The Dilemma

Livia turns forty today, and her husband Adam has planned a large party to make up for the wedding the two never had. Everyone she loves is invited. Her daughter Marnie is the exception, because she is studying abroad.

Livia is quietly relieved that Marnie is away. She has found out something about Marnie that could shake the family to its foundations, and she means to tell Adam, but only once the party is over. She wants one last happy evening together first.

Adam has a plan of his own. He has arranged for Marnie to fly home in secret and surprise her mother. Before she lands, he receives terrible news, and he now holds a secret too. He has to decide whether to tell his wife tonight or let her enjoy her birthday.

The book is a domestic suspense novel built around one day and two people who each keep a truth from the other. It asks whether staying silent amounts to lying, and how far a husband and wife will go to protect their child and to give each other a few more hours of peace. The pacing is tight, driven by the party clock and by what each of them knows.