Cover Image: The Husbands

The Husbands

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Member Reviews

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to preview The Husbands by TJ Brearton..
A twisted serial killer is on the loose. He kills the wifes of prominent men, and taunts them afterward. Why would someone be sick enough to do this. Special Agent Kelly Roth is assigned to find out just that. She is a skilled investigator and is determined to get to the bottom of this puzzle.
This is a very good book ! 5 stars

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Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

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Great thriller that kept me turning the pages, a great story with intriguing characters that kept me guessing. Highly recommend to others!

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The Husbands is a good read.

FBI agent Kelly ROTH is sent to Syracuse, a small town, to investigate a serie of murders targeting married women.The media called the murderer "the park killer" because he kills his victims in local parks. After that he contacts their husbands and tell them that he killed their wives.

Actually Syracuse is Kelly's hometown which she left after a violent event she lived there.This investigation will not be easy especially as the media recognised her. In addition she has to see her family she did not meet years ago. As a profiler she will led the investigation using her own methods which sometimes do not match with the local police point of view. Because of that she went many times in frontline and took risks and almost lost her life.

The Husbands is an easy reading, however there were lot of characters that sometimes hampered the reading. There was multiple perspectives and the ending was surprising.

My rating is 3.5*. This book will suit for dark thrillers fans.

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I absolutely loved this book and couldn't put it down. The characters, setting, storyline were all magnificent. I really wanted to rush through it, but at the same time I wanted to savour every chapter. A brilliant book.

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Someone is killing wives and children and then taunting the husbands. Kelly, an FBI agent, is sent to investigate. Kelly is an FBI profiler and that means the story is told from an unusual perspective. As Kelly tries to get into the mind of the killer the bodies stack up. How many more will die before her colleagues realise she is right?

With a large pool of victims to choose from and the police fumbling about in the dark the unsub gains confidence and that spells danger.

The characters develop well into realistic complex individuals and the story has plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader intrigued. Maybe not as fast paced as I would like but an engaging read.

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The pace was a bit slower than I expected and I think it'd have benefitted from having more perspective from the killer for tension. I will look out for more from the author though as I enjoyed the writing style.

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I grabbed a copy of The Husbands as I have previously read Buried Secrets by T.J. Brearton, so I knew I was in for a treat with this one! I am so glad that I did because it transpired to be an amazing, compulsive read and I didn’t want it to end.

Set in New York, the story follows FBI profiler Kelly Roth as she investigates the murders of three women, all killed months apart by a single head shot in remote areas. Protagonist Kelly is a solitary figure by nature, still affected by a traumatic event in her past which caused her to flee many years previously. This is her first trip back to home to Syracuse and Brearton's portrayal of her was so effective that I could almost feel her agony whilst focusing on and committing to the case. Dubbed “The Park Killer” by the media, the reader is privy to little glimpses into the killer's mind. These short but chilling scenes from inside his or her warped psyche and a small taste of what horrors (s)he has planned next, take this thrilling tale to another level.

The Husbands is a slower paced thriller than I had been expecting, however, there is a slow release of events that lead up to a very surprising denouement. The main focus is on the unravelling of a case with no discernible clues, suspects or leads, but instead the case is presented more from a psychological perspective.

I relished that I had no real clue to as to where the investigation was leading, or the outcome of the story until the final reveal, making this incredibly compulsive reading. The way in which T.J. Brearton brings everything to a conclusion is just fabulous and I haven’t got anything negative thing to say about this book. I loved it and it has left me eager to read more from this author. The Husbands is an exciting mystery-thriller that I highly recommend, and a must-read for crime fanatics and for those who love Jeffery Deaver.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel, at my own request, from Joffe Books via NetGalley and this review is my own unbiased opinion.

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This serial killer had a hidden agenda. Agent Kelly has to think outside of the box to catch this guy. This was a slightly different spin on psychological suspense.

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The Husbands by T.J. Brearton is a crime novel based around a string of murders that don't quite seem to connect. FBI Behavioural Analyst Kelly Roth is sent to her home town to investigate.

This book was well written and easy to read. I enjoyed it but it was not one of my favourites. Its a crime/detective novel through and through and follows a similar path as other novels in this genre.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

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I really enjoyed this mystery/ thriller. It felt like I was watching one of my favorite crime shows. The characters are realistic and the back story well defined. As the killer taunts his victims' spouse, he gives clues to our profiler that will help her catch him. This was an enjoyable, quick read.

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I must admit, I struggled to get through this book. Although I really liked the idea of the story, the first two thirds of the book did not have nearly enough content from the killer's perspective to keep me interested. Also, I found the protagonist, Kelly Roth, a bit cliche - she is an FBI profiler 'Criminal Minds' style, dragged back to Syracuse where she grew up and dealing with her own traumatic history and trying to reconnect with family. All in all, this book left me wanting.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing the book in return for my impartial review.

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One of my new favorite books! This author has such a way with words the pages flew by in no time! I can’t wait to see the next work by this author! This was such a joy to read!

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Definitely grabs you from the very beginning when a serial killer calls the husband to ask how he is feeling and then tells him he is the one who killed his wife and son.

Very intense thriller full of twists and turns. The characters were very well developed and the scenery makes you feel as if you are actually present.

Husbands is about FBI profiler Kelly Roth returning to her hometown to apprehend a serial killer who kills married women and then proceeds to target the grieving husbands.

This has been one of the very best psychological thrillers I have read in a long time.

You will definitely not guess the ending, absolutely no way and that’s what makes this a great read!

I was provided this book for free in exchange for my honest opinion.

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book for anyone who loves a psychological mystery. 📕👍🏼

I GIVE IT A 4 STAR: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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This book seemed hard going to me. Far too much psychology and in depth police procedure so it drained any excitement out of the story.

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Intriguing plot and well-developed characters. Grabs your attention and keeps you guessing. It was a very tense tale.

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Intense. Twisted. Riveting. Emotional. Suspenseful. Addictive. Dark. Complex. Jaw-dropping! This book brings it ALL! Truly a MUST for your TBR list!

#TheHusbandsHowFarWouldYouGoToFindOutWhoKilledYourWife #NetGalley

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This was an interesting book from an author I wasn't familiar with. It kept the interest through out the book with some unexpected twists.

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FBI profiler Kelly Roth has returned to her hometown of Syracuse, New York to stop a serial killer who kills married women (and sometimes their children) and then targets their grieving husbands. Each woman was killed by a fatal gunshot to the head in remote parks and their killer is eventually dubbed the "park killer". Kelly has her own issues with returning to Syracuse and must put them behind her in order to work on this case

“Do you want to know who killed your wife?”

Then he contacts the women's husbands. Grieving men who want to know why, why was their wife was murdered? Who was the killer? Why is he taunting them? Hasn't he done enough? What if anything, do the women have in common? Were the wives the intended victims or were their grieving husbands? The women were killed fast, the men are made to suffer.

I found this to be a fast and entertaining read. I had several theories while reading this book and was fooled. Ha! I love when that happens. We also get small glimpses into the killer’s mind which is always interesting and works well with this story. The killer says some interesting things to one of the husbands which had me scratching my head. Hmmm…is this killer some new age philosophical killer? Between you and me, I prefer a creepy sadistic serial killer over one who is going to pontificate his way-out-there deep thoughts to me that one needs a Ph.D. to decipher. But then again, where did these thoughts come from? Agent Kelly Roth is rushing against the clock to make sure the killer is caught before more lives are lost. It was fun to tag along as she gave her profile, interviewed witnesses and possible suspects.

By the end of the book, I was certain that I knew the identity of the killer. I had that "aha" moment to only learn that I was wrong, wrong, wrong. So, when the reveal occurred, I was not expecting it. I almost wish the ending had been just a little more shocking, but overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Heck, I devoured it. I was plugged into the investigation and search for the killer.

Thank you to Joffe Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

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Horrifically entertaining.

I read this story within a day because it was so intriguing. It was like watching an episode from one of my favorite forensic science shows.

Nothing is quite as it seems. Are the murders connected? Did a group of men murder their families of their own accord? Do you have any idea of what is happening?

You’ll be guessing to the end!!

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