Kilbourn Public Library Book Club

The Kilbourn Public Library Book Club is reading A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick for January.  USA Today calls this book "A killer debut novel...Suspenseful and erotic...(A) chillingly engrossing plot...Good to the riveting end."

He placed a notice in a Chicago paper, an advertisement for "a reliable wife."  She responded, saying that she was "a simple, honest woman."  She was, of course, anything but honest, and the only simple thing about her was her single-minded determination to marry this man and then kill him, slowly and carefully, leaving her a wealthy widow, able to take care of the one she truly loved.

What Catherine Land did not realize was that the enigmatic and lonely Ralph Truitt had a plan of his own. And what neither anticipated was that they would fall so completely in love. 

Filled with unforgettable characters, and shimmering with color and atmosphere, A Reliable Wife is an enthralling tale of love and madness, of longing and murder.

The novel's setting and strong sense of place seem to echo its mood and themes.  What role does the wintry Wisconsin landscape play?

Catherine imagines herself as an actress playing a series of roles, the one of Ralph's wife being the starring role of a lifetime.  Where in the novel might you see a glimpse of the real Catherine Land?  Do you feel that you ever get to know this woman, or is she always hidden behing a facade?

Did you have sympathy for any of the characters?  Did this change as time went on?

Let us know what you think!