Her Last Affair

October 1, 2021

Still living on the grounds of the now-shuttered drive-in movie theater she ran with her husband, Skyla is mourning his death and contemplating its inevitable little infelicities of their marriage until she rents a cottage to British charmer Teddy Cornwell. Meanwhile, Teddy is conducting an online affair with Linelle, dissatisfied with her marriage and jobless after a compromising photo from her youth bubbles up on social media. Teddy was Linelle's first love, and embittered writer manqu� Jeremy is hunting for his first love as well. These lives come together combustibly in these latest from the New York Times best-selling Searles. With a 75,000-copy first printing.

Copyright 2021 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 15, 2022
Three people search for connection but find themselves drawn into something far darker. Ever since her husband of almost 50 years died in an accident, Skyla Hull has lived alone in one of two cottages on their property, right beside the decrepit drive-in theater they used to run. But now that her vision has deteriorated, she needs another set of eyes, so she rents out the other cottage to a British man named Teddy Cornwell. Meanwhile, Teddy has been reconnecting with his first love, Linelle Dufort, who's dissatisfied with her marriage and looking for companionship. Jeremy, a character who's seemingly unconnected to the others other than a brief mention from Teddy, is an unhappy writer who detests his physical appearance. When he gets a writing assignment that will take him back to the city where his first love still lives, he thinks that maybe there's still hope for them. As Skyla gets to know Teddy, it seems that he might be hiding something--and Skyla herself isn't exactly forthcoming about what happened to her husband, who she'd discovered was cheating on her. When Linelle decides to turn her online flirtation with Teddy into something real and pays him an unannounced visit, all the characters' lives crash together. The three points of view are initially quite disconnected, and it can be difficult to keep track of the disparate stories at first. But when they finally do converge, the result is satisfying, with a twist that's hard to see coming. Searles creates convincingly desperate, isolated people who would do anything to feel loved. A twisted thriller that explores despair and loneliness with cinematic flair.

COPYRIGHT(2022) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

January 31, 2022
Bestseller Searles (Help for the Haunted) explores the entwined fates of three apparently unconnected individuals in this melancholy work of psychological suspense. Retired nurse Skyla Hull’s adulterous husband died a year ago, but she waited until macular degeneration stole her sight to seek a tenant for the vacant cottage on her upstate New York property. Skyla rejects multiple applicants for petty reasons before British divorcé Teddy Cornwell charms her into renting him the place sans background check. In Florida, unhappily married empty nester Linelle Durfort feels unmoored after losing her job teaching art, so when former flame Teddy reconnects via social media, she takes her husband’s prized Camaro and heads north for a surprise visit. And while staying in Providence, R.I., for a freelance writing gig, failed novelist Jeremy Lichanel decides to look up Maryanne Popadowski, a woman who spurned him 20 years earlier. What initially seems like an aimless triptych of character studies coalesces into a tense, intricately woven tale of heartbreak, retribution, and redemption. Lisa Jewell fans will be well satisfied. Agent: Deborah Schneider, Gelfman Schneider Literary.

March 1, 2022

The plot points slowly coalesce in Searles's (Help for the Haunted) suspense novel, and everybody has something to hide. Skyla, a retired nurse, contends with macular degeneration and feelings of betrayal over her late husband's infidelity. She rents out the cottage next to hers--both located in the shadow of the drive-in she and Hollis ran for nearly 50 years in upstate New York. The new tenant is a dream come true for Skyla: a cultured Brit named Teddy, who encourages her to confront her past. Meanwhile in Florida, as her 50th birthday looms, Linelle is contacted by Teddy, with whom she conducted a youthful affair when they both worked at a local theme park. They reconnect online and resume flirting until Linelle's husband catches her taking a compromising photo. In New York, Jeremy, a loveless, embittered would-be writer, decides to look up the woman who broke his heart long ago in Providence. How these sad humans come together and what each one will do for love--including murder--is worth the slow start. VERDICT Searles is the master of slow burn and intricate plot building. For fans of noir narratives and unpretty protagonists.--Liz French

Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.