by D. J. Palmer
This isn’t an essay about what happened to Allison Greene. It’s about how easy it is to judge people like Allison—women who stay in abusive relationships or return to them. It can be hard to support someone who keeps returning to a dangerous situation. You might think: What are you doing? You know better!
But you’re not that person. You’re not living it. You’re not afraid for your life. You’re not without financial means. You’re not hopeful it can be different.
Judging others is easy. It makes us feel superior. But it doesn’t help women like Allison, or my father, or my mother, or me, or anyone who is “different.”
It hurts.
So what to do?
It’s simple. Don’t rush to judgment.
Have humility. Show empathy.
Ask: What can I do to help?
That’s the question my mother asked my father on his road to recovery.
How can I help?
Three years ago, my parents renewed their vows. It was a beautiful ceremony, but we took a moment to acknowledge Allison, and all the women and men like her, people trapped in abusive relationships, and we said a prayer for them. My mother made a speech and everyone cried.
I believe we all want the same things out of life. We want to be loved, accepted, to belong to something, or someone, to feel wanted and valued. Sometimes we make poor choices on this journey. Instead of sitting in judgment of those choices, let’s help each other get back on the right path.
That’s what I’ve learned from the greatest challenge I’ve ever faced. That’s how it changed me.
Acknowledgments
The basic premise for this story came to me in that magical way that stories come to writers—via the ether. I wrote a first draft in 2015, and well a funny thing happened on the way to publication: the book didn’t quite work. So I did what writers sometimes have to do, I moved on, and worked on other books, came up with new ideas, but this story never left me.
In 2018, I returned to the novel, and as I often do, sought input from people whose judgment and opinions I trust. As I considered their different views, I was able to find the story hidden in pages of earlier drafts, and from my imagination, created the fictional world of the Garrity family, Simon Fitch, and Seabury, New Hampshire. The folks in my arena provided guidance and signposts for me to follow along the way and with their advice, I took what I believed was a good idea and shaped it into something far better. These people deserve my profound gratitude and if you enjoyed the novel, then they deserve yours as well.
So without further ado, I need to thank my mother, Judy Palmer, for her many reads, suggestions, thoughtful edits, and encouragement along the way. My wife, Jessica, listened to every word and was helpful as always in clarifying the characters motives and feelings. Special thanks goes to Meg Ruley and Rebecca Scherer for helping me regain my footing anytime I stumbled with the ideas, the words, or just the walk along this path. To Jennifer Enderlin, editor and publisher extraordinaire, goes my deepest appreciation for her wisdom, grace, and undeniably great instincts for a good story. Jen, I’m forever grateful to be partnered with you.
Along the way, I got a lot of expert advice on police work from my friend and local law enforcer Sergeant Jonathan Tate, and loads of encouragement from Jane Berkey, who has been instrumental in the Palmer family writing legacy since she became my father’s first and only literary agent. Speaking of my father, I’ll always thank my dad for encouraging my purist of this crazy dream to use my time creatively to tell stories. We all miss you, Pop.
Behind the scenes are the people who make the book happen out in the retail world: Danielle Prielipp, Rachel Diebel, Paul Hochman, the St. Martin’s sales team, the marketing and public relations people, Robert Van Kolken, Emily Dyer and the whole crew at Macmillan audio, the team at Jane Rotrosen Agency, all the freelancers, designers, back office folks, and I can go on.
Writing is a solo endeavor that takes a village to bring to market. But readers are what make the hard work worth all the effort. So thanks for taking this journey with me. I hope you enjoyed the ride.
—DJ Palmer
New Hampshire, 2019
Also by D. J. Palmer
Saving Meghan
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Also by D. J. Palmer
Copyright Page
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
First published in the United States by St. Martin’s Press, an imprint of St. Martin’s Publishing Group
THE NEW HUSBAND. Copyright © 2020 by D. J. Palmer. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Publishing Group, 120 Broadway, New York, NY 10271.
www.stmartins.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data (TK)
ISBN (hardcover)
ISBN (ebook)
First Edition: April 2020
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
9781250107497
Our eBooks may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at 1-800-221-7945, ext. 5442, or by e-mail at [email protected].
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