Collateral Wife: A True Con Marriage, by Anne Stark Gallagher

Anne Gallagher thought she had married the perfect man – a charming, successful businessman who adored her. She was wrong.

The warning signs started small: white lies, late payments, cashflow shortages, suspicious behavior. But Anne’s every illusion crumbles when she discovers her husband forged loans in her name and stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from her. The stakes escalate even more when she learns he has entwined her life with organized crime, putting her and her children at risk.

Torn between loyalty, fear and the hope that he might change, Anne faces an impossible choice: protect the man she once loved or bring him to justice.

Collateral Wife is the gripping true story of love, deception, and the courage it takes to confront betrayal, protect what matters most and rebuild your life after unimaginable deception.

“Collateral Wife is impossible to put down—and impossible to forget.” —Abby Ellin, author of Duped

“It begins with a chance meeting at a wedding and ends with a mob hit. A real page-turner.” —Anne E. Beall, award-winning author of The Compassionate Writer and the founder of Chicago Story Press Literary Journal

“Certainly the most interesting case I’ve ever handled.” —Paul Palumbo, former FBI agent

“A beautifully written cautionary tale of betrayal and ultimate survival.”—Midwest Book Review