This book has sat patiently on my shelf for a considerable while now - I don't know why, but I haven't felt it call to me as my next read until now. Which is a shame, because once I picked it up, I was drawn into the paradise world of luxury cruise liners, glamourous people and beautiful destinations. But as is often the case with paradise, there's a not so pretty side to things which is rarely mentioned in the media.

The story is related in different time frames, detailing the not-so-squeaky-clean lifestyle Sam and Charlotte had adopted aboard the luxury liners as they befriended and defrauded wealthy 'targets' among the passengers, then moving to the present day when Charlotte begins to face the consequences of those actions. Sam is long gone from her life and she's doing her best to live her life on the straight and narrow with her feet firmly on dry land. But then the messages start: someone knows what she and Sam did, and they are blackmailing her. Panic kicks in, and Charlotte runs, to the only safe place she knows: aboard a superyacht in the middle of the ocean. She's got to be safe from the blackmailer there, right? How wrong could she be!

It took me a while to organise who's who in this book - there are quite a few characters to get to grips with and what each one's role is. Then, armed with the knowledge the reader has of previous events, the challenge is to try to work out whose motive to blackmail Charlotte is strongest - there are a list of possibilities - and why are they not pursuing Sam too? Or are they? Or is it Sam doing the blackmailing? Trying to untangle all the different strands of the story is a monumental task - no wonder Charlotte was so exhausted! The settings in this book are absolutely stunning, the descriptions certainly encourage the reader to explore the various destinations mentioned. If only we had the necessary funds...

I found the less than glamorous descriptions of life on the hospitality side of the liners and superyachts very interesting. As I work in a customer service role in my day job, the thought of being trapped onboard and not being able to escape the constant demands such a role entails is extremely daunting. At least I can go home at the end of my shift.

The closing chapters of this book I found to be some of the best. The loose ends were gradually resolved, not always giving a 'happy ever after' result which I found fitted the overall tone of the book. I was left with a wry smile on my face, as the true nature of some of the characters came out in the end in ways I wasn't necessarily expecting. A clever conclusion to an entertaining book. I'm not sure I'd recommend reading it whilst on board a cruise liner though!

My thanks to the publisher for the opportunity to read this book via NetGalley, and I offer my sincere apologies for leaving it so long to read and review.

This was a good thriller. The suspense builds slowly. The story is told over a dual timeline. It is well written and the pacing is good. The characters are all unlikeable. There are many twists and turns plus some red herrings.
A good gripping read

I must firstly apologise for the amount of time it has taken me to provide a review of this book, my health was rather bad for quite some time, something that had me in hospital on numerous occasions and simply didnt leave me with the time I once had to do what I love most.

Unfortunately that does mean I have missed the archive date for many of these books, so It would feel unjust throwing any review together without being able to pay attention to each novel properly.

However, I am now back to reading as before and look forward to sharing my honest reviews as always going forward. I thank you f0r the patience and understanding throughout x

I couldn't get into it at the beginning but as time went by I started enjoying it more. It was getting better and more suspenseful with every page. I loved the setting. Good holiday vibe therefore great for poolside reading. It wasn't really fast-paced but enjoyable nonetheless.
Not my fave by Karen Hamilton but good enough. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review it

A well written fast paced thriller which kept me engaged from the first to the last page and kept me intrigued and guessing throughout

The Ex-Husband is a phenomenal thriller from start to finish. Filled to the brim with twists and a captivating plot, this one is sure to keep readers hooked. The characters are well-developed. The story is incredibly fast-paced. This is one not to be missed! Highly recommended!

Addictive Dark thriller that had you hooked from the off. The book was very well written. Great plot. Very exciting. Fast paced to get your heart racing. Loved this book

Wow, what a read! Neither Charlotte nor Sam are the most likeable characters you will ever meet but it makes for compelling reading as the tables are turned. A great thriller with fantastic settings.

What happens when an ex con artist is being conned? Charlotte and Sam who are not the most likeable of characters make most of their money on cruise ships. Charlotte’s latest job takes her on board a luxury yacht helping to arrange parties etc for the very rich. She is horrified to discover that someone on board knows about her. As someone who watches Below Decks loved the setting/s of this novel. Great descriptions of boats and places. After a good start it seemed to get stuck in the “doldrums” and just drifted aimlessly with the tide. There were moments of action and it was intriguing even if predictable. I liked the style of writing so it wasn’t a chore to pick up and read. Sometimes though you have to suspend disbelief as it wandered into the realms of impossible situations. Definitely passes time and it would be great on holiday and if it’s a cruise it might make you think twice about getting too friendly with anyone else on board!

Fancy a trip away this summer? Who wouldn't want to stay on a super yacht in the Bahamas, sea spray in the air, sun on your cheeks, cocktail in hand? Everyone, except for Charlotte. Because someone in this paradise wants her dead.

Although the closest I'm going to get to a yacht on the clear blue waters of the Carribean is a barge on the Bath–Bristol canal, THE EX-HUSBAND completely transported me across the seas. I was totally invested in the story of Charlotte's journey to untangle the web of secrets left behind by her ex, Sam, I found myself compelled to keep reading, desperate to find out the twist at the end. Whatever format you pick it up in, you're sure to love this perfect summer read.

Thank you to the publisher and author for this #gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

An original storyline told in the past and the present by Charlotte an ex con artist who with her husband, Sam , used to do cons on some of the most wealthiest passengers on the cruise liners. A few years after leaving Sam her past is catching up with her. A good read that had you guessing!

Another great read from Hamilton, I raced through this. Beautifully written, with characters who seem very real.

If you are a thriller lover looking for a bit of escapism to allow you to dream of glamorous settings and sunnier climes, and a good easy read with plenty of intrigue, then this is the book for you. I flew through it in a couple of sittings

Married couple Charlotte and Sam work on cruise ships where they have developed a side line conning wealthy passengers, funding their ambitions to lead a glamorous lifestyle like their victims. Years later, Charlotte and Sam are no longer together and she is trying to turn her life around but when she starts receiving threats it is clear that her past is catching up with her. In an attempt to escape she takes a job aboard a superyacht but it soon becomes clear that even at sea she cannot escape her past.

With a boat full of potential suspects, and a protagonist in Charlotte who is largely unlikeable and you don't know whether to feel sorry for or feel it is karma, it's a book that kept me guessing as the tension built and just when you thought it was done, there is a surprising twist in the tale.

Charlotte and Sam have had a very lucrative career together, stealing money and identities from passengers on the cruise ships. We meet them as Sam decides to ditch Charlotte, implicating her in the theft of a necklace on the way. Their marriage ends, and Charlotte tries to rebuild her life as an events co-ordinator. But once again she is drawn to the rich lifestyle as she gets a job on a luxury yacht, planning an engagement celebration. However, Sam, who turned out to be a really nasty piece of work, goes missing and Charlotte starts to receive odd messages and hints that she should pay a large sum if she doesn't want to follow him into oblivion.

Its a cleverly written novel, and while I have absolutely no sympathy for Charlotte, who really believes hers is a victim-less crime as the people she stole from were wealthy, so could afford it, it is fascinating to follow the clues, as the pressure on her ramps up. I guessed quite early on who the main culprit was, and there were some heavy clues Charlotte might have spotted herself if she'd been half as clever as she believed herself to be.

A fun and entertaining read, but not remotely believable.

Thank you to NetGalley and Headline, Wildfire for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely adore Karen Hamilton, this is definitely her best book yet and us both doubt my absolute favourite.

This has been a fast paced read that I have found completely unputdownable. I have devoured this book in just one sitting.

I have loved the mix of characters present in this one. Hamilton has given me plenty to be suspicious of while reading. This is definitely a book that had kept me guessing.

The author takes us on a rollercoaster throughout this one. It’s definitely one I would repeat again. This has been captivating and a book which I 100% will be recommending. This is a great read highly deserving of all the stars.

Thanks to Netgalley et all for the chance to read this book. I was really looking forward to it and was not disappointed with it. It was told in two different timelines which is really well done, Charlotte is a brilliant character and you cant help but root for her, despite her past. An excellent read.

Sorry not for me. I read the early arc from NetGalley and was disappointed. The setting was so unique and interesting that I had hopes, but if fell flat. Boring. I skim read a lot of it with little interest or care for the ending.

Climb onboard for thrills and deception!

This is the first of Karen Hamilton’s novels that I’ve read, but let me start by saying that it certainly won’t be my last! I really enjoyed this novel, which blended suspense, action and psychological thrills so smoothly. I really felt transported to the luxurious locations and enjoyed whisking my imagination off to hop around the Caribbean islands. Hamilton’s writing style lends itself so well to this too, as her descriptions are so vivid and appealing. I really felt that I was on the Cleobella super yacht at times and could almost feel the ebb and flow of the ocean as I read.

I was really gripped by the central mysteries of this novel. There is a timeless feel to the way Hamilton has plotted this and I really enjoyed the cast of supporting characters and the constant question mark over whether Sam is alive or not. Hamilton builds suspense at a pitch perfect rate over the course of the narrative, with bursts of tense action permeating throughout the slower piecing together of an intricate jigsaw. As with all great crime fiction, the ultimate revelations are so strikingly plausible that as a reader you want to kick yourself for not seeing the full picture sooner! There’s definitely a feel of Christie in this aspect of Hamilton’s novel. I also enjoyed how the novel moves between different timescales, so that the present day terror that Charlotte is subjected to plays out in tandem with the unraveling of past events. As a reader, it feels like the pieces of the puzzle are beginning to slot into place and we are starting to see the full picture, but Hamilton holds enough back to prevent us from guessing everything. The narrative builds to a thrilling climax and I absolutely relished the darkness of the final chapter. Hamilton stitches the different timelines and narrative threads together in such a satisfying way that I have been left desperate to know what happens next!

As well as being a really gripping mystery thriller, there’s a lot of really intriguing social commentary too. This novel is also about excess. It’s about our consumerism, greed and envy of those who have more. Sam and Charlotte want the best of everything and they are willing to take it if they can’t earn it. Whilst their actions go far beyond what most humans would do, their desire and motivations are firmly rooted in very real societal pressures. This made both characters relatable on different levels, but it also means that they are not the most likeable of people. Despite this, I was still rooting for Charlotte to identify her stalker and come out on top! This is mainly because Hamilton has created such a full and three-dimensional character in her. She is repentant to a certain extent, she demonstrates compassion in ways that Sam does not and she appears to have much more of a conscience. However, it doesn’t stop her from being caught up in Sam’s schemes, or indeed to implement and build upon them. This relates to the other themes that I found really engaging in the book: coercion and the unravelling of a toxic marriage. It’s fair to say that whilst Charlotte certainly had the lust for a lavish lifestyle, she is well and truly drawn into Sam’s deception. As Charlotte starts to break away from their activities, Sam tries to strengthen his hold on her, until they reach breaking point. Their marriage moves from a place of love, lust and all-consuming greed to a place of toxicity and betrayal. However, despite being separated, Sam continues to have a complex hold over Charlotte and it is this aspect of their relationship that helps generate much of the tension and surprise within the novel. I really enjoyed the rich construction of this relationship and the dissection of it throughout the plot. It definitely kept me turning the pages just as much as my desire to find out who was after Charlotte!

This book unfortunately didn’t quite do it for me. The whole idea behind it being set on a cruise ship sounded exciting and drew my attention straight away. Am sorry to say that I found it very slow and boring with not much happening. I didn’t really care for the main character, finding her spoilt and annoying.

The ex-husband is a book that didn’t quite do it for me unfortunately. It does have a lot of good reviews so please don’t be put off from mine but for me it was an ok.
The book is based around a cruise ship and I thought this was going to be very different and exciting but it didn’t really go anywhere amazing and it so could have done. The book starts slow and I was in danger of not finishing as by a third of the way in it was hard work. It picked up after that point though but I did still struggle as I couldn’t get to like any of the characters. By about 70% I’d worked out the bad character. The premise was so good and the cover was what drew me in. I did finish it but I felt deflated at the end.
Again please don’t be put off from my review this is just my point of view.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Headline Wildfire for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.