If you follow this blog, you know that I have been focusing on characters from my latest novel, Behind the Lies. A suspense story with plenty of free-ranging betrayal, it showcases the fast-paced life of Will Franklin, who faces unexpected professional and marital challenges while running an international biotechnology firm. 

A quick synopsis to catch you up—Biotech exec Will Franklin’s boss Chet angrily announces that he’s about to fire him for reasons vaguely suggesting impropriety; then, just hours later, he succumbs to a critical illness and lands in the hospital on a ventilator, leaving Will few clues with which to untangle the mystery of his possible transgressions. Can Will clear his name before it’s too late?

So far I have written about Will the protagonist, Chet the boss, Bella the temptress and Charlotte, Will’s strong and brainy wife. All are posted on my website and easily accessible on Goodreads as well. Today I’ll write about Andrea, Chet’s wife.

Andrea is Chet’s second wife…That phrase always comes with questions. 

In this case, Chet’s first wife committed suicide—I’ll not give away anything here as there’s a story to read. Andrea is the much younger second wife, some might describe her as the trophy wife of an older man who wants an attractive woman by his side to enjoy the life he has built. They meet cute at a venue Chet is surveilling before a big biotech conference gets underway while Andrea is a gig worker setting up some staging for an entertainment stage. Andrea is a novice set designer working in community theatre and not fully employed at the time. Regardless of the age difference it is a love match and their marriage is seemingly a happy one which produces a teen-age son by the time the novel picks up.

It is no great mystery why Andrea would turn to Will when Chet falls ill and is unresponsive. Andrea views Will as the trusted successor to Chet at BioteKem and has often heard him described as the son Chet never had. Will is her first call. Andrea leans on Will to navigate where and how to access care for Will and turns over Chet’s phone and laptop to the guy who can keep the company running.  It is clear that Andrea doesn’t know there has been a rift between the two and is naive about how little Chet is still involved in running the company.

Will is surprised but relieved that she hasn’t heard from Chet about a supposed change of heart on Chet’s part about Will; he quickly realizes Andrea needs help and supports her through the illness and eventual death. Indeed, Charlotte, Will’s wife, helps Andrea on the home-front with groceries etc. and inadvertently becomes the confidante of the distraught second wife’s concerns about her marriage and Chet’s plans going forward.  The two families grow closer. Will finds himself mediating the reunification of Andrea with Chet’s adult daughter Amy, estranged from Chet for years but evidently recently contacted by her father (without Andrea’s knowledge) to mend the rift.

Do the phone and laptop reveal the truth? Does Andrea want to know? What about the mysterious invoice that is mailed to her house?

This book is about betrayal —between wives and husbands, daughters and fathers, business geniuses and their competitors, hackers and their marks.  It is also about grace, forgiveness, and new family bonds. I hope you enjoy untangling the twists in this novel as much as I enjoyed writing them. Happy Reading!