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.
I was immediately attracted to this book because of its title and the premise was intriguing too!

The plot started off really well. Tom’s flashbacks and the chapters from his ex-girlfriend Katie were some of the interesting parts. However, most part of the book was in Beth’s POV and at times it felt slightly annoying because her actions weren’t quite understandable, and I really couldn’t connect with her.

But the main highlight of this book is the huge plot twist at the end. I didn't see it coming and it made me speechless! And left me wondering if a sequel is on its way…

Overall an excellent debut! Looking forward to read more!

Thank You NetGalley and Avon Books UK for this ARC!

The Serial Killers Wife written by Alice Hunter and is her debut novel. We follow the story of the Hardcastle family being Beth, Tom and daughter Poppy. A happy family until one night Tom doesn't come home after work. Beth is starting to get worried but when a knock at the door comes she thinks Tom might have forgotten his keys. But it's not Tom at the front door but the police. They have come to talk to her husband about the disappearance of his ex girlfriend. Tom arrives home and gets taken away for questioning.

Everybody lies and the story unravels telling all. That ending, wow I did not see that one coming! I finished this book in two days, I just wanted to get to the bottom of everything.

Thank you Netgalley and Avon Books for the advanced copy for an honest review.

The Serial Killer's Wife by Alice Hunter

Beth Hardcastle is a contented woman. She has the perfect life. She has a loving husband in Tom, a beautiful daughter in Poppy and she has her dream job of running a ceramics cafe. She is a valued member of a small community, even thinking of starting up a book club. And then the evening arrives when the police come calling and Tom is absent. They want to speak to Tom in connection with the murder of a former girlfriend who went missing years ago. Beth. When they ask her where Tom is, it’s an easy question to answer. He will be in the office where he often works late. But is he?

The Serial Killer’s Wife has a great premise and is a fun read as we follow Beth Hardcastle’s struggle to face a situation which is entirely out of her control, all under the noses of an enthralled community. The author explores the public and private worlds of a couple, who are now greatly at odds as secrets very slowly emerge. We, the readers, are spectators as Beth attempts to adjust while trying to protect her daughter who, it is clear, does not trust her father. What is it that she knows that Beth doesn’t? There are many questions like this as the world comes to know Beth as a serial killer’s wife.

I think there are pacing issues with the novel. It takes a fair bit of time to find out why the novel has the title it has and it does get rather bogged down in Beth’s obsession with what the other mums will think of her. In fact, that seems to bother her more than the fact that her husband may be a homicidal maniac. This does make her an unsympathetic character, along with most people in the novel, but this is one of those books where that doesn’t matter. We’re not reading this book to like Beth or Tom but to find out what’s going on.

There are also chapters which go back in time and are from the point of view of the missing former girlfriend. I’m not sure these are entirely successful. There are also some very unsavoury scenes but that’s probably just me being prudish! The chapters from Tom’s point of view are, in my opinion, the best in the book.

The Serial Killer’s Wife is a fast and entertaining read, which reminds us that sometimes you think you know someone and maybe you don’t after all.

Solid three stars. I feel the title gave away one of the major twists though. Solid mystery with some interesting twists. Not quite as exciting as I was hoping it would be.

Another average thriller. There was nothing wrong with it and it was well-written and entertaining. Nothing shocking happened and I think the title gives away one of the plot twists, but maybe it's not meant to be one. I would recommend this if you're just getting into thrillers.

What a great debut novel. From the moment I saw the cover and the title, I knew I must read this book ASAP. While I love going blind into most of the thrillers, this description surely sealed the deal.

After seven years of marriage with a perfect life and daughter, everything changes when one morning the police brings the news of her loved husband being investigated for murder.

What follows next is a world wind series of events that kept me engrossed in the story with each chapter.

Trying to protect her daughter and going through the unwanted fame and doubt and accusations of her knowledge about her husband atrocities, I felt so bad for Beth in most of the scenes.

Nothing is as it seems, and everyone has a past and secrets to hide.

Gripping, twisted and fast-paced story that many readers will enjoy.

This was a bit too slow for me I only liked the beginning and the ending. I didn’t see the twist coming so that’s a plus. But the middle part stretched on and on, too much of Beth‘s thoughts 💭 and not enough action.

What a gripping thriller.

This was a very disturbing but good read.

Thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish and could not get enough of.

This is a must read for anyone who enjoys a good thriller!!
Absolutely loved the characters, the plot, the tension -  impossible to put it down.
Certainly recommended!

‘The Serial Killer’s Wife’ is the debut book by Alice Hunter.

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.

A debut novel with a fascinating narrative is exactly how I’d describe this book.

Seen from the narrative of Beth Hardcastle, she’s shocked when her husband is suspected to be involved with a disappearance of a woman from 8 years ago. And the perfect life that they’ve set up outside London is about to come crashing down, when rumours start circulating about him. Interestingly, the story is also seen through the opinion of Tom as he deals with the allegations being held behind bars and the worry of what Beth thinks.

Beth seems quite an interesting character, she’s settled into her new role of mother and owner of a ceramic cafe quite well, but she’s not used to the Yummy Mummy crowd and the judgement they pass at the school gates. She’s a strong woman and refuses to believe that her loving husband would have this side to him and as more stories are revealed, we see her opinion change which makes for gripping reading.

The story is written in the past and present tense from the lead up of the couple meeting whilst Alice has also included a narrative from Kate, the missing woman which I thought was a great addition to the story. This helped put a face and personality to the character instead of just thinking of her as an unknown.

‘The Serial Killer’s Wife’ is a complex psychological thriller that travels at a fast pace and is cleverly crafted with twists and drama throughout.

You can buy ‘The Serial Killer’s Wife’ from Amazon and is available to buy from good bookshops.

I really loved this book, highly recommend listening to the audiobook as the narrator is so good! The book is gripping and fast paced ….. and the ending!!! I was really surprised to find out it the authors debut novel!!

I really liked the fact that this novel told the developing story, mainly from the point of view of the wife of the accused. I also enjoyed the tension-building which ran throughout the writing, slowly helping the story to unfold piece by piece. You feel much like the main characters, impatiently waiting for the phone to ring with updates about the accused, craving the next twist in the storyline. I would definitely read further works by Alice Hunter.

GREAT characterization while keeping the suspense high throughout. Enjoyed totally & RECOMMEND for a different & unique storyline. Thanks to NetGalley & Avon Books UK for this ARC in return for my honest review.

I tried several times to read The serial killers wife. I’m not sure if it was a slow burn or because of the injection it’s based on. But it’s a not for me but am sure others will love it

3 for neutral, will update if able to finish at a later date. Was a bit too slow paced for me and I tried to read on a couple occasions and just couldn’t finish. Will update if able to finish at a later date.

I really wanted to like this book but it fell flat for me. I couldnt get into the story or the characters.

This was terrible. Trite and predictable with loathsome characters. I’m not sure how everyone didn’t figure out the transparent plot going on here but to each their own. I can’t believe I read the whole thing expecting it to get better or prove me wrong. But nope, exactly as I predicted.

Can’t recommend this one. But if you liked terrible reads like Colleen Hoover’s Verity you may also enjoy this book.

I am absolutely the target market for these types of books because despite the fact that I can normally figure out the twist, it never stops me from enjoying the journey. This was one of those books for me - although I will say I didn't figure out the final twist until just before it was revealed so it didn't taint the ending for me much. I really enjoyed this domestic thriller. This is told from multiple POVs which I love in a good thriller because it gives the reader a fuller picture of how each character is truly feeling, . This can sometimes make me start to distrust the main narrator which really throws my head into a tizzy and gets me obsessing over who is telling the truth. I especially like when the POV's are told from the past to better explain how they got the current situation which was utilized quite a bit in this. This was such a page-turner for me because I couldn't quite trust ANY of the characters, and in the end I guess my instincts were correct. This definitely won't be my last from Alice Hunter. I love her storytelling style and thought she did an excellent job of developing both the characters and the plot. Thank you to the author, publisher, and Net Galley for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. I did finish this after its publishing date, which was May 27, 2021.

I really enjoyed this book and it was a good page turner. It is from the perspective of the serial killer's wife, and how being married to a serial killer affects you when the public finds out. It is a very easy read and the characters are well thought out and executed.
I love how it is narrated from different perspectives and you are sometimes lead completely down the wrong path and I love how it shows that not everything from someone's perspective can be trusted.
The twist at the end is so good and it really made this book. I can not wait to read another book by Alice Hunter.

I found Alice Hunter's debut to be a fairly gripping read and I enjoyed the exploration of the experience of the family of an accused serial killer. Sadly for me this novel was let down by the quality of the writing which I found stilted and lacking in flow.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital ARC.

Oh my goodness this is a jaw-dropping book!

Beth and Tom seem like a lovely, normal, happily married couple. How can Tom be accused of murder?

It’s difficult to review this book without giving too much of the plot away, and with a plot like this, full of twists and bombshells, you really don’t want it spoiled for you.

I’ll just tell you that this is probably my top psychological thriller book of this year so far. It’s tense and twisty, gripping and shocking. It’s a total must-read. It’s out today, just read it. You’ll be completely consumed by it, as I was. Superb.