4.5 out of 5

Edward O'Connor has been in prison for the last twenty-seven years, convicted of nine young girls. Now approaching death, he's ready to confess all his crimes. But only to Maggie, not the police.

Maggie has done her best over the years to protect her sons from the media spotlight, changing names and houses whenever the attention became too intrusive and overwhelming. If she agrees to help the police, it should start all over again. She will have to be strong to deal with a man she never really knew in order to help other families find their loved ones.

This has a very slow, methodical build-up. No flashy action scenes or graphic descriptions of the murders as they happen. While categorized as a mystery, this book could easily be considered general fiction. At its heart, it is a character study of a woman whose life was ripped to pieces by the man she was supposed to trust and love.

This is definitely NOT my usual type of read, although I am partial to more character driven tales. Yet I found it a welcome distraction when sitting up all night to painfully watch the American Presidential Election, a somewhat comforting presence.

The twist wasn't a total surprise, I admit, even if I still hoped I was wrong. However I might have disagreed with how it was handled, Maggie somehow seemed to find herself again. It ends on a hopeful note, at least for Maggie and her sons, so there's that.

For those with the patience to give this book the time to grow, I would say give it a try. I think you'll enjoy the experience. The first person narrative in Maggie's POV is very well done. Barnes' writing style is easy to absorb, even during the tougher moments.

Huge thanks to Bloodhound Books for graciously allowing me access to the ARC through NetGalley! The scheduled publication date is 14 November 2024.

This had the potential to be a really solid thriller, and I was excited to pick it up. Unfortunately, it is a very long and slow starter. To the point where I was completely bored and turned off by the time it got to the meat of the story. And by that point, nothing could save it - although the second half is much more interesting than the first. Only try this one if you've got a lot of patience!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

I received this book as an Arc reader through NetGalley. I was immediately intrigued by the name and cover of this book. I love a crime/thriller type vibes so I had high hopes for this book. I was captured at the start and really didn’t have any idea where the story was going to go. I had some guesses for the plot twist and I was right with one of the ones I had so I feel like once that plot twist was revealed that the story got too predictable after that. I found myself getting bored once this part of the story comes to ahead but other than that I enjoyed it. I found it quite fast paced and easy to read but personally I just need more of a shocking plot twist!

Although this was a slow burn, the unique plot had my attention. Instead of "who did it?", it was "what else do I have left to confess?" The main character Maggie agrees to meet with Edward for 1 hour chats to learn about his victims with the hope of locating the last body. She is the only person he wants to meet with due to his cancer diagnosis and estimated 6 months left to live. As the chats continue, Edward's health deteriorates and Maggie discovers more than she expected. The twists and turns in this book led to a satisfying ending.

Thank you NetGalley and Bloodhound Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was really really good! I love a good psychological thriller, and this book was so creepy and made you feel paranoid. It really makes you think about how much you really know people. It was a wild ride with lots of twists and turns.


Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complementary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

not what i thought it was going to be like but however I did find it easy to read, I also didn't see a bit of the book coming close to the end

Firstly thank you Netgalley and Bloodhound books for giving me ARC in exchange for my honest feedback. I was very intrigued because of the title and description but the more I read unfortunately I got bored. It was really slow to move I think lots of chapters were unnecessary. But still it was captivating enough to go on. The plot twist was perfect ( even though I kind of guessed it in the middle) overall it can be read.

I really wanted to love this book but it was very slow moving. It was good but a little underwhelming. I would still recommend. Thank you for the opportunity to read this arc.

Read and reviewed in exchange for a free copy from Netgalley. This was an engaging read and Barnes created a lot of sympathy for Maggie. The book was well paced and the story was interesting, with unexpected twists.

This is a thought-provoking read that challenges our perceptions of morality and loyalty. How does one choose to make a life-changing decision knowing a loved one will be prosecuted for a heinous crime yet you also want to protect them?
My heart breaks for Maggie as she navigates the unsettling truth about Edward’s past and the implications of his actions while dealing with her own conflicting emotions.
The topics of deception, the true nature of evil and one’s struggle for self-preservation are explored in depth, making the story not just about the crime itself, but also about the psychological impact it has on the everyone involved.
Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read this advanced copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Based on the synopsis, I really wanted to love this book. The plot sounded great and the genre is right up my street. However it was so slow paced I almost gave up. There’s a great plot twist but you have to get through the majority of the book before you get to that bit. Unfortunately this book just didn’t live up to expectations. Thank you to NetGalley, Bloodhound Books and the author for the chance to review.

My Husband the Murderer by Charlotte Barnes is a suspenseful and engaging read that keeps you guessing. The story dives into the dark twists of marriage and trust, with enough secrets and tension to keep you turning the pages. Barnes builds a strong atmosphere, drawing you into the characters’ lives and planting seeds of doubt that make you question everyone’s motives. However, the pacing does slow in parts. But overall, the book is well-written, and the tension is solid enough to make it worth a read. Rounded up to four stars for the compelling characters and psychological depth!

To start, the title intrigued me, so I immediately requested it, so thank you NetGalley and Bloodhound Books for the e-arc!

This had me gripped, and the plot twist to this, omg, poor Maggie! I really felt for her. This had me gripped, I was really hoping to delve into Maggie’s now ex husband, who is a serial killer, and is finally ready to confess to his crimes. But the plot twist I did not see coming omg. It kind of made me think, if Edward had a moral side to him; I’m not excusing his behaviour or how he targeting and murdered girls, I wish we got to know more psychologically about why he did it, but I guess it all alluded to the suspense.

I really enjoyed this for my first psychological thriller!

I thought it was a terrifying element that the killer is in jail but still a threatening presence. The concept worked well and Charlotte Barnes was able to weave a tale perfectly. It had that twist that I was looking for and enjoyed the overall story going on.

This was an interesting take on the serial killer/psychological thriller type of book in that the serial killer is already in prison, so it's not a matter so much of who did it as "What else does he have to confess"? In My Husband the Murderer, Edward the serial killer finds out he has cancer, and only has six months left to live. He decides he will share important information with the police, but only via his ex-wife, who now goes by Maggie. Maggie has changed her name and moved numerous times over the past twenty-plus years since Edward was caught, tried, and imprisoned, in order to protect her privacy and that of her two (now-grown) sons, Otis and Finn. She never knew about Edward's awful crimes, yet still feels she doesn't deserve a life of happiness, so she has few friends, works from home, and volunteers often at a soup kitchen. After much convincing by various detectives on the case--which does seem to drag on for a bit too long in the beginning of the story--Maggie agrees to meet with Edward for one-hour chats about his victims, in the hope of ultimately finding out where the last one's body is located. These chats continue for weeks on end as both Edward's and Maggie's health deteriorate (his from cancer, hers from stress). However, what she discovers and uncovers is more than anyone expected, herself included, and as she continues, various twists and turns help propel the story, albeit slowly, to a satisfying ending.

Once you get past the first 20% (because it dragged so much), the story picks up and ends up as a great read! The ending wasn't my favorite but I enjoyed the journey with the two main characters.

We follow our MC's POV, Maggie. Her ex-husband, Edward O'Connor, is in jail for nine murders he committed throughout their life together. He's willing to confess to some information about a body the police never found and also a string of other murders they did not link to him. There's a catch though; he will only speak to Maggie about it and not the police. Maggie has tried putting all of this behind her for the sake of her own mental health and her two older children. She has a tough decision to make in talking to him and sarcificing the quiet life she has made for herself.

While the idea of this book sounded interesting and unique, the execution fell really short for me. The first 30% of the book was Maggie just deciding if she was going to visit her ex-husband in jail or not. It really dragged on. Then the middle portion of the book was really a lot about her emotions and didn't feel like a thriller book. The twist was disappointing. It felt like it's been done before and was so predictable. I feel like the ending part where Maggie went to talk to Edward one last time should have been the end of the book. Nope, it dragged on for CHAPTERS more than that. 

I really was interested in the description of this book, but I'm sorry to say it just ended up being really boring and stale to me.

Thank you Chrlotte Barnes, Bloodhound Books, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

This was a fast-paced and bingeable read, I finished it in one session and definitely didn't expect that ending!

The blurb is what initially caught my attention, I've enjoyed storylines in past where criminals will only speak to a specific person. I'm always trying to piece together "the why" right alongside the main characters.

Overall I really enjoyed reading this book and look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

Thank you Charlotte Barnes, Net Galley and Bloodhound Books for providing me with an ARC of this book!

Oh this was good, really good. Charlotte Barnes, you know how to write a fantastic book! This was such a great book! I would love to see this as a series. Wonderfully done!

Good book! This book had suspense, intrigue, serial killers, murder, mystery, and a few crazy twists and turns! The story was interesting, I didn’t care for the ending too much but it still was a good read! I would recommend reading this book! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!