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dakotaflower's review against another edition
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
This book had maybe two likable characters, Dee and Patrick. It felt like the author was writing far outside of her lived experience and a lot of the scenes were hard to believe.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse and Sexual harassment
nwhittaker1's review against another edition
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
laurarash's review against another edition
4.0
I think this was the best book yet from Jane Corry. From kids in foster care, epilepsy and prison work it’s a unique story that really kept me interested.
fizreads's review against another edition
5.0
Find this review and others on my blog: https://fizwrites.wixsite.com/website/post/the-dead-ex-review
‘He cheated. He lied. He died’. What a great catchphrase. I’m joking but Jane Corry does not fail to impress she has quickly become my go-to favourite mystery/crime/thriller author because her novels are so cleverly crafted with such page-turners that you will be reading any opportunity you have you will also be thinking about it regularly too.
I love a good thriller and this is my third of Corry’s books I have picked up and I loved it, devoured it even. I love when thrillers use medical conditions in menacing ways (that sounds so wrong) but its also because you learn and are educated so much about that condition in this book the main character Vicki has epilepsy which causes her to forget stuff for the plot it is great but also it is such a great insight into how people live with it, how hard it is but also the signs people can spot if the person is in an epileptic fit and what to do. I am still not over Louise Jensen’s ‘The Date’ which explores the medical condition of prosopagnosia and so many other books.
I love how this tackles such heavy topics as well and I think because Jane herself worked in prison the prison scenes are so vivid and authentic that it makes the book that much better. It is psychological, it is deep and twisted and I was completely enthralled from the first page. This was a real page-turner. It has two p.o.v’s one from Vicki who is now an aromatherapist and Scarlet whose story we follow from childhood to the present day. Both of their stories were gripping and when Helen came into the mix it just kept me on my toes hooked until the very end, I loved every minute of this fast pace book. If your looking for a page-turner look no further.
This was my third book of Jane Corry's, safe to say she is now in the category of my go-to for any type of mystery/thriller type of book. Highly addictive, so clever. 4.5 rounded up.
‘He cheated. He lied. He died’. What a great catchphrase. I’m joking but Jane Corry does not fail to impress she has quickly become my go-to favourite mystery/crime/thriller author because her novels are so cleverly crafted with such page-turners that you will be reading any opportunity you have you will also be thinking about it regularly too.
I love a good thriller and this is my third of Corry’s books I have picked up and I loved it, devoured it even. I love when thrillers use medical conditions in menacing ways (that sounds so wrong) but its also because you learn and are educated so much about that condition in this book the main character Vicki has epilepsy which causes her to forget stuff for the plot it is great but also it is such a great insight into how people live with it, how hard it is but also the signs people can spot if the person is in an epileptic fit and what to do. I am still not over Louise Jensen’s ‘The Date’ which explores the medical condition of prosopagnosia and so many other books.
I love how this tackles such heavy topics as well and I think because Jane herself worked in prison the prison scenes are so vivid and authentic that it makes the book that much better. It is psychological, it is deep and twisted and I was completely enthralled from the first page. This was a real page-turner. It has two p.o.v’s one from Vicki who is now an aromatherapist and Scarlet whose story we follow from childhood to the present day. Both of their stories were gripping and when Helen came into the mix it just kept me on my toes hooked until the very end, I loved every minute of this fast pace book. If your looking for a page-turner look no further.
This was my third book of Jane Corry's, safe to say she is now in the category of my go-to for any type of mystery/thriller type of book. Highly addictive, so clever. 4.5 rounded up.
andreachiasson's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars.
This book had a good plot and the twists were good! I was super interested in Scarlet's timeline and her POV chapters. It's the classic who done it book, about an ex-wife, ex-husband and his many mistresses. I read her other book 'The Husband's Wife' last year and I felt the same. It was a good book, easy to follow and had some twists but some of them seemed unnecessary (like no prior information had been given about it, and as a reader, there was no understanding of why it would happen that way?)
This book had a good plot and the twists were good! I was super interested in Scarlet's timeline and her POV chapters. It's the classic who done it book, about an ex-wife, ex-husband and his many mistresses. I read her other book 'The Husband's Wife' last year and I felt the same. It was a good book, easy to follow and had some twists but some of them seemed unnecessary (like no prior information had been given about it, and as a reader, there was no understanding of why it would happen that way?)
the_idlereader's review against another edition
4.0
despite the multiple POVs, transitioning between the different POVs was surprisingly seamless and not at all confusing. at first, i was curious about how the various storylines would intertwine, but when the connections were finally revealed, it was done beautifully, and i found the experience captivating.
ratherbereadin's review against another edition
3.0
[Disclaimer: e-ARC received from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]
3.5 stars
This was a fun thriller, it took me on quite a ride trying to figure out exactly what was happening. I did think the book had a few issues at the end which overall brought my rating down.
Overall, an enjoyable read.
3.5 stars
This was a fun thriller, it took me on quite a ride trying to figure out exactly what was happening. I did think the book had a few issues at the end which overall brought my rating down.
Spoiler
I really didn't buy that David would be convicted based on comments in a suicide note. The parts about Jackie's involvement felt very tacked on and unnecessary. The part at the end with the oil on Tanya also felt very tacked on.Overall, an enjoyable read.
herreadingroom's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I thought this book was an intriguing and enjoyable psychological thriller with plenty of twists and turns. The story follows Vicki, a former aromatherapist with epilepsy, and intertwines her perspective with those of the other main characters, creating a nicely layered narrative. This is the first book that I have read by this author and it is clear that she excels at creating suspense and is very skilled at keeping readers guessing about who to trust.
I liked the overall pace of the book although it got off to a bit of a slow start, but once it got going it was a good, easy going read. The plentiful plot twists were surprising, particularly one twist which I didn’t see coming; but a few aspects felt a little too far-fetched to be believable. Having said that, I thought the characterisation and the multiple perspectives in the storyline were pretty compelling.
Overall, The Dead Ex is an entertaining read for fans of domestic thrillers. I’d have liked a heftier punch to it but it’s got my 2025 reads off to a good start and I’m definitely looking forward to reading another book from this author’s backlist.