A real page turner loved the twists from as soon as you start reading they started. Ease to read and follow looking forward to more from Samantha Downing.

Read until late into the night and picked up again first thing in the morning. fast exciting and energetic with a brilliant storyline to follow.

What an unusual but griping storyline. It took me a little while to believe what I was reading, but found myself unable to put the book down. Well written, the narrator is not a good man but by the end of the book I was rooting for him and his youngsters. A really griping read that lovers of a good thriller should read

Wow!what a brilliant psychological thriller ,very different from other books I have read before .Millicent and her husband have two children and live in an upmarket area ,he is a Tennis Coach and she sells houses ,they seem to live normal lives but they have one big dark secret .I don't want to say too much for fear of spoiling the story but this book will shock ,it is very cleverly written ,a real page turner very twisted and the ending well ...................... Many thanks to the Publisher ,the Author and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review

When I started this one, it almost went out the window, figuratively speaking, but I'm actually really glad I stuck with it. It had been slightly unbelievable in terms of plot and characterisation but it did end up drawing me it. Good twists throughout.

I felt very conflicted by this book. On one hand, it was well-written and kept me engaged. On the other, I felt zero empathy towards the main characters which ultimately impacted on my overall enjoyment.
On the surface, Millicent and her – nameless? – husband lead the perfect life. A beautiful suburban home, two children and … not much else, really. Apart from the fact that one of them has a murderous side, and the other appears to just go along with it.
The book twists and turns, bringing in subsidiary characters and sub-plots. Its final denouement wasn't unexpected to me, but again it left me feeling very little towards anyone involved.
Not entirely my cup of tea, but I would be interested to read something else by the author.

Didn’t enjoy this at all, in fact didn’t finish it. Sorry.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an arc of this book.

MIllicent is the lovely wife who lives with her husband and two children as a normal family -or so you think! As a couple they have a dark side which the reader is made aware of from the start. Unfortunately for me this dragged on for 75% of the book with no real insight or action until.the final part of the book when the conclusion came rapidly without many surprises at all as you could see where it was heading. Had the storyline been as fast paced throughout the book it would have been a gripping five star read, however I still found it a intriguing book with a quite different story line to most thrillers and very easy to read.

This is another twisted family drama. In this one Millicent and her husband have come up with a horrific way to add spice to their love-life. However, a large part of the story is more about the effects their actions have closer to home than the naughty behaviour itself.

The mundanity of family life is described in great detail but for me that simply made for a pretty mundane story and the narration by the husband/father is very dull. There wasn't enough excitement or suspense, and for a book that is supposed to be about sexy serial killings it all felt a little too safe. The action does pick up a bit in the last 15% or so, and the ending is quite good, but it is very predictable and too little too late.

Generally this book was a bit of a snooze-fest for me, unfortunately. Having said that I would recommend it to fans of domestic drama who don't like too much graphic detail. I'm sorry, but I can't be more positive about this book than that.

My Lovely Wife is a psychological murder story, played out by a husband (whose true name is never revealed) and his wife Millicent. They have two teenage children and live an unobtrusive life as a tennis coach and real estate agent. Until they decide to spice up their marriage in a most unusual manner.

I wasn't too sure of this book when I began it - the beginning with the deaf man picking up a woman who guessed he wasn't deaf didn't draw me in and I stopped reading. However, after checking some reviews I decided to give it another try and it is a clever idea with some great plotting. The main characters are unlikeable, but that didn't spoil anything, although I couldn't work out quite why they ended up as malevolent and manipulative as they did.

A great debut and I hope it is very successful. Many thanks to PenguinUK/Michael Joseph for the opportunity to read and review My Lovely Wife.

I thought I was going to be reading a book about a lovely lady who was happily married. How wrong was I?? There were some points in the book that I felt just chugged along and you just thought ‘what’s happening here?,the last 25% was excellent and I stayed up till 2am to finish it!

This is one FANTASTIC read! It moves along at a great pace and the writing is so good, you forget you're even reading.

I loved being in the husband's mind - it's a brilliant piece of storytelling, with so many shocks, which make you recalibrate your understanding of the situation as we start to understand the nature of Millicent and their family life. There are so many secrets and lies that gradually come to the surface - I loved the way it was all revealed a bit at a time.

Clever, dark and twisted!!! Loved it, loved it, loved it!

I liked this one a lot more than I was expecting as I didn’t care much for Dexter. This actually felt a bit lighthearted to me, despite the subject matter, which was probably why I enjoyed it so much. I wasn’t overanalysing the characters and their actions but was just caught up in what was an entertaining read. Highly recommended.

Wow!
A book that was nothing like my expectations. Within the first few pages it’s had me intrigued but within a few more it jumped out of the pages and grabbed me and didn’t let go until the last page!
A totally different take on the classic thriller, it was scary without being too gruesome which is what made it even creepier. Millicent was so bold in character she had me checking over my shoulder, something I haven’t felt with a book before. I’ve had books make me feel scared before but this was on another level, it was calm, controlled and chaotic all at the same time. I read this into the early hours of as I just couldn’t put it down.
I can’t recommend this book enough, you won’t be disappointed!
Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read this beauty in exchange for a review. The author is one to watch and I can not wait for her next novel.

This was a fabulous thrilling read, full of twists and turns throughout. The author kept me hooked right from the start and if you're into psychological thrillers, this book is definitely for you. A full recommendation from me.

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When I started reading this book I thought ok another murder story
Oh how wrong could I be written from the husbands side it had me on the edge of my seat and I made many guesses to how they would if ever got caught
After all a couple of missing women doesn't keep the news desk going but it would be much more interesting if an old killer came out of retirement and started writing notes to the news desk, that upped the game
And he thought all was good as his wife was the one in charge of everything she never made a mistake
But what would happen when multiple bodies are found he realises his wife has arranged everything a little too well

I feel like I’ve spent the last three years reading this book.
Poorly written in first person from the husbands perspective it is like the diary of man child, who despite being a murderer is incredibly dull and boring (like this book). I learnt a lot about this fictional families eating habits and when and where mobile phones are allowed but nothing more.
The last 15% of the book picked up the pace, but felt rushed and absurd.
I’m not sure if the epilogue is meant to get me excited for a sequel but if there is one, it most definitely will not be on my to be read list!

This book was just not my cup of tea. Did not get into it at all and skim read around half of it. I found the last quarter unbelievable and did not like the characters. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it

Not one for the faint hearted. A serial killer us on the loose, but the reader knows who it is from the start.... So begins an uncomfortable but riveting read as the author allows us your into the warped mind of the murderer. Original and well thought out, it is an outstanding debut. I did guess one of the twists but not toe curling one. The title is somewhat misleading, giving no clue to the contents. It should come with a health warning!

I'd heard quite a lot about this book so was quite looking forward to reading it. However, although it was an intriguing and unusual storyline, I was not keen on any of the characters, the husband and wife were quite vile and their children weren't likeable either. The book dragged a little in places too. Didn't care for the subject matter but it was a reasonably enjoyable read.