I’d like to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘What My Husband Did’ by Kerry Wilkinson in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

As Maddy is waiting for her husband Richard to return home, twelve-year-old Alice Pritchard is found unconscious face down in a stream. The last sight anyone had of Alice was when she was getting into Richard’s car. Maddy doesn’t believe Richard’s responsible for what happened to Alice, but where is he?

‘What My Husband Did’ is an exciting thriller with a gripping plot, interesting characters, some clever twists and turns and a surprising ending that I would never have expected. As soon as I started reading I knew I was going to enjoy this novel and couldn’t put it down until I’d reached the end. This is a very enjoyable story and I can recommend it.

Maddy is at home wondering where her husband could be. He is never out this late. There is a knock at the door with a neighbor saying there is a body in the creek. Shortly it is revealed that her husband Richard was seen with the girl getting into his car. What did Richard do? Where is Richard? Was there an accident? Was Alice harmed on purpose? Will she survive? Many questions that need answers. Read all about it in What My Husband Did by Kerry Wilkinson. I liked this one and was kept guessing about what really happened until the end.

What My Husband Did is the latest psychological thriller from bestseller Kerry Wilkinson and centres around a couple who live a quiet, often tedious life until one day everything changes forever. Maddy and Richard have a very ordinary life and a solid marriage, but when twelve-year-old Alice Pritchard is discovered face down, still breathing but unconscious in a stream, by local restauranteur Atal, the village of Leavensfield erupts. Richard was the last person to see Alice alive when he offered her a ride home as a seemingly kind gesture, not wanting her to walk home alone across Daisy Field in the dark. Both Maddy and the residents of Leavensfield become suspicious of Richard when he doesn't return home and no one can get in touch with him. Questioning her husband's innocence, she begins to dig into his past; Maddy is a former student of Richard’s when she was at university studying English and colleagues have alluded to the fact that he appears to have a penchant for the young women he has taught. When Maddy and Richard met he was a widower, having lost his wife India to a fall when they were cliff hiking in Scotland.

Before more information becomes known, the villagers have already decided Richard is guilty and Maddy becomes guilty by association and is ostracised by the local community. Attacks also begin on her and her family — verbal attacks and episodes of criminal damage become the norm. As Maddy continues to investigate she discovers Richard has been lying to her and keeping secrets. Does she know the man she married at all? This is a riveting and addictive domestic drama that had me reading through until dawn as I simply couldn't put it down. I have a love/hate relationship with Wilkinson’s thrillers, but I was absolutely captivated and engrossed by this book, which is one of his best. Well written, pacy and with enough going down to keep you ravaging the pages, I found the limited cast superbly developed and typical of small village life with the gossip and judgement of guilt happening long before any evidence is presented. Twisty and unpredictable, compulsive and exciting, this is a must-read for those into domestic thrillers filled with drama, intensity and more action than you can shake a stick at. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Bookouture for an ARC.

Really excellent, suspenseful read: Richard, what did you do?!😲

Terrifically entertaining! I found this Kerry Wilkinson novel taut, suspenseful and compelling. I did not want to put it down until the mystery involving Maddy's missing husband Richard was solved.

I liked the way Wilkinson weaves a tragic thread from Maddy's past into the story every few chapters and, finally, at the climax, she reveals the relevance of the earlier incident to the present case where a young girl's life hangs by a thread and a whole village makes assumptions about the identity of her attacker. Maddy puts up with a lot from the police and other village women, especially the mother of the injured girl, but keeps an open mind about how her missing husband is involved. I really liked Maddy; she's intelligent, loyal, a good mother and not ready to twiddle her thumbs while the police investigate. In her search for Richard she uncovers a side of her husband's life she never suspected.

A village with secrets, rivalries and Queen Bees. An all-around top-notch story with a truly unexpected ending. I loved it.😍

Thanks to publishers Bookouture and NetGalley for sharing an advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.

I usually love books by this author but was left disappointed by this one. It started off well and had great promise with twists and turns but the middle part just felt a bit flat. A little girl is left for dead and fighting for her life and her father is missing. Fans of thrillers will enjoy the read but just not for me. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

In „What my husband did“ a woman called Maddie lives a peaceful life with her husband Richard. They live in a small town where nothing bad really happens. One day, late in the evening, a neighbour rings her door, telling Maddie that he found a girl in a stream. As they walk back to this horrific scene, they find little Alice – alive but unconscious. As the police start to investigate, it’s reported that Maddie’s husband was the last person seen with Alice who got into Richards car. He has not been seen since this evening and is reported missing. Maddie doesn’t know what to think and what to do. She surely misses her husband, but she does not fully trust him.

Almost everybody in the community turns against Maddie since Richard is now a suspect. Meanwhile, she tries to investigate on her own to find out what happened to Alice.

From the first page, I really like Wilkinson’s simple way of writing. English is not my mother language, so this is a huge blessing! Following the storyline was easy and I couldn’t wait to find out what happened. The story was written mostly in present but also included flashbacks to Maddie’s childhood. This was pretty interesting because I got to know her very well. The plot was impressive since there were many unexpected twists. I read the book in two days because I was curious to find out if Richard had something to do whit Alice’s injuries.

The end was a huge surprise to me. I had a clue about what might have happened. I wasn’t totally wrong but I didn’t expect certain things to be true. For me, this book was one of my highlights in 2020. I highly recommend reading it!

I thank Kerry Wilkinson, Bookouture and NetGalley for this copy!

I am excited to be taking part in the #BooksOnTour #BlogTour for Kerry Wilkinson's compelling new thriller WHAT MY HUSBAND DID.

"A little girl has been left for dead and now my husband is missing."

The village of Leavensfield sounded a bit like a Midsomer village I half expected good old Tom Barnaby to come out of retirement to solve this one! However, like all good chocolate box villages, Leavensfield is picture perfect with cosy cottages and beautiful scenery complete with the typical resident busybodies. In this case, they are "power couples" Harriet and Gavin Bunch alongside James and Sarah (whose surname escapes me just now), with Harriet being at the centre of everything. And if she wasn't then she would make sure she was. So unfortunately for Harriet, it's Maddy and Richard that are at the heart of this story in which she merely has a supporting role.

Maddy and Richard lead ordinary everyday lives until something happens to change it, and that of Leavensfield, forever. Twelve year old Alice Pritchard is found laying face down and unconscious in a stream and word gets out that she was last seen getting into Richard's car. So when Richard fails to return home that same evening, all fingers start pointing at him. Maddy keeps frantically calling and texting him but to no avail. And soon she begins to question Richard's innocence...and whether he is still alive.

As his former student, Maddy is Richard's second marriage after his first wife fell from a cliff whilst they were hiking in Scotland. The house in which they live now is the one he shared with India so it's easy to feel as if she has stepped into another woman's shoes. But as Maddy begins to dig, she soon discovers that Richard has been lying to her. A passing comment by a former colleague of his alludes to Richard having a taste for his students...and Maddy begins to wonder if she really knows her husband at all.

In a village that should be sticking together, as villages general go, Maddy is then ostracised as the community then turn against her believing that as Richard must surely be guilty she is therefore guilty by association. Then to contend with Harriet's sudden snubbing, the screaming accusations of Alice's mother Gemma to being called a "paedo" and having a brick thrown through her window, Maddy is well aware of how easily the justice system can fail a person so therefore she has difficulty associating the man she knew with this terrible crime. And all the while her conscience wrestles with a childhood event that left emotional scars...and her questioning the truth behind the assault of little Alice.

But then Maddy receives renewed hope that Richard is alive and well...and in hiding. However in true Richard-form, the answers to the questions she seeks are not forthcoming. So if he is innocent, why is he hiding? What is Richard concealing? Is he really guilty after all?

An intriguing plot with a palpable tension throughout, WHAT MY HUSBAND DID weaves suspense, misdirection and plenty of twists to keep the reader engaged. Kerry's writing style is simplistic but well crafted that makes the storyline flow easily. The dual timeline is a clever tactic presented in a unique way that keeps the suspense coming.

Written mostly in Maddy's present day narrative, the reader is provided with flashbacks into her past which ultimately leads up to a penultimate event in her life. Added to that is, cleverly, the addition of Richard's brief narratives giving new perspective to this terrible crime that rocked the village of Leavensfield.

I honestly had no idea what happened as Kerry's clever writing threw enough red herrings in my path to blind me and yet I still enjoyed the ride. I began to wonder whose husband did what as the truth is disclosed in a surprising twist that didn't just jump out of nowhere but rather revealed itself gradually.

WHAT MY HUSBAND DID is a tangled web of secrets and deception as a village that knows everyone and everything closes ranks on itself. A cleverly told story that builds slowly with an undercurrent of suspense and tapers out a little at the end, WHAT MY HUSBAND DID is Maddy's story - both past and present.

An interesting read that was, for the most part, enjoyable. I wouldn't call it a psychological thriller but it is a suspenseful read that is sure to entertain mystery and thriller fans. Recommended.

I would like to thank #KerryWilkinson, #NetGalley, #Bookouture for an ARC of #WhatMyHusbandDid in exchange for an honest review.

Little Alice was left for dead and Richard who was last seen giving her a lift was missing. The whole village rallied around the mother Gemma, and Richard’s wife, Madeleine, was left out in the cold.

A slow moving suspenseful tale by author Kerry Wilkinson where I saw the story through Maddy’s eyes. Her past and present interweaved into the story intensifying the suspense; though, for the life of me, I couldn’t understand how the two subplots would connect while reading.

The story showed the life in a small village where stones were cast without any thought about it being right. Maddy took it all with a surprisingly strong forbearance, trying to solve the mystery in her own way.

The author peppered the path with small clues that Maddy received via text messages until the whole mystery upturned itself when she realized the truth. A quick course of action altered the lives of many people. And peace was returned to the village along with a strange disquiet as the went about finding a way yo live in the new normal.

A mystery behind what was thought to be the action of a person swirled the book with many questions, making it an interesting read.

I found this to be an enjoyable read. There were lots of twists and turns that I didn’t expect and these made me keep turning the pages until the end. It is told in two storylines, one in the past and one in the present but is very easy to follow. Definitely recommended for people who like a good thriller.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT MY HUSBAND DID, INFACT I DON"T EVEN HAVE A HUSBAND!

BUT, KERRY WILKINSON, WHOEVER"S HUSBAND YOU ARE, YOU SURELY DID A GREAT JOB with this book!

A subservient and loving wife befuddled with the sudden disappearance of her husband, a half dead body of a twelve year old(Alice) washed across the stream. Everyone starts blaming the wife and her AWOL husband for Alice's critical condition. Is her husband GUILTY? Does she really know all about her husband?

Red herrings from left field all through the story, no long winded narrative, FAST PACED and RIVETING.
Pick this book up without any doubts! You can thank me later!

This book is out on 17th November.2020, grab your copies.

Thank you NetGalley and BOOKOUTURE for sending me an E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have read many by this author and was really excited to read this one. While it did have a bit of suspense it didn’t seem to be a psychological thriller that I was expecting. As usual, we’ll written, great amount of characters, and lots of twists and turns. I would definitely recommend this for anyone just looking for a mystery. Thanks to NetGalley for the privilege to read and review this book.

This book is one of the rare ones that would get 6 stars if I could award a bonus star. It is bone chilling from page one. Literal goosebumps. The richly woven characters are very relatable and the whole small town atmosphere is laid out exceptionally well.
I read this in one sitting. I stayed up way way way to late but I could not put it down. I had to know what really happened to Alice. Lots of dark twists and turns take you through this gritty novel. This book is a must read!

📣 Review 📣

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Gripping and unique

"A little girl has been left for dead and now my husband is missing"

Maddy and Richard are married and living in a small village. Everything is boring and normal until one day it isnt. A little girl has been left for dead, and the last place she was seen alive was getting into Richard's car. Richard hasn't been seen since. Did Richard try to kill Alice? Where is Richard now?

This book, while thrilling is slower paced with a gradual build up and a terrific ending. What I felt was unique about this book is that the suspect is missing himself (I wont go more in depth as I dont want to give spoilers).

This book is released on the 17th of November and is currently priced at £1.99 on Kindle.
Thank you to @netgalley and @bookouture for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Good luck @kerry.wilkinson with this fantastic book.

12 year old Alice's body is found unconscious behind Maddie and Richard's house after last being seeing getting into Richard's car and now he is nowhere to be found! Did he do the unthinkable? Or are things not quite how they appear?

What My Husband Did will hook you from the very first chapter! I devoured this all in one day, it was impossible to put down! This story is told from Maddie's perspective. I enjoyed watching her character evolve and find her voice. The other cast of characters are well developed and easy to get to know. I especially like Kylie and Zoe.
Lots of surprise twist and turns. The ending was both surprising and completed this entire story line. Bravo!

Leavensfield is a small town where everything is normal, or it appears to be normal. Our main character Maddy is living a very normal life with her husband Richard until one day when a little girl Alice is found unconscious in the field behind our house. To make things worse, Richard is missing.

They say she was last seen getting into Richard’s car. Now rumours are flying. As Alice is fighting in the hospital for her life, Maddy has her own cold war with the entire village. The entire community turns against Maddy, apparently guessing she was aware of what Richard did.

There are some flashbacks in between the present chapters which portray Maddy’s childhood and the reason of her emotional scars.

The plot is interesting, however I would not call it a psychological thriller. For the suspense part, it is good and engaging. There are plot twist that were not very much exciting but interesting.

A story line filled out mistrust, betrayal, twists and enough suspense to keep you absorbed from page one. There is continuous action, and the involvement of detectives and police makes it a good page turner.

I liked the main character, Maddy. She is interesting and relatable. Other characters like Kylie and Zoe are quite good.

The question, “What My husband did” rings throughout the story till the very end. However, I already predicted some twists and then it was less surprising for me.

The ending scene of the book is appropriate and perfect. It completes the book and satisfies the reader.

Fans of thrillers and suspense will definitely like it.

Thank you Kerry Wilkinson, Bookouture and NetGalley for this advance copy. Looking forward to read more books by the author.

What My Husband Did is an engaging and quick-paced thriller that keeps you guessing.

Told through two narratives, one in the past and one in the present, the story unravels in a really interesting way. It’s an easy book to get through quickly as the characters are distinctive and the plot is very to the point.

While there was a little more context that I wanted at the beginning and end, just to really set the atmosphere of the town up a little better, I love how sharp and tight the story feels at the same time. Instead of feeling heavy with description, What My Husband Did feels more like an hour-long TV episode, getting straight to the important events while ensuring that there’s just enough detail to make you care for the characters at the same time.

The setting of a small town where everybody knows everybody’s business is the perfect location for secrets, betrayals and grudges to thrive, set in a community where it’s impossible not to judge those closest to you. Full of red herrings and misdirections, you question the intentions of everybody involved, all the while trying to believe in Maddy’s hope that her husband isn’t a monster, whatever his secrets may be.

The final revelations certainly come as surprise and these chapters are full of suspense. And although I wanted a little more time spent on the characters in the present, I love the blunt ending of the past narrative which ends the story on an impacting message. While this message of how treating somebody as guilty before knowing the facts can have huge consequences feels distinct, it’s weaved in subtly throughout and isn’t pushed onto the reader, either, making it really play in the background of your mind.

This is the first book I have read by Kerry Wilkinson but I am definitely interested to read more of his work now. Do you have any recommendations on which of his books I should try next?

I make no secret of the fact that I am a big fan of this author. His Jessica Daniel and Andrew Hunter series and also, now, his stand alone books. One thing that really sets him out from the crowd is that, for a male author, he really does write a cracking female main character. This book is no exception to that as we follow Maddy as her world falls apart...
One night she returns home to her husband Richard only to find him not there. This is strange as he's usually so punctual and he hasn't called to say his plans have changed. She is further perturbed when there's a knock on her door; her neighbour asking for her help as he has found a dead girl in the field behind her house. She goes with him and is horrified to find that the girl is still alive - horrified that her neighbour abandoned her assumed dead that is - and she calls the authorities who whisk young Alice off to hospital.
And then the rumours start - rumours that soon become fact. Alice was last seen getting into Richard's car. Where is Richard? What did he do to Alice? And why? Maddy believes in her husband and knows there's a reason for what has happened and is determined to get to the bottom of things. Trouble is though, she is guilty by association and becoming somewhat of a pariah and no one will talk to her...
Oh My - this kept me guessing all the way through. I was literally gagging to find out the truth as I really had no idea where we were going for the majority of the book. Even the fact that I should by now know how this author's mind works - having read dozens of his books - but yep - he got me again! you should have seen my jaw drop when I finally realised - read the reveal - what was actually going on.
I am so glad I started this book on a day when I had nothing else going on. I just knew from past experience that once started I would be pretty powerless to put it down. And I was! It hit the ground running, sucked me in, chewed me up and spat me out at the end knackered but wholly satisfied.
It contained everything I have grown to love and expect from this author. Cracking, well drawn characters with some excellent interaction and banter, tight and well executed plotting, all delivered in a no nonsense, strictly no padding, delivery. The mighty trifecta for me to make a good book a great read!
All in all, another winner and an excellent addition to an already well impressive back catalogue. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Thank you NetGalley for the advance copy of this book. Overall, it was a good read. It took me awhile to get into it, but once I did, I was hooked.

My Review:

Wow, wow, wow!!!!! This author never ceases to amaze me. I’ve read many books by this author and I’ve loved them all. It’s the endings of his books that I love the most. There are so many surprises and revelations as I turned each page. I raced right through this one.

The book was about a woman who’s husband goes missing at the same time a little girl is found beaten hanging on for dear life. Did her husband do this to this poor girl? Or was it just a coincidence? Was there a connection between her husband and this girl? Where was her husband? You find this out and so much more by the end of the book.

I want to start off by saying how much I loved this book. I loved the way the author had one person narrating the whole book. I felt everything the narrator felt. I felt her pain, loss, and most of all her confusion. All she wanted was to know where her husband was and if he did what they were saying he did. She didn’t want to believe she was living with a monster for all these years. I also loved the plot of this book. I’m a sucker for anything that has to do with children. I think it has to do with that children are so innocent so I can’t believe why anyone would want to hurt them. Now let’s talk about that ending. Endings are always my favorite part of the book. I couldn’t believe that ending. I definitely got all my questions answered by the end. There were so many twists and turns and I loved it. I didn’t know which way was up or down by the time I finished the book. That ending will stick with me for a long time.

Between the plot, characters and all the twists in this book it made it an easy and fast read. I would definitely recommend it and happily give it 5 Hearts❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Haven’t read anything before by this author.
The book started off as quite a gritty read and the ending was the same. The middle of the book for me was a bit slow. The twist and turns were there but I’m just not sure what was missing ...... this is only my view on the book and realise we all like different things. Would I give the author another read of one of her books - absolutely!

Thanks netgalley #bookouture #whatmyhisbanddid

Published Date - 17th Nov 2020

Story synopsis -

Description
A little girl has been left for dead. And now my husband is missing.

‘I can give you a lift home,’ the man says. Little Alice tightens the zip of her big red coat. She’s unsure, but the walk will be cold and dark. ‘I’m not supposed to get in a stranger’s car.’ He forces a smile. ‘I’m not a proper stranger, am I?’

I return home to our beautiful house on a chilly winter evening expecting to find my handsome husband Richard waiting for me by the fire. We’re still so in love, and he always takes care of me: buying us this home in the little village where he grew up, making sure I settled in and made friends, and treating my teenage daughter like his own. There’s a bit of gossip about our age gap, but the death of his first wife years ago was so tragic that he still gets sympathetic looks. Everyone loves Richard.

He usually comes straight back from work. But tonight, our antique clock ticks on through the dark evening, with no sign of him. Then a knock at the door shatters my perfect life.