As Far as She Knew

A woman’s belief in the strength of her marriage gets upended by her husband’s sudden death in this solid suspense novel from romance author Awad (Ladies in Waiting). After being married for 23 years and raising two college-age children together, Amira Abadi figures there’s little she doesn’t know about her husband, Ali. But when Ali dies in a car accident with downers in his system, Amira is shocked to discover both her husband’s history of depression and his Xanax prescription. Then thieves break into Amira’s home, and she unearths evidence that Ali had been in touch with his former college girlfriend, Lizzie Martins, for the past few years. Refusing to believe that Ali was unfaithful, Amira searches for answers, gradually uncovering more secrets that Ali was keeping from her. All the while, she fails to recognize that her sleuthing makes her vulnerable to a killer. Awad’s premise doesn’t break new ground, but she keeps the plot tense and entertaining en route to an exciting conclusion. This gets the job done. Agent: Jessica Faust, Faust Literary. (Apr.)