Vicki is an aromatherapist who has a secret past. She can't let go of her past with her ex husband. Then he goes missing and the police turn up on her doorstep, blaming her for his disappearance. Vicki must find out the truth for herself. Lots of twists and turns in this book which keeps the reader guessing until the final reveal. The characters have depth and I couldn't wait to read on to find out about what happened next. Thank you to the publishers and net galley for letting me review this book. A captivating read.

Actually 3.5 stars.
Well, this was a bit convoluted and, at times, not that easy to follow. Although, that said, it did come together pretty nicely at the end but it did take a bit of work getting there.
Vicki's husband Daniel left her for his mistress at about the same time as she developed epilepsy after an attack at work. She has managed to rub along on her own, learning to live with her condition and she mostly gets on OK. Until that is, she is contacted by the police and told that Daniel has gone missing. Not only that, but that they also consider her to be a suspect. Something she doesn't really help herself with as she kinda lies a bit to them to try and deflect the accusation. This was something that I struggled to get to grips with due to my eventual knowledge of her past employment (no spoilers here) a past that we hear about in flashbacks.
Along with what is happening in the present and its flashbacks, we also hear from another character; Scarlet, a young girl as she struggles with her mother's addiction and lifestyle. Quite how she fits in to the rest of it just has to be sat with for the majority of the book. At times, I thought I'd worked out where we were going but, when faced with another dead end or about face, I realised that if I was honest, I really didn't have a clue and just had to sit back with all these thoughts swilling around my head with nowhere to go. There were also quite a few things that really didn't make sense along the way and, at times, I thought I'd discovered a couple of plot holes only to find out something key to the explanation later on in the book. This actually made the book a bit more uncomfortable to read. Maybe I missed things along the way, it has been known, or maybe the confusion was written in purposefully. I have no idea, all I can say is that, sadly, it didn't quite work for me.
The ending when it came was OK. Some of the things didn't quite sit right with me though and I wasn't quite satisfied enough at the conclusion. There were a couple of things that didn't gel and others that were left a bit in the air. Sadly, I think have to admit that this wasn't really the book for me. That said, I really loved the author's previous two books so I am willing to take this one just as a blip and still eagerly await her next one when it is out.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Vicki’s husband left her for his mistress after Vicki was attacked at work which left her with epilepsy. Then one day she gets the message that he has gone missing and police seem to think he is dead and vicki is responsible.

I found this book to be an easy read, but it didn’t really excite me, and I really didn’t care about the characters that much, I felt that the story lacked something. It hasn’t lived up to Jane Corey’s previous books which I loved, but it wouldn’t put me off reading any more by her.

Written with a multiple first-person point-of-view, this narrative alternates between the present-day perspective of Vicky (the protagonist); the past storyline of a young girl called Scarlet; and an in-between timeline told from the perspective of a young woman called Helen.

Vicky is a middle-aged woman, whose husband left her for his PA when he couldn’t cope with her debilitating illness of epilepsy. Vicky has recently upped sticks from London and settled into rural Cornwall, where she’s also had a big career change. Her past history isn’t revealed to begin with but is drip-fed throughout the story’s arc. This comes as quite a twist when it’s revealed so I won’t say what that is. Suffice to say this put a whole new spin on what I thought had happened to her in the past and how I thought she may have been connected to Scarlet.

Scarlet is a damaged young girl whose mother uses her child’s innocence to deal drugs. When her mother is sent to prison, Scarlett is sent to abusive foster parents. Scarlett misses her mother terribly; although her mother constantly put Scarlet in danger, she still felt safe and loved. It seems Scarlet is the one who has received a harsher sentence than her mother.

As the timelines converge and twists in the plot begin to unravel the backstory, we see the introduction of Helen, a young woman who David employs on work experience. We know her employment is no accident, but what is Helen’s connection to David?

There is one clever twist after the other and I just loved how everything all connected up to each other. With Vicky having sporadic episodes of memory loss linked to her illness and medication, true to its genre, this sets up the unreliable first-person protagonist, making for a fast-paced page-turning plot. I recommend this book for anybody who likes Louise Jensen or Lisa Jewell.

Under Literature Love’s rating scheme this novel has been awarded 5 out of 5 stars. This means:

It took me a little while to get into this book and to figure out where the story was going. The book is told from different perspectives and times. I found the parts from Scarlet's side where the most well written and the ones I wanted to read more of, Scarlet is a troubled child who is put into foster care when her mother is sent to prison and I felt a lot of sympathy for her character.
Overall not a bad story and I would read more from the author, as I enjoyed the style of writing.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ebook in exchange for an honest review.
I would recommend everyone reads The Dead Ex by Jane Corry, it is a superb psychological thriller with many twists and turns and the ending was a very clever twist. I really didn’t see That last twist coming at all, with regard to the husband. A very clever well thought out thriller.
Highly recommended.

I loved the first two Jane Corry books and was delighted to receive a copy of this as an arc. Plenty of twists and turns and a good storyline. My heart broke for poor Scarlet, what a horrific childhood she had! Quite a few characters are involved but you do find out how the story connects them and it all makes sense in the end! It is one of these books where you think what do all these woman see in that horrible man, get a grip girls! Very enjoyable, I would definitely recommend.

"The Dead Ex" had me gripped right from the start. I read it in one morning because I had to know who all the different people were and how their stories wove together.

Ultimately, this is a tragic tale of bad decisions, lies, deceit and misunderstandings that combine to create a compelling thriller that swoops you up and won't let you go until it's done. Vicki is an epileptic aromatherapist with a mysterious past whose world comes crashing down when her husband goes missing and she's accused of being involved. Scarlett is a young girl whose mother is grooming her for a life of crime. Their lives intersect in a most unexpected fashion, resulting in someone's death.

But who's?

With thanks to Netgalley for the ARC with no obligation to review.

Really enjoyed this book. Interesting thriller, which at times made me feel quite sad, contains sensitive subject matter. A child’s lost innocence, revenge and the bitterness that was held onto truly destroyed the characters soul. It’s truly sad that people will exploit others and don’t care about the consequences. Well worth reading!

Kept me riveted until the end though it took a while to adjust to the style of writing. I had to check where Scarlet ended and Vicki began and then Helen suddenly appeared which was a little disconcerting. However it all became clear until towards the end where I felt the story became a little unnecessarily confusing. I also found it difficult to understand how Vicki would the.n marry the man who had an affair with her ex husband and was complicit in her downfall, A clever story well told, enjoyed the references to aromatherapy plus the psychology of the characters but perhaps a little confusing at times.

The Dead Ex is a weird thriller, with lots of twists that aren't particularly shocking or clever and characters that are so unlikable it's hard to find a reason to keep reading. While I wanted to see how it ended, I did not enjoy the reading experience and feel that the ending was flat. The title has no relevance to the story and I'm disappointed because this started to strongly but ended up being disappointing. Not sure if I'll bother to read more of Jane Corry's future books because I wasn't a huge fan of Blood Sisters either, although I did like My Husband's Wife.

This was an okay read, however I found the second half of the book rather difficult to finish. I think the start was good and promising, as a character Vicki is developed but I can't say the same thing for other characters. Also the timelines were a bit confusing between multiple POVs.
I still would like to read Corry again, I think the writing was good however plot and structure weren't as good, so would like to pick up another book from her.

A compulsive read which I raced through in two days. There are plenty of clever twists and turns in this entertaining thriller.

Vicki’s ex-husband, a successful business man, has vanished. The police suspect that she may be culpable. Eight year old Scarlet adores her Mum but she is in prison and Scarlet is in foster care. How their paths cross and what becomes of them make for a riveting read. Highly recommended.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel from NetGalley and the publisher. Thank you.

Having loved the author’s previous books I was looking forward to reading The Dead Ex. However whilst it was really good, I personally didn’t think it was great.

I felt the plot started really well and loved the first third of the book but then the momentum just seemed to tailor off somewhat. Also there are a lot of characters and trying to work out who is who and who they might be can get quite confusing.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin books and the author for the chance to review.

I found it a little difficult to keep up with this book at times with the different names and different passages of time and it was all quite vague which rather than being intriguing I found quite annoying and felt like the plot was all over the place. However part two of the book things really started to make sense and fit into place. I would say a fairer judgment would be 3.5 stars. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and Penguin for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The story of Vicky, an aromatherapist who seems to be struggling with epilepsy, and also something from her past, is a bit of a mixed bag for me. I liked the way it was narrated on different timelines, although it was sometimes confusing how the characters fitted together. When the police arrive to question her about the disappearance of her ex husband it also was revealed that her epilepsy caused memory lapses. Some of the storylines along the way seemed a bit contrived. I finished the book but didn't love it.

Well plotted and full of suspense until the finish.
Vicki’s husband has disappeared, he had run off with his mistress and now the police think Vicki knows more than she is saying and may have had something to do with it. The trouble is they may be right, Vicki has blackouts and has epilepsy, she is not sure she can remember everything that has happened.

This is the first book I've read by Jane Corry and was a bit of a mixed bag if I'm honest. The first half was absolutely brilliant. I was definitely engaged with the characters and story. It was fast paced and is one of the books where you just keep reading 'one more chapter' at night before you put it down. I hadn't even figured out the twists and turns and it definitely kept be guessing. As the story started to unravel it became a bit disappointing. Some elements were far fetched and there were some plot holes. The ending was a bit of a non-event and the two twists at the end concerning David and Jackie and the one about aromatherapy were a bit unnecessary and really didn't add that much to the story. I think the author was just trying to add as many twists and turns and shocks as she could to the story. It was however well written and did keep my attention, which is why I am going to download both of author's earlier books.

Vicki is trying to move on from her disastrous marriage and cope with her epilepsy caused by a work accident. She then has a visit from the police, saying her ex has gone missing and possibly dead, and she is a suspect.

This book is told in a before and after her accident, did she kill him and cannot remember? Or is there another explanation for his disappearance?

I am going to struggle to review this book, as I enjoyed it but then again, I didn’t. The story of Vicki and her hunt for the husband and trying to remember if she could have killed him was a good read. However, she was so annoying. I think she has put the acceptance of epilepsy back by ten years. She was portrayed as a neurotic and sad person with this illness that NOBODY understood, and everyone freaked out when she had a seizure.

The story was well written and thought out, and the mystery of where all the characters fit in, and how she was injured, kept me guessing until the big reveal. My only problem really was Vicki and her whining ways.

Read for yourself and make your own mind up.

Chester.

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

BRILLIANT ! I devoured this book I absolutely loved it.
The cover is very deceiving and I liked that it certainly had me gripped.
Can’t wait to recommend it to others.