I have heard good things about Leigh Russell and read several reviews of how good her other books are. So, I was excited to read this. But for me personally, I thought this was so farfetched it was unbelievable.
The Adulterer’s wife is about Julie and Paul. Julie has found out that her husband Paul is cheating on her. But, they don’t want to tell their son Dan who has Cerebral Palsy because he has exams. So the next night, Julie goes out with her friends Nina and Karen and comes home drunk. She gets into bed but husband Paul does not wake. The next morning, she goes to drop Dan at school letting Paul have a lie in. But when she gets home she realises that Paul is dead in bed. Julie is accused of his murder.
Julie then goes out, to found out what really happened and to confirm her innocence in all this. But the things she does in the process of it just makes her look guiltier. I understand that her husband cheated on her but boy, you would still have a little feeling towards her husband of 19 years and a father to your 17-year-old son, wouldn’t you? Julie I found her to be cold and callous and all she was thinking of was getting hold of the money.
I had high hopes for this book but, I thought this was unbelievable and very predictable. The premise was good but it didn’t deliver. I laughed in places because how unbelievable this story sounded and the ended well I won’t spoil it for you, you will have to read it yourself.
Thank you Netgalley and Bloodhound books for a copy of this book.

Wow. Really enjoyed reading this. Great pace and lots of twists to keep the reader guessing

I was extremely excited to read something different from Leigh Russell with her foray into the world of the psychological thriller. My recommendation is that she sticks with the crime genre because this ‘thriller’ was as dull as dishwater. It’s unfortunate because it actually starts off incredibly well and has an exciting premise, however it all went downhill after Julie discovers her adulterous husband dead in the marital bed.

My main issue with this story is there’s one scene in the book that makes it glaringly obvious who the killer is, and this scene takes place before Julie has even discovered her husband’s body. I was reading the story hoping that Leigh Russell would pull some unseen twist out of the bag, but no, the killer in this tale couldn’t be more obvious and it was such a letdown for a story that had real potential. Seasoned readers of this genre will also work out the killer from this scene (and if you don’t then you’ll at least end up being half right).

I found it hard to empathise with Julie and never really liked her much as a character. Yes her husband cheated on her and yes their marriage was in trouble, but there’s just such a lack of emotion there when she discovers his body that she doesn’t even grieve for the marriage and what it once stood for. Instead we are expected to believe that she is happy about it. She can’t have one item of her husband’s in their home however she is happy to keep living in said home and makes frequent mentions of how she will be an extremely wealthy widow once she’s cleared of his murder (I think her upcoming wealth was mentioned about five times in as many pages). Her morals clearly don’t stretch as far as giving up the home and life that her husband bankrolled. She becomes almost unstable and the story nearly got a little exciting when she went off on the run, only to then be apprehended by the police, having to then resort to proving her innocence with the help of a cliched cardboard cut out private detective. Considering Leigh Russell has written so many crime novels, the policing element here was shocking. Okay Julie was determined to prove her innocence but the police do nothing in this story other than suspect her. The lengths Julie goes to in order to prove her innocence were clearly signs of a desperate woman, however the case against her by the police would never be strong enough to convince a jury and so that desperation felt forced because it wasn’t completely necessary.

Her son Dan was somebody who had potential but was wasted as a character. One minute he hates his supposed murderous mum, the next he wants to be with her. Rinse and repeat this until the denouement. The rest of the characters I can’t even talk about because one of them is of course the killer who as said earlier was as clear as day. There’s just nothing here to get excited about.

I suppose the best way to describe The Adulterer’s Wife is a story of missed opportunities. I hate reading a story where I have worked out the plot before it’s even begun but at least here that was a sign of incredibly poor plotting. The Adulterer’s Wife reads like a debut novel from an aspiring thriller writer, not the work of a veteran of the crime genre and so I cannot recommend this book to anybody who wants an exciting, gripping, thrilling and character-driven drama because this story contains none of those things. Someone please recommend me an amazing psychological thriller because the ones I’ve been reading recently are not doing it for me.

I have read and enjoyed all of this author's previous books; both her Geraldine Steel and Lucy Hall series so I was quite excited to see how she would fare with a stand alone psychological thriller, especially as this is one of my favourite genres. And I'd have to say that she handled it pretty darned well.
Paul and Julie's marriage is getting a bit stale but they have stayed together predominantly for the sake of their son, Dan. But, despite their differences, they have been loyal to each other; or so Julie thinks. One day though, she sees a text on Paul's phone that leads her to discover he is having an affair. Not only that, but an affair that has been going on for a fair while. She feels completely betrayed and devastated but as Dan is right in the middle of exams he has worked so hard for, she decides not to challenge him. She does tell her friends though on one of their girls' nights out. But it is the morning after the night before from hell for Julie after a rather raucous night as she discovers Paul dead in their bed after returning from taking Dan to school. Worse than that though, as the police rule it murder and she's their main suspect.
And so begins a rather intriguing cat and mouse game as Julie calls on every resource available to her to try and find out who killed her husband and why and, in doing so, save herself.
Firstly, I have to say that I did guess the killer early. More than likely because this is my bread and butter genre and it takes a lot to fool me these days. But, I hasten to add, that knowing whodunit is not the be all and end all of this book. And anyway, I have been wrong in the past - spectacularly so - so it didn't ruin my enjoyment of the book as a whole.
Julie was a bit of a funny fish for me. One minute she was overboard with things like hiding evidence - especially early on with the phone - but then, on other occasions, she was so naive it was almost comical. But then again, she was mostly driven by her emotions and I guess a bit all over the place, especially with regard to her son, so she is bound to be inconsistent at times. Some of the motivations for her actions did also leave a lot to be desired but, on the whole, none of what I read was too far over the line of credibility so I was easy able to just live with my niggles. The rest of the book, the plot and the writing more than made up for things. Suffice to say that she really was her own worst enemy at times.
Relationships in this book between certain characters were also a bit hit and miss and I'm not talking about Paul's infidelity here! Not giving details but we had quite a bit of "he said/she said" and blowing hot and cold that I did get a bit dizzy at times. Apart from these, the characters themselves were well described and, within their storylines, the majority were credible and congruent.
Pacing was good though and the action allowed the plot to get on with itself nicely. There was also no superfluous waffle or padding which was also refreshing. We also had all the usual other key elements of a good psychological thriller; secrets, lies and duplicitous behaviour.
All in all a good solid debut book for the author in this genre. I do hope she writes another in the future, although I'm also hoping for more Geraldine and Lucy too. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

its just say...maybe i didn't enjoy the book as much as i should have because i'm not much of a my mystery person and also i think i guess the suspension very earlier in the book.

so yeah...didn't liked it.

I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review

Readable and serviceable, albeit completely unbelievable and without clear motivation for the character’s choices. A good time-passer.

Oh this book. It had all the makings of being great but it just fell flat.

Julie finds out her husband has an affair. She decides to not confront him until after her sons exams. Her son was born with cerebal palsy and basically her entire life has revolved around helping him.
Julie found out about the affair through a text message. Her husband Paul had left his phone at home by accident.

This is where the surreal feeling of the book starts. Instead of just A) Pretending she did not see the message or B) Confronting her husband about the message but tell him to not mention it to their son, Julie does C.
And C is destroying the entire phone and sim card, dumping the contents in various places around town and act like nothing is wrong.
Julie goes out on the town with her friends, puts away a couple of drinks and then goes to sleep at home. In the morning, Paul is still sleeping next to her she assumes so she goes downstairs and gets their son ready for school.
When she comes back home, he is still in bed and she finds out he is dead. The police get involved and an investigation is started with Julie as the main suspect.

I will not give away any further spoilers but the book is highly unbelievable. The son Dan came off to me as a very whiny 17 year old boy who jumped between shouting at his mother about why she killed his dad and saying he loves her and believes she is innocent.
Julie herself is even more annoying. She makes various stupid decisions, does not follow any logic and seems almost surprised when she gets in trouble.

The ending was even more ridiculous. The whodunit was just hastily revealed, in a very unbelievable way. This book had the makings of being really good but it just did not deliver. 2 stars.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for my honest review.

I am a huge fan of Leigh Russell and I was eager to find out if this book came up to the standard of her crime thrillers. Wow it exceeded my expectations, sent my pulse racing and my nerves jangling.. I read it in one and a bit sittings, honestly once you start you won't want to put it down. Thank you for the ARC

really enjoyed reading this book by a new author. julie’s a widow now but the police think she killed her husband , did she ? it all becomes clearer throughout the story.

This is the first book I have read by the author Leigh Russell and after reading this book, it will definitely not be the last! I was hooked from start to finish and found the book unputdownable. I was on a rollercoaster with the main character Julie as she had to prove her innocence in the murder of her husband. I enjoyed getting to know her character, even though sometimes she left me extremely frustrated! This book has been well thought out and written well.

I’m a great fan of Leigh Russell and Love her police series. However this one was very different and enjoyable although sometimes I could have strangled Julie myself. I did read this book in 24 hours and I thought the ending was superb.

I have read Leigh Russell's crime novels since she began, and enjoyed them very much. Imagine how intrigued I was to find that she has signed with my favourite publisher Bloodhound Books, to write a standalone psychological thriller.
The action started on page one when Julie finds out about her husband Paul's infidelity then goes on to confide in a friend. A week later Paul is killed in their bed and Julie appears to be the only person who has both the opportunity and the motive, and the police seem dead set on convicting her for murder. I hope this is the start of more like this to come from Leigh Russell.

Julie is shocked to learn that her husband Paul is having an affair. She decides not to confront her husband until after her son has finished his exams. Then she finds Paul dead in bed. The police are now investigating her of murdering Paul and Julie will do anything to prove her innocence.
The Adulterer's Wife by Leigh Russell was a thriller about secrets and lies, with a few twists and turns to keep you guessing until the end.
I am looking forward to reading more from this author
I would like to thank NetGalley and Bloodhound Books for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

A fantastic read, full of suspense. I did find the first quarter of the book a little boring and badly written. There wasnt much suspense and I thought the bit where the husband died was dull. If my husband died then I would be devastated but Julie seemed barely bothered which I found a little odd: because someone having an affair doesn't necessarily mean you stop loving them.
After the first quarter I became hooked and literally couldn't put this read down. I was desperate to know who the killer was and it kept me guessing until the end. I loved the twist at the end too and it even made me chuckle a little bit. During the bit where Julie went to collect her son from her in laws I was rooting for her. A great read. I would read more by this author.

I just love a little bit of domestic noir and this is what was promised by "The Adulterer's Wife". Imagine finding out your husband of over 20 years has been spending his Tuesday night's with another woman? That's exactly what happens to Julie when Paul forgets to take his phone to work and a text comes through for him...Things quickly spiral out of control and Julie finds herself in the frame for murder!

The tension built in this slow burning, but suspenseful plot, and left me wondering just who the hell was telling the truth in amongst the web of lies being spun. I could feel Julie's frustration and anguish as she desperately tried to discover what really did happen to her husband that night!

Now, I am not going to lie, I struggled to connect with Julie on an emotional level,  at times she kind of irritated me a little. She was a bit naive at times and I felt her to be a bit of  wet blanket in her reactions. Yet at other times she took quite fearless steps in her quest to discover the truth behind her husband's death.  However,  I have to admit that I do enjoy a little conflict when it comes to a character I am supposed to empathise with. At times I wanted to give her a shake and tell her to wise up a little although she certainly did more private investigating than the Private Investigator she hired! What a shady character he was! It was easy to feel her frustration as the case against her seemed to grow arms and legs and her despair at losing her son was palpable. By the end of the book I was cheering her on as she fought to clear her name and repair the relationship with her son.

Those friends of hers! Seriously hardly the bosom buddies to rely on that's for sure! They seemed to dump her at the first sign of trouble and were hardly around to give her the moral support that she needed! She was extremely isolated in the novel and her desperation grew as everyone seemed to be turning against her. It was one of those novels where I jumped from shouting "Come on Julie, you can do it girl" to "FFS Julie, get a grip!"

Twists and turns were aplenty as the novel approached the end and I felt that this was where the action really ramped up a gear or two. Just when I thought she was working it all out another spanner was thrown in the works. A well written novel with a bubbling tension that will appeal to those who are not looking for an action packed thriller. I could see this one working well as a TV short series. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4