Cover Image: The Ex

The Ex

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Member Reviews

This was better than I thought it was going to be and at some points I thought it was going to be predictable. Glad I was wrong. The two main female characters were strong and at times disturbing AF. Plenty of suspense and twists though out this book. What a mess! A solid recommended read for a thriller/suspense.

Thanks to Netgalley, Diane Saxon and Boldwood Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Available: 3/2/21

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When pregnant Imelda Cheetham-Epstein opens her door on a scorchingly hot summer day, she doesn’t expect to see an angry woman demanding to see her husband Zak. Within minutes, she has been attacked, left for dead and her eleven month old son Josh has been kidnapped. So begins The Ex by Diane Saxon. Emily Shenton is the ex. Over two years ago, she and Zak were lovers when they worked at the same company. Emily was too intense for Zak and the couple broke up. Emily spiraled into mental illness and began to stalk Zak. He left his apartment, moved on and assumed Emily had done the same. He was wrong.

DS Jenna Morgan investigates the case as an assault. When she and her team discover that Joshua is missing, they begin a frantic but orderly search for the toddler. Why was Imelda attacked? How will they find Joshua?

The Ex is a police procedural that is not suspenseful since we know the identity of the attacker from the first pages. What we don’t know is why. The surprise that is revealed at the conclusion is one you will not see coming. 4 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Boldwood Books and Diane Saxon for this ARC.

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A crime novel which explores the boundaries of psychological and mental health issues as well. I became completely immersed in this novel, despite the fact that as a reader, 1we know early on who has attacked and left for dead the pregnant Imelda Cheetham-Epstein. On the surface, this is a crime novel, looking for the abducted baby of the Cheetam-Epstein's. However, beneath this is an exploration of mental disorders and situations which can trigger them. A disturbing and gripping read.

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A real page turner ... Emily can’t get over her ex Zak emotionally disturbed she stalks his home where is now lives with his new wife and son. Knocking the door Emily is confronted by Zak’s beautiful wife Imelda who is pregnant with their second child and a blind fury takes over .... she stabs the wife and in a frantic moment she leaves her for dead and takes the young toddler Joshua .. what unfolds is a disturbing tale of a schizophrenic as Emily/Fern dress Joshua as a girl calling her Angel ... Imelda fights for her life and Zak sees his whole being unravelling before his very eyes. Strong characters Jenna and her police team build the story with a cat and mouse hunt to uncover the truth

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Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this ARC.

Wow, I found this to be a real thrilling read. I really like the main character and enjoyed reading of her working rapport with her colleagues and loved the small glimpses into her home and personal life. I was drawn into the story right from the beginning and was hooked all the way through. I loved the authors writing style, thought some parts were so atmospheric and I could picture the characters and events in my mind as I read. The last quarter of the book literally had me on the edge of my seat! I thought this was a fast paced book full of suspense and feel the author wrote of mental health issues very realistically and how someone can easily slip through their support net with awful consequences. I loathed one character right from the beginning and by the end of the book felt sorry for her. Overall a great read, one I would recommend and I look forward to the next one.

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You know you love a series when you really don’t care about the murderer but just happy to reconnect with the team headed by Detective Sargent Jenna Morgan and updates on her sister and dog. Yes, I know. But I love her and that’s what counts. Here we find out the culprit early on in an attempted murder and child kidnapping. Although the story was interesting it did get a little crazy near the end but I was more thrilled to hear about the new boyfriend and the new dog walker. That’s how much I enjoy these novels.

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Wow! The gripping plot of “The Ex” takes the reader on a wild and emotional ride. A must read from page one until the very end, but be forewarned, don’t plan to do anything else because you won’t be able to put it down. I can’t wait to read the next book by Diane Saxon.

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DS Morgan is called to a house with a pregnant woman who has been beaten with serious injuries. Worse still her husband and young son have gone missing.

I was drawn in from the description and it did not disappoint. I don’t want to give spoilers but this is certainly a book who’s characters I will remember.

I wish I had known that this was an already established series, but at least I can go back and read the others now.

Really enjoyed it.

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I very much enjoyed reading this police procedural telling the investigation of an assault of a young woman. Highly recommended!

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Thriller novel of a glrl going deeper and deeper into her mind’s abyss. It keeps you on the edge of your seat and never lets go until thee end. Great read

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The Ex, Diane Saxon’s latest thriller in the Jenny Morgan series is almost self explanatory given the title. Emily Shenton is Zac Cheetam Epstein’s ex girlfriend and as we are all aware, “hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.” Still desperately in love with this man despite the fact he has most definitely moved on, married to Imelda with an 11 month son Joshua and another one on the way, Emily believes she should be the significant other in his life. When Zac finds his wife unconscious in their own home, Jenna Morgan of West Mercia police and her team begin their investigation into what at first glance is a tragic accident. However in the ensuing melee it is discovered that Joshua is missing and that Imelda’s ‘accident’ may actually be the result of foul play. Who could want Zac’s wife dead and who would steal their child?

To the reader, fingers can only point in one direction, with only Zac and the police blind to the obvious answers. So for me there is very little suspense in this thriller, presumably because we know straightaway who the guilty party is and the kind of person they are. In that sense The Ex is not the most thrilling of thrillers. Clearly it is the author’s intentions to divulge this information within the first couple of pages but I wondered if the clues to the exact nature of this woman’s problems could have been more well hidden? Instead the storyline is more focused on the police investigation and the race against time to apprehend the culprit and locate the whereabouts of the missing boy. It is the search for this innocent little boy that had my heart racing and my fingers itching to turn the pages as quickly as possible, feeling that if only I could read fast enough all would be ok! However this is a storyline in which I felt the author held back, not wishing to cross over a self imposed boundary beyond which too much harm would befall these characters which does make some of this storyline unrealistic. It hardly takes any guesswork to envisage where events will take us to but the storyline does manage to retain an element of shock value.

Yet despite these criticisms and having never read the rest of the series I really liked Jenna Morgan and the rest of her team. Jenna is a real team player and a down to earth character;there are no airs and graces about this woman and her warmth and empathy towards her fellow human beings, colleagues and victims alike shines through. That she commands the respect of the rest of her team is evident, lucky to be surrounded by capable and efficient colleagues. I loved the banter and the camaraderie with no big egos fighting for supremacy. Jenna’s close relationship with her sister Fliss and her love of Domino, their Dalmatian, leaves you in no doubt that she is an all round good egg. A tiny part of me was swooning over Mason Ellis and I would like to see where Jenna’s new relationship with crown prosecutor Adrian will lead. Naturally I would have benefited from a better understanding of her backstory and those of her colleagues since there are plenty of references to a past storyline involving Jenna’s sister Fliss but I didn’t feel it was imperative in order to enjoy this thriller. All it means is I’ve discovered a series I’m more than happy to follow in the future and in the meantime I can catch up with the previous three books in preparation for book number five hitting the shelves. With a huge hint about a new character of whom we are only afforded a glimpse of, featuring in a future book this is a clever way to maintain and pique reader interest. How long will I have to wait??

Although The Ex isn’t in my opinion an edge of your seat thriller I enjoyed it immensely. When deciding how to award a star rating, I would suggest the plot line falls into the average category of 3 stars. The strength of this thriller lies in the author’s sensitive handling of mental health issues and how individuals in need of help are let down by a system whose infrastructure is unstable. I finished this novel, saddened by the fact that every single one of these characters is a victim. I definitely recommend if you are the kind of reader drawn towards characterisation over plot as the dynamics between Jenna and her team plus their personal histories make his highly readable. For that reason I’ve settled on a very commendable 4 stars. My thanks as always to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read.

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The main character in this book is one I wont forget,you couldn’t get more of a deluded scary ex if you tried,she is unlikeable but portrayed brilliantly,she frightened me and felt very real
Enjoyed the setting of Ironbridge has had relatives that used to live very close and so spent quite a lot of time there
A good read and police procedural and I would now read the other 3 books in the series

8/10
4 Stars

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4 Stars from me

Who doesn't love a book that involves a psycho ex?

This is lovely mix of crime and psychological thriller - and both aspects are superbly captured.

There's something a bit odd about sisters Emily and Fern...

DS Jenna Morgan sets a formidable example of what good policing looks like, she is dogged in her relentlessness and puts solving the crime before her own needs. Luckily she has a good team and supportive family set up at home. (It's nice to read about a good cop who actually has some people who care about her at home!)

I swear the Dalmatian could have it's own starring role in a series of children's books too - ok so you'd need to be creative when writing about it's drug dealing exploits but still :)

Diane Saxon has created a likeable set of characters and puts them into exciting settings - I am growing very fond of these books.

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I’m rating this low because the book is part of a series but it is not offered like that. This is also weirdly done since most DCI books start with a crime and you really have to read into this one. I had a hard time figuring out who all these characters were and how they tied together.

After all the work you have to put in to get into this book though it’s not a bad story. I just hated I had to go through all that because the blurb sounded great.

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Thank you Netgalley for this ARC copy.

I didn't realise when I requested this book that it is number 4 in the DS Jenna Morgan series. This did not stop it being a great stand alone due to the references back to the previous books. In fact it made me want to go back to the beginning and meet the characters properly.

A 999 call from Zak and Imelda's home reports a terrible accident that has left Imelda with a serious head injury. When Jenna and her team arrive the scene points to a violent domestic incident. That is until Jenna discovers Zak and Imelda's 11 month old son is missing. Is this a domestic dispute gone wrong or has something more sinister happened? It becomes a race against time to find Joshua and unravel what actually happened.

A real page turner.

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Emily is at her works charity ball when she overhears gossip that her ex boyfriend Zak has recently married his girlfriend. The next day DS Jenna Morgan is called to a suspected domestic abuse situation, Zak's wife Imelda is found with severe head injuries and their young son is missing. The fourth in the series for Jenna but can be read as a standalone. Some really nice characters and a great working police team. A great read
I received this book from Netgalley and publishers in exchange for an honest review

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Unfortunately this book didn't get off the starting block for me I found it hard to get into the story line or engage with the characters, this may have been because I hadn't read all the series before this one. In my opinion it didn't keep me on the edge of my seat and I am sorry to say that I was glad when I got to the end.

Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

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3.75*
Latest in a series, which mention of events that have happened in previous books, but feel that it reads well as a stand-alone.
A new author to me, I like that I recognise the places mentioned.
From the outset we know why has done it and mostly why. The suspense comes from the fact that the toddler has gone missing at the same time of the attack, and is maintained with several developments through the story.
The story is told more from DS Jenna Morgan’s point of view, with Emily narrating too.
It feels overly descriptive in places which slows the pace, and loses some tension
My favourite quote from the book is ‘that was a fuckfest’
I like that characters were named from a charity donation and also a competition win. Readers love to get involved with the books by being a character.

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I've learnt that this is part of a series and it's one I've added to my tbr list.
DS Jenna Morgan is in charge of a domestic incident, trying to solve it in time to prevent further tragedy. There is an interesting slant to this story . I loved the police procedure, with all the police wanting to get this case solved.

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Very well developed characters and an extremely engaging story. Well thought out and very suspenseful story line that keeps the reader guessing until the final twist! This is the book to read this year! Highly recommended!

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