Plot

Second Life is the story of Julia, who has a perfect life with her husband Hugh and their adopted son, until an incident changes everything. Her sister Kate is murdered in an apparently random attack in Paris and the police seems to be stuck in their investigations. Julia decides to inquire into the murder on her own and finds out, that her sister was using online sites to play out her sexual fantasy by meeting up with strangers. Julia starts visiting some of these sites herself in hope of finding someone connected to Kate.

Reception

Writing for '' The Independent'', Simmy Richman gave the book a mixed review, stating that while the book was not a bad thriller, it seemed like it was being written with the idea of a film adaptation in mind first, and contains a number of continuity errors and implausible plot points. They ultimately summarized the book as being "simply efficient".

Mark Lawson Mark Gerard Lawson is an English journalist, broadcaster and author. Specialising in culture and the arts, he is best known for presenting the flagship BBC Radio 4 arts programme ''Front Row (radio programme), Front Row'' between 1998 and 2014. ...

, writing for '' The Guardian'' similarly gave it a mixed review, describing it as a disappointing follow up to Watson's first book, ''

Before I Go to Sleep ''Before I Go to Sleep'' is the first novel by S. J. Watson published in Spring 2011. It became both a ''Sunday Times'' and ''The New York Times'' bestseller and has been translated into over 40 languages, and has become a bestseller in Franc ...

''. He also criticized the seeming attempt to attract the fanbase of books like '' Fifty Shades of Grey'', though ultimately stated that the book was gripping and suspenseful enough to suggest that Watson's third book might be better. In a review for '' The Observer'', Alison Flood was more positive, stating that there were a number of things that Watson did extremely well. However, they criticized the ending as being "bizarre and unsatisfying".

Film adaptation

The film rights for the novel were acquired in May 2015 by Reese Witherspoon's production company,

Pacific Standard ''Pacific Standard'' was an American online magazine that reported on issues of social and environmental justice. Founded in 2008, the magazine was published in print and online for its first ten years until production of the print edition cease ...

.Reese Witherspoon options SJ Watson mystery thriller Second Life
''The Guardian'', 6 May 2015

References

External links

* English thriller novels 2015 British novels Novels by S. J. Watson Doubleday (publisher) books HarperCollins books {{2010s-thriller-novel-stub