A.S.A. Harrison: R.I.P.

I read and ARC of A.S.A. Harrison's debut thriller The Silent Wife (Penguin) this past December. It gripped me from page one, and I couldn't put it down. I ended up reading it in one sitting. What a terrific novel of suspense-- a great psychological thriller. At the time, I told all my friends and family about it, but with the caveat that they'd have to wait until June when it launches in the U.S. I, like so many other readers of the ARC anticipated many more dynamic novels from Harrison. Alas, that will not happen now. A.S.A. Harrison passed away in April. What sad news.

A.S.A. Harrison is a deft and skillful writer. In The Silent Wife, she leads the reader through the world of killer and victim. The Silent Wife is an emotionally charged psychological thriller about a marriage in the throes of dissolution, a couple headed for catastrophe, concessions that can’t be made, and promises that won’t be kept. The Silent Wife will be translated into five languages.

A.S.A. Harrison's obituary from the Toronto Star.

Toronto non-fiction author and editor Susan (A.S.A.) Harrison died Sunday, as her first novel, the psychological thriller The Silent Wife, was garnering advance kudos and rave reviews.

“There is sadness about missing what is about to happen with the launch of her novel,” Harrison’s husband of 30 years, renowned visual artist John Massey, told the Star.

“However, she did see its success in terms of the numerous countries that have bought publishing rights and, as well, she was very happy about the very positive endorsements from other authors the novel had been receiving.”

Harrison was 65. The cause of death was cancer, Massey said.