The Judge's Wife

A captivating, emotional and uplifting tale of unspeakable secrets and enduring love

Can a love last forever?

When Emma returns to Dublin to put her estranged father's affairs in order, she begins to piece together the story of his life and that of Grace, the mother she never knew. She knows her father as the judge - as stern and distant at home as he was in the courtroom. But as she goes through his personal effects, Emma begins to find clues about her mother that shock her profoundly.

A tale of enduring love and scandal that begins in 1950s Dublin and unravels across decades and continents, digging up long-buried family secrets along the way, The Judge's Wife asks whether love really can last forever.

Praise for The Judge's Wife:

"Gripping . . . Fans of love-conquers-all stories will cherish this richly woven tale of passion and pride. . . . O'Loughlin is brilliant at revealing bits of personality and clues through conversation." - Publishers Weekly

"A richly woven tale of passion, conspiracy, hypocrisy, and a chilling secret beyond the grave. . . . In a compelling read, Ann O'Loughlin renders her characters with precision, while also revealing the dark side of Dublin society, even in the 1980s." - The Sunday Independent

"A passionate, dramatic story . . . deftly written between time-lines and places. A poignant tale . . . many narrative threads are woven in to the rich fabric of the story but at its center are the complexities of love and how to navigate a relationship when all odds are stacked against you." - Books Ireland

"She applies herself with lyrical zest . . . O'Loughlin digs deeper to explore the more tangled knots tying down the wider dramatis personae of her drama and she fleshes them out with compassion . . . she opens the throttles and guns it for full metal melodrama with two huge revelations towards the end." -Irish Examiner

"It is neatly done, and O'Loughlin weaves her tapestry well, with most of the characters coming gloriously, tangibly to life. . . . O'Loughlin's prose in this novel is precise and restrained, almost hauntingly so . . . that the result is great writing. . . . The Judge's Wife is essentially an uplifting read, the kind of book you want to gobble up in one sitting." -The Sunday Times

Praise for Ann O'Loughlin's bestselling debut novel The Ballroom Café

'A moving tale of loss, love and redemption.'

BELLA MAGAZINE

'Deftly written, moving and courageous.'

THE SUNDAY TIMES

'Slow-marching, romantic prose draws us into an old world that is rustic, genteel, quaint...[but] scandals lie in wait.'

IRISH INDEPENDENT

'Secrets emerge, there's a whopper of a twist and this unabashed tear-jerker ends with a well-earthed, well-calculated emotional finale.'

THE IRISH TIMES

'Highly engaging debut you will want to dive into.'

SUNDAY INDEPENDENT, Ireland