Reading Level 3.3

Rapid Reads is a new line of short novels for new young adult and adult readers. Rapid Reads are intended for a diverse audience, including ESL students, reluctant readers, adults who struggle with literacy and anyone who wants and enjoys high-interest short novels. The plots are contemporary and entertaining, with adult language and themes.

The Second Wife by Brenda Chapman

Gwen Lake is a forty-five-year-old police officer with a desk job, an ex-husband and a future not even close to the American dream. A year after her divorce, and more out of boredom and curiosity than anything else, she agrees to a meeting with her ex's new wife. She has no idea that the encounter will lead to murder. And she has decidedly mixed emotions when her ex-husband is arrested for the crime. Instead of accepting the lead detective's advice to book a Club Med vacation and leave the investigation to the professionals, Gwen decides to work the case on her own. Her life is about to get a lot less predictable and a lot more dangerous.

Sample Pages for "The Second Wife"

Reading Guide for "The Second Wife"

Brenda Chapman is the author of the murder mystery In Winter's Grip (2010), along with the successful Jennifer Bannon mystery series for young adults. She is a former special education teacher and currently works as a senior communications advisor in the federal government in Ottawa, Ontario.

Review

• "Youth may identify with Gwen's struggle against sexism at work and her desire to find evidence to support what she knows in her heart is right...I would recommend The Second Wife to a literacy or GED program for adult learners, [or] an adult class of English language learners." - CM Magazine