I just can't do books where the story is from different people's perspective. Tom then Beth. I didn't get very far I assume Tom is a serial killer from the title. Not for me.

I really liked this book, it had a great pace, lots of tension and suspense. It had a twist that I didnt see coming at all. Lots of complicated relationships and it will have you turning the pages.

I have to admit, for a debut novel this is a right corker. This book was full of all the twists and turns you could imagine in your average thriller so for a debut, that speaks volume to me.

The story is written so well from the very first page. The writing keeps you gripped, constantly wanting more. It is drama central from page one which is a huge tick for me as I sometimes find the buildup of thrillers rather slow.

Beth's narrative was amazing and I loved the occasional switch in POV's to include Tom's throughout the book. AND THE UNKNOWN CHARACTER?! What a treat that was. It was such a great addition to an already good book.

I had so many questions throughout that kept me both guessing and wanting to read more. I was not disappointed at all as all of my questions were answered in one way or another.

As I said, for a debut novel this book is very impressive. I cannot wait to read more of Alice Hunter's work very soon! Thank you so much NetGalley and Avon Books UK for an ARC of this in exchange for an honest review.

This book doesn't live up to the title. It has to be the tamest serial killer book I've read. Definitely not a gory serial killer. I also found it quite similar to Jeneva Rose's Perfect Marriage and the twist very predictable. The dialogue was stilted, Beth's character was annoying and not particularly likable and the other characters didn't really add anything. The pace was also slow making the whole thing long winded. That being said if you like your crime books without the gory murders then this might be for you

This was an enjoyable thriller.A little slow in places but overall it was a good read. Strong characters and a strong storyline. Definitely recommended.

This was a book that I found to be quite a slow read and I will admit at times I felt like giving up . However I stuck with it and I’m so glad that I did. It did take a while for things to get going and the book to get more exciting . 3.5⭐️

I chose to read this book with a group of online readers on Facebook as part of a readalong and because I love anything to do with Serial Killers and unrealiable narrators, I knew this would be a good one.

The Serial Killer’s Wife is a new standalone, twisty, twisted psychological thriller that is guaranteed to keep you on your toes, spin your head a few times and keep you gripped from the opening chapter to the last.

Due to the book title, the reader assumes immediately that the story is about a woman whose husband is a serial killer, but the opening few chapters when we are introduced to Beth and Tom Hardcastle and their cute little toddler daughter Poppy are written in a way that you half hope you are wrong.

Beth is a devoted mother to Poppy and wife to Tom. A few years ago they moved to a tiny village near Banbury where Beth opened up her dream shop, a pottery cafe named Poppy’s Pottery Place, slowing she is establishing herself within the village community. Tom works in banking and commutes everyday to London and their lives are hectic but on first impressions seemingly perfect.

When Tom is late home from work one evening and two policemen turn up wanting to question him in relation to his ex-girlfriend who has been missing for 8 years, presumed dead, Beth’s world is turned upside down and inside out. What happened to this missing women? Why are the police questioning Tom? Why was Tom late home? These are questions that immediately spring to mind, but chapter after chapter more layers are appearing and more secrets are being revealed.

This is a brilliant story that kept me guessing throughout. I must admit I had my suspicions about halfway through the book, but just couldn’t work out the truth of what happened to the missing ex-girlfriend and whether Beth did know what her husband had done.

Very few books surprise me or leave me with a feeling of being cleverly duped so it was a pleasure to finish this book knowing that once again my amateur armchair detective skills are completely useless.

Fans of twisty, clever and well written thrillers should love this.

God I hate straight thriller fiction, where is the SUBSTANCE?? You call a book The Serial Killer's Wife and he only kills three women over the space of like 10 years? That's just the average man! Where is the drama! The mystery! The wife who isn't a wet weekend and instantly starts fucking the other man - oh spoilers she ~murdered~ his wife and we're meant to go "ah ha!! she was the serial killer all along!!" Get a grip.

I love a book gives you wonderful twists and turns. I will absolutely be reading more of this author's books in the future.

An engrossing book with a nice, twisty ending. It's not going to cure cancer or bring world peace, but it's good escape reading when you just want to relax and let the world go by for a few hours.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Four stars because while I enjoyed it, it is more of a fade-away pleasure. I won't find myself thinking about it in the days and weeks after I read it. I read it, enjoyed it, and put it down.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Avon for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.* Hunter takes a nightmare situation and makes it seem so real. Beth and Tom's life seems so perfect on paper, but all is not as it seems. When Beth's husband Tom is arrested for murdering an ex-girlfriend many years ago, Beth is forced to confront the truth about her husband and her marriage. All whilst keeping her business running and taking care of her young daughter, Poppy. Bit by bit, as Tom's past is revealed, Beth is forced to make difficult decisions to keep herself and her daughter safe. An enjoyable and intriguing read.

Unfortunately, I DNFed this book. The original premise was interesting to me but from the very beginning, the writing was flat and so were the characters

A decent and engaging but slow-paced psychological thriller that lacked shock factor


Beth Hardcastle lives an idyllic life with her husband Tom and three-year-old daughter Poppy, running a ceramic café in a quiet village. One day the police knock on her door and her world is turned upside down – Tom has been arrested for questioning about the disappearance and suspected murder of his ex-girlfriend from a decade ago. Shocked and concerned for her husband, Beth tries her best to carry on as normal and protect Poppy from what is going on. However, as the investigation unfolds, she can’t help but question some of her memories of their life together and ask herself how well she really knows her husband.


This was an intriguing and readable thriller with a strong gripping opening, that then slows down in pace a bit to become more of a mystery. The book is mostly written from the POV of Beth as she reflects on her relationship with Tom and tries to continue working and looking after her daughter, all the while worrying that the other mums in the village will judge her and grappling with her conscience and trying to decide what she should disclose to the police. Some of the story is also from Tom’s POV, and other parts are flashbacks to the past from the POV of murder victims. The author does a good job of sprinkling clues into the narrative about what might be going on, and there is a pretty good twist at the end, that on reflection has been subtly hinted at throughout the story.


Unfortunately, despite a promising premise, this book fell a little flat for me. The plot is terribly slow paced, with a lot of chapters detailing Beth’s thoughts and worries which were quite dull to read, and I also didn’t personally find her very sympathetic or likeable as a character. I was also quite disappointed in how lacklustre the ‘serial killer’ aspect of the story felt – compared to some other books I’ve read recently, the story lacked tension and didn’t leave me feeling disturbed or scared in any way, and there didn’t seem to even be that many murders going on for a significant proportion of the book. Finally, without giving away too much, having the story written in the first person meant that the twist at the end didn’t really work for me and felt a bit forced and unrealistic


In conclusion, this was a decent book, and the author is clearly talented with a good imagination, but the unlikeable protagonist and lack of darkness or tension slightly impaired my enjoyment.


Daenerys


Elite Reviewing Group received a copy of this book to review.

An enjoyable easy read, with a twist right at the end.

The book follows Beth & Tom, who on the outside have the ideal marriage with their daughter Poppy. Tom is arrested for murder of his ex-girlfriend Katie – but Beth is keeping a long-kept secret.

I found this book enjoyable, if not a little slow at times. I also felt the twist at the end was a little late coming and rushed – so more could have been written with Beth’s involvement to have made the book more interesting.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book, in return of an honest, unbiased review

I found this book complex and intriguing. Love a book with short chapters too. Plenty twists & turns, an enjoyable read I’d recommend to anyone.

I really enjoyed this book. Once I picked it up, I could t put it down. The chapters are the dangerously short “oh, I’ll just read one more and then I’ll go to sleep” length that keeps drawing you into “just one more…”.
The characters made me want to get to know them. Just when I thought I’d figured everything out and felt myself get disappointed in such a predictable plot the author throws in a twist and you find yourself replaying the entire story back in your head going “aha!”

I feel like this entire genre has become a bit predictable after the popularity of "Gone Girl." This didn't detract from it being a decent read, but takes the surprise out of the "unreliable narrator" bit. There were also a few loose ends that weren't tied up, unless I missed it. Overall a decent read.

The chapters of this book are written from the perspective of alternating characters, something that has to be done really well to be engaging. Often this style of writing ends up confused, or characters become too much like one another. Hunter does this very well, and has crafted a gripping, believable thriller. Highly recommended.

I didn’t really enjoy this book. The characters fell flat for me . The plot was boring and predictable .

Beth & Tom have the perfect marriage, a beautiful daughter...& secrets.

This is a good book to get lost in & suspend belief a little. Throughly entertaining, I spent my read thinking I had the inevitable twist worked out but I'd completely over thought it & much preferred the real twists & turns of the novel

Written from the different characters viewpoints the action was well paced & the characters all caused me to question who I could really trust right to the very end.