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It's Always the Husband: A Novel Hardcover – May 16, 2017
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"If you loved Liane Moriarty’s Big Little Lies, put this thriller on the top of your list…you won’t be sure “whodunit” until the very (shocking) end.”
―Today
*Named one of "50 Best Books for the Beach" by Coastal Living
*Named one of "7 Books You Won't Be Able to Put Down This Month" by InStyle
*Named one of "6 Books to Cure Your Little Big Lies Withdrawal" by Elle.com
*Named one of "20 Must-Read Books for Spring 2017" by Redbook
*Named one of "8 Thrillers You Will Devour This Summer" by BuzzFeed
Kate, Aubrey, and Jenny first met as college roommates and soon became inseparable, despite being as different as three women can be. Kate was beautiful, wild, wealthy, and damaged. Aubrey, on financial aid, came from a broken home, and wanted more than anything to distance herself from her past. And Jenny was a striver―brilliant, ambitious, and determined to succeed. As an unlikely friendship formed, the three of them swore they would always be there for each other.
But twenty years later, one of them is standing at the edge of a bridge, and someone is urging her to jump.
How did it come to this?
Kate married the gorgeous party boy, Aubrey married up, and Jenny married the boy next door. But how can these three women love and hate each other? Can feelings this strong lead to murder? When one of them dies under mysterious circumstances, will everyone assume, as is often the case, that it’s always the husband?
A suspenseful, absorbing novel that examines the complexities of friendship, It’s Always the Husband will keep readers guessing right up to its shocking conclusion.
Praise for It's Always the Husband:
“A page-turning whodunnit that will speak to anyone who’s ever had a frenemy.” –Ruth Ware, bestselling author of The Woman in Cabin Ten
"This book is perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty's Big Little Lies." –Redbook Magazine
"Fans of Ruth Ware and Gillian Flynn meet your next obsession." ―BuzzFeed
"In the tradition of Big Little Lies comes the excellently titled It's Always the Husband, a thriller about three friends–frenemies, really–who met as college roommates." –New York Post
- Print length336 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherSt. Martin's Press
- Publication dateMay 16, 2017
- Dimensions6.49 x 1.17 x 9.41 inches
- ISBN-101250081807
- ISBN-13978-1250081803
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Editorial Reviews
Review
Praise for It’s Always the Husband
“Readers will be left in an adrenaline inducing ‘whodunit’ game, until the completely unpredictable conclusion. This book is perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty’s Big Little Lies.” ―Redbook Magazine (naming It's Always the Husband one of its “20 Must-Read Books for Spring”)
“Twists, turns, and a puzzling mix of suspects . . . will keep readers turning the pages.” ―Booklist
“It's Always the Husband has great character development, allowing readers to really get inside the minds of the characters until the very end, where a shocking twist leaves readers stunned.” ―Romantic Times (naming It's Always the Husband a “Top Pick”)
“Campbell’s debut novel is an intriguing whodunit that examines the explosive potential of secrets to destroy friendships, marriages, and lives . . . a page-turner.” ―Kirkus Reviews
"Demonstrating diabolical plotting chops and an ability to convincingly conjure settings, Campbell crafts a twisty page-turner." ―Publishers Weekly
“Secrets and scandals in an ivy league setting. What could be more riveting? Michele Campbell’s novel is a page-turning Peyton Place.” ―Tess Gerritsen
“A brilliant, twisting read that kept me guessing until the final page. A roller coaster friendship among three college roommates ends in murder years later–unless the husband did it. I read my eyes out!” ―Janet Evanovich
“A gripping, tangled web of a novel―it pulls you in and doesn’t let you go. I loved it! –Shari LaPena
"A skillful and addictive story of friendship, betrayal and ultimately love, It’s Always the Husband will keep you turning the pages until its dramatic end." –B.A. Paris
"A compelling and twisting story of friendship, buried secrets, and revenge, It’s Always the Husband gets deep beneath the surface of the ties that bind. Intricately plotted and driven by an undeniable momentum, Michele Campbell’s riveting story grabs on, holds tight, and haunts even after the book is closed. Don’t miss it!” – Lisa Unger
About the Author
A graduate of Harvard University and Stanford Law School, Michele Campbell worked at a prestigious Manhattan law firm before spending eight years fighting crime as a federal prosecutor in New York City.
Michele is the author of She Was the Quiet One and It's Always the Husband.
Product details
- Publisher : St. Martin's Press
- Publication date : May 16, 2017
- Edition : First Edition
- Language : English
- Print length : 336 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1250081807
- ISBN-13 : 978-1250081803
- Item Weight : 1.15 pounds
- Dimensions : 6.49 x 1.17 x 9.41 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #1,518,927 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #787 in Domestic Thrillers (Books)
- #2,174 in Women's Domestic Life Fiction
- #6,278 in Suspense Thrillers
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

Michele Campbell is a graduate of Harvard College and Stanford Law School and a former federal prosecutor in New York City who specialized in international narcotics and gang cases.
A while back, she said goodbye to her big-city legal career and moved with her husband and two children to an idyllic New England college town a lot like Belle River in IT'S ALWAYS THE HUSBAND. Since then, she has spent her time teaching criminal and constitutional law and writing novels.
She has had many close female friends, a few frenemies, and only one husband, who - to the best of her knowledge - has never tried to kill her.
Customer reviews
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book well-written and suspenseful, particularly appreciating its many twists and turns. The character development receives mixed reactions, with some praising the well-developed characters while others find them unsympathetic and weak. While some customers say it kept them interested from start to finish, others find it boring, and the page-turning nature is also mixed. Moreover, the friendship aspects receive mixed feedback, with customers noting that the interactions between college roommates don't feel completely believable. Additionally, the book's value for money receives negative feedback, with several customers finding it not worth their time.
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Customers find the book well written and enjoyable, particularly noting it's a good summer read.
"Awesome, totally gripping thriller and ethics tale...." Read more
"...It’s juicy, dramatic, and totally binge-worthy—because when someone ends up dead, well… it’s always the husband. Or is it? #..." Read more
"...Lies. Betrayal. Murder. One of the best whodunnits I’ve read in a while!" Read more
"...Definitely a book that kept me reading, even as I lost interest in the characters before the final page. 4 stars." Read more
Customers have mixed opinions about the character development in the book, with some finding them well developed while others describe them as unsympathetic and weak, particularly the male characters.
"...The story is well done, the writing is good, and the characters are interesting...but it's quite slow...." Read more
"...Not one main character waa likable or had any redeeming qualities. In 20 years, they had no growth...." Read more
"...It was interesting and had good descriptions of all 3 main characters. I was sadly disappointed in the ending...." Read more
"...This book was not at all what I was expecting. The characters were phony and entirely unlikeable...." Read more
Customers describe the book as a page turner with a fast-moving plot, though some find it tiring to keep reading about the characters.
"...I always enjoy reading a Michelle Campbell book because she keeps you turning the pages. #fourstars" Read more
"...It was just okay-ish, not the thrilling page turner others claim it to be, but to each his or her own." Read more
"This book definitely is a page turner as it will keep you guessing who did it? The ending is quite shocking. Worth the read!!!" Read more
"Great read. Excellent writing with a page-turning pace. I like the friendships between the women, and the characters seemed real enough...." Read more
Customers have mixed feelings about the friendships in the book, with several noting that they didn't feel completely believable.
"...Three roommates meet in college and become instant best friends. Each of them needs something from the best qualities of the other two...." Read more
"...It’s Always the Husband is a dark, tangled web of friendship, secrets, and suspicion—and I couldn’t look away...." Read more
"...I did enjoy the very beginning of the book and the interaction between the College roommates and the different personalities of them, wish the whole..." Read more
"...There were a few places where the friendships didn't feel completely believable, but more that did." Read more
Customers find the book to be a waste of time and money, describing it as uninteresting.
"This was just not a winner for me...." Read more
"...gave this three stars because Part One felt like a teen's book...not much substance. Then Part Two picked up and kept my interest...." Read more
"...adult, it's a total slog, uninteresting, poorly written, and not worth the time. I'm rather upset at my book club for choosing it." Read more
"...I found no redeeming value in the book. Even the story was dumb." Read more
Reviews with images

Great plot and characters
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on September 9, 2018Format: KindleVerified PurchaseAwesome, totally gripping thriller and ethics tale. Not only because of the page-turning storyline, but because this book about Dartmouth (I graduated from Harvard myself like the author, but grew up in Hanover, NH, where both of my parents were Dartmouth professors. Throughout my adolescent years, I spent time with carbon copies of all the characters in Ms. Campbell's novel: the rich bitches, the snooty but sex-crazed frat boys, the druggies and the suicidal basket cases. The book is about Dartmouth, under the pseudonym of a fictional, New Hampshire Ivy League called Carlisle).
It's a true-to-life tale of Dartmouth College, and I laughed, cried and said "go figure" all the way through it's 400 pages. It also reminded me of the many reasons this particular Hanover "townie" elected to attend college elsewhere. Ms. Campbell explores without restraint the real unhappiness and sickness that hides inside many pretty, shiny, fast-talking sorority girls. Young women setting out to start college would do well to read this book, disturbing as some parts may be. The harsh, realistic picture the story paints could very well save these young women from making a deal with the devil...one that is hard if not impossible to back out of.
A must-read, hard-hitting and un-put-downable.
- Reviewed in the United States on May 31, 2025Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5 Stars (Excellent)
Setting: Small New England College Town
Genre: Psychological Thriller; Domestic Suspense
It’s Always the Husband is a dark, tangled web of friendship, secrets, and suspicion—and I couldn’t look away. The story follows Kate, Aubrey, and Jenny, three college roommates who couldn’t be more different but somehow become bound together by loyalty, jealousy, and shared trauma. Their connection is deep… and dangerously complicated.
From the very beginning, there’s a simmering sense that something awful is going to happen—and when it finally does, the twisty path to the truth is full of tension and red herrings. I loved how the story bounced between past and present, slowly revealing what happened during their messy college years and how it shaped the lives they’re barely holding together two decades later. The question at the heart of it all—who do you trust when your closest friendships feel like landmines?—kept me flipping pages long into the night.
Each woman is flawed and fascinating in her own way. I didn’t always like them, but I was definitely invested. The writing is sharp, the plot is layered, and the ending delivers a satisfying punch. That said, the middle dragged just a bit for me—there was a stretch where the drama felt repetitive, and I wanted the mystery to tighten up.
Still, if you love stories about lifelong friendships gone sour, secrets that refuse to stay buried, and just the right amount of psychological suspense, this one’s for you. It’s juicy, dramatic, and totally binge-worthy—because when someone ends up dead, well… it’s always the husband. Or is it?
#itsalwaysthehusband #booked_this_weekend
- Reviewed in the United States on January 25, 2025Format: KindleVerified PurchaseReading this book was like hate watching reality tv. You want to stop because you are so disgusted with the characters, but you keep going.
Not one main character waa likable or had any redeeming qualities. In 20 years, they had no growth. Inside they slid backwards into being conniving and despicable people.
The story has mpov with accompanying flashbacks. All this is centered around Kate. She is a psychopath. She uses and hurts people. Despite realizing this, they continue to be near her and speak o loving her. Even the cop who only spends a couple of hours with her becomes obsessed.
The ending was not that surprising. I will say, the author did a great job of making me dislike these characters. I definitely didn't feel bad for the victim.
- Reviewed in the United States on May 12, 2020Format: PaperbackVerified PurchaseThis book was a thrilling page turner right down until the very end! Three roommates meet in college and become instant best friends. Each of them needs something from the best qualities of the other two. Kate is the beautiful, popular social butterfly who gets them into all the best kind of trouble. Jenny is the studious, serious, opportunist who is constantly getting them out of trouble. Aubrey is naive and humble just like her poor background, she worships the ground Kate walks on. A tragedy their freshman year binds the frenemy-ship for life. Lies. Betrayal. Murder. One of the best whodunnits I’ve read in a while!
Top reviews from other countries
- Suyes SinghReviewed in India on November 19, 2019
5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it
Loved the book. It held on to the mystery till the very end.
- margaret simpsonReviewed in the United Kingdom on January 23, 2020
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant
Absolutely loved this book and love the author , her storylines are fantastic ,and the plot keeps the reader hooked trying to work it out, highly recommend
- IsabelleReviewed in Canada on October 29, 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars Came super early
Love it great condition.
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Rick PrezReviewed in Mexico on October 23, 2018
5.0 out of 5 stars 100% recomendable
Format: HardcoverVerified PurchaseEl libro maneja un ambiente de suspenso y misterio por lo cual me parece muy llamativo, ademas de que nos muestra una historia muy bien estructurada.
- Kerri PReviewed in Australia on July 18, 2019
5.0 out of 5 stars Lots of twists. The story will keep you guessing until the last page
It’s always the husband.....
Or is it???