BOOM — DYNAMITE!

The British Queen of thrills, K.L. Slater, pulls out all the stops in her latest twisty, fast-paced psychological thriller, HUSBAND AND WIFE —her BEST yet! Deserving of an award for the best non-linear plot, crafted with finesse, a brilliant storytelling technique in which the narrative is told out of chronological order.

Jumping back and forth in time (like a yo-yo) but clearly defined, the author cleverly weaves multiple plot lines, unreliable narrators, and timelines to create a cohesive, unputdownable story that will have your heart beating with suspense, glued to the pages until the end! Only K.L. Slater could pull this off like a rock star!

Unreliable narrators, dark secrets, deceit, betrayal, trust, protection, and a web of lies. How far will each go to protect their loved ones? Where nothing is as it appears.

Meet the players:
Parker and Luna (Main Characters)
Barney (Parker & Luna's young son)
Nicola and Cal (Parker's parents)
Marie and Jo (Luna's parents)
Sarah (young mother found murdered)

EXPLOSIVE: When one wrong deed turns into a domino effect—it causes irreparable damage and harm to everyone involved.

A cautionary tale that could be ripped from today's true-crime headlines. Never cover up, assist, or keep deadly secrets! They will come back to haunt you.

Parker and Luna have dropped off their son at Parker's parent's house (Nicola and Cal) for a sleepover. They are to have a night out for a function and 'staying' over at a hotel. (The British seem to call this 'stopping')

Nicola (a former cancer patient) and loving mother/grandmother is concerned about her son. He seems distant, and they hardly see their grandson. Parker told Nicola he had something to say to her the following morning (Saturday), and he did not want his father or wife to overhear. But there is an accident before he has a chance.

Nicola and Cal live a modest life, and Cal owns a small plumbing, heating, and air conditioning company. Parker was never interested in his dad's business and closer to his mom. Parker is an ambitious and successful businessman in sales and has done very well. Luna is a fashion influencer.

Luna's parents, Joe/Marie, are wealthy and look down on Parker's family. He was not quite good enough for her family. Therefore, Parker's parents seldom see their grandson since most of the time is spent with her family.

For some reason, Parker and Luna do not stay overnight at the hotel and are instead involved in a horrible car accident. Parker's injuries are worse than Luna's. Barney is still at Nicola's house, and she gets the keys to go to Parker's house to gather more clothes and items for Barney for an extended stay.

However, when she is there, she sees things that make her concerned. They are sleeping in separate bedrooms. The house is for sale? What is going on? Then she is about to leave and notices everyone's trash bins are out, so she puts them out and discovers a bag behind them. It looks like good stuff, so she takes it home with her.

When she discovers a scarf inside that looks like the scarf on the news, she is distraught. What is going on? Could her son or daughter-in-law be involved in a murder?

A young mother, Sarah, has been strangled and murdered in an alley. There were no suspects, even though a car like Parker's was seen near the crime scene, but he was away at a conference and not a suspect.

Nicola cannot let this go. She must hold on to this scarf until she can speak with her son. But he says a few words that chill her to the bone. Then, he is put into an induced coma and not able to speak further about the scarf.

Told from POV: Nicola, Parker, Luna, Sarah, Maria, and the Nottinghamshire Police detectives—bouncing from one time period to another, past and present, when the dark secrets are slowly unraveled in this complex web of lies and deceit.

OMG! This twisty mystery of domestic suspense will have you guessing and second-guessing every character and their motives. It is not until around 70% that the real killer is revealed, and all the puzzle pieces and players start coming together. I will say I guessed the second twist; however, it did not alter my level of entertainment.

Your loyalties will change throughout the book as the author keeps you on the edge of your seat!

Wow! HUSBAND AND WIFE IS INTENSE! With mounting suspense, tension, unreliable narrators, red herrings, and a spectacular non-linear timeline —A STELLAR domestic suspense and one of Slater's best!

Like a stick of dynamite that simmers and finally explodes! Great characterization, well-written, multi-layered, complex, emotional, perfectly paced, and mega-uber twisty. 5 Stars +. Trust me, I stayed up two nights until the wee hours of the morning with no sleep as HUSBAND AND WIFE is utterly unputdownable!

I am a big fan of the author and have read almost all her books; however, HUSBAND AND WIFE is like nothing I have ever read, and well done, Queen Slater! The novel would make for a great movie!

Sarah's part reminded me of A. R. Torre's The Girl in 6E (minus the erotic part). For fans of K.L. Slater and Freida McFadden—those who enjoy well-written psychological thrillers.

Special thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for an advanced digital reading copy.

Blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 5 Stars +
Pub Date: Nov 3, 2023
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From the prologue

The second the alleyway illuminated, a face appeared in front of hers. Before she could cry out or step back, a powerful hand covered her mouth roughly. In a flash, she felt some kind of bag being pulled over her head and tightened around her neck. She opened her mouth to scream but was knocked sideways, heavy blows raining down on her head. She slumped against the wall and slid slowly down it.

My Thoughts

I love K. L. Slater's books, so I could not pass this one up. I waited it seems like forever for NetGalley to approve my request. But finally, I have read it.

Wow, what a thrill. Slater has a gift for writing psychological thrillers, though this is more of a domestic thriller, it's still amazing. The characters, well let's just say you will love to hate them. It is told in different POV's by chapters. This had plenty of twists and turns that you won't see coming. I highly recommend this to all thriller lovers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for allowing me to read and review this book.

This book was a page turner from beginning to end. Husband and wife are in a car accident. And then the secrets start to come out. Secrets that can break up families. Secrets they intended to keep to themselves. This was a page turner from beginning to end. Would highly recommend. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you, NetGalley, for giving me a free copy. I’m voluntarily leaving an honest review of this book!


Nicola Vance and her husband, Cal Vance, live an ordinary life in uptown. Their son, Parker Vance, and his wife, Luna Barton-James, are also an ordinary couple hoping to carve out an evening for themselves. They drop their son, Barney, off with Cal and Nicola while they head to attend an event in the city. Barney is so dear to Nicole and Cal, just like any other grandparents. Sounds ordinary, right? But there’s where it ends.

While dropping their son, Parker says he has something to say to Nicole that he doesn’t want his father and wife to know. However, something unexpected happens. Parker and Luna meet in a horrible accident and both end up in the hospital. Parker is in an induced coma, while Luna has less severe acute injuries.

To gather more clothing and necessities for their grandson, Nicola goes to Parker and Luna's home and finds the shocking truth of her son and daughter-in-law’s married life. And a scarf that looks like the scarf belonging to a dead woman!

 
This is a psychological thriller that will hook you from page 1. I absolutely loved the tension created by the author. Full of secrets, lies, and drama! This book was so hard to put down. Each time you think you’re getting close to finding out the truth, the chapter ends with another mystery.

The story was told through multiple POVs and timelines, but it was done in a way that was easy to follow. And I really loved the writing style of K.L. Slater. She wrote every character’s POV like they were the culprit to make it more interesting to read.

A wonderfully devious domestic drama with secrets, lies, and a possible murder. Parker and Luna are both in the hospital after a car accident. Parker is in very serious condition and Luna is in stable condition. Parker’s mother was babysitting their son and intend to keep him until the couple are out of the hospital but Lina’s parents want him immediately turned over to them. Then there is the situation with a murdered girl. What does she have to do with this? Perfectly intense and suspenseful. A true winner!

Husband and Wife could have been called Husbands and Wives. There are a lot of them here. Not a good marriage amongst them all. KL Slater made it clear what was going on if you were paying attention to the right things. Sure, throw in a lot of misdirection, but it is there. There is something satisfying about a story that isn't laid out for you, isn't entirely predictable, but still makes sense when you get to the final reveal at the end. There aren't a lot of characters to dislike but it isn't off putting in the least.

This was a fun read! It was my first K.L. Slater book, and I breezed through it. Short chapters and a constant sense of suspense kept me turning the pages to find out what happens next.

The story was told through multiple POVs and timelines, but it was done in a way that was easy to follow and it never got confusing.

The protagonist, Nicola, made for a great main character. I already liked her from the very first page, the author did a great job of portraying a strong but vulnerable mother, trying to find out the truth.

There were quite some twists and turns in this one. Instead of one big mind-blowing twist, the story kept revealing new information that steered the plot in different directions. I enjoyed having no clue what comes next.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read the ARC (Advance Reader Copy) of Husband and Wife by K.L. Slater. This story was very suspenseful and it was captivating to say the least! It had many twists and turns so that it kept me guessing as to what would happen next. I thought I had it all figured out but I was wrong! I was on the edge of my seat and wanted to continue reading (who needs to work right?). Well I would definitely recommend this book to others. Thanks for a great read! I gave it a 4 star rating.

So I thought I knew what was going on…but got it wrong…then I REALLY knew the answer. Nope….wrong again. The twists in this book will send you round in circles and there’s no way you will see the results coming. Brilliant piece of writing, yet again, by K Slater.

Great story with lots of twists and suspense. Told from the perspective of different characters. Leaves you guessing throughout..

First, I want to thank K.L. Slater, Bookouture and NetGalley for providing me with this book so I can bring you this review.

WOW!! It has been a while since I have read one of K.L. Slater’s psychological thrillers and forgot how much I enjoyed them! This time around she is back with her latest Husband and Wife! This book was fast paced, addicting, thrilling, twisted and at points shocking!

She put a smile on my face as she thanked all of her bloggers and reviewers for supporting authors.

Husband and Wife is an addicting fast paced read that if you blink you will miss something. I say this because the story line jumps from past to present in the blink of an eye. It took me a little bit to adjust to that.

I adored the names of the characters she came up with as they were unique.

K.L. Hooked me with the description in the prologue of Sarah’s strange night out. K.L. Really put a lot of details to her description and I loved it.

Ohh the secrets and the twists and turns of this book was intense!

Another riveting, twist-filled thriller from K.L. Slater!!! I thought I had things figured out, but I was so very wrong! Husband and Wife kept me on my toes and turning the pages! Secrets and lies are the names of the game in this book!

Married couple Parker and Luna are in the hospital after a horrible car crash. Parker's mother, Nicola is beside herself with worry. The night before, after dropping his son off at Nicola's home, Parker told her he had something to tell her in the morning. Will Nicola ever find out Parker wanted to share? Needing to gather more clothing for her grandson, who she is watching, Nicola goes to Parker and Luna's home and and finds a scarf. A scarf that looks like the scarf belonging to a dead woman....

This book is told through various POV's and jumps to different timelines, but nothing is confusing as the sections are appropriately titled letting readers know who and what time is being shared. As the book progressed, I had many questions and happily kept turning the pages hoping for answers. I had my suspicions as did many characters in this book. I enjoyed the mounting suspense and tension as the book progressed.

I found this book to be well written, well thought out, perfectly paced with a shocking reveal! K.L. Slate never disappoints!

Dramatic, tense, suspenseful and well written!

Nicole and Cal’s son, Parker, is a successful businessman. He is married to Luna who comes from a wealthy family and are the parents of young Barney. Unfortunately, Nicole and Cal don’t see the family as much as they would like because all their time is spent with Luna’s family. But when they get the chance to have Barney for an overnight while Parker and Luna attend an overnight dinner dance party. However, it appears they left the party early and were involved in a terrible accident leaving both of them severely injured. When Nicole goes to their house to gets some extra clothes and toys for Barney, she finds something shocking.

Recently, a young mother was found stranded to death and left behind a dumpster. Police say her body is missing a scarf that had been around her neck and used to kill her. They are begging anyone that has knowledge of it to come forward.

Now, Nicole and Cal are very worried about Parker as his condition has worsened and Luna’s parents prove they have custody of Barney and remove their beloved grandson from them. But Nicole is determined that Parker will live and she won’t lose the chance to see her beloved grandson.

Just when I figured this was an open and shut case, - bam - the whole thing exploded. I wasn’t expecting this ending but it was a good one. Enjoy!

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This was my first book by K.L. Slater and I loved it. This book was a page turner with lots of big twist and turns that I didn’t see coming.

Parker and Luna (husband and wife) the couple promised to protect each others secrets but a car accident turns their world upside down.
They leave their son with Parker’s mum Nicola and set off to a function. Nicola and her husband get woken up during the night by the police. There has been an accident and Parker and Luna are in hospital. In addition to this, there is a young woman who was murdered. But what does Parker and Luna know about her murder.

This was such a great read that I didn’t want it to end. There was so many twists and turns. I thought I guessed who did it but I was so wrong.
I would definitely give it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture

Wow! Talk about twists and turns and an ending I didn't see coming. Story starts out with a husband and wife appearing to be having some marriage issues, but quickly the story evolves to much more than that. This book will intertwine the whole family in ways you don't see coming. I was sure I had the ending figured out from the beginning, but I was quite surprised at the end.

This is a must read if you want a fast paced thriller that will you will want to finish the moment you pick it up.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for providing me with an ARC for a honest review.

Read this if you like:
multiple POVs + timelines
influencer as MC
troubled father-son relationship
secrets
don’t know who to trust
unexpected plot twists

This was my first read from this author, and I’ve really enjoyed it.
I was completely hooked from the start, which starts with a bang: a murder. The whole story is told from multiple (5) POVs and jumps constantly between the present and different timelines from the past. At first I thought this was going to be incredibly confusing to follow, but this ensures that you gradually get the complete story and are 100% aware of everything as the story progresses, it feels like putting a puzzle together. It also keeps you intrigued and as you start to understand the connections between the MCs everyone may be a possible suspect and you start questioning everything and everyone.
I love domestic suspense thrillers that actively involve you in the story and where there is enough action so it doesn’t become a slow burn.
I was surprised several times with unforeseen twists but the main plot twist: WOW. Hadn’t seen this one coming to be honest.
One small minus: the MCs weren't really enjoyable except for Nicola (Parker’s mother) so I found it difficult to connect with any of them or to root for a happy ending.

A lot of thought has gone into this story, to bring everything together into one totality where everything is connected

A surprisingly whodunnit story that keeps you hooked from the start and ends with a bang.

I’ll definitely read more of this author!

Thank you @netgalley & @bookouture for this ARC.

4,5 ☆

I really loved this book. It was full of suspense and had me guessing!
I chugged through this book and finished it in a few sessions. Highly recommend.
Thank you

A thriller you can’t put down! This is my third book by K.L. Slater and it was awesome! Kept me hooked all the way till the end. I don’t feel that the story dragged at any point in the book. I was shocked at the ending- never expected it! I love the writing style of this author and look forward to reading many more. . When I start one of her. books I am hooked and have to finish it the same day if at all possible! Definitely recommend this thriller-was a great story and I enjoyed the characters and the intricacies of the various relationships between the family members. Thank you to NetGalley, K.L. Slater and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Vance family are the picture of the perfect family. From the outside looking in you would never know the turmoil going on inside their household. The only chink in the armor is that Parker's snobby wife, Luna, will not visit with his parents, Cal and Nicola. The question in the reader's mind is why? However, they need the grandparents this weekend while they go away for a trip. This delights Cal and Nicola. Then the dreaded doorbell rings, and they get the news that no family member wants to hear - Parker and Luna were involved in a horrific car accident. Parker is in very critical condition and is pretty much unconscious and could very well die. Luna has serious injuries, but she will fully recover. After Nicola makes a trip to the hospital, this is when the tension ratchets up. Something is seriously wrong in this household, and she is about to make a discovery that she wishes she did not find.

The story is told from several points of view and goes back and forth from the present to the past. It is not hard to follow along, and this telling is essential to the storyline so you will fully understand where it will end up. The shocks and twists will make you wonder where this is going. I just knew that I had it figured out, but boy was I wrong. K. L. Slater loves to throw a wrench in the reader's plans to solve the mystery as you are taunted with different scenarios, which at first make no sense, but end up in nice, neat package, albeit a gasp worthy package. This story is a lesson in the fact that secrets will come back to bite you if you keep them a secret long enough. Secrets and lies eventually find their way out of the dark corners and into the light. Beware of what is around the next corner.

Thank you to the Bookouture and NetGalley for this ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Parker and Luna head out for a night out after dropping off their son off at Parker's parents house for a sleepover. They are in are car accident with very serious injuries. While Parker fights for his life, information comes to light they may indicate a connection to a serious crime.

Fast paced with a before and after the accident set up. Things are not what they have appeared with the couple and their families. I can't say that I liked any of the characters overly much, but that just added to the intrigue of the story. I did not expect the ending and had another idea of what I thought was going to happen.

The ending of each chapter kept me wanting to know more.

I've read a few of this authors books and have enjoyed them all.

Thanks to netgalley and Bookouture for the arc.