A woman watches her marriage implode over text message and decides that ignorance is not bliss in this bitterly satisfying short mystery by the New York Times bestselling author of Lady in the Lake.
Liz Kelsey promised herself she'd never again spy on her feckless husband, Phil. But then she discovers a string of suggestive texts on his secret burner phone. Even worse, he's flirting with the woman who shook their unstable marriage once before. But knowledge is power. What's more dangerous-what Liz knows or what Phil doesn't know?
Laura Lippman's Slow Burner is part of Hush, a collection of six stories, ranging from political mysteries to psychological thrillers, in which deception can be a matter of life and death. Each piece can be read or listened to in one truly chilling sitting.
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Liz is gathering the laundry when the phone slides out of Phil's khakis pocket.
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(Amazon Original Stories, 30 July 2020, 33 pages, ebook, borrowed from @AmazonKindle, #PrimeReading)
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I've read a few books by the author and tended to enjoy them so I was really looking forward to reading this. This is an intriguing mystery. At first, I didn't understand why Liz seemed so upset, the text messages seemed so innocent until the reason for her being upset is gradually revealed. Liz battles with whether to confront her husband and listen to his lies and excuses or ignore what's happening. The story takes quite a violent turn at the end, which I wasn't expecting and the truth about Liz's husband is revealed. I really enjoyed this.
