I really enjoyed this. I hadn't read a thriller for a while that kept me guessing but this did it. I read this in one sitting and definitely felt like it ended too soon.

The characters were great and I liked that we had POV from 3 different characters as well as chapters from a 3rd person narrator. Great narration. Phoebe is super cute.

The plot was interesting and kept me guessing. Each time I felt like I knew what was going on and had almost "solved" it, a new piece of information was added and I began questioning my judgements again. Ultimately, I guessed the big reveal but still really enjoyed the journey.

The writing was clever and this was a great read to make you ask how much you really know the people around you.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books for a copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

This was gripping! I thoroughly enjoyed this book. There’s so much going on, it’s twisty, shocking and hugely addictive.

A gripping thriller with a great plot. Suspenseful and full of twists. I was hooked from the first page and the three narrators did a great job of bringing the story to life. Beth and Tom have the perfect marriage. Their move from London to a beautiful Oxfordshire village with their young daughter is the icing on the cake. But when the police arrive on Beth's doorstep and Tom is unexpectedly late home from work, the life they have built begins to unravel.

The Serial Killer’s Wife - Alice Hunter
Narrated by Sarah Paul; James Macnaughton; Kristin Atherton

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review thanks to HarperCollins UK Audio and NetGalley.

They’re saying he’s a monster. And they’re saying she knew.

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.

This is a complex psychological thriller, complete with many twists in the story and is a fantastic debut novel. The name of this book called out to me, so I just had to request when I saw it on NetGalley

Full of short chapters, this book is the perfect candidate for that ‘just one more chapter’ feeling. It will leave you on the edge of your seat as in places it gets quite tense.

I will definitely be looking out for more Alice Hunter books.

Rating 4/5

I liked this book, it works well as an audiobook and the narrators are very good. Having three different voices brought variety to the listening experience. Clever, twisty, and altogether spine-chilling! This book had intrigue, suspense, drama, and a decent storyline!

Set in rural north Oxfordshire, this is the happy family who's lives are shattered overnight. Was swept up in the intrigue straight away, and couldn't put it down. Will the wife betray her husband and break up the family unit? Good plot and clear narration. Thank you #NetGalley for the audiobook. to review.

Her husband has been arrested for murder. How much did she know? How do you carry on with life when the father of your child is under suspicion of murder?

Thank you to netgalley for giving me the opportunity to listen to this audiobook as a pre release.

Firstly, the narrator did a great job, allowing me the pleasure of simply enjoying the story without being reminded about the storyteller’s presence.
The story itself was easy to get into and I didn’t want to stop listening. For a while I thought there wasn’t going to be a twist at the end. I was wrong, but it wasn’t the twist I had originally guessed. A good read indeed.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Collins and Alice Hunter for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Wow, talk about a thriller! I adored everything about this book; the characters, the story line and the pace. The audiobook really brought the book to life. Alice Hunter is an author to watch. I can’t wait to read more from her.

My thanks to HarperCollins U.K. Audio for a review copy of the unabridged audiobook via NetGalley of ‘The Serial Killer’s Wife’ by Alice Hunter in exchange for an honest review. The audiobook is read by Sarah Paul, James Macnaughton, and Kristin Atherton and has a running time of 10 hours, 16 minutes at 1x speed.

Alice Hunter had studied psychology and worked in the prison service as part of a team offering rehabilitation programmes and her writing is informed by this background. With respect to plot details, I am going to be cautious in order to avoid spoilers.

Beth and Tom Hardcastle have been married for seven years and have recently moved from London to a small village near Banbury. Tom works in banking and commutes daily to London. Beth has recently opened a small ceramics cafe, Poppy’s Pottery Place, named for their three-year-old daughter.

Then one evening there is a knock on their door. It’s the police and they want to question Tom about a murder ..... I will leave it there.

This is the kind of novel that I would advise it best to read ‘cold’ for maximum impact. Hunter’s writing is quite character driven and the story unfolds at a measured pace. Yet I still found it a page-turner with plenty of twists that emerged in an organic way. While most of the story is told from Beth’s point of view, there is input from Tom and on occasion from two other women.

With respect to the audiobook, having three narrators allowed for the chapters to be read by different actors. As she has top billing I expect that Sarah Paul read Beth’s chapters with James Macnaughton reading Tom’s and Kristin Atherton reading the others. Having three different voices brought variety to the listening experience.

Overall, I enjoyed this very much and felt that it was an assured debut. I look forward to news of Alice Hunter’s future projects.

Beth and Tom Hardcastle have the perfect life…or so it seems until one day the police arrive from at their doorstop and ask Tom to accompany them to the station to answer questions about the disappearance of his ex. After that, piece by piece their “perfect” life is shattered and it’s not long before the focus turns on Beth - surely she must have known?

This is a fast paced, tense but enjoyable thriller. I loved having alternate chapters from Beth and Tom’s perspectives which give the reader insight into the criminal and victim. Added to that, there’s a third anonymous narrative which sparks plenty of intrigue and I enjoyed speculating whose voice it was.

It was fantastic to have a separate narrator for each character. I felt like each narrator gave a great performance and captured the characters perfectly. They were easy to listen to and kept me captivated.

There were elements of the plot that I guessed but also revelation after revelation that meant I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. The ending is brilliant not only because I totally didn’t see it coming but because when I thought about it, the author had weaved clues through out the plot and the answers were there all along. The last chapter is chilling.

It’s a fantastic psychological thriller. I am really glad to have read it. Perfect for a book club discussion or a fan of true crime.

Thank you to the author, Netgalley and Avon for the opportunity to review an advanced copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest opinion.

A thriller with a twist.

I thoroughly enjoyed this audiobook, it was well paced, well narrated and I enjoyed the way it was written.

The twists were well placed throughout the story and I would definitely read other titles from this author.

Many thanks to the author and NetGalley for gifting me this arc in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

I’d like to thank NetGalley, Harper Collins UK and Avon Books for approving me for an ARC of this book.

I always enjoy an audio when there is more than one narrator, it makes it more dramatic and as a listener it has more of a play feel to it. All three narrators had distinct voices which made it easier to follow the different stories. They all did a fantastic job.

We start the story being thrown into the action and by the end of the chapter one Tom has been taken away for questioning. I love it when a mystery/thriller gets stuck straight in and builds the back story as we go along. It ups the tension and makes me want to keep going.

As a main character Beth was likeable and being a mum myself I immediately felt for the situation she was in. Can you imagine trying to keep a three year olds routine the same whilst dealing with your husband being arrested for murder? I applauded her handling of everything and felt she really had Poppy’s best interest at heart. As the story progressed I started to wonder what she was hiding. There was something about her that didn’t quite fit and whilst I had sympathy for her situation I did start to wonder how much she knew.

Tom’s chapters were the most haunting. They were well written, short and snappy chapters that left me with an uneasy feeling in my stomach. He was twisted, dark and calculating in what he said or did. What was the worst was he reasoning and how he saw his justification in his actions. If you then add Katie’s chapters to the mix you can see the fear and even though I knew where it was heading I wanted to save Katie in some way.

The story continues to progress in a pacey way and the big reveals keep on coming. Whilst I had figured one or two of the reveals out, it didn’t take away from the read at all. What stuck with me most was how rational our main characters had been in their decisions. Ultimately if they felt it was for the best then what could possibly be wrong with what they were doing?

This story left me questioning everything and trusting no one. It was packed with memorable characters, quick revelations and manipulations like you’ve never seen!

A fab thriller with a clever twist at the end!

I was lucky enough to be approved for both an ebook and audiobook for this title. I enjoy being able to switch between reading and listening.

The narrators of this book made it into a lovely listen for me. I liked the use of male and female narrators to fully distinguish which character is narrating their thoughts in the pages at the time. They did well to set the scenes for activity in the story like the tension and anxiety Beth feels surrounding the nursery mums, Tom’s frustrations and ‘needs’ are expressed well. They speech was clear and audible.

This story is full of surprises, just as you think you know the full story, you are hit with another shocking twist, particularly the last one, that leaves you gobsmacked! It is told through the narratives of the main characters, and through this you can really feel the emotions and frustrations the characters are experiencing. I quite liked the story line and the deceit and lies that unravel as you progress further into the story. The character development is fab and very unexpected in some cases, but cleverly done! I enjoyed the twists and the variety of characters involved within the story, and was certainly hooked from the start. It is well paced and an enjoyable, easy read.

I absolutely loved how Beth comes across so innocently in the beginning and by the end her true intentions come to light! I liked the easy chapters that weren’t to lengthy, so when doing “one more chapter” you are able to add in another couple more without losing too many hours into the night.

I will certainly be looking into this authors future books to read, I really enjoyed her writing style throughout this book.

** I received an advanced copy of this ebook and audiobook to read and review. Thank you NetGalley, the author and publisher for allowing me this opportunity**

Hard to believe that this is Alice Hunter's first book, it's THAT great!!

I was gripped and intrigued to see how it would end and flew through it, it's written at a lovely fast pace. It was well narrated too.

Definitely going to look out for more by this author.

Thanks so much HarperCollins UK Audio, via Netgalley, for gifting me an audiobook copy - can't wait for more!

I read this book both as an audiobook and as a book, and I liked them both. I particularly liked the fact they used one male and one female narrators, which gave a more interesting edge to the story.
All in all the plot was engaging and well written, it just dragged a bit in the mid part, but when you understand why Beth behaves like she does, why she seems selfish and uncaring about anything but herself and her daughter, then everything makes sense and the story picks up pace again.
The ending, even though you might guess it at a certain point, will leave you with a foul aftertaste and you'll find it difficult to think about it for a while.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

**Listened to the audio book**

This book isn't about 'who-dunnit' - its more about the aftermath, and how you would cope knowing that someone you were closest to was a serial murderer. How much would you stand by them? How would you manage?

I loved this listening/reading experience!! This book was so unique. It was really character driven rather than plot driven - like most thrillers/mystery/crime books. Not a lot really happens within the book, but yet I was completely engrossed with the central characters experiences.
The book is very simple in its premise, yet the writing and the audiobook narration made the execution perfect. It felt so visual and I could imagine it playing out in front of me - I really think it would make a great TV series.

I will be looking up everything that the author Alice Hunter has done before, and will be doing in future! Gripped!!

Serial killer you say? Count me in. I fell for the title of this book hook, line and sinker and knew I wanted to read it as soon as I saw it. Thank you to @AvonBooksUK and @Alice_Hunter_1 for this advanced audio copy of The Serial Killer’s Wife in return for an honest review. The Serial Killer’s Wife is due to be published on 27th May 2021 and you can get a copy here.

Description 🔖

Tom and Beth Hardcastle live a seemingly perfect life. They have a gorgeous cottage in a small country village, a beautiful daughter; Poppy and they both have successful careers. However not everything is as it appears on the surface. Tom is late home from work one evening and Beth is worried. Her concerns only grow when she thinks he has arrived home when it is instead the police at the door asking to speak with Tom.

Gossip spreads through the village. They’re all in disbelief that Tom could be guilty of what he is accused of but they’re also saying that surely Beth knew.

General Thoughts 🤔

Ok, so I will kick off by saying I was expecting a little more murder and killings than there actually was. When a book has serial killer in the title I kind of hope to have a bit of gore (I know, I’m a sicko) but that wasn’t the case.

However, that doesn’t mean I was completely disappointed. The book started at such a good pace so I was drawn into the story immediately. Once I was in, I couldn’t stop without finding out what happened. I had my suspicions (which turned out to be correct) but I did enjoy seeing it all unfold.

Characters 👬👫👭

I’m sure that I was supposed to empathise with Beth and feel for her struggle but in all honesty, at about the half way mark I was irritated by her. I found her to be quite dithery and a bit of a whinge.

Tom is obviously not a savoury character as per the title of the book, but I bought into his character the most. He seemed most realistic (for a serial killer) and I enjoyed reading the small sections of the book that were written from his perspective.

Writing Style ✍️

This is a debut novel from Alice Hunter and I think she’s done a good job. I think that there could be some improvements to the pacing of the book as the fast pace, high tension start to the story lost it’s momentum a little. However she added some interesting twists and curve balls that were well placed and timed.

The book is mostly written from Beth’s perspective (which is why I may have grown a little tiresome of her) but there are sections written from the point of view of some of the other characters. The book also jumps between past and current tense. So there was some complexity to the story in terms of following along and knowing what was happening to who and when.

Conclusion & Scoring 🎖️

I did enjoy this book and as I mentioned, it started off on such a high, I had to carry on. However I wish that the excitement that was created at the beginning was built upon more. I’d still recommend this book and would read future Alice hunter books.

The Serial Killer's Wife is told by a woman, whose husband is accused of being murderer, and the husband himself. When the police take Tom in for an 8 year old disappearance of his ex-girlfriend, Beth is left to care for their daughter while their town seems to blame her for her husband's actions.

This psychological thriller had some amazing plot twists and felt like a unique read since you got to heard from both characters. Fair warning, it can be quite graphic at times. I loved how you had no idea who knew what and whether they were lying. Definitely a book that you read in one sitting.

I received a copy of this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

When the police arrive on Beth’s doorstep one evening, her first thought is that her husband, Tom, late coming home from work, has been in an accident. But Beth’s picture perfect marriage, her entire life, is about to be destroyed as the police reveal that they believe her husband is a stone cold killer, and they think that she knew. How well do any of us really know the people we share our lives with? A taut, intense thriller with a top notch audio cast