A husband learns his wife is hiding a secret life. Emma and Leo have been happily married for seven years, although they've weathered their share of struggles (such as infertility and Emma's cancer diagnosis). Emma's a marine ecologist and erstwhile TV presenter whose bubbly personality is loved by all, while Leo is an obituary writer and his wife's No. 1 fan. Both are head over heels for their young daughter, Ruby. Although Emma's currently doing well, Leo is given the job of prewriting her obituary, a common strategy with people who are in the public eye. In his quest to write the perfect tribute to his wife, he starts looking into her past and discovers a few inconsistencies he can't explain. Why did Emma lie about her university degree? Why is she so cagey about her life before Leo? How is she connected to a famous actress who just went missing? And, most importantly, is her name even Emma? As Emma attempts to cover up her secrets, Leo digs through their house for clues and tracks down people from her past in an attempt to figure out why she's lying and what she's hiding from him. The old life Emma tried so carefully to hide threatens to destroy the new life she's built with Leo. Walsh masterfully shows both Emma's and Leo's points of view while maintaining an intoxicating air of mystery. As readers get to know them both, it seems unbelievable that lovable Emma could be deceiving Leo…but how else to explain the secrets he's uncovering? The big reveal about Emma's life manages to be both surprising and heartbreaking, with many twists and turns along the way. A propulsive thriller with heart that will keep readers guessing. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Set in London, this heartbreaking thriller from bestseller Walsh (Ghosted) explores the complexity of secrets in marriages. Leo Philber, an obituary writer, has been happily married to 40ish marine ecologist Emma Bigelow for seven years. Emma has been battling lymphoma, and in his effort to cope with her possible death, Leo decides to draft her obituary in secret. To prepare, he begins to research her life, but after discovering secret Facebook messages and inconsistencies about her educational background, he concludes that he truly doesn't know his wife. In chapters from Emma's perspective, she reveals that, instead of doing extensive research at the Northumberland beaches, she has been having clandestine meetings related to the traumatizing event that changed her life 20 years earlier. Leo soon learns about the meetings and demands an explanation, but Emma vanishes after dropping off their three-year-old daughter at nursery school. Walsh cleverly integrates twists that not even jaded readers will be able to predict into an initially slow-burning plot that builds to an emotionally raw yet satisfying conclusion. Walsh is a writer to watch. Agent: Allison Hunter, Janklow & Nesbit Assoc. (Mar.)