Absolutely brilliant book!
I am a big fan of this author and love the writing style!
I cant wait to read more!

I was intrigued by the premise of this book. Maggie's husband has been in prison for the last 20ish years for murdering 9 girls. Maggie has been trying to live a quiet life with her two sons since her husband's arrest but has been unable to outrun her past. One day the old detectives from her husband's case reach out to Maggie to let her know that her (ex) husband is dying and he is ready to confess to more murders- but he will only confess to Maggie.

Although I enjoyed the plot of the book, I found it lacking in action. I wanted to find out what Edward's confessions were, so in that sense, it kept me interested. However, for such a short book, it took me a long time to read as I found I wasn't in a rush to pick up the book. I felt for Maggie, and I thought the author did a great job of expressing how much trauma she had been bottling up since her husband's arrest. It was sad but in a very realistic way, and I felt for her. I wish the story had more excitement as I didn't feel much of an attachment to any of the characters. I also found I didn't feel much from Edward, I wanted to feel a hatred for him because he was an awful person, but he just fell a little flat for me as a character.

Overall, it does have an intriguing plot. I was just left wanting more.

The book wasnt exactly what I expected from the blurb, I was expecting a dark written novel, but this was a very nice surprise! I feel going down the route of the story being fro POV of te wife made this stand out more and less likely to be put into standard thriller category. Pleasantly surprised by the storyline and enjoyed the main character. Thank you for the opportunity to pre-read this

We first meet Maggie, living a very quiet and isolated life. She works online, has one friend, and volunteers at the local homeless shelter. She has a strained relationship with her sons, and she avoids all attempts by others to delve more deeply into her solitude.

Maggie is actually not her real name, and we find out that years earlier, her husband, Edward O'Connor, was arrested and convicted of the murders of several young women. The knowledge just about destroyed Maggie and her two sons, as they were constantly hounded by reporters, hated by their neighbours, friends and acquaintances. To save herself and her boys, she moved away, and moved each time she needed to to preserve her boys' privacy and safety.

Now, twenty-seven years later, the two detectives in charge of her husband's case, approach her with a strange request. Edward wants to share information about further kills, but won't say anything about them to anyone but Maggie.

Horrified, Maggie initially refuses, but after considering the emotions of the affected families, agrees to meet with him. Edward seems to be playing a game, however, recalling various family vacations with her. This leads her to review family photo albums, and remember these vacations, as well as the progress of her marriage. This resurrection of what should be happy memories of their courtship, love, raising of two children, should be happy, but only serves to further erode her careful hold on her emotions.

Her grown sons are horrified that she is in contact with Edward again, with the elder furious, and the younger quietly supportive.

Maggie begins to suspect that Edward is guiding her to some sort of further horrible revelation about their family, which she does eventually get to, and she must then make a choice between justice, or protecting her family.

Author Charlotte Barnes builds a claustrophobic atmosphere in this intriguing story. This book is not a thriller; rather, it's an exploration of the psychology of a woman whose partner has done horrific things. Maggie wonders how she could have missed all the signs of her husband's darkness, but as a skilled predator, he was adept at hiding much about himself.

His slow spooling out of information was chilling, and we watch Maggie come apart as she reconsiders so much about her understanding of herself and her former life.

The author does give us a twist in the plot, and this was a little surprising but one I guessed, as it shows a slightly different and unexpected side to Edward. He never redeems himself, however, throughout this novel, but it's the journey Maggie makes, and her difficult and disturbing choice, that makes this book the compelling and tense read that it is.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Bloodhound Books for this ARC in exchange for my review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review this ARC.

Unforuntently I just couldn’t get into it. It was rather slow in the beginning for me.

Just because I struggled with it doesn’t means others will.

I can’t even imagine how it would feel to find out my husband was a serial killer, to then have to reopen the wounds two decades later.
The premise of the book was really good. It was just very slow and it’s hard for me to get into books that are slower. I do think other people would enjoy it more.

Being told that her imprisoned husband is dying of cancer and wants to talk about the other young women he murdered comes as a slight shock to Maggie but what's shocks her the most is that he will only confess to her.

Maggie has spent her life running from the crimes of her husband and her two adult sons have had to live with the knowledge of their fathers crimes and not happy with their fathers request

What follows is a walk down memory lane for Maggie and a shocking realisation that another family member may also he a murderer

Page turner guaranteed

"My Husband the Murderer" by Charlotte Barnes, can be captivated by its intriguing premise, my experience ultimately left me feeling a bit underwhelmed. The story revolves around Maggie, a woman trying to piece her life back together after her estranged husband, Edward O’Connor, a convicted serial killer, reaches out to her from prison. He claims he’s ready to confess to the murders of nine women, but the catch is that he will only speak to her.
The setup hooked me immediately—who wouldn’t want to dive into a psychological thriller that explores the complexities of marriage, trust, and the darker sides of human nature? I found Barnes’s writing to be incredibly immersive. She captured Maggie's inner turmoil and emotional struggles exquisitely, making me feel like I was right there with her, grappling with the weight of her past and the societal pressures of her husband's notorious crimes. The supporting characters were also well-rounded and added depth to the unfolding narrative.
I enjoyed the depth of psychologically exploring Maggie's character and the moral dilemmas she faced. By the book's end, I even found myself feeling a surprising amount of empathy toward Edward—though it was for reasons I won’t spoil. Barnes manages to build a world around Maggie that feels tangible and rich, and I appreciated her ability to articulate Maggie's fears and desires throughout the book.
That being said, I did have a few struggles with the pacing and structure of the story. While I appreciated that the book allowed for character exploration, the slow buildup felt more like a character study than the gripping thriller I was hoping for. I found myself longing for moments that would elicit gasps or surprise. The twist that eventually came was so subtly woven into the narrative that I nearly missed it, which could be a plus for some—but for me, it felt predictable and lacked the punch I was hoping it would have.
As for the tense exchanges between Maggie and Edward, I wished they had pushed their psychological game a bit further. There were very few moments that showcased his manipulative side, which would have added layers to the story. I was left wanting more tension during their visits and felt that the potential for some mind games was not fully explored.
In conclusion, "My Husband the Murderer" raised interesting questions about morality, trust, and the complexity of knowing someone while providing a sympathetic view of its protagonist. However, I found myself wanting a bit more thrill and more dynamic conversations to drive the story. If you enjoy character-driven narratives that poke at the edges of psychological drama, you might find this book appealing. But if you’re seeking a tension-filled thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat, this might not be your best pick. Overall, it’s a solid read, but I had hoped for something more gripping.

Really enjoyed reading this book. Good storyline wasn’t predictable and left me wanting to find out what happened. Also a storyline I hadn’t really heard of before which is good as some stories can end up sounding similar to others. Would recommend to anyone looking for a good book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. I was SO excited for this book - the premise was really captivating. Unfortunately the pace felt off - it dragged. I still enjoyed it, but doesn’t hit top tier read for me.

I could tell there was a lot of thought, research and preparation involved in this book. I do not necessarily think I am the target audience but I could totally understand the idea and potential within this book. It was not at all what I was expecting but I was very intrigued. There was so much emotion in the authors words. She carefully and deliberately wrote such intense feelings delicately. I felt for Maggie and could even relate to her story. I was hooked and could not put it down. I wanted to know what would happen next. I would definitely read more from this author.

I was very excited for this book and I was not at all disappointed.

To keep it short and sweet and of course spoiler free I just want to say how much the author put time and thought into the well written story and how hooked I was from start to finish. The cover is absolutely beautiful and I would recommend anyone to give this book a go.

I thought this was a very well written book. I had never read this author before, but I was immediately drawn in by the blurb on the book. I really felt for Maggie and her boys and what they've gone through because of her husband.

Completely heartbreaking and entirely thought provoking. With careful attention to detail a picture is painted of what is left of a person decades after their world has been shattered and oh how I wished Maggie was stood in front of me so I could give her a hug (and a bit of a shake). Every step of this journey felt real and raw and developed in such a natural way that I could believe every new piece of information presented and I was as torn and shocked as Maggie at the point of the shocking twist.

I definitely went into this book with a preconceived idea of what would happen in the course of events but very little proceeded as I expected. Where I thought the focus would be more based on Edward and the police investigation or even the victims I was very pleasantly surprised to find that instead whilst that was happening in the periphery instead the focus is Maggie.

I enjoyed this book and couldn't bear to put it down once I was a few chapters in because I needed to know what was coming (and the sheer will power it took to not turn to the end for a sneak peek was more than I knew I had!). Definitely worth a read just be prepared that your heart may break along the way.

I read this ARC through NetGalley

Quite a sad tale really and not the thriller ias expecting. An interesting character study though and a totally ( in my experience) plot which held my interest.

I'd like to thank Charlotte Barnes, Net Galley and Bloodhound Books for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

My Husband the Murderer follows our main character Maggie, which is not her real name, a 60-something mother of two who works from home and has moved several times after the arrest of her husband after he turned out to be a serial killer.

Her ex-husband Edward O'Connor, in prison for the murder of 9 women, 1 never found, was diagnosed with cancer and has six months left to live. He decides he wants to confess to everything, more than he has before, but he'll only talk to Maggie.

This book had so much depth to it, I really felt for Maggie throughout this entire book, being a lonely older woman with little family left being put in an impossible situation trying to finally get closure for the families of women Edward killed. That being said the plot is very slow moving, but the book is fast paced. It's easy to fly through the book even if nothing significant happens because the chapters are so short. It's not the most thrilling book I've ever read but it definitely has a lot of heart and I think lovers of crime thrillers who need a change of pace every once in awhile would really love this book.

Trigger Warnings I Gathered: grief, disordered eating, depression, abandonment, vomit, murder, cancer, animal death, death of parent, mentions dementia

This was a really intriguing and tense read with a great premise. The characters were charming and relatable and the ending was satisfying.

Rollercoaster..
Convicted, imprisoned killer on his deathbed is ready to confess to further suspected crimes - but, his proviso is that he will only do so to his estranged wife, Maggie. Is she, or will she ever be, ready for this? Pacy, disturbing and edgy and an often emotional read. Do you, or will you ever, really know the person you married? Emotional rollercoaster.

Everything about this book had me intrigued, from the cover, to the title, to the plot itself! Im in!

Not the usual whodunnit, it follows a different path where we follow Maggie, who's husband got a murdery during their marriage and her recent visits to him to uncover the truth.

I found the book to be really nicely written and very easy to read, the author goes into a wonderful depth which made me feel like I was in Maggie's head, I felt what she felt and all of the emotions with her. Other character were built up nicely and played an integral part in further creating the world around Maggie. I even kinda liked Edward towards the end for... Well for just one reason... You'll get it.

The story itself is easy to follow, I didn't see the twist coming whatsoever, it was so subtly slipped in that I nearly missed it. I would say that I would have liked a bit more action, something that made me go "ooooh whaaaaat theee fffffuuuh" but there were none, the murders were only mentioned as that, no other details really, but that's not what the book was about I guess, that's me being picky now. I think Edward could have played more mind games? We didn't really get much of a conversation between them on the visits, although it was enough to get the jist of the story.

All in all a read that felt smooth and soft... Does that make sense?

Thanks to NetGalley, BloodhoundBooks and the author Charlotte Barnes for the ARC copy.

I really did enjoy this book and thought the ending was well done. Although predictable it did keep my interest once I got to the middle but the first half dragged and I did find myself skimming some parts just to get to the prison scenes.

Good concept though and I really enjoyed it.