Nancy Robards Thompson Out with the Old; in with the New

Out with the Old; in with the New

Nancy Robards Thompson

Harlequin Next, Sep 2005, $5.50, 297 pp.

ISBN: 0373880618

Nearing her fortieth birthday, Kate Hennessey believes her marriage to Corbin, a surgeon, is rock solid. The pair have been together over twenty years and have two children. However, her feelings of contentment take a hit when the letter addressed to her arrives. The anonymous writer states: "Ask your husband what he's been doing all those nights he claimed to be at the hospital."

Kate initially discounts the note, but begins to ponder that in recent years much of the passion between them has vanished. She begins to wonder if her spouse has had extramarital affairs. Enlisting her best friends Alex and Rainey, Kate begins to seek the truth about Corbin's faithfulness, and then takes a deeper look than she has in decades at herself, to figure out what she wants in her relationship with her husband and more so in life.

OUT WITH THE OLD; IN WITH THE NEW starts off with a potential marital crisis as Kate wants to believe the note is a hoax, and that she can trust her spouse, but to her chagrin has doubts. The strong character driven story line, quickly takes a wider focus as Kate begins to question her roles, especially as the family glue; for instance her six year old hates when she leaves him with his dad while she goes off with her friends. Kate's investigation into her husband is cleverly handled, but what makes Nancy Robards Thompson's robust tale worth reading, is the heroine's even deeper investigation into her own desires.