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I was very pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this. I genuinely giggled at times. I loved the way it was written, and that the motives and circumstances surrounding the murder were revealed to us gradually throughout. I think the book could have easily fallen flat if the protagonists were unlikeable and while Gareth took a little more warming up to, both Fran and Gareth ended up wonderful characters in their own right, and as with most of the supporting cast too, felt so real and well fleshed out. I did get a little nervous approaching the ending as I couldn’t image how everything could be resolved satisfyingly in such a short amount of time but it was perfect, chef’s kiss, and I wouldn’t change a thing about it. I would absolutely recommend this. Thank you, NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the ARC!

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This book was almost like a mixture of "Dexter" meets "Desperate Housewives".
our main characters are super compelx and the plot of this book was unlike anything I've ever heard of before. There are two main character in this book our male main character is detective Garth and our female main character is his wife Fran. I loved the idea of this story however there was something about it that just didn't hit the mark for me. I tried to like our main character Fran however there was something about her that made it very hard (ignoring the fact that she's a murder). What should have been the most interesting character in this story Fran instead felt a little flat to me and unrealistic. When Fran has enough of her neighbour she takes matters into her own hands and ends him. Since she is a murderer already this isn't anything new however her husband won't believe that the neighbour is just missing and starts to dig deeper into what really happened to him. I liked the back and forth parts of this story and I enjoyed the different motives and viewpoints. I did find parts a little long and it wasn't as light as I was expecting it to be from the description. I enjoyed the humor in this book which was very unexpected from the dark subject however it gave it a little more edge to the story. Not bad overall just I don't think that this was up to my tastes.

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My Wife, the Serial Killer is a dual POV crime comedy. Fran has just killed her elderly neighbor, but she wants you to know that he deserved it and she's not a serial killer, this is only her second murder. Fran and Gareth moved into a new neighborhood last month so Gareth could start at a new police precinct and he's convinced that there's something nefarious behind his neighbor's disappearance.
I enjoyed reading this book. There isn't anything special or that great about the writing, character, plot, etc, but there wasn't anything that bad about them. The plot was predictable and the story didn't feel super original, but once again they weren't bad either. I was entertained while reading it and that's about all I have to say about it, but sometimes that's all a book needs to be.

Thank you to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

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Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a gifted copy of this novel!

I absolutely love the female Dexter-type vibes that this plot promises! This novel is told from a multi POV with what I would consider to be relatively short chapters, which helped me read this one so quickly. A very bright character in this book was Mep, who I was especially rooting for. Although we even know from the title that the wife is a criminal, this book brought some unexpected twists. Despite this, however, I will say that I did struggle at times in the middle of the novel with the pacing and how it furthered the general plot. Ultimately, I do think this would be a fun beach read for people who enjoy crime dramas!

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A debut novel, The Serial Killer (2025) by H. J. Garbett is a gentle, humorous, crime mystery. Fran and Gareth are a happily married couple who just moved into a new neighbourhood, in order to start their family. Gareth is a newly minted police detective and his social worker wife Fran, is a serial killer. Just weeks after settling in, Fran kills an elderly neighbour as Gareth has to do a welfare check on him. Convinced his neighbour is missing and suspecting foul play, Gareth is assigned to investigate, as the police determine it’s a murder case. With its gentle, humorous tone, the narrative switches back and forth between Fran and Gareth and the inevitable murder trial conclusion. It’s a frolic of a mystery thriller, with an enjoyable four star read rating. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own, freely given and without any inducement. With thanks to Storm Publishing and the author, for an uncorrected advanced review copy for review purposes.

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Had me hooked from the first page. Witty and humourous. Absolutely intense and will have you eagerly turning the pages to know what happens next.

The duel pov between husband being a detective and the wife being the murder was intense. Not to mention the wife meticulously thought everything out but got caught out due to a link in her past.

Back story of wife was heartbreaking but tied everything together. Her brother was sweet and misunderstood.
Loved the epilogue

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This book delivered exactly what I hoped for! A twisted, wild ride packed with secrets, intrigue, and brilliantly dark humour.

The plot toes the line between the chaotic and the believable, and yet it never feels over the top.

Each character is psychotic in their own unique way, but there’s a strange charm to them that keeps you hooked. I found myself genuinely intrigued by their individual perspectives, especially as the layers of their secrets slowly unraveled.

The darkly comedic dialogue added a sharp edge to the tension, making it feel like a wickedly fun psychological thriller. This story easily could’ve lost control, but Garbett balances it with just enough heart and wit to keep it grounded.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this wild, character-driven thriller and will absolutely be returning to this author in the future.

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That was absolutely delicious!! The way I devoured this book in a day! I'm obsessed with Fran and her husband Gareth!
Absolutely hilarious! And that epilogue! This is definitely a great summer read!

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As debut novels go, this is a great book.
I really enjoyed reading this and found I didn't want to put it down as I wanted to know what happened next.

I would class it as a thriller with a great dry sense of humour throughout the whole book with some great characters. (Shout out to Mep who is just a vibe)
My Wife, the serial Killer is a great concept for a book and an interesting read. It really had me thinking, 'what would you do in that situation' so much so I asked my husband how he would react to the plot.

Overall a great easy read and will be recommending it.

Thank you so much Netgalley and Storm Publishing for the ARC on this delightful book.

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I received My Wife, The Serial Killer for free in exchange for my honest review. I wasn't sure what to expect going in, as I had never read a book by H.J. Garbett before. I was pleasantly surprised. It was quite humorous and enjoyable while still keeping you guessing. I enjoyed the characters and the development of the husband's character as he came to terms with the fact that his wife is in fact, very likely a serial killer. I would definitely read more books by this author.

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I appreciated the clever use of dual POVs between Fran and Gareth, and the occasional fourth wall breaks were a standout—adding humor and immersing me further in the story.

The writing was vivid and engaging, especially in bringing scenes to life. I also found the comedic elements well-placed, offering a welcome contrast to heavier topics like infertility.

That said, while Gareth’s character shows growth and evolution, I would have liked to see more development from Fran. Her arc felt a bit static by comparison. A few plot points left me with lingering questions—for example, how the lawyer knew about the eye injury without a body, or how the knife was recovered.

At times, the pacing felt a little slow, and I expected more escalation from Fran’s side—whether more victims or a deeper unraveling. Still, the narrative held my attention through the end, and I’m glad I stuck with it.

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I liked the dynamic of Fran being a secret serial killer and her husband being a detective (how is investigating his wife’s case). I love an unhinged FMC, I just think the execution was lacking a bit here for me. It didn’t feel like there was much of a driving force for the plot, and everything felt rather predictable. I loved the cover though!

Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the ARC!

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Gareth, es detective de homicidios. Fran, acaba de asesinar a su vecino. ¿el problema? Están casados.

Por un lado, tenemos el POV más clásico de los thrillers, con Gareth investigando la desaparición de su vecino. Aunque su instinto le dice que no es sólo una desaparición, sino un crimen.
Por el otro, tenemos un POV más novedoso con Fran, quien desde un tono de humor negro, relata cómo asesino a su vecino a sangre frío y juega con el concepto de asesina serial y la psicopatía.

Más que el caso de asesinato en sí, la historia se centra en cómo impacta su matrimonio y en el dilema ético que presenta para Gareth descubrir que su esposa es una asesina. Y es la parte más interesante, ¿hasta donde estás dispuesto a llegar por amor? ¿puede un matrimonio sobrevivir a semejante revelación?

En cuanto al concepto de 'asesino serial' que se usa en todo el libro para describir a Fran, no creo que sea tan así. Creo que la motivación de venganza de Fran y que se haya enfocado en 3 personas muy específicas la saca un poco de este concepto, aunque en el sentido más amplio sí pueda considerarse una asesina serial.

En general, el concepto me pareció interesante y la trama está bien llevada. Es un thriller más descontracturado por su tono de humor negro. Y aunque me gustaron los personajes de Fran y Gareth, no les sentí tanta química como pareja, algo ahí no me terminó de llegar.

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Well, this was a pleasant surprise ! It felt like a mix of some John Grisham, a pinch of Dexter and a secret look into your next door neighbor's diary (not that I ever would!!).

I wanted to read something else for once, and I thought some humor might be just the thing to get me out of a slump. I went in without too much expectations as the genre has let me down in the past.
But the book gripped me immediately and the inner voices of both Fran and Gareth were indeed funny and relatable, even though the subject matter is all but comical.

Fran an Gareth have their suburban lives and while mayhem occurs - Fran being a murderer and Gareth being a police detective will of course lead to that - it is their day to day mundane actions that are also adding another great layer to the book. Which detective in the midst of an inquiry also has to rush their cat to the vet? And which accused worries about bio breaks when led into the courtroom? But don't be deceived, the general storyline is quiet dark and very thrilling.

All in all, I found it very enjoyable and I will look out for another book from this author.

Thank you NetGalley, Storm Publishing, and the author for allowing me to be an early reader. All opinions are my own.

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Thank you to H.J. Garbett, Storm Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. ♡

₊˚⊹⋆ first thoughts: first off the cover art is so cute, instantly caught my eye. i get the vibe this read is gonna be such a funny one with a few twists. fingers crossed!

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This book had me hooked from page one. A wife kills her neighbour, the husband’s a detective with no clue, and the tone is dark, sharp, and actually funny. It felt fresh, clever, and like it was setting up for something brilliant.

But around the halfway mark, it just… stalls. The humour fades, the pacing slows down, and suddenly we’re knee-deep in Fran’s childhood trauma. Not that backstory’s a bad thing — but the tone shift is so drastic, it feels like a different book.

What started as a wild, witty murder romp turns into something much more serious — and not in a way that adds tension, just in a way that drags.

The ending tries to go big but doesn’t quite stick the landing — it’s a little too over-the-top to feel earned. And Fran? Hard to connect with. I actually felt more for the cat than any of the people.

So yeah — amazing premise, killer first half, but it loses its edge. If the tone had stayed consistent, this could’ve been a standout. Instead, it’s a book I wanted to love but ended up just finishing.

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3.5 stars

I really enjoyed this book, a fun and engaging reading that really hooked me up since the beginning. While its general concept recall “How to kill your family” by Bella Mackie, I believe that “My Wife, the Serial Killer” is definitely better executed, both in the construction of the storyline and characters. I appreciated the pace of narration, its gradual crescendo while the suspect grows around Fran and also the inner battle of Gareth in trying to find the balance between his personal and work life.

I don’t feel like giving 4 full stars (although I did in the rating) because of the epilogue, which I found a bit disappointing as it gave me the impression of being a bit anticlimactic if compared to the last 50 pages or so.

Highly recommend for an easy but entertaining read.

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He was a detective, she was a serial killer, can they make it any more obvious? My Wife, The Serial Killer is a dark comedy that follows Fran and her husband Detective Gareth as they find themselves in a mystery involving their neighbor. This was a fast-paced, addicting read! I couldn’t put it down. I enjoyed reading it from both their POVs, so you can get a glimpse into both of the MCs thought process and intentions.

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A dual narrative told from husband’s and wife’s pov this book opens with the killing of their neighbour- by the wife. We don’t know why or what led up to it immediately, but Fran tells us it’s not her first time. She cleans up after herself and attempts to cover her tracks with a plausible reason of the neighbour going missing as a potential suicide. Once the neighbour is reported missing by his carer the local police inspector dismisses it just as Fran had hoped.
All would have been well for Fran if it hadn’t been for the diligence of a newly promoted detective who had a hunch it was something more. The problem is this is Fran’s husband who finds himself investigating a murder and little suspects the killer is close to home and hiding more than this one secret.
The book is intended to be humorous and lighthearted if you consider murder in this way!

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2.5 stars!

This was a wild ride. The story follows two characters, a man named Gareth, a police officer, and his wife Fran, who is almost a serial killer. Throughout the book, we get both of their points of view as Fran pretends she didn’t murder a man and Gareth pretends he actually knows his wife.

The pacing was a bit slow at times, and the plot wasn’t quite as thrilling as what I’m usually drawn to. It leaned more into the mystery side than I expected, and while that’s not a bad thing, I do think I would’ve been more engaged if it had gone heavier on the thriller aspects. That being said, I still really enjoyed how everything played out in the end.

What stood out to me most was Gareth and Fran’s relationship. Their marriage was surprisingly sweet, and I liked seeing how they each responded as things got messier. Watching them try to navigate their secrets and trust each other in their own weird way was one of the more interesting parts of the book. Even though it didn’t totally hit the mark in terms of suspense for me, the character dynamics kept me invested all the way through. I wouldn’t be opposed to picking up another one of this author’s books if the premise intrigues me!

<i>Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!</i>

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