My Wife, The Serial Killer has an interesting title and the plot does not let us down. Fran and Gareth are a normal couple living in a quiet neighborhood. There is just one twist. Or maybe two. Fran is a murderer. And Gareth is a police detective.

When Fran murders her neighbour O'Neill in cold blood, she is overjoyed thinking that it is the end of her problems. But little does she know that her husband's detective spidey senses will start working overtime.

What begins is a cat-and-mouse game with Fran trying to outwit Gareth and Gareth trying to get a hold on the situation. The writing is fun - it never descends into self-pity and righteousness. Indeed, Fran is an unhinged character. You can never guess what she is going to do next. Neither can Gareth (or sometimes, even Fran herself). Lying is like second nature to her. Gareth, on the other hand, is a straightforward honest cop brought up in a Catholic household. He abstains from lying even to save his own skin. With two such contrasting characters, the book takes an interesting turn.

This novel is the debut work of author H.J. Garett and he has done a commendable job. The middle part of the story drags along a bit, but I am willing to overlook this bit as it is otherwise unbelievably good. I will look forward to reading more of his books.

Thanks to Netgalley and Storm Publishing for the ARC.

4 stars.

A dark, comedic take on a psychological thriller.

Having read the “Sweat Pea” series by C.J.Skuse, I was hoping that My Wife the Serial Killer would be similar, however this book just didn’t hit the spot. I expected there to be more to the story as to why Fran committed murder and was disappointed by the ending. Also, she’s not a serial killer when she’s only murdered two people.

Thank you for NetGalley, Storm Publishing and the author for access to this eARC

This was a gamble of a selection as not my usual genre. However, it did not disappoint! Unputdownable and laugh out loud at times. A sequel would be a great idea as would love to have a follow up of what happened next for Fran and Gareth. Well written and paced and sad when it ended.

Let me start off with saying I don't think the brand of humor that is in this book is for me. Humor aside, it was an okay book. I did like the dual point of views. I assumed that there would be more tension and more of a cat-and-mouse between the wife and the husband. But there isn't which left me feeling that Fran is a much more developed character than Gareth.

This is a quick read however the pacing does feel off at times.

Thank you to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for the arc

This book was addicting. It read similar to a Thursday Murder Club book by Richard Osman with the humor in the otherwise dark scenes. I appreciated the authors ability to be descriptive without being gory in regards to the murder portions. I enjoyed the themes presented in this novel from love, marriage and infertility to murder mystery and serial killer tendencies. I found this novel to be witty with some laugh out loud moments. I would recommend My Wife, The Serial Killer to anyone that loves a good murder mystery in conjunction to wit and real life issues. This one has it all.

Please note: There are a lot of explicit words used, so if that bothers you, this might not be a good fit.

Ok this book was like eh in the beginning even though Fran was funny. But by the middle to end I couldn’t put it down! I loved the e way the whole story came together and how that other used the other officers and investigators and to piece together the whole what where why and when. Angus’ character gave a delightful addition to the already f-ed up Fran. Gareth is the husband we all want right? Be a serial killer and have a husband who will do anything to keep the marriage together! A must read!

The title caught me but the story kept me hooked. This book is the perfect combination of dark, twisted, and funny. Fran killed her neighbor and unfortunately her husband is a detective so not a great mix. There were so many points when I actually laughed out loud. Fran has her issues but she’s so damn lovable. Gareth was at times a little annoying but he grows on you and by the end it’s hard not to love him.

There were some surprises and it definitely kept you on your toes. I love dark humor so this book was right up my alley and Fran is my kind of FMC. There were some points when the pace slowed down significantly but overall it was great book.

I absolutely loved the epilogue it was such a fun POV and a great way to tie up loose ends. Truthfully in all honesty I’m mostly here for Mep!

This was such a fun and surprisingly feel-good read for a book about… murder. My Wife, the Serial Killer isn’t exactly a mystery (we know who did it… hey Fran!), but it’s more about the chaos that unfolds after. The dual POVs worked perfectly, and both Fran and Gareth were hilarious and extremely likable. If you enjoy your mysteries with sharp humor and a little mess, this one’s for you.

🔪ARC Review: My Wife, the Serial Killer by H.J. Garbett
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

What do you do when your wife turns out to be a cold-blooded killer—and you're the detective trying to solve the murder? Welcome to the gloriously twisted domestic chaos of My Wife, the Serial Killer.

This thriller manages to sprinkle a little comedy on cozy mystery vibes. Fran, our unapologetically bold killer, offs the grumpy old codger next door. Meanwhile, her clueless husband, Gareth, is busy playing detective, completely oblivious that he might be sleeping next to a cold-blooded killer!

While I went in expecting something edgier, I still found this to be a quirky and entertaining ride. The pacing lagged in a few places. It was wordier than needed, but the ending hit with a twist that caught me off guard. A fresh voice worth keeping an eye on.

If you like your mysteries served with a dash of humor and a hefty helping of marital mayhem, give this one a go.

Thanks to the author and Storm Publishing for providing this gifted eARC via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

My Wife, The Serial Killer is the book to read. The premise alone had me hooked- your husband’s a detective, and you’ve committed a series of murders… so the big question is: will he stand by you?

From the very first page, this book was brilliant. The dark humor hit just right, and I found myself laughing out loud more than once. H.J. Garbett’s writing style is sharp, witty, and incredibly easy to read- it just works.

And Fran? I absolutely loved her. She’s completely unhinged, unpredictable, and somehow still relatable. I was rooting for her from the beginning, even when I probably shouldn’t have been. She’s the kind of character who stays with you long after the last page.

Tropes covered:

- Wife is the killer/murderer
- Dark humour
- Revenge

Trigger Warnings:

- Infertility
- Murder
- Domestic gaslighting
- Harassment

This book was a great thriller to pick up, and for once I actually liked the main protagonist for this kind of trope. Fran was unhinged and in the light of more books showcasing female rage in all its power I am all here for it! Not only was she feminine rage in all its glory, she was witty, hilarious and stood out massively. I definitely had a good laugh with her. Gareth on the other hand, was really hard to like, he whinged, he whined and just too unlikable unfortunately. It was hard to warm up to him, as he was incessantly annoying…until his personality changes up pretty quickly near the end (which didn't flow as it should have sadly)..

The Dual point of view was really significant for the plot, however 2/3 of the way through, I felt that the pacing really went downhill and character personality changes, made it difficult to keep the enthusiasm I had for the book when I first initially started. Nevertheless, definitely a great debut!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an Arc in exchange for an honest review!

3.5⭐️ An interesting, enjoyable read. It seems to be quite common at the moment for writers to try and write a female serial killer book. With the success of Sweetpea and the Katy Brent books I can understand why. I enjoyed this story and the take on a female serial killer and I’m glad it ended in the way that it did. Presented as a comedy I can’t say I found a lot of humour in this book but I can see where the writer tried. I think it’s hard for a man to write from a woman’s perspective and sadly didn’t feel like the writer quite hit the mark here. There were a couple of things about this book that I didn’t enjoy - the way the couple spoke to each other sometimes seemed a little unnatural (“my love” being a commonly used pet name) some of their “lovey” chat seemed a little grating! And the serial killer’s motive wasn’t the huge shock I’d been waiting for sadly. I would recommend this one and I’m very grateful for the opportunity to be an ARC reader!

Loved this unhinged woman!
I know we're probably supposed to hate Fran but I absolutely loved her- she was fabulous. The dark humor was great, and Mep was main character energy 👌🏼
It was a fun read- thank you netgalley for the arc!

This book is a fabulous and thoughtful dark comedy full of murder, revenge, and romance! Fran and Gareth are happily married but there's just one problem: Fran can't stop killing people.

I loved this book. Fran is such an intriguing character, and found myself rooting for her to get her happily ever after.

Thank you so much to Storm Publishing for the ARC! I can't wait to read more from H.J. Garbett.

The title of this book piqued my interest and I started reading it with high expectations. It is written from the alternating perspectives of Fran and Gareth; Fran commits her second murder which Gareth, her policeman husband, diligently starts to investigate. This is a well written thriller told with plenty of dark humour. The use of alternating storytellers provides good momentum. Expectations met!

ARC read.Thank you too Netgalley and Storm publishing for the earc.

I loved the idea of this book. The book started out great. I was seriously questioning what was going to happen with Gareth and Fran since he was a police officer investigating the crime. When Gareth helped the police, I was like how could he do that to his wife but I still wanted to see how these characters developed/communicated.

But then things started to decline with the second half. Unfortunately it felt like some things were kind of just thrown into the story and didn't help with the plot in any true way (i.e fertility stuff). I was also hoping the reasoning for the murders would hit the heart stings a little more but it didn't engagee as much as I would like. The epilogue felt a like it was also just thrown in there after a rushed ending.

one thing that got me was this couple who was apparently really good at communicating (despite the secrets from the past) only for them to just complete not talk for months. it didn't feel like it matched who the author was trying to portray them as.

Overall, I did enjoy the dark humor and how the main characters developed up until the 2nd half. I'm not sure I would recommend this to many people though.

This is such a darkly humorous thriller with a secret serial killer wife and a detective for a husband. If you've enjoyed Bad Men by Julie Mae Cohen or How to Kill men and get away with it by Katy Brent or How to Kill your family by Bella Mackie and find yourself in need of a murderous fun fix, this one is just the ticket.

Thank you J. Garbett and Netgalley for this ALC în exchange for my honest opinion.

I loved this so much I binge read it and stayed up late to read it, even though it meant loosing precious sleep. Which is saying a lot as I have two littles with Autism and a small baby. Being born in England but moving to Canada at a young age, I loved the English banter/colloquialisms. Fran & Gareth’s story was fantastic. Fran is sort of a British female Dexter. Whilst I don’t condone murder, I do agree that sometimes the justice system can fail, and that there are some people the world would be far better off without. A great reminder of what trauma and revenge can drive us to, and unconditionally loving a person throughout that all. LOVED IT. 👌🏻🥰🙌🏻

I think this book would be good for people who like cozy mysteries with some dark humor. Also people who can read it for fun and not take it too seriously.

That being said, this book wasn't for me. I thought the synopsis sounded interesting...a detective who's wife is a serial killer. I didn't realize that this would be more of a funny, fluffy mystery that you have to suspend some disbelief for. The mystery wasn't a who-dun-it, but a why-dun-it. The "why" wasn't compelling enough to keep me interested and it took a while to get through the book. I was just bored. I didn't care for any of the characters except for Mep, the cat. Then ending seemed implausible.

The writing was good, so I can see people enjoying this book. If you like cozy mysteries, give it a try.

I think I'm over the "unexpected serial killer" construct. I went into this one expecting a darkly humorous, quick and easy read. I found it to be much slower-going than I anticipated, and the characters and relationships didn't have enough of the quirks or foibles that would have made them resonate. I liked the opening monologue and had high hopes, but they never quite came to fruition. The snarky dark inner monologues started feeling repetitive and the clueless cop/husband is not a trope I've ever been a big fan of... This wasn't a good fit for me.