Our Husband (a humorous romantic mystery) [Kindle Edition]

Stephanie Bond (Author)

Book Description

OUR HUSBAND is a laugh-out-loud romantic mystery!

  "This is one of the best books I've read in months." -Academic Planet

Hell hath no fury like three women scorned...   Three women from different walks of life--a doctor, a socialite, and a stripper--find out they have one thing in common:  a husband! When the magnanimous hubby winds up dead, the unlikely trio band together to track down a killer, and along the way, discover a lot more than they bargained for.

More praise for OUR HUSBAND:

  "Bond's fun and frothy story keeps the plot twists coming." -Publishers Weekly

  "Only another woman could understand and write a novel that brings these three together in the worst of circumstances and make it a witty and sexy plot about women and friendship." -Beachlife

  "The story is well-written and paced, with unforgettable characters, snappy dialogue, and plenty of plot twists and turns." -AOL Romance Fiction Forum

  "Bond's memorable and heart-warming romance is funny, irreverent, and thoroughly enjoyable." -Booklist

      If you're looking for a book chock full of laughs, mystery, and a little romance, check out OUR HUSBAND!

**Other funny romantic mysteries by best-selling author Stephanie Bond:

TWO GUYS DETECTIVE AGENCY--Even Victoria can't keep a secret from us.

GOT YOUR NUMBER--You can run, but your past will always catch up with you...

WHOLE LOTTA TROUBLE--They didn't plan on getting caught...

IN DEEP VOODOO--A woman stabs a voodoo doll of her ex, and he winds up murdered!

VOODOO OR DIE--No one believes in the quirky little doll...until people start dropping like flies.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In her debut novel, Bond offers readers an enjoyable but predictable read. When traveling prosthetics salesman Raymond Carmichael has an automobile accident, three Mrs. Raymond Carmichaels meet for the first time at his hospital bedside. First wife Beatrix is an aging socialite who uses booze and home shopping to solace the loneliness of a moribund marriage. Second wife NatalieAthe character Bond lets readers know best and who appears to be the most distraught about the turn of eventsAis a harried but good-hearted small-town doctor who has just discovered that Raymond has plundered their marital assets. Ruby, his third bride, is a 20-something stripper with a baby on the way. Raymond soon dies, apparently of a heart attack, leaving the women to cope with his betrayal even as they battle over everything from funeral arrangements to inheritance. The plot thickens further when it is discovered that Raymond was poisoned. Since all three wives have both plenty of motive and access to the poison, they're immediate suspects. Bond's fun and frothy story keeps the plot twists coming and offers up an appealing love interest in pawnbroker Brian Butler, a charmer who is genuinely interested in Natalie and eventually wins over her bruised heart. At the book's center, however, is the transformation of three very different women from enemies into allies. Husbands may come and go, but girlfriendsAhowever unlikelyAare forever. Booksellers should be aware of this talented new author, whose first work reads like an ultra-light twist on Terry MacMillan's Waiting to Exhale. Agent, Ruth Kagle, Jane Rotrosen Agency.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

"I'm going to kill him," says Dr. Natalie Carmichael when she's informed of her husband's car accident shortly after she's found out that Raymond Carmichael, a prosthetic limb salesman, had defaulted on secret loans secured by Natalie's jewelry and inherited home. Arriving at the hospital she discovers that Ray hadn't really divorced Beatrix, his wealthy socialite first wife, and that the shapely young red-haired stripper kissing him is Ruby Lynn, the third Mrs. Carmichael. A sudden heart attack widows all three women, and an autopsy determines that Ray was murdered. As the three fight murder charges and snipe at each other, they realize that they have to find the murderer themselves. Bond's memorable and heart-warming romance is funny, irreverent, and thoroughly enjoyable. Diana Tixier Herald
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• File Size: 457 KB
• Print Length: 374 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0312975651
• Publisher: NeedtoRead Books (November 7, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0065QV4GW
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,131 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #15 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Romance > Mystery & Suspense > Mystery
  • #20 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Romance > Romantic Comedy
  • #38 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Mystery & Thrillers > Mystery > Women Sleuths

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

71 of 75 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A highly entertaining read! October 28, 2000

By Maudeen Wachsmith VINE™ VOICE

Format:Mass Market Paperback

What happens when three very different women find they are married to the same man? And then what happens when he suddenly dies and each becomes a suspect in his murder? Readers will find out in OUR HUSBAND the first single-title release by Stephanie Bond (aka Stephanie Bancroft) who has entertained romance readers with her romantic comedies.

However, OUR HUSBAND isn't really a romance, but a comedy with mystery -- and as such it works very well. The three wives couldn't be any more different from one another -- one is a socialite, one a doctor, and the other a stripper! Readers who enjoy the books of authors such as Olivia Goldsmith and Jane Heller are sure to like this book. Filled with the witty repartee which has become Stephanie Bond's forte, readers will laugh out loud at this very enjoyable, entertaining story. I've enjoyed her books ever since IRRESISTIBLE and am thrilled to continue to follow her as she takes this new path.

37 of 38 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Our Problem.... August 1, 2012

By I.A.

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Have you ever been shopping at the grocery store, seen a cute, single (well, at least ringless) man that catches your eye, whom you hope to bump into "accidentally" at the cantalope display? Your eyes lock for just a brief moment, until you both look away. You imagine that this might be your Sleepless in Seattle guy, your very own Tom Hanks--cute, but not too good looking; fit, but not to the point that you feel subconscious; funny, but never crude. Later at the event, you finally meet, only to find out sadly that there's just no chemistry, and he's about as interesting as broiled chicken with a head lettuce salad. Sorry to say it, but that's the analogy for this book.
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After a great beginning, (and promising setting, ripe with potential) the novel really goes nowhere; it plods along slowly with no new revelations in plot or character development. Remember SHOW and TELL from grade school? Well there was a reason they had the SHOW part--that was the interesting half; the TELL part was just details. The biggest problem this story has is that it rarely SHOWS us any character development via legitimate conversation or action, but rather TELLS us narratively what the characters are thinking and feeling--boring. Second problem? The female doctor is completely unbelievable, whether you watch Gray's Anatomy, or have doctor friends, I guarantee you've never known one like this. Female doctors are driven, determined, take charge, and usually throw themselves into their work when faced with personal problems--if that wasn't their M.O., they probably wouldn't have made it thru med school. Third, the last 80% of the book is dull, or maybe it's just a let down after the promising introduction. It's really written at the "what I did over my summer vacation" level.... Readable, but no where near as good as the ratings it's getting. Read more ›

49 of 53 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A movie please???!!! April 7, 2012

By Bitsy C :-)

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I just finished reading 'Our Husband' and absolutely LOVED it. I laughed out loud numerous times, and thoroughly enjoyed all three of the wives characters. I told my husband (who only has ONE wife) numerous thoughout the read that I thought this would make a hilarious movie! I can't wait to read more Stephanie Bond books - off to download more now!!

38 of 43 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Funny, Memorable Characters and Storyline! December 14, 2001

By Tracy Talley

Format:Mass Market Paperback

I was impressed with this off-beat story about three wives and one dead husband. The humor was rich and the mystery great, it had you wondering althrough who the killer was. This is a first from Ms. Bond and I will be reading more from this talented author!

~Take one blonde socialite, post-menopausal and fuming mad. Beatrix always suspected that her husband Raymond Carmichael married her for her money twenty years ago, but never imagined he would take on two more wives in the process!

Take one smart brunett. A very well respected doctor in a small town. Thirty-five-year-old Natalie had only wanted one thing in her marriage to Ray, honesty. This was the very reason she was ready to kill the man when she found out he was married to two other women!

Take a gorgeous redhead, twenty-one and an exotic dancer. Also married to Ray. The only problem here is she was pregnant from the lying jerk!

Fate has thrown these three mismatched women together when the only husband they have ever known gets into a car crash and ends up in the hospital only to be further shocked when all 3 of his wives show up to see how he is! Suddenly he suffers a massive heart attack and leaves the three angry wives to sift through his muddled life.
Fate is nowhere near done with the women and they find themselves in trouble with the law when they are all suspected of killing the man and conspiring with each other, only they all know each one would never do such a cold-blooded thing.
Clues soon begin to surface and the truth is more shocking than what they had imagined. Now they are all in danger and must trust one another to survive this mess!

Very funny and witty. I will always remember these characters! They were all so different, yet I connected with them all and smiled throughout the book.... But I have to say, my favorite was Raymond's first wife Beatrix, she was spunky and no-nonsense. The way she handles the women are nothing less than hysterical. Very enjoyable, but I must say, there isn't much romance in the book, its more of a comedy/mystery. But I didn't mind. The wives more than make up for any romance lost in the pages! Well worth the money!!!

Tracy Talley~@ Read more ›

41 of 50 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Laughable Read August 14, 2012

By Mikael Darell

Format:Kindle Edition

Great book. Stephanie Bond is a great writer. Her choice of words make this reading pretty funny. This book had me laughing many times. Very engaging, it kept my attention all the way to the end. The three wives characters made this reading enjoyable.

Recommendation: After you read Our Husband and now you're in the mood for a more serious mystery book, check out Mystery Novels: The Expert's Target by Larry Schultergorm. I read it recently and I absolutely loved it. It has twists and turns with an incredible plot that will keep you hooked. If you are familiar with authors like James Patterson, then you'll find The Expert's Target very enjoyable and at a fraction of the cost of Patterson's books.

More About the Author

Stephanie Bond was several years into a corporate computer programming career when an instructor in her night school MBA program remarked that she had a flair for writing and encouraged her to submit one of her projects to academic journals. "But," Stephanie says, "all I could think was 'I wonder if I could write a romance novel?'" Bond grew up on a farm in eastern Kentucky where the entertainment choices were few. Luckily, she had a beloved aunt who shared her passion for reading. "When she visited once a year, she brought boxes and boxes of books by Victoria Holt and Phyllis Whitney and lush historicals--I was in heaven! I think I learned most of what I know about world history from historical romance novels. So suddenly thinking about writing in the genre of the books I loved so much was very exciting." After writing every spare moment for two years, Stephanie sold her first romantic comedy manuscript, IRRESISTIBLE? to Harlequin books. Two years later, she walked away from her corporate career to write commercial fiction full time. To date, she's published over 60 romance and mystery projects with Random House, St. Martin's Press, HarperCollins, and Mira Books, and is most well-known for her BODY MOVERS humorous mystery series. Look for Stephanie's new mystery series TWO GUYS DETECTIVE AGENCY coming May 2013. (TWO GUYS DETECTIVE AGENCY has been optioned for TV series development!) Stephanie lives in midtown Atlanta and is probably working on a story at this very moment.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#15 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Romance > Suspense

#17 in Books > Romance > Romantic Suspense

#25 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Mystery & Thrillers > Mystery

#28 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Mystery

#39 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Romance

#15 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Romance > Suspense

#17 in Books > Romance > Romantic Suspense

#25 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Mystery & Thrillers > Mystery

#28 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Mystery

#39 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Romance