Imogene’s first serious love affair ended when she discovered her partner was unfaithful, and this has left the insecure young woman watchful and suspicious.
She is returning from a restaurant bathroom break when she sees her new husband, Lev, sitting at their table and appearing to flirt with a beautiful waitress, looking into her eyes and holding her hand.
So begins “I Become Her,” the latest psychological thriller by veteran author Joe Hart.
Is Imogene paranoid to think that 10 days into their marriage Lev might be cheating on her? On their honeymoon cruise of the Mediterranean? It seems so, but that evening, when the newlyweds both have consumed too much champagne, she accuses him.
They fight, and she shoves him. He loses his balance, hits his head on a railing, and tumbles into the sea.
Amazingly, Lev is rescued by a fisherman, but the ordeal has left him with short-term amnesia. He doesn’t remember the push. (Or does he?)
Back home to begin daily life with her new husband, Imogene is terrified that Lev will remember the push and decide to leave her. But she also can’t stop obsessing about whether she can trust him.
Secretly, she digs into his past, and what she finds disturbs her. For one thing, a woman Lev once lived with, but never told Imogene about, has disappeared. Is Lev keeping other secrets from Imogene? For that matter, does she have secrets she’s keeping from him?
Imogene’s friends and family tell her that Lev is a great catch, and it’s true if he is the man he appears to be. But is he?
Lev keeps assuring his wife that all is well, but is he gaslighting her? Is she paranoid and delusional? Could he be dangerous? Is she?
Hart slowly ramps up the tension in this masterfully plotted, tightly-written thriller, keeping readers off balance with twist after twist on the way to a shocking conclusion.
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Bruce DeSilva, winner of the Mystery Writers of America’s Edgar Award, is the author of the Mulligan crime novels including “The Dread Line.”
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AP book reviews: https://apnews.com/hub/book-reviews
Bruce Desilva, The Associated Press
