First book by this author and was very impressed - I don’t usually follow audio books so intently but it really gripped me - the two main characters Beth and Tom tell the tale through their own perspective. I found this to be a very tense and gripping thriller and the ending blew me away.

Nothing too special about this one. Exactly as it reads on the cover. Typical thriller with a typical predictable twist.

Enjoyable but nothing special.

I thought the blurb sounded so intriguing and I was interested to see how it would play out. The first chapter just throws you into the drama and I was all for it but then the pace just slowed dramatically. The story is told predominately from Beths point of view with a little bit of Tom thrown in. I soon got fed up of Beths over descriptive ramblings and justification of her thoughts and feelings. The name and blurb gives the impression of lots of twists and turns but it just didn’t deliver. It lacked the suspense factor for me and the urge to continue to find out more. Wasn’t for me unfortunately.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK Audio for the opportunity to listen to and review this ARC that was published on the 27th of May.

I really loved this book, highly recommend listening to the audiobook as the narrator is so good. This book is gripping and fast paced … and the ending!!! Was really surprised to find out it’s the author’s debut novel ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an audio arc of this book, all opinions expressed here are my own.

The Serial Killer’s Wife by Alice Hunter is the author’s first novel and I will definitely look forward to reading more of their work.

Beth and Tom have the perfect life, until Tom is arrested for suspected murder. Told between past and present, the story mostly centres around Beth and how she is treated after Tom’s arrest. It is an interesting angle, and honestly not something I’d ever thought about - how a criminal family member’s actions effects those left behind. The twist at the end definitely took me by surprise.

Overall this was an interesting, engaging read. It was well written with good character development. The narrators did an excellent job and were thoroughly enjoyable to listen to. They suited the story well. A solid four star read.

Author Alice Hunter’s debut delivers a spin on the seemingly perfect marriage and what transpires as it all falls apart. The action starts immediately as Beth’s husband is taken in for questioning by the police regarding the disappearance of his former girlfriend. What follows is a slow exposure of who these people really are and what secrets they live with.

Overall the novel surprised me and with a few twists along the way kept me engaged till the end. However I struggled to really enjoy it as most of the story unfolds with Beth’s point of view and she was a character I grew to dislike. Her constant fixation with her daughter and what became a rather irritating cliched way of addressing her throughout the novel really distracted me from the storyline. I found Beth’s character to lack depth and authenticity, which really left me as a reader rather disconnected.

A great read with a few twists; some I was expecting and others were a surprise. Fairly fast paced with some likeable, and some not so, characters. I would definitely read more by this author.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the audioARC of this book.

Twist, turn. Twist turn.

"The Serial Killer's Wife" is a compelling domestic suspense drama with a "How well do you REALLY know your spouse?" storyline.

Beth and Tom Hardcastle are a loving couple with a 3-year old daughter Poppy. When a policeman knocks at their door to question Tom about the murder of his ex-girlfriend, their perfect world begins to shatter. More accusations follow and Beth needs to ask herself if her husband is really capable of these murders.

I listened to the audiobook. I always love it when an audiobook has multiple narrators and all of this book's narrators did an outstanding job; making this a stellar listening experience.

This book, however, was a 10-hour audiobook that easily could have been an 8-hour book. Although the book was well-plotted and riveting at times, I felt that several portions of the book dragged and could have been removed without compromising the storyline.

I especially enjoyed the twist at the end of the book.

This was my first book by author Alice Hunter and I will be watching for future titles by this author.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Just WOW!! This is a great audiobook for anyone who likes a good, twisty plotted psychological thriller!

The plot is so gripping and just gets better as the story unfolds. Beth, wife of Tom and mother to Poppy is superbly well narrated. She is a likeable character whose life is turned upside down when the police call round one evening to question Tom about an ex who is missing presumed murdered. In a close knit community, Beth is unsure who to turn to. I had the impression this novel was about how Beth copes in the aftermath of some terrible allegations against her family, but in fact it is SO much more! Pure brilliance!!

Narration does this book justice - I usually find some aspect of narration to irk or grate on me, but with these narrators there was absolutely nothing I could fault - I couldn’t wait to hear them each day, and they never caused me any disappointment!

My thanks to NetGalley, author and publisher for the opportunity to review this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I was surprised to learn that this was debut novel, such strong writing and a well paced book.
The audiobook was a delight from start to finish, the narration couldn't be faulted and worked so well having the three different voices. The storyline was engaging and full of surprises and twists, it never dragged and the reveals were done at just the right pace.
Overall a cleverly written, very engaging read that I would recommend .

WOW. What a cracking read.
I was trying not to request as much on NetGalley recently, but I saw this one and the blurb sucked me in. So I broke my requesting ban and I am SO glad I did.
I listened to the entire audiobook in a day- that's how good it was. I listened at x2 speed (which my fiance hates because he says it sounds weird and I can't possibly follow it!) But let me tell you, I hung on to every word!
The characters were fantastic and well thought out, and the plot was insane. Just when you thought it was tying up the ends, there was more curveballs!
Absolutely fantastic!

Narrators 5 stars
I really enjoyed to female narrator in particular, She was soothing to my ears.

Story 3 stars
Good solid story with some twists and turns. Definitely recommending it to my book club

This started as a fast paced domestic thriller/mystery but unfortunately couldn't keep up the pace. I found Beth (the main POV & wife) completely unrealistic and unlikeable. Overall, I found it drawn out, predictable and dull.

I listened to the audio version and found the narrators did great on me but I think that was more due to the characters than the narrators themselves.

This really was a story about a serial killer's wife and realistically her life is pretty mundane and boring - aspects of which, like baking cookies for her café, and conversation with her daughter Poppy felt a little too repetitive and definitely slowed the pace of the story. My biggest issue though is that the story feels inconsistent - it starts with Beth (the book mostly told from her PoV) being surprised by police investigating the disappearance of Katie, her husband's ex-girlfriend, 8 years ago; and internal monologue from Beth supports her disbelieving he is capable of being involved - but when you get to circa 60% of the way through the book you find out she knew all along he had 'accidentally' murdered Katie - why not tell the story from this perspective from the start? It would have been a much better read had this been the case. In terms of characters, I didn't find Beth particularly likeable; and the side characters weren't any more likeable either. Tom, the unlikely serial killer, was pretty likeable though! There was a twist at the end but it was predictable and I suspected correctly what this would be at 70%.

In terms of the narrator, I wasn't keen on the flow, which sounded more like a speech with erroneous pausing through sentences.

Many thanks to NetGallery and HarperCollins for allowing me to read the book in advance - I wish I could have given a more positive review in return, but this is at least honest.

This is one of those books that I'm conflicted over. I loved it but on the other side, there was not one character that I really liked! Maybe that is a good thing hey? Does that mean the author succeeded in his/her goal?  Then you get to the end and you realize it's always good to follow your gut feeling.
What would you do when you find out your husband committed a serious offence? Would you stand by him or run for the hills? To make things a bit more complicated; what if you have a child? This is the dilemma Beth is faced with when her husband Tom is hauled in by the police for the disappearance and killing of his previous girlfriend. Will she crack under the pressure? Is it all a misunderstanding or is he an evil psychopath?
The characters made me feel uncomfortable and I found myself talking out loud to them. Some of their actions seemed odd but when you finish the book it all makes sense!

In the end, I have to say job well done to the author with a humdinger of a curveball that gave a very sinister feel to the whole book.

I had 1 or 2 issues with the narrating but it's just technical issues to do with breathing coming from my background as a trained actor.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK audio for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion

Consider these two possible thriller scenarios:
1. Husband is accused of murder and arrested. Wife considers him innocent. Surprise twist in the story occurs when husband is revealed to be the killer.
2. Husband is accused of murder and arrested. Wife considers him innocent. Surprise twist in the story occurs when husband is found to have committed more than one murder.

Both of these twists would have given us reasonably good jolts while reading. Because they can be unexpected and sudden, depending on the author's writing skills. But in this book, there is no scope of such a major surprise until at least 62% of the book. Why? Because till that point, the book talks of only one murder investigation and the title of the book has already told us that the person in question is a "serial killer". Thus, upto the 62% mark, I was not thrilled but just waiting to know when the second murder details will be revealed. What a huge spoiler in the title itself! ☹️🙄

The story isn't so bad. Beth and Tom have been happily married for 7 years and proud parents of three year old Poppy. But everyone changes on the day Tom is taken into custody for the murder of his ex-girlfriend. Soon Beth finds herself swinging between various emotions, wondering how her picture perfect life was suddenly upturned.

Because of the title, you know that there are multiple murders involved, whether actual or accused. So the first half goes by in just waiting for the details to come out. Only after about 70% does the story pace up a little. The last few chapters seen very rushed, but the saving grace is the final chapter with its neat little surprise.

I could not connect with Beth as a character. As the story mostly rests on her shoulders, the book became an average experience for me. If I take this book as a psychological thriller or a mystery or a crime, this book fell flat for me. There was not much suspense until the end and the overall book is very predictable.

The writing is ok. There are too many detailed sentences on Beth's thoughts, but I suppose, as she's the titular lead, she gets the lion's share of the word count. It does become a little repetitive though. The author does try to write through multiple perspectives to break the monotony. However, a major chunk of the chapters are from Beth's point of view. A few are from Tom, and some from his murder victims' perspectives. The best chapters are the ones that show the victim's thinking.

What saves the book is the great narration that takes the ordinary and raises it to a good level. While one of the lady narrators did take pauses at odd points in a sentence, the overall performance was still very good.

If you are looking for a thriller that isn't too taxing on your brain (a light predictable beach-read thriller), then this is the book for you.

A 2.5 from me, rounding up to 3 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK Audio for this audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Reading Between the Wines book review #61/115 for 2021:
Rating: 3.5 🍷 🍷 🍷
Book 🎧: The Serial Killer’s Wife
Author: Alice Hunter
Genre: General Fiction (Adult) | Mystery & Thrillers
RELEASED on May 27, 2021!!! GRAB YOUR COPY TODAY!!
Recommended to readers who would love story about fictional serial killers and the people in their lives.

Sipping thoughts: If your husband ended up being a serial killer would you stay with him? Would you forgive him or would you put him out? The Serial Killer’s Wife is the journey of Beth, a woman who had it all but found out her husband might be a serial killer. I saw most of the ending coming but I enjoyed reading it and watching it unfold. The very ending was a little ominous and I loved it!

Cheers and thank you to @NetGalley, @HarperCollinsUKAudio and @AvonBooksUK for an advanced copy of @TheSerialKillersWife

#AliceHunter #TheSerialKillersWife #HarperCollinsUKAudio #AvonBooks #NetGalley #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #fiction #generaladultfiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #MysteryAndThriller

Beth and Tom have a seemingly idyllic life. Until one day a knock at the door blows their perfect existence apart. Tom is arrested for murder. Beth stands by him, sure there must be a misunderstanding but as his secrets are revealed she questions everything she ever knew about him.

This was an enjoyable listen. Great narration lifted a pretty mediocre tale. The problem with the book was it was very predictable. If you want a thriller that isn't too taxing I'd recommend trying the audiobook.

4.33 stars

Tom and Beth are a perfectly married couple - everyone in their neighborhood either wants to be them or be their friend.

Their perfect life is threatened when the police knocks on their door and Beth finds out Tom is being questioned in connection to a murder. Could he be a killer? Did she really not suspect anything? Is anyone’s life that perfect behind closed doors?

The story is told mainly through the POV of Beth, which I appreciated. She is a complex character, and I felt I got to know her and how she thinks, she remained consistent throughout the book. Beth comes from a broken family and has been determined to have a perfect family. She has vowed to offer Poppy, her daughter, all the stability she craved as a child never had. As a driven character, you wonder through the whole book whether she is turning a blind eye, completely innocent and unaware of Tom’s secret life or his accomplice. I enjoyed her unreliability, especially because I connected with her and invested in her story. I wish Tom had been grittier, more magnetic, eviler. More “serial killer-like,” whatever that means!

Hunter manages to keep a sense of foreboding and tension throughout the book, but the pacing was inconsistent. The beginning and ending were nail-biting page-turners, the middle not so much. In my opinion, it’s probably because of the other perspectives. None of them were as good as Katie, and I would have preferred if hers had been the only POV of the book.

I listened to The Serial Killer Wife as an audiobook produced by HarperCollins UK Audio. This production was superb; having three narrators was an excellent choice. James Macnaughton’s narration was everything! I genuinely believe he made Tom creepier than in the book. Sarah Paul and Kristin Atherton also brought so much life to book. I feel that the three of them did The Serial Killer’s Wife justice. Their chemistry and pacing were impeccable. I enjoyed the audio experience so much!

I realized that I might have a romanticized version of serial killers as I reflected on why Tom didn't do it for me. Oops… Even though I wasn't convinced women would fall for him and that Katie was out of his league, I still enjoyed the book because, to me, this book was about Katie and her journey. And, oh boy, was she a delightful character? Her determination to provide Poppy with a good life and be the best mom she could be was very touching.

I will read future novels by Alice Hunter. The Serial Killer's Wife was a solid debut with a lot of promise. I hope to see more fleshed-out side characters in the future and "commitment to evil"! But I respect that not everyone wants to be in a serial killer's mind; I don't think I could.

A compelling story, I was hooked from the first chapter. Beth and Tom live in a lovely village. They have a happy marriage, an adorable three year old daughter and what seems like the perfect life but when the police knock on the door everything changes. I was totally engrossed from start to finish and just had to keep reading to find out the truth. Excellent.