I absolutely love a dark comedy and this book checked that box. Even though this was a dark humor filled novel with an extreme measure of retribution it was enjoyable seeing the women reclaim their lives.

Unexpectedly clever!

Four women struggle to survive lockdown during the Covid-19 pandemic. All women are victims of some form of domestic abuse and consequently murder their husbands. Forming the Lockdown Ladies Burial Club, they formulate a plan to dispose of their husbands’ bodies and hopefully get away with the crimes.

I sure hope I don’t ever live on the same street as these ladies!

While the subject matter is serious, the humor in the dialogue helps to lighten the mood of what could be a very sinister plot. I remember hearing statistics that domestic abuse and murder rose during the pandemic due to the isolation, depression, and chaos. The author notes that she recognizes the absurdity of four women living in close proximity all killing their husbands in the same week, but wrote the book in order to make the victims’ voices heard.

The plot is over the top and I did predict the twist, but it didn’t prevent me from having fun with this one!

I listened to the audiobook while following along with the Ebook. The audiobook is narrated by a terrific ensemble cast, including the amazing Imogen Church, who does an outstanding job at capturing the quirkiness in the writing. I highly recommend the audio version.

Recommended to those who enjoy the Finlay Donovan series.

Trigger warning: domestic abuse, Covid-19

4/5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Books for the ARC of How to Bury Your Husband in exchange for an honest review.

The author recognizes how unlikely these murders (and their joint coverup) are. But that's not really the point. It's a story about finding yourself again after abuse unlearning the negative self-talk. I liked that all the women had different backgrounds and situations.

I found the abuse descriptions to be pretty overwhelming and over-long.

The "twist" was pretty obvious.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. I purchased a copy for my library and would read more from this author.

I was engrossed in this book from beginning to end. It approaches the very challenging topic of domestic abuse in a way that is understandable. Even though all of the women are killing their husbands, Casale does a fantastic job of making them all endearing and humorous. I haven't laughed so hard reading a novel in a long time, especially one involving murder, but this one did it for me. The suspense is increased by the dark comic element; I was laughing one moment and terrified for these women and their fates the next. In addition, it raises significant moral and ethical issues that the reader will continue to think about long after the book is closed.

It's the beginning of the lockdown and four women in a neighborhood are suffering from their abusive husbands when they reach their last straw. While they each try and figure out what to do next, they end up meeting each other and starting a support group and finding friendship. Overall, a dark topic but done with a lot of sensitivity and some humor. Even though the actual coverup was somewhat unrealistic, this was ultimately about finding support and recovering from abuse.

Four women independently kill their abusive husbands in self-defense during the beginning stages of the pandemic and then band together to dispose of the bodies.

This book was so much fun (I know, but hear me out). It was exactly my brand of dark humor as these four women fumbled their way through trying to dispose of their dead husbands and come up with a plausible reason for their disappearance. Everything that could go wrong, from relatives showing up unexpectedly on doorsteps to body parts being incredibly inconvenient to move, did go wrong. Did some of the events in this book feel a bit unrealistic? Maybe, but the early stages of the COVID lockdown were just crazy enough that I believed it all.

Despite its craziness, this book also depicted domestic abuse and recovery in a sensitive and realistic way. The author's note mentions that women were killed by men (usually a partner) every three days in the UK, a rate that doubled after COVID lockdowns began. This book sheds a light on experiences that many women faced during lockdown, and does so from multiple cultural perspectives.

Four women in similar sticky situations band together in this dark comedy. I loved the premise of the book, and while you definitely need to be okay with suspending disbelief, it delivered on its unique premise. I think fans of the Finlay Donovan series will enjoy this one!

Domestic violence is so often covered up with the victim afraid, vulnerable and miserable. Although I would not recommend killing your husband this book was wonderful. Friendship and courage develop from a bad situation. Very creative in handling a. Dry delicate subject!

I think my husband might be a little concerned about how much I love this book. And, granted, if you ever need to get rid of an inconvenient body, this book has lots of helpful ideas (a desiccation parcel, who knew?!) to assist you in taking care of your problem. Although, really, I exaggerate – my husband is not at all worried about me reading this book because, well, he's not an abusive monster, but also because he already thinks I tried to kill him once and he didn't seem all that bothered. No, really.

Let me digress for a moment here. Shortly after we were married, my husband had a dream that I tried to suffocate him while he was sleeping, which he apparently thought really happened. Now, I know what you're thinking the story is here – he immediately woke up, got angry, and I had to convince him that I wasn't actually a murderess. Nope. He didn't say anything about it to me at all, for, like, six months. It only came up one day because he was giving me examples of how I “get grumpy” when I'm tired (apparently I was trying to kill him because he was snoring too loudly – tempting, I'll admit). I assured him that no such thing had occurred. He doubled down. I mean, this is the guy who once, when our son was very little, woke up from a dead sleep, grabbed our very surprised dog off of my lap, plopped her on his chest, and tried to shush her to sleep because he thought it was the baby. This is the level of cognizance he has in the middle of the night. But, sure, I tried to suffocate him. This disturbed me a wee bit, because not only was he (quite nonchalantly) accusing me of attempted murder, but also because what kind of weirdo thinks that their spouse tried to kill them in their sleep and then goes “Oh, well!” and then just goes on about their business without a care in the world? For six months?! These days he claims not to remember his supposed attempted murder or the argument that ensued months later, so apparently he wasn't too traumatized by his imaginary ordeal and has no real fear of me and my murdering ways. I'm pretty sure I could come home tomorrow with a shovel, some lime, and a body bag and he still wouldn't think twice about it, except maybe to bring it up months later in an argument about unnecessary spending. So, yeah.

Ahem. Oh, right, the book.

This novel is absolutely amazing, although not exactly what I expected. I thought it would be more of a dark humor type of thing, and there definitely is some of that. But, at its heart, it's really a story of friendship, hope, and second chances, and it's both hilarious and heartbreaking at the same time. Of course, there are parts that aren't so fun to read – this is a book about domestic violence, after all. And the women in this book are certainly battered and abused.

Is the premise of this book rather absurd? Well, yes. Obviously the chances of four women in the same town murdering their abusive husbands in the same week and then randomly finding each other is very, very low on the probability scale. But I think the author did an excellent job of bringing awareness to the problem of domestic violence, particularly the unique issues that arose during the COVID-19 lockdown, and you kind of just have to suspend your disbelief on some of the rest of it.

The characters in this novel are fantastic. Edwina and her snooping was brilliant, and her part in the ending was laugh-out-loud funny. Sally was a likable narrator, and I feel that her backstory did a great job of explaining why abused women don't “just leave him.” I also appreciated the diversity of the characters, which Casale mentions in the afterword was intentional to bring awareness to the fact that domestic abuse occurs across the cultural spectrum.

There isn't a mystery in this book per se, other than “will they get away with it?” But there are lots of ridiculous hijinks that occur while the Lockdown Ladies' Burial Club tries to figure out the answer to that question, and it's a delightful ride.

Final rating: An enthusiastic 5 stars. This book is one of the highlights of my 2023 reads.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Books for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review.

This mystery novel had me hooked from the get-go with its intriguing premise: four women, pushed to their limits by abusive husbands, find themselves in a surprising solidarity when coincidence brings them together. The dark humor woven throughout added depth to the emotional journey of the characters.

Despite a few plot points that stretched believability, the writing flowed effortlessly, and the pacing kept me engaged throughout. I particularly appreciated the portrayal of friendships and the strength that comes from supporting one another.

Set against the backdrop of the Covid pandemic, the story felt both timely and distant, offering a unique perspective on everyday life during lockdown.

Overall, it was a compelling read that sheds light on important issues while keeping you entertained till the very end.

Sally has been brutalized by her husband for twenty years, but one day during Covid lockdown, she decides she's had enough and clocks him in the head with a cast-iron skillet. Now she just has to figure out what to do with his body... She meets three other women in a similar situation and they band together to get rid of their awful husbands for good.

I really enjoyed this book! It was all very far-fetched (despite covering a lot of bases in the DIY body-disposal department -- I'd *really* like to know what brand of cat litter they used (OMG FOR MY CATS' SMELLY LITTER BOXES NOT MY HUSBAND) -- but that's what made it fun. I love books about women coming together and taking care of terrible men with justifiable violence. It's always quite satisfying. This book is billed as a "dark comedy," but that doesn't feel quite right because nothing super funny happened? When I think of a murdery dark comedy, I think of something more along the lines of the first Finlay Donovan book. Maybe lighthearted murder? but definitely not a cozy? murdery escapism? I'll have to think about it -- but it was decidedly not depressing or maudlin, despite dealing with the serious topic of domestic violence. I liked all of the characters, especially Samira's daughter, Leila - she had a solid snark factor that I appreciated - and the nosy neighbor, Edwina.

Overall, this was a fun, fast-paced story that I think a lot of people will enjoy reading (but maybe keep the title hidden so you don't end up on a list)?

It's the beginning of the 2020 Covid-19 lockdown. Four women are trapped in their houses with their abusers. Four husbands abuse their wives to the point of murder. The women come together to figure out the best way to bury their husbands.

I think that this book suffers from a tone problem. The description says dark comedy but I didn't find most of it humorous. The DV themes were a lot more prevalent than the comedy. It was also way too long. There is not a lot of plot or character development throughout the story, especially considering the women don't meet up together until about 50%. The reveals were so predictable and I don't even know if they were reveals because they were that obvious.

This one really didn't work for me. I think it might have been better in a single POV and more of a novella length.

3.75 stars

This wildly original and darkly hilarious novel features a group of women who band together during the COVID lockdown to find a way to dispose of their abusive spouses' bodies. The dead husbands met their ends through murder, self-defense and misadventure, all related to years of the wives having been punching bags, physically and emotionally.

Yes, it's a wild concept -- not the violence, unfortunately, which is all too believable. You have to suspend your disbelief a bit at times but the entertaining ride is well worth it. There are of course some serious moments of introspection and regret. The women do not regret their husbands' death because they are finally free. But they regret the what ifs -- what if they had left? They regret the dreams deferred, the lies, and they worry what staying in their domestic situations has done to their children.

This is quite a visual book and it would certainly make a great movie in the right hands. While the grisly details of body parts disposal is fully discussed, this is also a novel about female bonding, friendship, personal growth, and starting over in life. Highly recommended. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

So much fun! Pair with How To Kill Men and Get Away With It. A recommended purchase for collections where crime and thrillers are popular.

A Clever, funny but poignant black comedy where neighborhood women kill their abusive spouses and need to get rid of their bodies without being caught. Thank goodness it’s lockdown from Covid. Suspend your belief and enjoy the ride.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of The Best Way to Bury Your Husband.

The story revolves around four women in the neighborhood who murdered their husbands, some of them accidentally.

The women forge a bond during the lockdown to protect their secrets, dispose of the bodies, and move on with their lives.

There are some dark comedic moments, for example, when relatives come over and the deceased is still in the kitchen and the wife needs to scramble to prevent her secret being revealed.

But this is more a story about women from diverse backgrounds with similar backstories; how they found themselves in an abusive marriage, their reasons for staying, and how having a supportive network of like minded individuals reminds you that you're not alone.

I love the diversity of the women and the spotlight the author put on the rise of domestic violence and abuse during the lockdown.

Not surprisingly, a disproportionate amount of domestic abusive victims are women of color and that's why the author included characters of various backgrounds.

The author does point out she knows the odds of there being so many domestic abuse victims in a small geographic area is hard to believe, but her point was to showcase how many women suffer in silence from all forms of physical violence.

The narrative is well written, but with little suspense and drama.

Most of the narrative revolves around the women figuring out how to dispose of the bodies, and Sally ruminating on all the years of abuse she suffered at the hands of her husband and her reasons she remained with him.

I loved her supportive children, their understanding and love for their mother.

The book reminds readers that violence affects women of all color from all socioeconomic backgrounds and a supportive network of friends and allies is the first step in regaining your voice and your life back.

And if 'accidentally' killing your husband in the process helps you on that journey, cool.

"The Best Way To Bury Your Husband" is a well-crafted mystery exploring abuse and newfound friendships during the pandemic. Amid serious themes, the story boasts dark humor that makes it an enjoyable and laughter-inducing read alongside the characters.

Primarily from Sally's perspective, the book introduces three other women with their own points of view, unveiling their pasts and the circumstances leading to their formation of the Lockdown Ladies Burial Club. Themes of family, friendship, and protective instincts underscore their actions.

While I found the book enjoyable and look forward to more from this author, there were moments of predictability. The introduction of the fourth member, while disappointing due to its predictability, underscores how little we truly know about those around us.

Edwina, the nosy neighbor, proved an unexpected source of connection, while the book's conclusion leaves me hopeful for a follow-up exploring their post-lockdown lives. This compelling read is highly recommended, and I'm thankful to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to review it honestly.