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3.61 AVERAGE
3.61 AVERAGE
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I enjoyed the banter and dark humour in this story. It felt cosy but not in a way. The main thing that was an issue for me was that it felt very predictable and the twists that were meant to shock me just didn’t, but I feel it definitely help distract me briefly from the slump I’m in! I just wish the twists had been a bit more elaborate! It was quick and easy to understand, overall was good for the purpose I needed it for!
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
What a delightfully fun book for such a dark topic.
Fran was completely unhinged, and it was incredible. I really enjoyed her craziness—it was so entertaining.
Gareth was a great character (and husband), but seeing him slowly losing his mind for his wife as the plot went on was very fun.
I loved that we got both POVs and how the story unfolded.
The side characters of the noisy neighbor and weird brother were great.
Overall, I had a wonderful time reading this; the narrators did an excellent job!
Fran was completely unhinged, and it was incredible. I really enjoyed her craziness—it was so entertaining.
Gareth was a great character (and husband), but seeing him slowly losing his mind for his wife as the plot went on was very fun.
I loved that we got both POVs and how the story unfolded.
The side characters of the noisy neighbor and weird brother were great.
Overall, I had a wonderful time reading this; the narrators did an excellent job!
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ – Dark, Twisty, and Funny
My Wife, The Serial Killer by H.J. Garbett is a deliciously sharp, darkly funny thriller that grabs you by the collar from the first page and doesn’t let go. The premise alone...what if your sweet, loving wife murdered the neighbor across the street and you, a police detective, had to solve the case?...is enough to hook you, but the story goes deeper and darker in ways that are both unsettling and strangely satisfying.
Fran Donoghue is no ordinary wife. She’s a woman shaped by trauma, raised in a corrupt children’s home, and driven by a quiet, calculated sense of justice. Her husband, Gareth, is a well-meaning but increasingly frantic detective caught between doing his job and protecting the woman he loves. Their relationship is the heart of this story, and it pulses with tension, wit, and an almost absurd devotion...yes, even through murder charges.
The book peels back its layers at a perfect pace, revealing Fran’s motivations and tragic backstory while keeping you guessing until the very end. And just when you think you’ve figured it out, the story throws one last twist that makes you rethink everything.
The humor is pitch-black...think How to Kill Your Family or Killing Eve...but it works. Garbett has a knack for mining absurdity out of horror without ever mocking the gravity of Fran’s past. It’s a surprisingly fast read, and one that kept me turning pages late into the night.
My only quibble (and why it’s not a full 5 stars) is that I wished for a little more depth in the supporting cast and maybe a slower build at times...but those are minor notes in an otherwise clever, compelling debut.
If you enjoy your thrillers with a side of gallows humor and a morally murky heroine who’s as dangerous as she is endearing, My Wife, The Serial Killer will not disappoint.
My Wife, The Serial Killer by H.J. Garbett is a deliciously sharp, darkly funny thriller that grabs you by the collar from the first page and doesn’t let go. The premise alone...what if your sweet, loving wife murdered the neighbor across the street and you, a police detective, had to solve the case?...is enough to hook you, but the story goes deeper and darker in ways that are both unsettling and strangely satisfying.
Fran Donoghue is no ordinary wife. She’s a woman shaped by trauma, raised in a corrupt children’s home, and driven by a quiet, calculated sense of justice. Her husband, Gareth, is a well-meaning but increasingly frantic detective caught between doing his job and protecting the woman he loves. Their relationship is the heart of this story, and it pulses with tension, wit, and an almost absurd devotion...yes, even through murder charges.
The book peels back its layers at a perfect pace, revealing Fran’s motivations and tragic backstory while keeping you guessing until the very end. And just when you think you’ve figured it out, the story throws one last twist that makes you rethink everything.
The humor is pitch-black...think How to Kill Your Family or Killing Eve...but it works. Garbett has a knack for mining absurdity out of horror without ever mocking the gravity of Fran’s past. It’s a surprisingly fast read, and one that kept me turning pages late into the night.
My only quibble (and why it’s not a full 5 stars) is that I wished for a little more depth in the supporting cast and maybe a slower build at times...but those are minor notes in an otherwise clever, compelling debut.
If you enjoy your thrillers with a side of gallows humor and a morally murky heroine who’s as dangerous as she is endearing, My Wife, The Serial Killer will not disappoint.
Fran has been happily married to her husband Gareth for years, and is looking forward to starting a family. The only issue is that she's currently standing over the body of the neighbour she killed, and she needs to find a way to dispose of everything without it leading back to her. Especially considering her husband is a detective, pining for the respect and admiration of his peers by searching for a case that elevates him in their eyes. Would he sell her out if he knew?
*****
This was such an incredible concept for a book, and I loved the setup and start to it. It kept me engaged for a few chapters, but then just started to slip. We deal with a lot of subterfuge as well as leads into Fran and Gareth's characters that seemed to be pointless to the overall plot. Gareth noticing coworkers and "friends" attractiveness and physical prowess felt like an odd aside to include. Especially as the author made him out to be such an undesirable lead. He wasn't respected by his boss or his peers, he was losing his hair, out of shape, and unsatisfactory in bed. All of these tied together with him being an unending people pleaser, staying late at work, neglecting his wife, and putting his career above all else, just made me want Fran to off him instead of lament about how much she loved him.
Aside from that, I found it funny that Fran was a killer, but so incredibly unprepared and genuinely terrible at it. She wasn't made out to be some kind of brutal genius. She was an average person, trying to right perceived wrongs and maybe not as well-versed as she should be, despite enjoying doing so. Her monologues were hilarious and kept the story upbeat through longer slogs, but her husband's POV dragged it down until the latter portions of the book where he did a complete 180 and suddenly became a mildly interesting lead.
The ending in general did leave a lot to be desired. I know it's more open to interpretation, but after Gareth and Angus making huge strides and changes into who they fundamentally are, it just kind of wraps up. I expected more from the description, and I wish we'd either had earlier character arcs, more interesting characters, or characters that acted in ways that aligned with who they are, and not just changing on a whim and then having everything tied up neat and tidy.
All in all it was a decent novel, but not something I would rave about.
*****
Thank you to Storm Publishing for the digital ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
*****
This was such an incredible concept for a book, and I loved the setup and start to it. It kept me engaged for a few chapters, but then just started to slip. We deal with a lot of subterfuge as well as leads into Fran and Gareth's characters that seemed to be pointless to the overall plot. Gareth noticing coworkers and "friends" attractiveness and physical prowess felt like an odd aside to include. Especially as the author made him out to be such an undesirable lead. He wasn't respected by his boss or his peers, he was losing his hair, out of shape, and unsatisfactory in bed. All of these tied together with him being an unending people pleaser, staying late at work, neglecting his wife, and putting his career above all else, just made me want Fran to off him instead of lament about how much she loved him.
Aside from that, I found it funny that Fran was a killer, but so incredibly unprepared and genuinely terrible at it. She wasn't made out to be some kind of brutal genius. She was an average person, trying to right perceived wrongs and maybe not as well-versed as she should be, despite enjoying doing so. Her monologues were hilarious and kept the story upbeat through longer slogs, but her husband's POV dragged it down until the latter portions of the book where he did a complete 180 and suddenly became a mildly interesting lead.
The ending in general did leave a lot to be desired. I know it's more open to interpretation, but after Gareth and Angus making huge strides and changes into who they fundamentally are, it just kind of wraps up. I expected more from the description, and I wish we'd either had earlier character arcs, more interesting characters, or characters that acted in ways that aligned with who they are, and not just changing on a whim and then having everything tied up neat and tidy.
All in all it was a decent novel, but not something I would rave about.
*****
Thank you to Storm Publishing for the digital ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A great read, couldn't put it down. Compelling characters and a tense twisting story, lightened by the funny perspectives of Gareth and Fran. HJ Garbett the GOAT
challenging
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I was hooked at the beginning of this. Im down for feminine rage reads, and Fran's humor and paranoia created tension and levity all at once. Her husband, Garrett, is the straightest of straight arrows and honestly, dude is boring. As we move through the story, they kind of switch places. Fran fades into the background and becomes a shell of herself, while Garrett decends into a desperation that makes him more interesting. Angus fell flat for me and seemed like a convenient scapegoat. The trial portion of the book was so slow, I nearly DNF'D it, but I wanted to know the ending. The pacing was a bit off, but the banter and Fran's internal monologue were pretty interesting. It was OK, but know my favorite.
ARC READ - NetGallery & Storm Publishing
The book was an okay read. The story follows a detective and his serial killer wife. While it had its share of funny one liners and jokes. The pacing dragged at times which stretches where nothing seemed to happen.
The book was an okay read. The story follows a detective and his serial killer wife. While it had its share of funny one liners and jokes. The pacing dragged at times which stretches where nothing seemed to happen.