I chose to read this book with a group of online readers on Facebook as part of a readalong and because I love anything to do with Serial Killers and unrealiable narrators, I knew this would be a good one.

The Serial Killer’s Wife is a new standalone, twisty, twisted psychological thriller that is guaranteed to keep you on your toes, spin your head a few times and keep you gripped from the opening chapter to the last.

Due to the book title, the reader assumes immediately that the story is about a woman whose husband is a serial killer, but the opening few chapters when we are introduced to Beth and Tom Hardcastle and their cute little toddler daughter Poppy are written in a way that you half hope you are wrong.

Beth is a devoted mother to Poppy and wife to Tom. A few years ago they moved to a tiny village near Banbury where Beth opened up her dream shop, a pottery cafe named Poppy’s Pottery Place, slowing she is establishing herself within the village community. Tom works in banking and commutes everyday to London and their lives are hectic but on first impressions seemingly perfect.

When Tom is late home from work one evening and two policemen turn up wanting to question him in relation to his ex-girlfriend who has been missing for 8 years, presumed dead, Beth’s world is turned upside down and inside out. What happened to this missing women? Why are the police questioning Tom? Why was Tom late home? These are questions that immediately spring to mind, but chapter after chapter more layers are appearing and more secrets are being revealed.

This is a brilliant story that kept me guessing throughout. I must admit I had my suspicions about halfway through the book, but just couldn’t work out the truth of what happened to the missing ex-girlfriend and whether Beth did know what her husband had done.

Very few books surprise me or leave me with a feeling of being cleverly duped so it was a pleasure to finish this book knowing that once again my amateur armchair detective skills are completely useless.

Fans of twisty, clever and well written thrillers should love this.

God I hate straight thriller fiction, where is the SUBSTANCE?? You call a book The Serial Killer's Wife and he only kills three women over the space of like 10 years? That's just the average man! Where is the drama! The mystery! The wife who isn't a wet weekend and instantly starts fucking the other man - oh spoilers she ~murdered~ his wife and we're meant to go "ah ha!! she was the serial killer all along!!" Get a grip.

I love a book gives you wonderful twists and turns. I will absolutely be reading more of this author's books in the future.

An engrossing book with a nice, twisty ending. It's not going to cure cancer or bring world peace, but it's good escape reading when you just want to relax and let the world go by for a few hours.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Four stars because while I enjoyed it, it is more of a fade-away pleasure. I won't find myself thinking about it in the days and weeks after I read it. I read it, enjoyed it, and put it down.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Avon for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.* Hunter takes a nightmare situation and makes it seem so real. Beth and Tom's life seems so perfect on paper, but all is not as it seems. When Beth's husband Tom is arrested for murdering an ex-girlfriend many years ago, Beth is forced to confront the truth about her husband and her marriage. All whilst keeping her business running and taking care of her young daughter, Poppy. Bit by bit, as Tom's past is revealed, Beth is forced to make difficult decisions to keep herself and her daughter safe. An enjoyable and intriguing read.

Unfortunately, I DNFed this book. The original premise was interesting to me but from the very beginning, the writing was flat and so were the characters

A decent and engaging but slow-paced psychological thriller that lacked shock factor


Beth Hardcastle lives an idyllic life with her husband Tom and three-year-old daughter Poppy, running a ceramic café in a quiet village. One day the police knock on her door and her world is turned upside down – Tom has been arrested for questioning about the disappearance and suspected murder of his ex-girlfriend from a decade ago. Shocked and concerned for her husband, Beth tries her best to carry on as normal and protect Poppy from what is going on. However, as the investigation unfolds, she can’t help but question some of her memories of their life together and ask herself how well she really knows her husband.


This was an intriguing and readable thriller with a strong gripping opening, that then slows down in pace a bit to become more of a mystery. The book is mostly written from the POV of Beth as she reflects on her relationship with Tom and tries to continue working and looking after her daughter, all the while worrying that the other mums in the village will judge her and grappling with her conscience and trying to decide what she should disclose to the police. Some of the story is also from Tom’s POV, and other parts are flashbacks to the past from the POV of murder victims. The author does a good job of sprinkling clues into the narrative about what might be going on, and there is a pretty good twist at the end, that on reflection has been subtly hinted at throughout the story.


Unfortunately, despite a promising premise, this book fell a little flat for me. The plot is terribly slow paced, with a lot of chapters detailing Beth’s thoughts and worries which were quite dull to read, and I also didn’t personally find her very sympathetic or likeable as a character. I was also quite disappointed in how lacklustre the ‘serial killer’ aspect of the story felt – compared to some other books I’ve read recently, the story lacked tension and didn’t leave me feeling disturbed or scared in any way, and there didn’t seem to even be that many murders going on for a significant proportion of the book. Finally, without giving away too much, having the story written in the first person meant that the twist at the end didn’t really work for me and felt a bit forced and unrealistic


In conclusion, this was a decent book, and the author is clearly talented with a good imagination, but the unlikeable protagonist and lack of darkness or tension slightly impaired my enjoyment.


Daenerys


Elite Reviewing Group received a copy of this book to review.

An enjoyable easy read, with a twist right at the end.

The book follows Beth & Tom, who on the outside have the ideal marriage with their daughter Poppy. Tom is arrested for murder of his ex-girlfriend Katie – but Beth is keeping a long-kept secret.

I found this book enjoyable, if not a little slow at times. I also felt the twist at the end was a little late coming and rushed – so more could have been written with Beth’s involvement to have made the book more interesting.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book, in return of an honest, unbiased review

I found this book complex and intriguing. Love a book with short chapters too. Plenty twists & turns, an enjoyable read I’d recommend to anyone.

I really enjoyed this book. Once I picked it up, I could t put it down. The chapters are the dangerously short “oh, I’ll just read one more and then I’ll go to sleep” length that keeps drawing you into “just one more…”.
The characters made me want to get to know them. Just when I thought I’d figured everything out and felt myself get disappointed in such a predictable plot the author throws in a twist and you find yourself replaying the entire story back in your head going “aha!”

I feel like this entire genre has become a bit predictable after the popularity of "Gone Girl." This didn't detract from it being a decent read, but takes the surprise out of the "unreliable narrator" bit. There were also a few loose ends that weren't tied up, unless I missed it. Overall a decent read.

The chapters of this book are written from the perspective of alternating characters, something that has to be done really well to be engaging. Often this style of writing ends up confused, or characters become too much like one another. Hunter does this very well, and has crafted a gripping, believable thriller. Highly recommended.

I didn’t really enjoy this book. The characters fell flat for me . The plot was boring and predictable .

Beth & Tom have the perfect marriage, a beautiful daughter...& secrets.

This is a good book to get lost in & suspend belief a little. Throughly entertaining, I spent my read thinking I had the inevitable twist worked out but I'd completely over thought it & much preferred the real twists & turns of the novel

Written from the different characters viewpoints the action was well paced & the characters all caused me to question who I could really trust right to the very end.

I’m afraid I did not enjoy this book at all. I was very attracted by the premise, but the further I got into the novel the sillier and more convoluted the plot became. I though the characterisations were very poor , especially that of Tom, the husband. I found it very difficult to finish, and was definitely relieved but not satisfied when I got to the end. Thanks to Avon Books UK and Netgalley for an ARC of this novel.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of The Serial Killer's Wife by Alice Hunter.

Tom and Beth are a loving couple, together with their daughter Poppy, their family is the envy of the neighborhood. But when Tom disappears and Beth gets a visit that Tom is under investigation for murder, everything Beth has ever believed about her marriage collapses. Could Tom do something so heinous? And how could Beth have missed the signs?

I love a slow unfolder like this. The four different narrators made for a great twisty tale that will have you guessing the entire time. This story reminded me a bit of HBO's The Undoing, but just read it for yourself to discover it's own unique flavor.

My first thought when I saw the title of this book was that why would a book like this be about a serial killers wife. However, as I read on, I discovered. The more complex she became, the more intriguing she became. In spite of what her husband did, she knew more than she admitted, perhaps taking too long to reveal the truth, but the suspense was prolonged nonetheless. Initially, I felt for this wife and mother. The twists and turns kept me on my toes. In The Serial Killers Wife, the characters were complex and entertaining, and it was definitely a nail biting thriller.

Thank you AVON BOOKS UK and Netgalley for the ARC of this book. This was a honest review.

Well this was a ride and a half! I was struggling with what book to read after picking up 2 and putting them straight down again. So I got straight onto my pal and asked what I should read if I want to be hooked…this didn’t disappoint, I read this so quickly because it had my attention immediately. I loved the way each chapter was a different character and the ending really shocked me. Thank you @netgalley for this #gifted copy which I will be recommending to any thriller lovers 🖤

Beth and Tom have the perfect marriage, or at least Beth thought they did. That is until one day Tom is arrested for suspected murder and as the story unfolds it becomes clear that her husband is not who she thought he was. Or is he? Was she in on it? As you read the story you are thinking she had to have known, how couldn't she? You really put yourself in her shoes-what would you do if this was you?

When Beth answers a knock on the door, little does she realise that her whole life would be blown apart. She has been blissfully married to Tom for several years and they have a three year old daughter Poppy. They have recently moved from London to a village near Banbury. Tom has a job in banking and still commutes back to London and Beth has own her cafe and pottery shop. The knock on the door was the police wanting to question Tom about an ex girlfriend who went missing and he ends up being held on suspicion of murder. Gossip starts spreading through the village. They are all in disbelief that Tom could be guilty of murder and start to suspect that Beth just have known. As the story progresses we learn about Tom’s past and how Beth copes with all the media attention. She initially stands by Tom but as more information comes to light she starts to question whether she really knows her husband. As the story unfolds it becomes tense, chilling and gripping, with so many revelations and twists and turns, with a final brilliant twist. Don’t miss reading this book.
Thanks to Netgalley and Avon for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.