Member Reviews

This is the first book I’ve read by Jane Corry and I certainly hope it won’t be the last! Suspenseful but not scary, I was completely gripped by the twists and turns and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend. A fantastic read!

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Really enjoyed the plot in this book. there are three distinct parts and towards the end of the middle the dots were just beginning to join. It left me really eager to read the third part which tied all the ends together. A good summer read 💜

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I really enjoyed this book. It had plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing right until the end, a real page turner

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The Dead Ex follows the lives of Vicki an aromatherapist, Scarlet whose mother is in prison and Helen who joins half way through as a photography intern. The Dead Ex unravels until we understand how all 3 narrators lives are linked - it does this with many twists and turns and I found myself wanting to read more to find out what happened. I didn’t find anything particularly surprising in this book but it was a good thriller all the same.

A book worth reading if you like reading books from this genre.

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This book is nothing short of what I have come to expect from a book with Jane Corry on the cover!! I mean, if you want a book that turns you upset down and inside out and then just, just when you think you can calm down, you get a final sting right as you finish the book.

What a story!! A vicious story of revenge and deceit had me riveted to the spot. Ok, well, the first 20% of the audiobook. I didn’t have a clue what was happening and thought I might not be in the mood for it. But then, all of a sudden, when we focused on Scarlet, I was hooked. That child was manipulated by her mother in the worst way, and then, later in foster care, it wasn’t easy. Until she had the perfect home. My heart went out to her. I was begging for this story to be a happy one for this poor naive child.

Vicki, I was fascinated by her. Her story of becoming a prison governor was briefly touched upon, all to lead you to the big reveal, which I had guessed, but still, the shock of it all took me by surprise. She was treated awfully by everyone, and it angered me when she was accused of faking her epilepsy.

Helen, well dear Helen, your card was marked when you first appeared, and I knew who you were. I just didn’t realise how deep everything went with her, and the length she went to was….well not surprising.

Leaving us with the worst woman in the book. Zelda! What a despicable woman. I detested her from the second she spoke. She is such a self-centered and cruel woman. Urgh.

All these women are linked to the disappearance of the ugliest of men, David. This disappearance is a catalyst for so many things, one of them being death.

Jane really had a way with her words, and she hasn’t failed me yet. She wrote deception and sleight of hand so well. Even if you know and can guess it, it isn’t always a happy thing to guess right because you don’t want it to be true! Her characters all have flaws; yes, even the MC, is she as reliable as we are led to believe? It was interesting to see how she uses mental and physical health in a way to progress the story, throwing doubt every step of the way!

I look forward to my next read by Jane and already have my eye on it. She is fast becoming one of my favourite authors.

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Great story, thrilling plot that I could not put down. Well worth a read, and would recommend to others.

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The Dead Ex is a psychological thriller told from various viewpoints.

Vicki is David's ex-wife who falls under suspicion when David goes missing. She has contacted him numerous times over the years to let him know where she is hoping that just maybe he will come to his senses and want her back.
Scarlet is a young girl who ends up in foster care after her mother is arrested during a drug bust.
Helen is a young woman who is hired by David to take Photos and enters a torrid affair with him.
What is their connection? What do all of the characters have in common?

I was intrigued and trying to figure out who all the players were and what their connection might be the first half of the book. During the second half of the book, I was able to put some things together and the pieces fell into place.... but not all of them. The author still has a few tricks up her sleeve! Even with the tricks and twists and turns, I found my attention wandering while reading this book. While I found this book to be enjoyable, it did not fully grab me or my attention. The novel is well written with several twists, turns and reveals along the way.

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Soo many twists and turns. I had no idea where this book was going at times but I loved it so much regardless. Great build up, and great to get to know all the characters

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I've never heard of the author before reading this book but now she is certainly one of my favourites. I loved how she built the story to keep you guessing right up until the very end.
The characters were fantastic and well thought out, I loved trying to figure out how they all fit together. I understand that some people might find the story difficult to follow as it jumps from past to present but I thought it was clearly marked out, so please stick with it as you will not be left dissapointed!

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"One man's disappearance throws four women's lives into chaos--and not all will survive. . .

Vicki works as an aromatherapist, healing her clients out of her home studio with her special blends of essential oils. She's just finishing a session when the police arrive on her doorstep--her ex-husband David has gone missing. Vicki insists she last saw him years ago when they divorced, but the police clearly don't believe her. And her memory's hardly reliable--what if she did have something to do with it?

Meanwhile, Scarlet and her mother Zelda are down on their luck, and at eight years old, Scarlet's not old enough to know that the "game" her mother forces her to play is really just a twisted name for dealing drugs. Soon, Zelda is caught, and Scarlet is forced into years of foster care--an experience that will shape the rest of her life . . .

David's new wife, Tanya, is the one who reported him missing, but what really happened on the night of David's disappearance? And how can Vicki prove her innocence, when she's not even sure of it herself? The answer lies in the connection among these four women--and the one person they can't escape."

As much as I enjoyed this book once I was settled into it, I found it very confusing at first with its different chapter narratives between Scarlet and Vicki and also the various characters in the story. It is quite a twisted and quite sinister storyline and makes for uncomfortable reading in places. Nevertheless, I stuck with it and enjoyed it, but was left with some questions unanswered.

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I enjoyed this book, I was listening to it as well as reading it, as I am still struggling to concentrate on reading at the moment.

The characters were great, and I found myself gasping and shaking my head in dismay a few times.
I likec the fact that the author raised awareness of epilepsy.
The story did go on a little bit longer than I felt it needed to though.
The ending felt a little bit rushed too.
All in all an enjoyable book.

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What a wonderful story. I was transported into a fantastic read. Loved the characters. Felt so awful for little Scarlett 😢 David was a right a$$. And I loved how the Gov’s storyline played out. Didn’t see her twist coming so that was excellent. well.

Almost 5 star from me, so close! Looking forward to more from this author.

Thank you so much for my ARC I really appreciated recieving it for my honest review in return.

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I got to 40% of this book before I gave up, I just couldn’t get into the story and found the main character to be boring

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I enjoyed reading this book by the talented Jane Corry. If you haven't read her books, try this one.

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An extremely dark and twisty psychological thriller that will reel you in from the beginning. This was a book I couldn’t stop reading it was such a good read.

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Highly believable and scarily possible for people to become embroiled in the miscarriage of justice. Heroes and villains abound, but it is not always clear which is which. A great story, told by a first person with a difference.

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Ach! This was written in the stifling, suffocating, claustrophobic present tense, which I hate. My heart sank when I started it. Actually, that's not quite true: the story is written from two POVs, Vicki's and Scarlet's, and it is the latter's whose narrative is in the past tense. However, seventy percent is present tense and it just doesn't work.

In spite of that, this is a gripping thriller…thank goodness, as it helped to mollify my present-tense disappointment.

Vicki Goudman is an aromatherapist whose ex-husband goes missing. His current wife sends the police to her home studio, but Vicki doesn't manage to convince them she has nothing to do with his disappearance. As time goes on, the odds are stacking up against her. Trouble is, she's finding it hard to convince herself she's innocent because of her memory lapses.

Scarlet is only eight years old, daughter of single parent, Zelda, who thoughtlessly uses her as her drug mule. Inevitably, Zelda ends up in prison, and Scarlet is swallowed up into the foster-care system, long-term because Zelda keeps tripping up in prison.

Vicki's mission is to get to the bottom of her ex's disappearance. Tanya, Scarlet, Zelda and she are all connected. The 'how' is well handled, and the 'who' keeps you guessing right to the very end. It's absorbing, twisty, the characters lives skilfully interwoven, but neatly wrapped up: present tense is forgiven, this time.

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This is Jane Corry's third novel, and she is like good wine, just keeps getting better as we go along!! Recommended!

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I loved My Husband's Wife and so I couldn't wait to get into this one. A deeply engrossing mystery. Jane Corry is definitely one of my favourite mystery author.

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The Dead Ex is a psychological thriller told from various viewpoints. Vicki is David's ex-wife who falls under suspicion when David goes missing. She has contacted him numerous times over the years to let him know where she is hoping that just maybe he will come to his senses and want her back. Scarlet is a young girl who ends up in foster care after her mother is arrested during a drug bust. Helen is a young woman who is hired by David to take photos and enters a torrid affair with him. What is their connection? What do all of the characters have in common?

I was intrigued and trying to figure out who all the players were and what their connection might be the first half of the book. During the second half of the book, I was able to put some things together and the pieces fell into place.... but not all of them. The Author still has a few tricks up her sleeve! Even with the tricks and twists and turns, I found my attention wandering while reading this book. While I found this book to be enjoyable, it did not fully grab me or my attention. The novel is well written with several twists, turns and reveals along the way and yet, I was still left slightly underwhelmed.

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