By Leslie Lindsay
Smart, literary domestic thriller that is utterly and completely addictive, MY HUSBAND’S WIFE (January 31 2017, Viking/Pamela Dorman Books) explores multifaceted and nuanced relationships and you won’t want to put this one down; I know I didn’t. 
Set in London and Devon, England this is a tale told in two halves: “Fifteen Years Ago” and “Today,” but the narrative is neat, not messy; there is no back and forth between time periods, rather they are very distinct–the first half of the book is the first time period.
When young lawyer Lily marries Ed, she’s determined to make a fresh start (all good protagonists have a secret, right?), but then she takes on her very first murder case and meets Joe, a convicted murderer whom Lily is strangely attracted to. Lily’s not the only one with secrets: her next door neighbor, 9-year old Carla from Italy who lives with her single mother; a friendship is forged. Carla has secrets. She knows things.
And then there’s Ed. A fledgling artist who would rather draw and paint than go to work at his marketing job. He’s got secrets, too. An old ex. A wealthy family.
Two lies. Small white ones.But that’s how some lies start. Small. Well meaning. Until they get too big to handle.
~From MY HUSBAND’S WIFE, Viking January 30th 2017
MY HUSBAND’S WIFE is at once a domestic thriller, but so much more. It’s the law, it’s murder, it’s about justice. It’s complex intimacies, motivations, and a relationship study. I found it to be highly addictive, dark, and the writing brilliant.
I promise, if you enjoy twisty, well-written, upmarket and slightly literary work, you will relish this story. I loved it.
Join me in welcoming Jane Corry to the blog couch!
Leslie Lindsay: Jane, I am so, so excited to have you here to chat with us about this stunning new book. I devoured MY HUSBAND’S WIFE in two breaths. I feel like I have a ton of questions, but the first is: why this story? Why now? What ignited your imagination?
Jane Corry: MY HUSBAND’S WIFE was inspired by my three years as a writer in residence of a high-security male prison. It showed me that many criminals look like your intelligent next 
door neighbor. Some were very calculating and charming just like Joe in my book. I also wanted to include the relationship between first and second wives. I happen to get on very well with my first husband’s wife. The four of us (including my newish husband) have all tried hard to create a good relationship, for the sake of the children and grandchildren. But it did make me wonder what might happen if the second wife needed to ask a big favour from the first. And this found its way into the plot….
L.L.: MY HUSBAND’S WIFE is your first U.S. publication, but you’ve published before. Have you always been a writer, or did this sort of evolve for you?
Jane Corry: I began my career as a journalist after university and wrote for many national magazines and newspapers. I’ve also had several short stories published in women’s magazines. So yes – I’ve always earned my living as a writer. I feel very lucky in that respect. I also run writing courses and helped to found a literary festival in my town. MY HUSBAND’S WIFE reached number Five in the SUNDAY TIMES best-seller list in the UK which was very exciting.
L.L.: There’s a lot going on in MY HUSBAND’S WIFE. Deceit, dependence, lust, justice, infidelity. I truly found it to be a fabulous character study and so true to life. Was there a particular character that ‘came to you’ first? Do you have one you felt a particular affinity for?
Jane Corry: I have a particular affinity with Lily. She starts out in the book as a newly-married twenty-something lawyer whose first job, after her honeymoon, is to defend a murderer on appeal. I identify with her strength in difficult situations and also her frailty. In my kitchen, I have a sign that says ‘A woman is like a teabag. You only know how strong she is when you put her in hot water!” I bought the sign in Lake Placid when I was there with my children after my divorce. I also sympathise with Carla. She learned to be cunning at her mother’s knee. It’s not all her fault! Ed is an artist – and I dabble in watercolours. My great-great-great-great grandfather was quite a famous painter (his patron was Lord Frederick Leighton).
L.L.: Aside from characters, there’s a good deal of secrets and infidelities in MY HUSBAND’S WIFE. It’s not just love affairs, but deeper things resting in the darkness of our psyches. Can you speak to that, please?
Jane Corry: Some of my friends who’ve read MY HUSBAND’S WIFE have said they’re surprised at how dark it is. They didn’t think I was like that! It surprised me too. I do think we have black elements in ourselves which we’re not aware of. But I also try to be the kind of person who helps other people. I am very involved in all kinds of voluntary causes. To be honest, I think the prison showed me that people could do terrible things without meaning to. Many of my criminal students didn’t mean to break the law. But they crossed the line and ruined other people’s lives. I wanted to show that in my story.
Carol Memmott, for the Washington Post, called MY HUSBAND’S WIFE “provocative” and “addictive,” and says it “nicely fits into the psychological suspense genre that’s riding a slipstream of popularity, thanks to the success of Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train.”
L.L.: A decent chunk of the book takes place in prison as Lily prepares her case against Joe Thomas, convicted of killing his girlfriend in a scalding bath incident. You have a unique perspective into the prison system in that you spent your writer-in-residence 
at a high-security jail for men. That creeps me out just thinking about it! Can you tell us a little more about what you learned through that experience and how it made your writing richer?
Jane Corry: I applied for the job after my first marriage broke down. Even though I had maintenance, I still needed the money. To be honest, I really hoped that I wouldn’t get the job because I was terrified when they showed me round during the interview. But when I started, I got hooked. Men came to my workshops because they were genuinely interested in writing. I learned to forget that they were hardened criminals – it was the only way to cope. Sometimes they would tell me what they had done and I really wished they hadn’t because it made me see them in a different light. One day, I came in to find a very hushed atmosphere. One man had murdered another. It made me sad and but also confused because both were criminals.
At times, I felt very vulnerable. I didn’t have an officer with me. Instead, I merely had a whistle and a key round my belt. I was never physically attacked although some men made sexual comments and one swore at me. Another kept following me and asking questions about his work. I looked him up and found he had done something really horrible so I made sure I was never alone with him. Many were very kind and friendly so you had to make sure they weren’t ‘grooming’ you. In other words, being very nice so you would lower your guard. I used to get very frightened in case one of them would send a mate round to my house. (It was just me and my then-15 year old son at home). So I put a pair of my ex-husband’s boots outside the front door. My children’s Godfather (whom I later married) gave me a personal alarm. Unfortunately this went off by accident in the prison and caused a major security alert. Very embarrassing!
All these experiences, I believe, made my writing richer because I was in a different world with new experiences every day.
L.L.: I understand, too that you run regular writing workshops and speak at literary festivals worldwide, including The Women’s Fiction Festival in Matera, Italy. How I love Italy! If you could pare down your advice to aspiring writers in one sentence (or 
two), what would you say?
Jane Corry: Write about what you feel passionate about. Write every day even if it’s only a few sentences to keep the momentum going. Have a strong main character who is likeable but has flaws. Give him or her a problem – when that’s solved, set another problem. Revise your final manuscript properly and read out loud from the printed page.
L.L.: What’s next for you? Please say you’re writing another domestic thriller!
Jane Corry: My new book is called BLOOD SISTERS. It’s about sisters, best friends, loves, lies and prison.
L.L.: What question should I have asked, but may have forgotten?
Jane Corry: What a great question! You could ask what makes me laugh. Answer: my second husband!
L.L.: Jane, it was a complete pleasure. Thank you so much for stopping by!
Jane Corry: Thank you so much for having me.
For more information, to connect with the author, or purchase the book, please see:
- Facebook Author Page
- Twitter: @JaneCorryAuthor
- Amazon
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Jane Corry is a writer and journalist and has spent time as the writer in residence of a high-security prison for men—an experience that helped inspire My Husband’s Wife, her debut thriller. Corry runs regular writing workshops and speaks at literary festivals worldwide, including The Women’s Fiction Festival in Matera, Italy. Until recently, she was a tutor in creative writing at Oxford University.
You can connect with me, Leslie Lindsay, here:
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[Cover and author image retrieved from J. Corry’s FB Author page on Image of Matera, Italy retrieved from WFF blog page, image of high-security prison retrieved from Wikipedia, and depicts a California, U.S. prison, not U.K., ‘woman in hot water’ retrieved from, and copy of book with winter foliage from L. Lindsay’s personal archives, all on 1.19.17]
Leslie A. Lindsay| Writer & Creative 