What happens when Fran secretly kills her elderly neighbor and her detective husband makes it his ikigai to find the killer?
That’s what this book is about and honestly, it was a very fun book to read 🔥

It is one of those books that you pick up because the catchy title or that the cover caught your eyes but you stay for the chaos inside which keeps you flipping through the pages 🤝

At the heart of all that chaos is Fran the wife, the m*rderer, the absolute mess of a main character. She is completely unhinged in both the best and worst ways. Sometimes I was laughing at her witty comments, other times I wanted to smack her on the head. She’s chaotic, impulsive, and somehow still fun to follow.

On the other hand we have 😒 Gareth, her husband, who got on my nerves more than once. He claims to love Fran but ends up helping bring her down (even if not directly), and that rubbed me the wrong way. Still, I can’t deny his little redemption arc near the end was satisfying.

And the ending? I’m not gonna spoil anything but it was but it was wildly satisfying in the most unexpected way 👀

So if you like a book that’s sharp, chaotic, and just a little bit twisted you definitely have to read this one, which gets released 🔜 on the 17th of June!

Really enjoyable book. Gareth is a detective working homicide to keep our streets safe and his wife Fran, well she is also ridding the world of nasty cruel people - just by totally different means. This book was funny, warm and the various quirky characters were very interesting and likeable. This was an easy read and I will be looking out for more by this author.

"Marriage is about compromise. For example, I kill people. Garett doesn’t. So we meet in the middle—I kill fewer people."

🔪My Thoughts
My Wife the Serial Killer is a delightfully dark and quirky debut from Garbett. Told in dual POV—from Fran, an unapologetically unhinged serial killer, and her husband Garett, a police detective—it flips the usual whodunit trope on its head. Here, we know the who and when right away; the fun is in unraveling the why.
Fran is chaotic and compelling, while Garett goes from golden retriever energy to full feral cat by the end. The mystery takes a backseat to the character dynamics and dark humor, making for an entertaining, if slightly slower-paced, read. If you liked All the Other Mothers Hate Me, this should be next on your list.
⭐⭐⭐💫

Read if you like
🩶Morally gray female lead
🐶Golden retriever x feral cat dynamic
💍Married couple dynamic
🔪Killer with a conscience
🎭Dark humor meets domestic drama
🕵️Detective married to the killer

As someone who greatly enjoys both detective stories and books written about the mindset of killers, both real and fictional, *My Wife, the Serial Killer* seemed to be written just for me. Unfortunately, the book did not quite reach my expectations.

It follows the aftermath of Fran killing her neighbor, Mr. O'Neill. I personally found Fran to be quite unlikeable, but I'm certain there will be many who will disagree with me. I do not think so because of the murder, on the contrary, but because she comes across as arrogant, fake, and self-righteous, while constantly going back and forth on whether she would consider herself to be a psychopath. The synopsis assured us that we would agree that Mr. O'Neill deserved to die, and I spent a good part of the book trying to discover the reason why. On one hand, it kept me interested enough to try to understand the intricacies of why Fran believes she was so justified and is thoroughly unrepentant, but, on the other hand, it made Fran sound even more unhinged and cold until we find out what had been actually going on.

With a dual-POV of both the killer and the detective, both married, I expected the conflict to arise from Fran having to cover her tracks from Gareth, her husband. While that is certainly one of the plot points, it is not focused on for as much as I would have liked. Precious time and energy is focused on secondary issues such as visits to fertility doctors or the health and personality of the elderly cat. I found myself struggling not to flip through those sections and wondering how certain details would tie back to the main investigation.

I am very sad to say that part of my problems with this novel come down to the writing style. It is considered a Humor & Satire story and while a lot of the jokes are very funny, especially in the beginning (I am still laughing at the joke about Siri or the Zodiac Killer), as time goes on, it feels like there are certain quips thrown in that end up distracting from the narrative and making a lot of descriptions unnecessarily verbose. Bits such as the speculation of what goes on in deposit rooms in fertility clinics, whether one of the character's hairline is receding, or how someone's penis is hanging out during a fight seem to go on entirely too long and do not have any sort of payoff. Moreover, since both Fran and Gareth are somewhat quirky in their inner dialogue, sometimes it was hard to distinguish whose POV it actually was.

My favorite part of this story was how H. J. Garbett did a masterful job of sprinkling different pieces of evidence and covering loose ends. More than once I found myself being surprised by a piece of evidence I had forgotten existed or had been left behind, but no ends were left unwoven. As I said before, Fran is arrogant. She truly believes that her cover-up job is more brilliant than it actually was, and I was constantly confused about whether every character she came across truly believed her excuses. The author does a really good job of balancing her as a somewhat unreliable narrator while also explaining why, in her mind, all the actions she takes make sense.

I truly wish I could have loved this book, but I truly believed the author will continue to improve, and I will certainly keep an eye out to see what he comes up with next.

Thank you to NetGalley, H. J. Garbett, and Storm Publishing. This review is left voluntarily and honestly.

This. Was. Dark.
I definitely expected there to be more levity to break up the heaviness, but there was none. It was an interesting book, and I enjoyed the conclusion. The narrator struggles with self diagnosing as a psychopath throughout the book. Her view of her detective husband is a bit sketchy- condescending and adoring, alternately. She even steps in to intimidate his coworkers. Definitely a bizarre and interesting plot. If it were quirkier, would make for good tv.

My Wife The Serial Killer - H.J Garbett

‘Fran Donoghue has just killed her neighbour. Don’t worry, you’ll agree, he deserved it.
Detective Gareth Donoghue has a terrible feeling about his missing neighbour.
By the time this is over, that will be the least of his worries…’

Oh my god, THIS WAS SO GOOOOD!! I saw the premise on Netgalley, requested it, and was so glad when it came in! I picked it up one evening at about 10pm, when I’d finally managed to walk away from my desk, (my final uni assignments this term are killing me …) and finished it at just gone midnight.

I loved it, it’s like nothing I’ve ever read before?! I don’t think I’ve ever really read a black comedy; but now I need countless more?! Fran, amazing, her one liners? Fucking fantastic. Gareth? In the middle, sure, I was pissed at him, but my god did he redeem himself! Beryl and Tony the dog? Wonderful; truly, magnificent side characters. The back story that slowly unfolds, finding out who Angus actually is, the police corruption?! All of it with a hilariously comedic vibe whilst also containing graphic descriptions of murder? Yes please. The description of Dexter meets Schitts-Creek thriller is absolutely how it reads, and I loved it, and need so much more now!

Please give me all your black comedy recs, I need more, immediately. This is published on June 17th, 2025 - don’t walk, RUN to get it!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

There's that old saying, "Never judge a book by it's cover," however in the case of My Wife, The Serial Killer, I saw those earrings with knives dangling and read the synopsis and it all intrigued me. I am glad I went for it. If you are a fan of dark, twisty, and humorous mysteries this is for you.

Fran Donoghue is a serial killer. She has just killed her neighbor. "You can't exactly ask Siri where's the best place to hide a dead body-that would surely have the SWAT team ramming my door down in no time." Obviously, Fran is a bit unhinged. Gareth Donoghue is a police detective and Fran's husband. Gareth is a people pleasure who texts like a Grandma. He has been assigned to look into the "disappearance" of their neighbor. The couple have a cat named Mep, who is a fun character. I really liked the neighbor, Beryl, and her dog, Tony.

This is a debut novel from H. J. Garrett. It is a quick, fast paced read. I found the main characters well developed. The plot told in the two POVs of Fran and Gareth keeps the reader engaged and I enjoyed seeing the mystery unfold from each of their perspective. The Epilogue gives us another perspective (no spoilers). I look forward to reading more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Storm Publishing, for an ARC. The opinions in this review are my own.

This was an entertaining read, it definitely started off a lot slower than I would have liked, but after the first half it picked up considerably. The first half took me a while to read due to this, but I flew through the rest.

One thing I really couldn’t fault is the characters - they were all so interesting and were written really well. The author somehow had us feeling sorry for serial killers!

For me personally, my favourite part of a book is the twists and turns, which this book lacked considerably .

This actually is a classic case of not judging a book by its cover. Although the cover is quite frivolous and there are parts of the book that brought a wry smile to my face, the actual story is quite dark and in places sad and emotional. I was drawn into the story from the outset but confess I was a bit frustrated as to why a seemingly random killing should have occurred. Obviously as the book progresses we learn a little bit more about the background which made me overcome my irritation. Some of the characters were more caricatures than was strictly necessary but overall I enjoyed the book.

4.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Dark, weirdly funny, and surprisingly emotional. this book was NOT what I expected, in the best way.

The title sounds wild but what really hit me was how cleverly written it is. It’s sharp, offbeat, and full of morally gray characters that you kind of hate yourself for liking. The tone walks this perfect line between dryhumour and unsettling tension I laughed, I gasped, I questioned my own taste in fiction.

The pacing is tight, the twists hit, and even though the plot is a bit outrageous, it never feels gimmicky. It actually explores some deep stuff love, guilt, loyalty, and what you really do when someone you love turns out to be someone else entirely.

Why not 5 stars? A couple moments felt slightly too absurd or rushed like it leaned a little too hard into the satire when I wanted more character depth. But honestly? Still a super satisfying read.

If you’re into dark humor, domestic thrillers with a twist, and stories that don’t take themselves too seriously but still pack a punch highly recommend. Just… maybe don’t recommend it to your spouse. 🤣


❤️ Thankyou storm publishing for this copy.


❤️shaye.readss

The cover and title absolutely drew me in.

An easy entertaining read with some great dark comedy thrown in.

Mep was my favourite - the perfect grumpy old cat that we all know.

I enjoyed the style of writing in this book but it took me a really long time to get into it as the characters weren't super likeable, which I think is what I struggled with the most. Also, the ending comes completely out of left field and doesn't really match the vibe of the book.

Fran has just killed her neighbor; detective Donoghue is worried about his missing neighbor. Lots of twists and turns in this story.

Not so much a mystery as you learn the who and the why pretty early on, I'd have said it's more dark comedy.

The premise is highly intriguing, and there are some good moments throughout. However, I felt it could have been executed so much better.

Personally, I think the characters let this book down. Yes, we have a badass FMC, but she was kind of predictable. The husband was bizzare, he had a complete personality transformation in the span of a chapter or two, and I just found this unrealistic.

There also wasn't really a shocking plot twist, which I was kinda hoping for as it was pretty obvious how the ending was going to pan out.

Overall, it was an okay read with good pacing and some humour.

Thanks to Netgalley for the book.

Tbh, I requested this ARC mostly because of the title. I mean, My Wife, the Serial Killer? That alone had me hooked before I even read the blurb. And oh, it delivered.
◇Blurb◇
Fran Donoghue just killed her neighbour.
You will probably agree, he had it coming.
Her husband Gareth, a detective has a nagging feeling about said missing neighbour.
By the end of it all? That missing person will be the least of his worries.

◇THOUGHTS◇
A female serial killer whose husband is a detective, with a cat that absolutely does not care and you can't help but love.
Sign me up please!
◇
From the first page, I loved Fran. She reminded me of Ginny from Ginny & Georgia, with a little more darkness( just a little). She's wild, smart, sarcastic, and somehow still soft around the edges. I sympathized with her more than I expected to, especially when her 《beep: spoiler》...《redacted》. That vulnerability gave her depth beneath the bloodstains and kitchen knives.
And her love for Gareth, her husband is surprisingly wholesome and just sweet.
As for Gareth, as the book progressed, he slowly crept into my heart. He loves his wife, even if she’s a walking red flag and that is just ...awwnn.
While some parts felt a little slower than the rest, the overall pacing worked. There’s a constant hum of tension beneath the jokes and chaos, and it keeps you turning pages.This debut was a delightful surprise, a murder mystery wrapped in domestic comedy, sprinkled with heartbreak, and laced with enough sarcasm to keep me grinning.
◇
My wife, the serial killer comes out on the 17th of June.
◇
Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the ARC in return for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, publisher and the author for granting my request to read this e-ARC and provide my honest opinions.

Fran Donoghue has just killed her neighbour. Her husband, Gareth Donoghue, is the detective assigned to the case. Now, I love a good mystery—but is it really a mystery when most of the "twists" are shown to the reader upfront? The intrigue just wasn’t there for me.

What I did enjoy was Gareth’s POV—watching him wrestle with the idea that the woman he loves, his kind social worker wife, could be a killer.It was such a difficult position to be in.

What I didn’t love was the lack of backstory explaining why Fran felt the need to kill these men—it left her motives feeling thin. And the ending? Confusing. I closed the book feeling unsatisfied.

Overall, this one had potential, but it just didn’t fully deliver for me.
Thank you again for the e-ARC.

I went into this book expecting a mystery thriller—and don’t get me wrong, it delivers on that—but what I didn’t expect was how much humor it has.
Fran Donoghue kills her neighbour. That’s not a spoiler, that’s literally page one. What follows is a story that’s funny, sharp, and at times even oddly moving, as we follow Fran and her husband Gareth (a detective, of all things) as their lives start to unravel in the most unpredictable ways. Despite the light tone, there are more serious parts, like their struggle as a couple with infertility and Fran's childhood traumas.
While Fran is smart and sarcastic, Gareth is the serious type that does everything by the book. Clean as a whistle, dependable and sometimes gullible, he's the exact opposite of his morally grey wife. He is somehow both lovable and clueless, and watching him try to piece things together while his own life slowly spins out is interesting to say at least.
Perfect if you like your crime fiction served with a side of dry humour and a dash of emotional truth.

"This review is for an ARC received through Netgalley!"
__

Imagine being married to a detective while secretly on a mission to annihilate people you believe deserve it. That's the intriguing premise of this story, where Fran, an amateur serial killer, lives with the constant risk of being discovered by her husband, who is deep into investigating the murder of their neighbour—a crime Fran herself committed with their kitchen knife! This thrilling setup leaves readers questioning: Will Garreth uncover the truth about his wife, or will our charming murderer outsmart him and evade capture?

I have to say, Fran's tendency to leave evidence behind while trying to carry out her dark quests really frustrated me at times. It's hard not to root for her despite her morally ambiguous choices! The narrative can feel a bit slow in places, and there are moments that seem unnecessary, stretching the story out longer than it needs to be. However, patience is definitely a virtue with this book; once you hit the halfway mark, things really start to pick up. The tension of the cat-and-mouse dynamic, coupled with some unexpected plot twists, kept me thoroughly engaged throughout.

While I enjoyed the thrilling chase and the clever twists that unfolded, I must admit I was left a bit unsatisfied with the ending. Overall, it's a gripping read.

This book was super lighthearted and funny one moment then super serious the next making it a fun read. The book was witty and fun to read and the author did a great job of adding detail to every scene the MC found herself in.

Gareth is a police detective. Fran is a social worker… who moonlights as a serial killer. When she murders a neighbor, Gareth ends up investigating. It’s a darkly intriguing premise, but unfortunately, the story didn’t quite land for me. I had a hard time connecting with either character, and I struggled to stay invested in the plot. While the concept had promise, the execution just didn’t draw me in the way I’d hoped.

*ARC PROVIDED BY NETGALLEY FOR AN HONEST REVIEW.