Love and revenge commingle until it's almost impossible to tell one from the other in the fascinating, character-driven Her Last Affair. As in his previous three novels, John Searles's low-boil plot hinges on slowly but forcefully building suspense, while subtly dropping clues to the characters' psychological makeup.
The novel presents the personal stories of three tenuously connected characters. In upstate New York, retired nurse Skyla Hull, nearly blind from macular degeneration, long believed she had a solid marriage to Hollis, one that lasted nearly 50 years. But before he died in a freak accident last year, she learned he was unfaithful with a woman she knows. Skyla is now ready to rent her nearby cottage, which is 26 steps from her own front door and in the shadow of the decaying Schodack Big-Star Drive-in she and Hollis inherited from his parents. Her tenant is Teddy Cornwell, an Englishman who charms Skyla so much that she forgoes a background check. During dinner, Teddy mentions that he still pines for his first love, Linelle Dufort, whom he learns is discontented with her marriage. Meanwhile, failed novelist Jeremy Lichanel plans to look up a former crush when he is in Providence, R.I., for a freelance writing assignment.
Searles (Help for the Haunted) brings intelligent insight to his characters, keeping Her Last Affair on an upward trajectory as he adds little quirky secrets, such as the unusual things Skyla carries in her pockets, Teddy's past or Jeremy's financial situation. All of this builds to a stunning denouement. Each of the characters desperately wants love, yet are not above indulging in revenge. --Oline H. Cogdill, freelance reviewer