Scorching hot sex scenes abound in Lisa Kusel's juicy drama, The Widow on Dwyer Court, courtesy of a protagonist who writes bestselling erotica novels under a pseudonym.
Kusel (Rash) sets her story in a quiet suburban subdivision in Rayburne, Vt., where soccer mom and author Kate lives a content, orderly life with her husband, Matt, their daughter, Finley, and their dog, Munch. That she dislikes sex is not an issue in her marriage because she encourages Matt to have one-night stands on his work trips.
Annie and her daughter, Terra, are recent arrivals to Rayburne. Annie, an enigmatic widow, spends her time brewing special tea concoctions and preparing herbal ointments. As Finley and Terra's friendship blossoms, so does one between Kate and Annie, although they keep a lot from each other.
Kusel's suspenseful narrative ricochets between Kate and Annie as their lives become more entwined. There's something odd about Annie that Kate can't put her finger on, but Kate is lonely and Matt is often away. The long leash she allows Matt begins to fray as Kate's instincts tell her to rein him in. Their rock-solid marriage teeters at the same time that Annie's secrets threaten to destroy her friendship with Kate.
As tensions mount and skeletons spill out, Kate is suddenly faced with the question of what she is willing to sacrifice for her literary success, and Kusel delivers a juicy twist sure to surprise even the most seasoned fans of psychological thrillers. --Shahina Piyarali