The Love of My Life

ecologist, which means she studies the places and creatures that are submerged at high tide and exposed at low. The most miraculous and exciting ecosystem on earth, she says: she's been rockpooling since she was a young girl; it's in her blood. Her main research interest is crabs, but I believe most crustaceans are fair game. Right now she's got a bunch of little guys called Hemigrapsus takanoi in special sea-water tanks at work. I know they're an invasive species and that she's looking at some specific morphology she's been trying to pin down for years, but that's as much as I'm able to understand. Less than a third of the words biologists use can be understood by the average human; getting trapped in a group of them at a party is a nightmare.

 

 

Emma is singing to John Keats when Ruby and I arrive in the kitchen this morning, the sun jagging across the worktops and our cereal hardening in bowls. Her laptop, which displays a page of mind-boggling words and squiggles, plays a track called ÒKillermuffin.Ó When we rescued John Keats from the dog shelter they told us that jungle at a low volume soothed his nerves, and so it has become the soundtrack to our lives. IÕm used to it now, but it took a while.

 

I stand in the doorway with Ruby perched on my hip, watching my wife singing tunelessly to the dog. In spite of a bunch of musicians in Emma's ancestry she is incapable of singing even "Happy Birthday" in tune, but this has never stopped her. It's one of many things I love about my wife.

 

She catches sight of us and dances over, still singing appallingly. "My favorites!" she says, kissing us both and extracting Ruby from my arms. She whirls off with our daughter and the dreadful singing gets louder.

 

Ruby knows Mummy's been ill; she has seen her lose her hair thanks to the special medicine she gets at hospital, but she thinks Emma's better now. The truth of the matter is, we don't know. Emma had her post-treat

novel. Rosie Walsh combines the emotional punch of the best of romance with the page-turning twists of the most masterful thrillers. I was torn between pausing to weep, and ploughing on to solve the mysteries.
Clare Pooley, New York Times bestselling author of The Authenticity Project

Walsh masterfully shows both [protagonists ] points of view while maintaining an intoxicating air of mystery a propulsive thriller with heart that will keep readers guessing.
Kirkus, starred review

[A] heartbreaking thriller [that] explores the complexity of secrets in marriages Walsh cleverly integrates twists that not even jaded readers will be able to predict that builds to an emotionally raw yet satisfying conclusion. Walsh is a writer to watch.
Publishers Weekly, starred review

What do you do when you find out everything your wife ever told you about herself is a lie? Allow Rosie Walsh's love story slash mystery, The Love of My Life, to explain.
Marie Claire

Perfect for your next book club, Rosie Walsh s The Love of My Life is a love story meets thriller about the complexities of deceit within marriage.
Parade

I am a huge fan of Rosie Walsh's writing. The Love of My Life is heart-wrenching, beautiful and thought-provoking; it made me cry, smile and hug my own loved ones a little tighter.
Beth O'Leary, international bestselling author of The Flatshare

Perfection. Every word. Every moment. Every emotion. Brave, heart-breaking, and hopeful. A breathtaking story.
Lucy Clarke, bestselling author of One of the Girls                     

Brilliantly plotted and beautifully written, what really elevates Rosie Walsh's book above the competition is the characters. Contradictory, flawed and entirely human, I loved and rooted for them like real people.
Kate Riordan, author of The Heatwave                           

Wow, this book! With The Love of My Life Rosie Walsh has achieved a very rare thing: a totally heart-rending love story that is also a page-turning thriller - how does she do it?!?! Addictive, moving, totally unputdownable. It really is superb and has Netflix series written all over it.
Katy Regan, author of How To Find Your Way Home

Praise for Ghosted:

I absolutely loved this book and didn t want it to end.
Liane Moriarty, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Big Little Lies

Riveting.
Cosmopolitan

Walsh has a good ear for dialogue, and the mystery behind Eddie s disappearance is a particularly satisfying one.
The New York Times Book Review

A gripping and surprising romantic suspense story. . . . You won't want to put it down.
NPR