Really enjoyed this book and all the twists in it. Some people come across as innocent but is everything always as it seems...

Tom and Beth are relatively happy in their lives; blessed by their daughter Poppy. But Bath's world is rocked when, one day, as she is waiting Tom to come home from work, the police arrive wanting to talk to him about a missing person from his past. A missing person that they have escalated to murder victim, even without a body, with Tom as their number one suspect.
We then hear from Tom's past, of his relationship with Katie and how that started off all well and good but then descended into being more about control.
Could Tom really have done something to Katie and, after 8 years of being together, could Beth have known about it and, irrespective of whether she does or doesn't, how far will she go to protect her husband, her marriage, her family...?
This was a twisty, turny, chilling, psychological thriller that, for me, hit the ground running and didn't let up until the very end when I left the book exhausted but satisfied. It's told, in turn, by four people; Tom, Beth, Katie and the ubiquitous for this genre "unknown character". Each had a distinct voice and their parts and how much they divulge along the way both kept the intrigue level high as well as keeping the narrative ticking along at a nice pace.
Although I didn't really take to Beth, something about her didn't fall right with me but that's OK, I did feel for her and also was impressed with the way she tried to protect her daughter from the sheer ugliness of what was going on. I also enjoyed the concept of the Ceramic Cafe she runs, wish we had likewise near me!
I was a bit hit and miss with the twists and turns however. Some I saw coming, some shocked me, some came a bit out of left field and left me wondering.
All in all, a pretty solid debut which has left me wondering what is next for the author. I'll be keeping my eye open, that's for sure. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Four stars for this amazing thriller! I mean honestly, you can say serial killer and I’m immediately in. The action started out right away and never slowed down. I was constantly trying to decide who was involved, who was covering for who, and if Tom really murdered those girls. I could not put this one down. Must read for thriller lovers!

I flew through this one in no time at all, totally gripping and couldn’t put it down!! Didn’t guess the ending which is always a bonus 😉 I thought the characters were pretty well written and I enjoyed the storyline, a really good thriller right here.

All around good book. Sort of saw the end coming, but nonetheless an excellent read, though maybe a bit laggy in the middle. By the end- I even found myself rooting a bit for Beth. Even though she’s obviously a sociopath

I received a copy of this e-arc in exchange for an honest review thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books.

This book follows three perspectives - Tom, Beth and the murderer.

It starts off with Tom being questioned as a suspect which I honestly didn’t believe he had anything to do with. However, as per the title of the book, he is found to be a serial killer.

Through the combination of Tom and the murderers POV, you find out what really happened. Beth’s POV shows the aftermath of Tom’s arrest.

I feel like this is a book that’s being highly rated in bookstagram. But I honestly was disappointed! I didn’t really like the characters and I wasn’t invested in the storyline. I think this should’ve focused on just Tom and Beth’s perspectives - flicking between past and present.

The only thing that I liked was the ending! I mean, holy shit, what a plot twist! I didn’t suspect a thing!

I’m a sucker for being drawn to books that have a serial killer in the title, make of that what you will! So of course I was going to read The Serial Killer’s Wife, if I’m honest I didn’t have high expectations for this book, as I have read many psychological thrillers where the wife is married to a serial killer, and is oblivious to their crimes etc, ect..... so I was surprised at just how much I enjoyed this book. 

Would you know if your husband was a serial killer? I’m convinced I would, but Beth Hardcastle married to Tom isn’t so sure. From the outside they have the perfect marriage, house, and family, but perhaps things aren’t as perfect as they first seem! This is one of those books you can resist just reading ‘one more chapter’, as each chapter is short whilst drawing you further into the turmoil of the Hardcastle’s lives. Is Tom guilty? Does Beth know more than she’s letting on? These are the questions that urge the reader onwards to its ‘OMFG’ conclusion 

“She must have known, you can’t be married that long and not know” is the one phrase I kept repeating, as there were certain things that cast a shadow of doubt over Beth. I enjoy a book so much more when you aren’t sure who to trust. It adds to the suspense tenfold. The book is told from the POV of Beth and Tom but there are also chapters from an anonymous voice. They add a dark and ominous tone to the read, but over time they also reveal the answers to the readers’ many questions.

This isn’t a fast-paced read by any means it’s very much character driven, the ‘is he guilty/not guilty?’ riddle ensures the reader is kept firmly in the author’s clutches. The characters are well depicted some more likeable than others, and I really enjoyed the way the author explores the psychological side of the characters’ personalities (vague, but I’m trying not to give away spoilers). The Serial Killers Wife is an addictive psychological thriller, deliciously twisted and made for an enjoyable read.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A very good read that will have you flying through the pages to see what happens next. Could it be possible that your spouse is hiding a secret so dark & disturbing? How can Beth possibly be married to a serial killer and not know it? Or does there have to be something wrong with her to be completely unaware of her husbands dark desires?

Recommend The Serial Killer's Wife to all your mystery and fiction fans who like a good psychological thriller!

📚 BOOK REVIEW 📚 The Serial Killers Wife By Alice Hunter - Publication Date 27th May 2021.

Tom & Beth Hardcastle and their daughter Poppy move from central London, to a small village. They love village life, perfect family!

Then one day, Beth answers the door and the police are there, asking for Tom. Everything that was their perfect life, starts to unravel when Tom is questioned about the disappearance of someone. As we know - nothing is perfect in the real world - and certainly not Beth & Tom!

I really enjoyed this book. So trying not to give much away........
I loved the 2 main characters in the book. The story was a then and now from both their prospectives and also other people involved in the past storyline. I would have like to have know a bit more about Tom’s childhood and why he was, the way he was. Beth I found an intriguing character.... I found myself thinking ... ‘what is she up to ?!’. If I’m honest, I did guess a couple of the twists from but I picked up in the book bet definitely couple of surprises.

Definitely would read more books from this author!! Enjoy!!

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#avonpublishing #netgalley #theserialkillerswife #alicehunter

I really wanted to like this story. The blurb reeled me in, but the opening chapter really set the tone nicely for what should have been a gripping thrill ride. The police show up at her door wanting to question her husband in the suspected murder of his ex-girlfriend who went missing almost a decade ago. With no body to examine, what could they possibly have linking Tom to the crime?

Unfortunately, the focus quickly turns from Tom and the events that may or may not have happened to Beth being worried about herself. What will the other mom's at her daughters daycare think about her? What will happen to the bakery/pottery business she's successfully built? She spends so much time worrying about herself (and to a lesser extent her daughter) instead of worrying about her husband, or even demanding answers from his lawyer. Instead, she routinely ignores phone calls from people in an effort to "put off" hearing any more bad news.

In fact, most of the book is written from Beth's point of view, with only the occasional glimpse into Tom's psyche and the events from the past (which I will discuss more of in a minute). With nothing going on but her constant worry about what other people are thinking/saying about her, what she is going to tell her daughter, and lots (and I do mean lots) of baking and stilted conversations with neighbors who seem cardboard cutouts instead of fleshed out characters, this book seems to drag on.

Frankly, instead of being thrilled? I was bored.

Even the chapters narrated by Tom in the "present" were stilted, making him the most lackluster serial killer I've ever read. I desperately wish we would have gotten a deeper look into what made him kill. Maybe some glimpses into his childhood, or his teenage years. Something that would tie into what made him the way he was; able to hide himself from others for so long. When we do get those rare glimpses into the past (or into his last murder), things were interesting. Unfortunately, they were so few and far between that they couldn't save this one.

And then we get to the "big reveals" of which there were a couple. Without giving away spoilers, all I can say is that instead of making me as a reader go "OH WOW", I just kind of went, "but why?" It added to my overall dislike of these characters, thus making my enjoyment of this story go down further.

That being said, I'm sure there are other people who will be captivated by this story. It just wasn't for me.

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

Started really well but began to drag. Lots of secrets and lies and some not very nice characters. Big twist at end.

Wow, what a breath of fresh air! Kept me turning the pages and I didn’t want to put it down. You think you know how you’ll react in certain circumstances, but faced with the reality, would you? Recommend this read, I loved it.

I read #TheSerialKillersWife in one sitting!

It kept me on the edge of my seat and I didn’t see the final twist coming. I highly recommend this well written book about a seemingly perfect family.

Thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher for my free advance copy in return for an unbiased review.

Wow! This book is gripping and so easy to read, I raced through it. And the ending just keeps giving!!

A brilliant, dark tale of love, betrayal, murder and motives.

Beth is devastated by her husband being arrested for murder, how will she and her daughter recover from this? When it turns out he is a serial killer Beth feels the need to share her suspicions with the police. But the ending is full of twists!

Absolutely brilliant!

This was an enjoyable read and interesting debut novel.
I found this book just jumped straight in at the beginning, slowed down towards the middle and picked up pace again towards the end. The ending was good and unexpected. Good plot with a few twists. I enjoyed the characters but felt they could have been developed a little bit more. I will look forward to reading more by this author.

The blurb:
They’re saying he’s a monster. And they’re saying she knew.
Beth and Tom Hardcastle are the envy of their neighbourhood – they have the perfect marriage, the perfect house, the perfect family.

When the police knock on their door one evening, Beth panics. Tom should be back from work by now – what if he’s crashed his car? She fears the worst.

But the worst is beyond imagining.

As the interrogation begins, Beth will find herself questioning everything she believed about her husband.

They’re husband and wife – till death do them part…

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

WOW!!!! Can we talk about how good this book is?? It’s one of those books that we already know who the guilty party is, but there are so many other things going on around one of the main characters that now you have to sit back and think like, “wait what?”

We meet Beth and Tom they have the perfect family, they live outside of London in a nice town and Beth has her amazing business, but when Tom gets questioned by the police because there was a missing person who was connected to him more than 7 years ago, their perfect world is not so perfect underneath.

Beth was such a great character we end up finding out that the perfect family has secrets and Tom is not who he seems, or is Beth not who she seems as well???? This book had me waking up in the middle of the night because I had to finish it, and it left me hanging in a way that I’m like “OMG! WHAT!!!”

Great read! Thanks NetGalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book! Can’t wait for it to launch and for others to read as well.

Tom and Beth are the perfect couple: attractive, successful, and adoring parents to a beautiful little girl. So when the police knock on their door to take Tom in for questioning about a murder, the whole community is rocked. But it seem Tom isn't the only one with things to hide, and as more evidence comes to light, the truth may be more than anyone bargained for...

I loved the premise for this book - I've read a couple of thrillers along a similar theme which were really well done, in particular Rachel Caine's 'Stillhouse Lake' series, so I was excited to see another take on the concept. Unfortunately, I did find this one really underwhelming. The writing is fairly basic and the characters aren't developed at all. Beth in particular behaves really strangely, which I found frustrating as a reader - her beloved husband has just been arrested on suspicion of murder and she doesn't want to speak to him at all? Not even to ask him any questions? And not only that but just goes right back to baking cookies for her shop? There was also a tic I noticed early on and then couldn't stop noticing right the way through the book, which was the overuse of character names - it bothered me so much I couldn't concentrate on what was actually going on. When there's so much dialogue in a book, and the dialogue is off, it throws the whole thing for me. I think the other thing was that because I knew pretty early on that Tom had done what he was accused of, there was nothing to keep my interest - there were a few more salubrious details about his crime(s), sure, but other than that it was just a slow unravelling of the nature of his misdeeds, with the author relying heavily on that final twist to shore up the rest of the book, and for me it didn't - I thought the signposting of the twists was too obvious, so I was left unfulfilled.

I don't like to leave negative reviews, so I will say that it's a good premise and I'm sure a lot of people will enjoy this thriller, but I found it slow, predictable and ultimately underwhelming.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher, who provided me with a free ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

What's holding me back from giving this book a five star review? Let's start with the good. We meet the main character living a "perfect" life in a London suburb, her handsome husband commuting to a good job in the big city while she manages a successful pottery cafe in their small town. But a revelation about an ex-girlfriend of his comes to light and changes everything. Sounds like a great set-up. Yet, I found this story way too predictable. The revelations, instead of coming out as twists and causing me to gasp, had me nodding my head, like well, duh, of course. Maybe I've read too many of these, but this didn't have that feel. Things marched on a bit too predictably. That being said, I couldn't put it down, and I did enjoy the time I spent with it.

I really enjoyed this. I hadn't read a thriller for a while that kept me guessing but this did it. I read this in one sitting and definitely felt like it ended too soon.

The characters were great and I liked that we had POV from 3 different characters as well as chapters from a 3rd person narrator. Phoebe is super cute.

The plot was interesting and kept me guessing. Each time I felt like I knew what was going on and had almost "solved" it, a new piece of information was added and I began questioning my judgements again. Ultimately, I guessed the big reveal but still really enjoyed the journey.

The writing was clever and this was a great read to make you ask how much you really know the people around you.

This is a murder thriller where the facade of a seemingly perfect couple, Beth and Tom, is peeled back to leave Beth questioning whether she ever knew her husband at all. Is he a killer and what did she know about his actions? This is a dark story that fans of true crime will enjoy.