Review: Mrs. Wiggins

Mrs. Wiggins by Mary Monroe
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Maggie Franklin grew up in the kind of home where her father was an alcoholic and her mother a reformed prostitute. Her only way out was to marry her best friend and son of the town preacher, Hubert Wiggins. She knows Hubert's deepest, darkest secret and is willing to keep it when she agrees to be his wife.
Soon the Wiggins becomes the town's "perfect" couple, and their world is complete when they welcome a son, Claude. However, soon her perfect life begins to unravel and Maggie will do whatever it takes to preserve not just her lifestyle but also of those she loves and holds dear.
Whew! I finished this read in one day. Mary Monroe has done it again! She took me back in time to 1917. I was transported to a time of racism, stereotypes - that sadly are still relevant today. But, in addition to feeling like I was in 1917, Ms. Monroe created a complex character that was so diabolical...so twisted that I had to keep reading. Maggie went through some trauma that was depicted in a way that made you understand her plight and I could see the "why' behind her actions even if I wouldn't agree. Even as I loved how we were able to see how Maggie got to where she did,I found myself wondering how this was all going to end. The more disruptive her world and the more Maggie tried to fix it, was the more convoluted things become but I knew I had to keep going to see the conclusion of it all.
I loved the build-up and I thought this was some real good storytelling.
On another note, I absolutely loved the strong, beautiful woman on the cover.
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