the passenger-seat air bag was faulty. They already suspect he was responsible for the death of his first wife, Eve. As Libby makes a slow and painful recovery, she seeks to understand Jack’s love for Eve, but Jack’s lingering feelings for his first wife (“I still find it hard to say her name... a name that claws her memory across my tongue as I speak it”) and Libby’s inability to move emotionally past the accident threaten their marriage. Eve’s diaries, which Libby eventually discovers, provide some startling revelations about Jack and Eve’s relationship. Agent: Anthony Gardner, Anthony Gardner Literary Agency.

March 1, 2013
A mystery and a love story told from the alternating perspectives of Libby, her husband, Jack, and Jack's first, now-deceased wife, Eve, after Libby discovers Eve's hidden diaries. The romance between Libby and Jack is nice enough, until they are involved in a car accident and Jack cries out Eve's name. Then the police question both Jack and Libby, making Libby wonder why one female police officer seems to think Jack might have caused the accident on purpose to kill his second wife. Apparently, the circumstances of the first wife's death were suspicious. Libby doesn't believe Jack is a killer, but she is curious to learn what happened. Soon after, Libby finds Eve's diaries. The diary entries tell the story of a young woman who leaves home to escape rape by her mother's boyfriend only to fall on hard times and into a life of prostitution. Life goes from bad to worse until she meets Jack, who loves her deeply. Happily ever after, however, is interrupted when Eve encounters an unwelcome figure from her past. A tear-jerker.

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May 1, 2013
When Libby Rabvena meets Jack Britcham at a London car dealership, she thinks he is an arrogant man-child. She's not wrong, but she marries him anyway because he is kind and funny. But Jack is still hurting over the death of his first wife, Eve. Or is he to blame for her accidental death? And what about the car accident that leaves Libby scarred inside and out? Then Libby discovers Eve's diaries buried in the basement, and she realizes she is in danger. What starts out as the story of Libby battling her injuries and the ghosts of Jack's past turns into a psychological thriller with a page-turning finale. Portions of Eve's diary are interjected into chapters narrated alternately by Libby and Jack, so that the reader is able to invest in all three main characters. Jack is sweet but not perfect. Libby is smart and a little caustic, but Eve has the most compelling story. Koomson deftly balances suspense and the traditional themes of women's fiction as Libby nears the end of the diary and is forced to face her own painful recovery.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)