Beth’s life is idyllic. She has a handsome husband, a beautiful three year old daughter, and a successful small business. She has everything she’s ever wanted However, things are never as perfect they seem. We all have secrets we keep. From the outside world. From friends. And even from our spouse. Beth’s husband Tom perhaps has the biggest secret of all. He’s a serial killer. When news of his interrogation and subsequent arrest spread through their little community, Beth fears the perfect life and family she created for her child will be destroyed. She’s not about to let that happen. Beth might just have a few secrets of her own…

Fast-paced and full of suspense, “The Serial Killer’s Wife” by Alice Hunter is nothing short of an addictive, enjoyable read from start to finish. Shorter chapters move the story along without ever slowing down. The book never gets bogged down with overly lengthy descriptions or unneeded details. Only what you need to know is revealed, and it’s revealed slowly despite the fast pace. You’ll get hooked on the story right from the start, but the truth bomb that Hunter detonates at the end will blast you off your seat.

Told from both Beth and Tom’s point of view, author Alice Hunter’s career working with prisoners really shines through in “The Serial Killer’s Wife.” Beth is compelling, likeable, and sometimes sympathetic. If you love psychological thrillers, you’ll be fascinated by her mindset as well as her actions. And she’s the sane one of the two. Tom’s character is a look into the mind of a killer with all the depravity and screwed up logic you’d expect. Although his character isn’t one I felt invested in, he proves to be the perfect foil for his wife Beth and adds a depth to the story that wouldn’t have been there without him.

I got sucked into “The Serial Killer’s Wife” after the first chapter. It got into my head and wouldn’t leave. If I sat it down to do something else, my thoughts revolved around it until I picked it back up (usually minutes later). Because of this book, I missed a meal, let dishes pile up, and lost a bit of sleep — all signs of a great read I think you'll love too.

Here’s to hoping there’s more to come from Alice Hunter!

I really enjoyed this book. The plot was good and the characters well written. The ending was great. Highly recommended.

The Perfect Life.....?
The perfect life? Does that even exist? Beth and Tom, to all around them, appear to have just that. When the police come calling one evening all that is seemingly perfect is about to change. Edge of seat suspense, told in a compelling and credible narrative and with twists and turns that the reader may not see coming. Engaging reading.

I never seem to be able to resist a story with a serial killer angle, and as soon as I first discovered The Serial Killer's Wife I immediately knew I wanted to read it. I mean, having a main character that is the wife of an (until then) undiscovered serial killer? That is one hook, line and sinker kind of blurb! I've been excited to read it ever since it appeared on my kindle... And I kind of wonder if I simply set my expectations too high or that I was expecting a different kind of story, but unfortunately I did end up having mixed thoughts. I'll try to explain why briefly below.

First of all I have to say that I still like the premise of The Serial Killer's Wife. Having the story focus on a serial killer that has been able to escape justice until now as well as on his wife definitely gives this debut a fascinating angle. It was also interesting to see how the sudden involvement in the murder investigation had an impact on both characters. That said, somehow I expected more of this story? More suspense, more action or at least more focus on the crimes themselves... Instead, The Serial Killer's Wife can be seen as a slow-paced psychological thriller that mostly focuses on Tom's wife Beth and what happens to her. Not the story I expected to find, and I felt that the plot dragged considerably especially in the first half and only got more interesting once more details of the murder investigation were revealed. This is probably just a personal reaction though as more domestic psychological thrillers and me somehow don't really get along lately.

That said, I also had issues with the main characters themselves. The Serial Killer's Wife uses a multiple POV structure, where we mainly focus on Beth and Tom in the present, but also have flashbacks to eight years ago with Katie as well as other 'mystery' scenes. Beth seems to be the most important character and POV, as we see quite a lot of her... And the fact is: I REALLY didn't like her. I found her to be quite self-centered and bland and the constant worrying about what others will think and how to protect Poppy really got old fast. Tom seemed a bit bland as well, and that is strange considering he is a serial killer. I just felt that he wasn't properly developed and lacked real motivation; the whole remorse and 'I'm innocent' repetitions didn't feel credible for his character. Likewise, I wasn't a fan of how the unreliable narrator technique was used, and the whole cheating angle was a bit of a let down for me as well.

Like I said before, the pace in The Serial Killer's Wife is considerably slow and this story is more a character-driven domestic/psychological thriller with a serial killer angle than a full blown crime thriller. The main focus is on the wife Beth and her daily life after her husband Tom is first arrested, and while there are some twists, secrets and reveals, the story doesn't really reveal much until well into the second half. In this case, it ment that it took me a long time to warm up to the story and it was a long haul to get to the more exciting part. The fact that I guessed part of the final twist didn't really help either... Although if you don't spot the signs it is quite a clever way to end the story.

As a whole, sadly I ended up having mixed thoughts, but don't give up on The Serial Killer's Wife on my account as most people do seem to love it. Make sure to prepare yourself for a slower paced and character-driven psychological thriller though!

Once this book got going, I enjoyed it. It was a bit slow at first but I liked the second half of the book a lot. There were some unexpected twists and turns that kept me wondering. I guessed some of them, but still enjoyed how the end unfolded. At first, I thought some of Beth's dialogue was forced and odd, but eventually I realized that was part of the point.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this one and found it surprising.

Wow, this book really shows how you will never truly know someone's past and inner dark thoughts.

I really enjoyed this book. It started out pretty slow since it felt very repetitive, but really picked up halfway through. I loved the different POVs since it really showed the inner workings of the victim and killer.

I found the process and the progression of the murder investigation very interesting. I loved the twist at the end, but I had an inkling from the beginning that I knew how this would all pan out, but I wasn't at all disappointed in it.

A lot of this book felt like a domestic fiction novel, but it is all part of the process of the thriller. I usually get annoyed of this, but it was very good.

Caution: there is rape, strangulation, abuse, and necrophilia.

Thanks Netgalley and publisher for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

I was really looking forward to this book but it fell short of the mark for me. It felt chaotic and as though the scenes and point of views changed too frequently to make it a full, cohesive story. While I did enjoy the story as a whole, I didn’t like the way it was written at all but I’m sure others will enjoy it.

*3.5 Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of the book in return for my honest feedback.

From the outside, Beth and Tom Hardcastle seem to have a perfect life - they have a perfect marriage, the perfect house, the perfect family. They're the envy of their small village community. That's until one night, when Tom hasn't returned from work, the police arrive looking to question Tom about a disappearance they believe he may be responsible for...

This was an interesting thriller than was full of lots of twists. I had a little difficulty getting into this book in the beginning, however once I got to the half way mark and the twists kept coming I consumed the rest of the book really quickly. The dialogue and style felt a little choppy and awkward at times. I would have loved to have seen certain areas of the book and characters a little fleshed out, with more focus on the media frenzy and ramifications of Tom's actions rather than the mundane aspects of Beth's life the story focused on a little too much. This book was still really engaging and I definitely didn't see the twist in the end coming! There's potential room for a sequel which I would still definitely read.

I was intrigued by the premise of this book and the story did not disappoint. Difficult to say too much without giving the plot away, but I can say I read this book over a couple of days - just couldn't put it down, and there were enough twists and turns to keep me guessing. I thought the ending was cleverly done and well written so as to be satisfying and also provide one final thrill.

Beth has to rethink everything when her husband Tom is arrested for the murder of his girlfriend Katie, who went missing 8 yeas ago. She's in a horrible spot trying to protect herself, her child, and her business from the community even as she questions what she knows about Tom. Told mostly by Beth, but also by Tom, Katie, and an unidentified man, this is a twisty tale that kept me reading (even though it might have been trimmed a bit). Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A nice debut for thriller fans.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

This story is about Beth and her husband, Tom. They left London for a quieter life in the countryside, and everything is perfect. One evening Tom is late back from work, and the police arrive to talk to Tom about his help in a murder investigation. Tom is gone most of the night, and goes to sleep when he arrives back, meaning Beth doesn’t get to talk to him about it. The next day he goes off to work as normal, and before Beth can speak to him, he’s being arrested. Beth is, understandably, shocked to hear this, and tries to help the police clear her husbands name. But the situation takes a dark turn, and Beth struggles to believe her husbands innocence. She turns to the villagers for support when lots of journalists turn up, and Adam, a local who is also newly widowed, springs to help her, and steer her to the truth.

This was a brilliant book, full of twists and turns. I read this in less than a day, as it’s a real page turner. The chapters are short, which I really like, but also makes you decide to read one more chapter that turns out to be ten more. The characters were styled wonderfully, with Beth being vulnerable and relatable, and Tom being uncaring and brash. I was sure I knew exactly what was unfolding, but I was wrong. This is definitely a book for you if you enjoy authors such as Katerina Diamond or Helen Fields. I can’t wait to see more from this author in the future.

Thank you to Avon Books and Netgalley for providing a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Beth and Tom have the perfect marriage and family. That is until one day Beth hears a knock on the door - there are two police officers asking about Tom and want to talk to him about his ex-girlfriend who is missing. It poses the question - how much do you really know the person you are married to?

I loved this book - I flew through it in a couple of days. I couldn't put it down as I was desperate to know what happens next. There were loads of twists and turns throughout and a great ending!

Ugh. I really wanted to like this book. The title alone had me sold. I’m a big true crime and crime fiction lover but thus one just fell flat. I loved that the novel drops you right into the thick of things with Tom’s first encounter with the police and expected a fast paced novel from the jump due to this. But then it just started to fizzle out fast. I think the story itself is an interesting and provocative one but the execution was way off. The book felt very disjointed with more than EIGHTY over 375 pages. Most chapters were 2 to 3 pages, never more than 5 or 6. I also just found the narrator insufferable after a while with her obsession with her daughter and the pottery shop and her constant hiding and excuses. I was almost happy when the big twist was revealed at the end because of it. I also didn’t feel like Tom’s POV chapters fully grasped the mind if a serial killer and the lack of empathy that comes with it. Overall, the concept is great but it was just much slower than I wanted.

I loved this book as it’s full of twists and turns and kept me guessing all the way through. What would happen if your husband is suddenly arrested for a historic murder of his ex girlfriend who has supposedly been travelling for the last eight years. That’s where our lead character finds herself. As her world is turned upside down and she is not getting any answers from her husband Beth’s life is thrown into turmoil as people start to question how much did she really know about her husband.

Loved it - It's got great characters, twists and turns a plenty and was a definite page turner for me.
I loved the writing style, I just loved everything about it and it kept me on the edge of my seat right to the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for my ARC.

Beth, husband Tom and little girl, Poppy moved out of London to a village where Beth sets up a cafe and from the outside, they have what appears to be an idyllic marriage.

Then, Tom is arrested on suspicion of murder and everything starts to unravel.

I enjoyed the suspense that the book builds up and all with no need for gruesome details and although the twist is a fairly obvious one, it's all so well put together that it remains an enjoyable read.

The book is written from the POV of both Beth and her husband and are either in the current 'Now' or 'Then' and this works really well.

Overall, it's a very easy to read, murder mystery and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Congratulations to the author and thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to preview.

Beth's husband is late coming home from work which is odd because he likes to be home in time to tell his daughter Poppy goodnight. A knock on the door and Beth opens it, not to her husband Tom, but to two police detectives looking for Tom. When Tom finally arrives home he is taken by the detectives to the police station for questioning about the disappearance of a former girlfriend of his eight years ago.
Now at this point in my reading I was still thinking this could be a good story, Beth says she knows nothing. I am thinking something exciting, some kind of turn is going to jump in here anytime and surprise and shock me, page after page I am waiting for that moment. What I get is not the shock me moment I was waiting for but page aflter page of Beth's constant whine of poor pitiful her. She is losing her perfect life, poor Poppy how will she give her a good life, on and on and on. Through all this not once did she show concern about Tom and what was happening to him, she selfishly worried about herself, which I guess is kind of shocking behavior in and of itself. Throughout the story she makes no attempt to find out about Tom, and the only time she does see him is only for a moment and she is still only concerned about herself.
I am sorry but this book just lacked something. I really wanted to like it. The blurb made it sound way more than what it really was. I felt the premise for it was good, but the characters were flat and the dialogue stilted and unnatural. No one talks or acts as these people did. And Beth herself is the most unlikeable character I have read about in a very, very long time. Her self-centered, selfish personality just made for a truly horrible character, at times I could almost empathize with Tom more than with her!
The book drags on and on without much happening other than Beth's whining, about her life disrupted, about what others will think of her. It is not until the very end that there is a twist (albeit a predictable one). And it came too late in the story to redeem the book. One twist does not a good book make, I am sorry. This one just missed something with me, maybe others will enjoy it more, maybe I expected too much.
Thank you to Avon Books, U.K. and to Net Galley for the free ARC, I am giving my honest review in return.

You want to learn how not to behave in a marriage, well do the opposite of Beth and Tom. Beth comes off as this well-rounded wife and mother. She wants to be more accepted into the community in which they live. While Tom is a lady killer, literally. This was an enjoyable, fast little domestic drama.

The action begins right from the first page, as inspectors knock on the door and ask to question Tom, Beth’s husband. About the disappearance of a woman he had been dating eight years earlier, before Beth and Tom had even met.

But why after eight years, no body, do they have new evidence?

Most of the story is from the POV of Beth, as she wonders about her husband, does she really know him. At the same time she is trying to keep her business afloat and look after their 3 year old daughter Poppy.

At times the story jumps back to Katie 8 years earlier with an unknown male who is into “erotic asphyxiation.” Could this have been a sex game gone wrong?

Is Beth hiding something? Does she know more than she has actually let on?

Despite the opening jumping straight into the story, I wish the pace had been kept up throughout. As it dropped a little, parts of the story were just to slow for me personally. I prefer a fast paced read throughout.

However, the story picked up again towards the end, with something I just didn’t see coming.

This was an interesting debut novel, I will certainly look out for what the author comes up with next.

I would like to thank #netgalley and #Avonbooks for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest, fair and unbiased review.

A good book although I wish the author would have let the ending play out a little more. It kept my attention though and had me eager to find out all of the details. Would recommend.