It's Always the Husband by C.L Taylor

When newly divorced Jude arrives in the small town of Lowbridge, she is soon drawn to widower Will, the father of her young daughter's best friend.

But Will's past is shrouded in tragedy, with questions that no one knows the answer to – and after two tragedies tore his life apart in just a few short years, gossip and rumours abound about what really happened to the women he loved.
Loved the characters and the intrigue of the plot. As always the author has wrote another brilliant book . Its always the Husband or is it ?
Will keep you guessing and changing your mind .

One dead wife is tragic, two looks like murder….

What a refreshing idea for a plot - a story told through multiple POVs that centres on a group of school mums and their husbands.
It reminded me of the tv show Motherland.

I was kept entertained throughout. I’ve read this author before, and I think she’s skilled at keeping the reader guessing.
I didn’t know who to believe and that’s exactly what I’m looking for in a thriller!

I would definitely recommend! Thanks to NetGalley and Avon for the arc

This book definitely keeps you on your toes. The twist the end really threw me for a loop that I didn’t expect. The story really never lets you see who the killer is until you get to the end and even then there is more than one murder in this story. It has a lot of ups and downs throughout it and it’s sad cause most husbands aren’t who they say they are.

C.L. Taylor’s forthcoming psychological thriller, It’s Always the Husband, to be published on June 5, 2025, is a tale of small-town secrets and the complexities of human relationships, especially the inexplicable relationship of the school run mums! Jude, a newly divorced mum of Betsy, arrives in a small village called Lowbridge, where she has to the navigate the treacherous waters of local gossip and suspicion and always feeling like she’s on the outside of the “in” group!
Jude becomes friendly with Will, a man shadowed by tragedy. Lowbridges’ rumour mill is relentless, with many quick to assume the worst about Will. Jude sets out to uncover the truth and embarks on a journey that intertwines her fate with the enigmatic Will.
The book is masterfully crafted and filled with tension and unexpected twists. Any parent can relate to the school gate dynamics and Taylor captures the cliques and judgments that permeate such settings. Each character harbours their own secrets, which adds depth to the unfolding mystery.

I found the plot engaging and kept me on my toes, but felt that there were moments where the various plots and characters felt a little cumbersome. That said, the intricate web Taylor weaves ultimately converges in a satisfying and unforeseen conclusion.

In summary, I found this book to be a gripping read that throws you into the many human emotions of betrayal, trust and the impact it can have on individual relationships.

I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this book to any psychological thriller fans. Taylor’s writing has been excellently executed with a crafted twist which you may not have seen coming!

This book was just an okay one for me. Lots of characters alternating between different point of views, which I usually love, but there wasn't enough depth to the story.

For almost half of the book I couldn't figure out the plot line here. It just felt like a bunch of women gossiping. The second half of the book proved to be much better, as a group of women band together to get to the bottom of a series of events that occurred in their town. This one just didn't do it for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, C.L Taylor and their publisher for the approval to read Its Always The Husband.

This is my first book that I’ve read from C.L Taylor, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Her style of writing is very easy to follow, the chapters are at a perfect length which I love.
You get to know each character well and the plot of the book is great too. I must admit, I did get confused at the beginning of the book and towards the end as the chapters were jumping to different characters however that didn’t hinder my enjoyment with the book.

Very enjoyable book, great plot, great twists and turns.
Thank you so much for the approval and I wish every success for publication day.

Full review to come on Goodreads and Amazon. Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for a review copy

C.L. Taylor has done it again with another addictive thriller!* *It’s Always the Husband* is packed with secrets, lies, and twists that had me second-guessing everything.

The story jumps between different perspectives, and there are so many mysteries unfolding at once that it’s impossible to figure out how everything connects. Just when I thought I had it all worked out there was another twist! The big question throughout is: Did the husband do it? Or is there something much darker going on?

What I loved most were the messy, complicated relationships both friendships and romances because they made everything feel so much more intense. The tension builds right up to the end, and that final twist?!

If you love thrillers that keep you guessing with loads of drama and shocking reveals, you need to read this one. C.L. Taylor never disappoints!

I’ve always been drawn to psychological thrillers, and It's Always the Husband by C.L. Taylor didn’t disappoint. From the very beginning, the story hooks you with its intriguing premise and the complex, often unreliable characters. The way Taylor balances past and present is impressive, slowly revealing secrets about the characters and their relationships.

What I loved most was how Taylor didn’t just focus on the mystery, but also explored deeper themes like grief, trust, and the consequences of buried secrets. While I found some twists a bit predictable, the pacing kept me engaged, and I was never bored.

Overall, I think this is a solid pick for fans of thrillers who enjoy a mix of suspense and emotional depth. It might not have the most shocking twist, but it’s definitely a captivating read from start to finish.

I was thrilled to get an early copy of It’s Always the Husband. C. L. Taylor has done it again. Her knack for weaving nail biting suspense with utterly believable characters had me hooked from the very first page. The short, punchy chapters told from multiple characters meant I kept telling myself, just one more page… until I realised it was well past midnight.

Moving to a new area, Jude crosses paths with Will, a single father, whose little girl befriends Jude's daughter. Trouble is, there are whispers that he murdered his previous partners. Could it really be true?

The mystery surrounding what had happened to the two women in Will's life had me suspicious of everyone; nobody is quite what they seem. It was fascinating to read the drama unfold through different eyes. There was something deliciously gossipy yet unsettling about it all. Every chapter dropped new breadcrumbs, so I was constantly guessing who was truly responsible and who might be covering up dark secrets.

And “one dead wife is tragic, two looks like murder” is the perfect tagline.

I’ve loved every book by C L Taylor, and this one was no exception. It’s Always the Husband is twisty, gripping, and completely addictive.

Thanks to the author, Netgalley and Avon for the advance copy.

Delighted to have got my hands on the newest offering from @cltaylorauthor.

Jude has moved to a new town, and met a nice single dad in the school playground. Unfortunately, rumour has it he killed the last two women in his life.

This book has all the gossip and drama that the school mums have to offer, along with lots of juicy extras. A brilliant story that leaves you guessing and gives you just the ending you need.

I loved it! I love all @cltaylorauthor books and this is another that lives up to expectations.

Thanks to @cltaylorauthor @netgalley and @avonbooksuk for the arc 🥰

It’s Always the Husband centers around a group of well-to-do mothers who have children at the same school. These moms have cliques, petty squabbles, and gossip, just like their children do. The catalyst for the novel comes in the form of a handsome single father, who attracts the eye of a new mother in town. From this event, new friendships are formed and secrets are discovered. No one in this town is who they seem to be.
Although I enjoyed the writing and descriptions of the novel, I found the plot to be too confusing- as though the author was just trying to pack in as much drama as possible.

Any announcement of a new book by C L Taylor is cause for celebration, I have loved all her books and this one is no exception! It follows the story of easy going Jude who moves to Lowbridge with her daughter and becomes friends with single parent Will. This causes concern amongst the tight knit mothers led by Victoria, who has a private life not quite as perfect as she’d like people to believe. Will has had one wife who passed away and another partner who has disappeared - there’s no smoke without fire as far as they are concerned. This is a twisty turning thriller that keeps you guessing all the way through and leaves you satisfied that all the ends are tied up when you arrive breathless at the end! My only disappointment is that I’ve read it and will now have quite a wait to her next book! Many thanks to Net Galley for an advance copy.

What an amazing author and book. The story grabbed me at the beginning and surprised me at the end.
The author had me feeling as if I was right there in that community. Her characters were developed as one reads the books.
The plot was put together so very well.
I will definitely be adding this author to my list!

I found this book hard to get into at first. I found it hard to keep up with all the different names and points of view but by 40% of the way through I was hooked. I didn’t guess the twist which I’m usually good at with mystery thriller type books. I really recommend this book once you get used to the different POVs it’s brilliant and gripping

This story is told from multiple POVs, Jude , Victoria, Sorrel and Andy .This made me second guess everyone as I tried and work out what really happened to Will’s partner Robyn as well as who is behind the other strange things that are happening to some of the residents. And the final chapter was too good I enjoyed the twist. This is my second read by this author and cltaylor delivers a gripping, well-paced thriller that held my interest throughout. I thank netgalley and avonbooks for eARC copy.

Some great twists and turns, and I enjoyed the multiple POVs. I would have liked to have felt like I knew some of the characters better, and at times the group felt a bit too cliquey to be real life. But overall, an enjoyable read!

This was a whats going to happen next read from the very beginning it has it all murder,blackmail,secrets and lies and a lot of gossip.
Characters you can relate to, but it's hard to really root for any of them, and that adds to the intrigue with the chapters told from their perspectives, making it a page turner.
A really good layed thriller with a twist at the end that is a shocker.
A recommended read.
Thanks to Netgalley and Avon Books for the Arc.

I recently read this book while traveling and loved it. I truly couldn't put it down! I loved the characters' interactions and the different personalities, especially when you started to see that not everyone was as they seemed. I found myself rooting for people and was totally taken by surprise by the twist at the very end! (Even I believed the bad guy!) I truly didn't see that coming! Bravo for writing such a clever, fun book! You took ideas/topics that are often seen in books and added twists and turns that kept me guessing! I would highly recommend this book to my friends.

My thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books Uk for a copy of “ It’s Always The Husband “ for an honest review.

This was another excellent , suspenseful book by C L Taylor. I often struggle to cope with so many different characters in a book but these were so well written that it wasn’t a problem for me.i enjoyed the storyline being set around parents at the School gates and could definitely identify with the gossipy aspects of the huddled groups.
I changed my mind several times to the outcome of the book and was totally blindsided by the end.
Highly recommended