Apart from the title being a bit of a giveaway, this book has a huge story to tell. With tension throughout, it delivers with many a twist and shocking reveal until the final pages. Beth’s husband Tom is arrested for an historic murder disrupting their idyllic family life. Having to protect their young daughter, Poppy and keep her business going, Beth doesn’t know where to turn for help. With no real friends she can count on, she struggles with the enormity of the situation. What would you do in this situation? Defend your husband? Does anyone really know the person they live with?
Can you trust people who reach out to you? Or do they have their own agenda? Answers are forthcoming but possibly raise even more questions. A great read that, despite the title, has the reader guessing throughout.

When first we meet Beth and Tom Hardcastle, living in a little cottage outside London proper, they seem to have the perfect life and the perfect family, with their sweet daughter Poppy. But very quickly things change. The police come to question Tom for the disappearance of his former girlfriend eight years before. Beth is in shock, and trying to explain to Poppy why her Daddy is not there to tuck her into bed.

From this quick opening the drama keeps coming at a steady pace, and I was glued to the story and finished it in a day. This was an easy and quick read, and had and interesting set of characters and a twisty story line. We know from the first, from the title of the book actually, that Tom is a murderer. His character actually has a very small part in the book. Most of the story is spent on Beth. We watch how she handles the stigma of being the wife of a possible murderer. All the while, we feel that there is some undercurrent that we haven't quite figured out yet!

I really enjoyed reading this book. If you need an engaging story that you will tear through, this is it! Thank you to NetGalley, Alice Hunter, and Avon Books UK for allowing me to read this ARC. I would round up my rating to 4.5 stars.

The story took a while to get going but I read the second part in a few hours, could not put it down. Beth and Tom lead the ideal life, until the police show up one night with questions for Tom about an old girlfriend. Beth doesn't know what to think or do, doubt creeps in. She begins to trust and lean on recently widowed Adam and his support is a lifeline, as Tom is charged and residents of their little village begin speculating. How did she not know, is a question heard frequently. I won't reveal any more of the plot because of possible spoilers but let me say, I adored this book and was fooled into thinking I was reading one thing and then got completely flipped upside down!

Excellent.

I really enjoyed this crime fiction book, it was a nice change, and kept me guessing all the way through.

Tom and Beth moved into the area and their lovely cottage two years ago. Beth has a pottery café business. They have a little daughter, Poppy. Beth thought her life was perfect.

I liked how this was done: Fast-moving short chapters/ scenes, and a bit of a different angle- chapters from Beth's point of view, then from Tom's-so we get what's happening with him too. Or do we? Will the character weave lies to us?

I was straight into it; there was no long-drawn-out stuff. It was easy to read, and I found it gripping. I read more non-fiction/memoirs these days, but when you get a cracker of a fiction book, as this is, it's a real treat. While I was reading, I was thinking this would make great viewing for a TV drama/ mini series.

When I was just a quarter of the way through, this book was so good that I searched on amazon to see what other books Alice Hunter had written, thinking I'd definitely get it, or them. I could only find this. Unbelievable that this is a first novel!

Quick and easy read. But i really did not like this book. The Main characters were too *dull. I felt like i did not get to know them. I expect more details from a serial killers book. For Me the author did not go far enough. Thank you to netgalley for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest opinion

Wow. I loved this. Not at all what I expected. Without giving anything away; Beth’s husband, Tom is arrested for the murder of a former girlfriend. The story is told by Beth and occasionally Tom. And there are a couple of stings in the tale that you won’t see coming. I really couldn’t put this book down. A fabulous read and highly recommended.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book.

A good read (that made me crave baked goods) with a bit of a twist.

Goodness! All the time I was reading this, I was waiting for something, some revelation that Beth was not who she appeared to be, or that something unexpected would occur. Patience, as they say, is always rewarded, but I won't say too much on that score. One thing I must say is I pretty much live and breathe crime - when it comes to reading, that is - and I've been known to say, on more than one occasion, you really never know what people are capable of.

Just last night we watched a true crime story on a man who killed off three wives, the first of which had two children (with him, which makes it all the more incredible). His reason seemed to be no more than that he was somewhat tired of them. My husband was incredlous, I simply said, you see, that's what I keep telling you, people are awful and capable of anything.

Having said this, The Serial Killer's Wife has left me uneasy. I knew something would happen eventually - it dragged quite a lot initially - but I wasn't sure what. I also don't want to say too much and give it away. Let's just say... do people REALLY carry on like this? Is it possible that so much wickedness (I love that word, it's so Marplesque, invoking images of fluffy, dithery, razor-sharp old ladies who bring the wrath of hell-fire and damnation with them, all wrapped up in a brown paper bag and presented in a powder blue hatbox, to be indulged in with a shot or two of home-made damsin gin and much tut-tutting) can exist in one family? Or maybe, in one man. Although...

It's not my favourite recent read, but then I've read a lot worse. What does make it stand out is the lingering feeling of uneasiness, wondering, as I have a lot lately, just how much you can ever really know someone (anyone). In the words of the afore-mentioned, marvellous Miss Marple: “There is a great deal of wickedness in simple village life. I hope you dear young people will never realize just how very wicked the world is.”

Book about learning your husband is a serial killer and how to deal emotionally with it. Slow pacing but still enjoyable.

I love a good thriller and this one caught my attention from the very beginning. What I loved about the book was that It's the type of book that pretty much blows your mind. The Serial Killer's Wife has so many twists and turns and I really did enjoy it. It's also one of those books that you think you've got figured out, but in reality you don't. I love to be shocked and I definitely was with this one.

I did struggle with the main character's motivation. It didn't make a whole lot of sense to me and some of her decision were strange and didn't make much sense. The pace also felt slow at times.

All in all this was a solid read.

For a wife, it's terrifying to open the door to police. Your worst nightmare is that your spouse is dead - but for Beth - it's that her husband is suspected of murder...

The Serial Killer's Wife immediately puts you into the action and it's a page turner. Twists, an unreliable narrator, and short chapters made this an addicting read! One you will have a hard time putting down until every last secret is revealed. And you won't see that last one coming. Definitely recommend for all the thriller lovers out there!

Congrats to Alice Hunter on your debut novel. And thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the ARC!

I found this a quick read and sped through it in only a couple of days. The short chapters and easy writing style helped keep the pace up - especially in the first half.
Whilst I did enjoy this book, I found the main character, Beth, quite annoying and unlikeable. There was some suspense throughout although I did guess the ending. Overall, it was an ok thriller but definitely not the best I’ve read.

I was really excited to read this debut from Alice Hunter. It sounded like a fantastic thriller, ticking all the boxes for me.

You’re thrown right into the action when detectives knock on Beth’s door, asking about her husband. They want to question him about the disappearance of a woman he was dating eight years ago. Although they haven’t discovered a body, they want to speak to him.

The story is told mainly from the POV of Beth, as she questions the truth about her husband and their relationship. What has he been hiding? Beth is doing her best to protect her daughter Poppy, in amongst all of this, whilst being the talk of the small village in which they live.

I absolutely loved the start of this book - straight into the action and I was keen to read on. Unfortunately, it lost its momentum. The storyline developed far too slowly. The author did throw me off a few times though. It’s clear from the title that Tom is the serial killer, but the twist at the end was particularly good! It was probably the best part, if I’m being totally honest.

I really wanted more from Tom. I felt like his story was much more interesting from his brief flashbacks. I didn’t get to fully understand his motivations.

Whilst this book was slow, I wanted to finish it. It still held my attention, I just felt it was missing something. Alice Hunter is a promising author and I’m interested to see how her work develops. Considering she has a Psychology degree and a background working with violent criminals, there is so much more to give!

A woman hears a knock at the door and the police stand there. It's her worst nightmare - it's about her husband. Except he isn't dead, he's suspected of being a murderer.

Our narrator has to live her life, looking after her small child, running her business, while the police investigation continues, and her local community look at her with suspicion.

I thought The Serial Killer's Wife was great. I read it in two sittings, because it's incredibly readable. Alice Hunter is a very accomplished writer; I had no doubts that the novel would have a satisfactory ending.

If you enjoy thrillers that twist and turn, this is for you.

Thanks to Alice Hunter, NetGalley, and Avon Books for this copy.

The Serial Killers Wife by Alice Hunter
Genre - Suspense/Drama
Format - Ebook
Rating 5 out of 5 stars

This book was amazing I don’t even know how to put into words how much I loved this book! I do have a warning to people who like the endings of books to be wrapped up in a package with a bow on top. This book is not for you.

The heroine in the book has been married to a man for 7 years when the police show up at the door to question and subsequently arrest him for murder. In the beginning of the books she is baffled why this happened but as the twist and turns go by she wonders if it is true among other things I will not mention because I don’t like to do spoilers.

This book had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. Never knowing what was going to happen. As my readers know I read a lot of different kinds of books but I seem to like the suspenseful ones the best. There is also some romance thrown in which I loved.

Not to give to much away but the ending will leave you wanting more. I don’t know if the author intends to do a follow up book but it will make you wonder if she does or if it is left up to the readers imagination what happens next.

This book has a release date of May 27, 2021!

Reviewers note - For my USA readers spousal privilege is a bit different in England. I did some research and found that in England what she did is perfectly legal.

Oh the premise of this book sounds so wonderful. I need to confess that I am a true crime podcast listener and I have devoured every Netflix true crime series that has aired in the past few years. So when I saw the synopsis of The Serial Killer’s Wife my interest peaked immediately.
Let’s first start off with the good things about this book. Sadly there aren’t a lot in my opinion… But it was a quick and easy read. You really fly through the story. No flowery prose, no complex storyline,... just an easy read. Even the slow pace of the story can’t really slow you down as a reader. You can finish this book in one or two sittings.
But part of the reason why you fly through the book is because it lacks so many important things. Fleshed out character for example. The whole cast is so one dimensional and lacks any background story. Only Tom becomes mildly interesting in the flashbacks, but even there it feels like the author is afraid of writing a real serial killer. I was almost begging the book to make Tom a monster. Now he is some dude with a sinister streak and that’s it.
Because the characters aren’t fleshed out enough the overall plot doesn’t hold up. As a reader I saw what the author tried to do with the multiple POV’s, but it was just badly executed. Also the “big twist” at the end of the book was so incredibly obvious. Honestly, when you write a thriller in an era were thrillers are published every other minute you need to come with something new and refreshing. Not something that has been done a dozen times over and done better.
Really disappointed with this book. It could have been so good…

Great book! It’s not easy being a serial killer’s wife, especially one with her own secrets. First time reading a book by Alice Hunter and it won’t be the last.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this ARC.

I thought the premise of this book looked like my kind of read and it was. It grabbed my attention right from the start and I enjoyed this read. It didn’t wow or really thrill me though and I felt it was predictable at times. I liked that the story was told through different character points of view and moved from past to present times very easily. It was well written although there were times when I felt it was a bit too descriptive and overly long particularly when reading Beth’s part of the story, and I found myself skimming pages. The characters were mostly likeable and I guessed some of the twists in the story and the final ones towards the end didn’t surprise me. Overall a good, enjoyable easy read and I would definitely read another book by Alice Hunter. 3.5 stars

Great twisted thriller! I loved hearing the POV from both Beth and Tom, in the past and present. This author knows her stuff! She did a wonderful job unraveling Tom and Beth’s secrets. Every time I thought I had it figured out, she threw in another twist! The story ends with a small cliffhanger that left me wanting more!

Looking forward to reading more by this author!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

We begin with inspectors knocking at Beth’s door. They need to question her husband, Tom about an investigation into the death of Katie, a woman he was dating before she disappeared. What transpires is a suspenseful debut novel from author Alice Hunter, with a few pretty good twists and turns.

My only complaint is that I felt like it could have been a little shorter. There were periods where I was interested but also thought skimming a few chapters wouldn’t be too far out of line. Also with a title like THAT, I was expecting a lot more bodies/victims. You may be disappointed to learn how many there were (I won’t spoil it here for you, but it’s not double digits 😉).

I quite enjoyed the final twist though. I can’t say I didn’t see something coming—I had some suspicions but I definitely didn’t guess it exactly. With the epilogue, I’m wondering if we will get a follow up. Either way, I’ll be looking for Alice Hunter’s future books!

4/5