A good book that didn't quite live up to my expectations.

Rose's husband has died and her life is upended. She and her son must move back to her childhood home. But Rose was witness to a crime that would resonate through every move she makes as an adult. The supporting characters and the community in which they all live is colored darkly by their past actions with no solutions to be found. What happens next is what usually happens in a thriller but was pretty easy to predict.

Carter Wilson can definitely write. This was a decent thriller that had me wondering what was coming next. I did figure out some of the major twists early on, but that is not always a deal breaker for me. As long as the story keeps me pulled in and wanting to know what 's coming next, I will still enjoy it. And this did just that. I will absolutely be reading everything else he writes just from reading this book!

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

The book was loaded in the front and was lacking in the back. I felt myself struggling to read after page 100 because all the excitement had already happened

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook. An interesting mystery/thriller/suspense novel. Good weekend read.

I absolutely loved this book. This thriller manages to be both deeply unsettling and horribly sad at the same time. The plot was intriguing and the characters are all richly layered. I’m still thinking about this book several days after finishing it. Carter Wilson is becoming one of my favorite authors and I can’t wait to read further books from him.

Thank you to Netgalley & Carter Wilson for my copy of The Dead Husband. I love a good mystery and this one did not disappoint.. It was a quick read but I didn’t figure it out until almost the end. I was guessing the whole time. It’s never easy to go home.. but sometimes you have to, to face the demons of youth. Rose Yate’s heads back home with her son to start ver. Her husband has just passed away and she needs support from her family. But her family is pretty crazy and they have a lot of secrets. Immediately she knows this move was a mistake for her and her son. She wants to face the past and then she can leave. But a detective is on her tail. Thinks that is to obvious how he died. Being she writes these types of murder mysteries. He can’t be stopped. He faces his own loses and things get wacky. Who can anyone trust? How will they get things settled. Does the Yate’s families secrets get told? The ending was very good.. I had to keep reading to see how things went. Over all this was a very well written book. I always love to receive copies and review and this one did not disappoint.

Unfortunely, this book just didn't capture my attention. It was a DNF for me (did not finish). I might try again at a later date.

I liked this book but I couldnt say I loved it. It lacked suspense for me. It all unfolded in the beginning so it left you kind of disappointed.

This was a very average thriller for me with a premise I’ve seen done a few times before. I did enjoy the writing and the fast pacing so I will still check out for this author.

Rose and her family have been keeping a horrible secret for years...until her husband ends up dead (hence the title).She and her son move only to have a detective intent on finding out the truth. This for me was not a great read. Not a suspense like it was billed.

I really enjoyed reading my first book by Carter Wilson. This was a slower reading experience for me than most thrillers, but The Dead Husband still held my interest the entire time and kept me invested in finding out what happened. I will say I found myself far less interested in the chapters told from Detective Pearson’s POV than those told from Rose’s. But overall, it was a gripping, hard to put down story. Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the copy of The Dead Husband.

Rose and her eleven year old son are returning to her hometown where she swore she would never set foot in again after escaping into a new life although an unfulfilling and disappointing one. This is because of her life being filled with nightmares, horrible memories and guilt over a tragedy that occurred over twenty years ago. Now her husband has died prematurely and she's left with nothing except to go back home to a cold and distant father and a sister that she's never gotten along with to try and find her feet again to hopefully begin a new and much more secure and stable life for her son and herself. Unfortunately that will not be what happens!

Detective Colin Peterson is not convinced that Rose didn't have something to do with her husband's death and when he finds out she was possibly involved in another death years ago he is relentless in finding out the truth

This was a very dark and disturbing story filled with mystery and sadness and a lot of ugliness. The majority of characters were not likeable and I wasn't sure about how I felt about Rose throughout the book. This family was much more than disfunctional (horrible) and I did feel sorry for Rose since I knew she truly wanted to be a good person and good mother to her son who was a sensitive and timid child and was confused by his father's sudden death and why they had to move away from the only home he had ever known. If anyone suffers from depression this book could possibly make you more depressed because it is that dark without many uplifting moments. With that said, I still liked the story with all the misery and bleakness and had a hard time putting the book down. This was a well-plotted and disturbing story with a few final twists that were unexpected but still very, very dark and horribly good. I am looking forward to reading more of Carter Wilson's books in the future.

I want to thank the publisher "Poisoned Pen Press" and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this this book and any thoughts and opinions expressed are unbiased and mine alone!

I do recommend this story to readers who enjoy very dark mysteries and have given a rating of 4 Disturbing ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Stars!!

First book for me from this author. Good book but I can’t say I loved it. The characters were a little too raw for me which probably let some air out of the balloon for the plot. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

You know the old saying; don't judge a book by its cover? Yeah, i totally did that 👉👈 but hold on though, i was intrigued by the cover and jumped head on expecting dysfunctional family and drama, which i got by all means, but the dose wasn't the right one for me😕
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First of all the main character, Rose,,, she is such a major drama queen, not dramatic in i've-got-shit-happened to me dramatic, but a self-absorbed with how much I'm such a victim dramatic, she keeps reminding us of her suffering living again with her father, her shady past which the author did a poor job to finally reveal, and suicidal thoughts, all she did was having conversations in her mind, doing nearly nothing to figure out what the hell is wrong with her son, totally ... distracted?
Also, what with the excessive mention of the word MANTRA? she literally keeps saying it before anything she wishes to do, it was like," it's hard going to the bathroom, but i keep repeating my mantra",, wth??
And don't let me started on how she describes a certain character "broken", is it the new synonym for abusive nowadays?? An abusive, menacing person is just that, we don't use words associated with victims for them.
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The second main character, Colin, was obsessive. It doesn't matter how you describe him as a devoted detective, he is just obsessive, who thinks about a case during a family tragedy?
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The storyline was really flat, there wasn't much happening, by the end of the book i didn't even know what i was waiting for to happened, it was kind of boring.
Overall, didn't enjoy it, but it was easy to read.
*I received an ARC of this book in exchange of an honest review via netgalley and the publisher*

The Dead Husband by Carter Wilson is a family drama that puts “dys” in dysfunctional. The Yates family is comprised of the domineering father and two adult daughters, Rose and Cora. Rose and her young son have moved back to her father’s home in Bury, New Hampshire following her husband’s sudden death. To add to this cast of characters we have Detective Colin Pearson who thinks that Rose’s husband’s death is suspicious. To add to the drama, something horrible occurred with the Yates family twenty years ago and we are told about it in tiny segments, making this plot most suspenseful. This novel provides more questions than answers and keeps the reader’s attention throughout. The characters are so well-developed that it feels like we know them well. Their flawed lives remind us that not all families are happy and there are surprises around every corner. I would be very interested in reading more books by Carter Wilson. This tense family drama is definitely worth a look. Highly recommended. Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press, NetGalley and the author for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Imagine going back home to the place where an unthinkable event took place and made such an impact on you that you rarely returned home and built a life where that part of your life ceased to exist. When novelist Rose's husband dies unexpectedly she's forced to return to her affluent home with her son in an effort to save money and provide stability.

Home proves to be anything but stable-from Rose's dominating father to her calculating sister and memories from decades before swim to the surface-threatening to drown everyone in their wake. Rose is not only running from memories of the past-a detective in Wisconsin is convinced Rose is guilty of murder-once he finds out there are ties to a cold case in her hometown Detective Person doggedly pursues Rose and her family. Rose finds herself in a deadly case of cat and mouse-no one is to be trusted. Pick up The Dead Husband to see how it all unfolds.

This is the first novel I read by Carter Wilson and I enjoyed the twists (some unexpected) and turns that keep coming throughout the relatively fast=paced story. This is a solid 3.5 star read-the characters are not very likeable (and at times a little disturbing) but overall I liked it and would read more by Wilson.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

This is a new author for me and I loved it. I was excited to pick up this book and it certainly did not let me down. This is a well written story that the author's use of details made the story fun and entertaining to read. The twists and turns kept me sitting on the edge of my seat just waiting to see what would happen next. The characters brought the story to life on each page and just truly made the story for me. I found this story to be engaging and fast paced. I read this book in one sitting as it is that awesome. I would highly recommend this book. It was worth the pick up for sure!

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* Worth the read, didnt want to put it down. would recommend! loved the twist at the end!

As I literally inhaled this dark domestic thriller, I couldn’t help but emphasize with the lead detective trying to solve the mystery of the protagonist’s husband’s demise, no matter the obstacles thrown their way. A superb read!!!