
Member Reviews

**★★★ – Not Quite What I Expected, But Still a Fun Ride**
I received an ARC of *My Wife, the Serial Killer* and went in expecting a dark comedy—but while it started with that tone, it gradually shifted into more of a police procedural with a surprisingly serious edge.
The plot foundation was solid, but the big reveals and turning points didn’t land as hard as I’d hoped. The buildup was there; the payoff just felt a little underwhelming.
That said, it was still an enjoyable read with a unique premise. If you're okay with a genre shift midstream, there's definitely entertainment to be had here!

Fans of Bella Mackie and How to kill your family will devour this book.
This book just kept giving. Light-hearted enough to read in any mood, a strong plot to keep the pages turning quickly and interesting characters who are a delightful level of f*cked up.
My Wife, The Serial Killer is a fantastic beach/plane/train read.
Warning: you will be rooting for the killer so leave your moral quandaries at the door.

A darkly funny suburban thriller where married life in the suburbs meets murder, and your favorite character just might be the psychopath wife.
4/5 stars... it is twisted, witty, fast-paced, and totally addictive.
This is not my typical genre, but I knew within the first few pages that this was going to be a good ride. The ONLY thing that would have made this experience better was if it was an audiobook with dual narration (obviously British accents required)! Please tell me that is coming soon.
The female serial killer trope isn’t new, but what makes this one hit different? Fran is married to a cop. Who just wants to start a family, that poor guy. She's highly competent (we're talking Kingsman-level deadly with that same level of ego and dry wit) and totally terrifying... in the best way.
That quote: “I didn’t need to look in the mirror to see that, despite my best efforts, a sly smile had crept along my face.”--> I paused and reread it 5 times because it was so disturbing. Chills. I will literally never forget that quote.
Her husband Gareth took longer to click for me, but together? Perfection. The way the story mixes the monotony of marriage - appointments, what to make for dinner, fertility struggles - makes every act of violence feel almost normal, which is... deeply unsettling but weirdly brilliant.
The ending surprised me in the best way, and Fran’s dark humor had me laughing way more than I probably should’ve. "Don't call me a b****, you b****".... to a cop? Like what?!!! Highly recommend if you like a little humor in your thrillers.

I loved the writing and the characters and the storyline. There is a lot of foreshadowing and menacing exchanges which are delightful. All in all, a really nice cozy mystery for a rainy day.
You can find my detailed review on my instagram and goodreads account.

Thank you H.J. Garbett, Storm Publishing & Netgalley for providing this ARC to review.
A thriller with a quirky humorous side always seems to bother me but I can see how others would enjoy this one! I love the cover and I was so intrigued by the blurb but I didn't love the consistency in this book.
Gareth, a Homicide Detective & his wife Fran move to a quiet neighbourhood, ready to settle down. Fran decides to murder their elderly neighbour and keep this information from her husband. Of course, who else would be put on the investigation but Gareth? With a wild FMC, the story line starts off strong but seems to falter rapidly from the middle of the book with no twists/suspense that I usually expect from a Thriller. I found it hard to stay engaged and difficult to follow at some points.
I think that I would enjoy watching this play out on a screen but as a novel - trying to fully immerse myself in the story, the location and the characters felt impossible.

This is a debut books by author H.J. Garbett. I really enjoyed this book. The characters were likeable, which may be surprising with this title. It was an easy read and had fun twists.
Gareth is a police detective. His wife Fran is a social worker. They are settling into their new home to hopefully expand their family outside of their old cat Mep. When their neighbor goes missing Gareth throws the red flag. Needless to say he didn’t realize it was his wife that killed him. This book gives the journey of Fran getting caught and Gareth figuring out things about his wife he never knew. His wife’s past is shocking. Does Fran go to prison for murder? Can Gareth come to terms with his wife being a killer?

This was unexpected but very obvious. The whole wife is a murderer and husband is a detective is a trope which every reader knows the ending to. I liked how this was more of a dark comedy than anything else and the ending was good.

🖤 Thank you to Storm Publishing and H.J. Garbett for this ARC!
So imagine your main character is a seemingly normal wife… except she’s really excited to kill someone. She has her reasons, and she doesn't feel an ounce of guilt. That’s Fran. And I kind of love her?
This was a quick read with solid pacing, a touch of dry British humor, and a surprisingly sweet relationship at the center of all the chaos. The dual POV made the story a bit predictable, but I didn’t mind, the internal monologue was the fun part.
Fran’s voice was equal parts unhinged and hilarious, and her relationship with her husband was weirdly wholesome (like “pass the salt, darling — oh, and the knife for murder” kind of wholesome).
Not your typical thriller: it’s lighter, funnier, and would 100% make a great Netflix dark comedy.

The novel in a nutshell: Fran is the killer, Gareth is an investigator and they are married. Complete and utter chaos. Fran (a social worker) and Gareth (a police investigator) have been married for a few years and have recently moved to a new neighbourhood. All seems well until the husband starts investigating the disappearance of their elderly neighbour. But what Gareth doesn't know is that Fran is involved in the whole thing.
Although there is a lot of humour in this book, it is still very dark and tense. Fran murders someone right at the beginning of the book. Beyond the murder, the novel also touches on deeper, more personal themes, such as the couple's journey through fertility and their hopes of starting a family. This adds a layer of emotional depth that counterbalances the darker elements nicely. Life goes on, even when someone is hiding bodies. This will appeal to feel-good/drama, or contemporary novel readers.
The writing style is lively and engaging, with a dry humour and a sarcastic, offbeat tone that made me smile and laugh at times. The pace is perfectly controlled, with short, suspenseful chapters that keep us on the edge of our seats and the pages flying by. The dual point of view not only gives the book a dynamic pace, but also allows us to see the story unfold through the eyes of our murderess or the investigator.
Mixing murder, chaos, dark humour, a touch of romance and a cast of characters as endearing as they are morally questionable, My Wife, the serial killer is a novel that is as captivating as it is unexpected. If you need a story that shakes things up and stays with you long after the last page, look no further: this is the book for you.

I thoroughly enjoyed this one!! A dual POV, told from Fran and Gareth, a married couple, she’s a murderer, he’s a police detective! The mix of police procedural and the story from the murderers side was well done, they intertwined with one another but showed the complex thought process of each. Fran is a more complicated character than Gareth with her back story brought more into focus to pull this book nearly together towards the end. Dark humorous wit throughout and brilliant banter between the married couple! A great debut, I’ll be keeping an eye out for the next one!

★★☆☆☆ (2.5 stars)
My Wife, The Serial Killer by H. J. Garbett
A murder comedy with a killer concept that fizzled fast.
Huge thanks to Storm Publishing & NetGalley for the eARC!! 💌
this was criminally underwhelming.
the pitch? immaculate.
a wife who kills. a detective husband investigating. a deranged cat. moral chaos in suburbia.
but somewhere between Fran’s darkly funny monologues and Gareth’s tragic case of chronic oblivion... the story lost its spark.
🎭 Domestic Noir
🥀 Suburban Gothic
🎭 Dual POV
🥀 Dark Comedy
🎭 Moral Ambiguity
🥀 Animal Sidekick (!!)
✂️ sharp setup, blunt delivery.
the first half? quick, snarky, twisted. I was rooting for Fran like she was auditioning for the morally grey hall of fame. the
second half? tone shift whiplash. the humour fades, the pacing crawls, and character arcs? shaky at best.
I get the intention — trauma, secrets, guilt. but the execution felt clumsy, like the plot couldn't pick a lane between satirical thriller and melancholic domestic drama.
also: can we talk about how Gareth had the emotional depth of a damp towel until the very end? 😐
📉 the downfall:
- characters acting out of character for convenience
- an epilogue that felt like a shrug
- emotional beats that didn’t land
- and that one cat who was more emotionally consistent than half the cast (justice for Mep tbh 🐾)
but here’s the thing:
this could have been epic.
I wanted it to be epic.
I prepped for a full on obsession.
instead, I got… ✨mild confusion and unfinished potential✨
would I recommend it?
maybe, if you’re into quirky murderers, weirdly loyal cats, and don't mind a shaky back half.
but if you’re here for a Lana Myers level of psychological slayage — prepare for disappointment.

This book reminded me so much of the mindfck series!! The book was very interesting and honestly had me hooked about half way in. The cover is absolutely gorgeous!
Fran is so freaking funny & witty! You’ll be like yesss girl the entire book! You fall in love with her cat & Gareth her man was quite questionable for a bit but end up loving those two!
Read if you love dark humor, cats, thrillers, women committing crimes !!
Thank you netgalley for this ARC!

This novel is filled with dark humour sarcasm,
murder-mystery,love,marriage and drama.
The banter between the protagonist's was comical, intense and enjoyable.
This book revolves around Francesca aka Fran who is a social worker in child protection and Gareth a detective,who has recently moved to their new house.They are a happily married couples,who's been trying for a baby for couple of years.One day their neighbour Mr.O'Neill goes missing that's when the story begins.
Gareth's head Vivian at work says it's a cut n right missing case as old ppl go missing all the time!!!
But when he went to investigate Mr.O'Neill home,he feels something is off as the investigation starts, many things begin to unravel and comes to life.Was he aware of his wife's past or what she's concealing?Did he even know his wife at all or what is she hiding???
The monologue of fran was epic,the bond between siblings is depicted well.
I didn't see that twist at end , overall it's a well written book.

I love love love this book!
My Wife, the Serial Killer follows Fran (a Social Worker) and Gareth (a Police Officer). Fran kills their next door neighbour due to their troubled history (I don't want to say too much and ruin it for you!). Gareth is asked to investigate the case before his colleagues name Fran as a suspect.
The book uses Fran and Gareth's POVs to tell the story of Fran's cover up and Gareth (and the force's) investigation in a clever, engaging and hilarious way. Seriously, I loved this writing style. It gave the story away little by little, kept me gripped till the very end and was just really, really funny.
I'd highly recommend My wife, the Serial Killer.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the chance to read this ARC. 🔪🚓💍

This was a good read. Some parts were a little slow, but overall I enjoyed it. I like how it’s a murder mystery but with some humor incorporated into the book. The main characters were great, and kept me interested in this book. If you love thriller with dark humor, this is a book for you!

This was an adorable dark comedy. Well, maybe not much of a comedy, but there were some definite laugh out loud moments and quotes scattered throughout the book.
It starts out with a bang and sucks you in immediately. The dual POV adds to the interest and it’s pretty nail biting reading seeing the inevitables loom over this couple as they careen down a path the blows up their whole world.
H. J. Garbett captures the perspective of a revenge killer (who thinks they’re being smart when they really aren’t) and a naive, but insightful, new DI. Add in a smattering of funny pets, work drama, and a nosy neighbor and you have a recipe for a story you won’t want to put down.
Such a fun book from this new author!
Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing for this eARC. I absolutely enjoyed this book and blew through it in less than 48 hours!

BOOK: MY WIFE, THE SERIAL KILLER
AUTHOR: H.J GARBETT
PUB DATE: JUNE 2025
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REVIEW
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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I was expecting a lot from this book with its title and cover, and I was not disappointed! Once I started, I couldn't stop. The book started off with the FMC, Fran cleaning up the murder of a man she just committed. Then life goes on until her husband, a detective, was assigned the case, first thought to be a missing person's case. The Fran's secret became harder to keep.
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I felt like Fran was too clumsy and amateurish for the crimes she committed. With so much at stake, she should have been more careful, but she was just too impulsive, and it didn't change through the course of the book. Gareth, the husband detective was actually a very good one, and I liked that about him. It's admirable that he stuck to what was right at the end of the day. Anyway, it was really nice to understand the 'whys' of the fmc's action, and the victims deserved the horrible ending they got.
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When the mcs were not murdering people or doing police work, they were actually a nice couple. They loved each other, were involved in each other's lives, and understood each other. They were also trying to conceive, which was more stressful on Fran than Gareth. But, both of them were couple's goals fr.
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This book was good and I enjoyed reading it. But, I would have preferred it if I had read more on Fran's past and childhood and her job as a social worker. But, it was not too bad, and I liked the ending, but I wouldn't say it was realistic. Too much happened for it to be that happy.

I loved this book and the ending was totally unexpected. Well written, fast paced and full of twists that just keep you hooked and guessing what next?
Fran is a social worker, married to Gareth who is a police detective; every day they each update for 60 seconds on their day until the day Fran kills their neighbour, she doesn’t fully update Gareth and when the neighbour is reported missing Gareth doesn’t fully update Fran.
Gareth is very law abiding and when he finds something in his hunt for the missing man he hands it in.
A great read, I devoured it. My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc.

I wish I could shout this from the rooftops: read this book! It has everything—biting dark humor, unapologetic flawed women, a rough-and-tumble upbringing, twisted family ties, crime, corruption, murder, court drama, ethical dilemmas, a gossipy neighbor, office politics… and the unforgettable Mep the Cat (a true icon).
I laughed. I was concerned. I cried. I was mad. This book dragged me through the full emotional spectrum—and it did all that in just 321 pages! It’s bold, sharp, and brilliantly told from two gripping POVs that keep you hooked and constantly guessing. Just when you think you’ve figured it out… twist!
The only downside? You won’t be able to put it down. Highly recommend!

✨ An absolute must add to your TBR✨
I was initially drawn to this book for the eye catching cover but after reading the synopsis I knew I had to read it.
This book is full of mystery and crime which made me devour this book in no time at all.
If you love an unhinged murder mystery this absolute page turner is for you.
It had me laughing out loud, kept me intrigued what was going to happen along with keeping me entertained with the slow ravelling of the truth.
Excuse the pun but you executed your debut novel perfectly 🤩
I absolutely LOVED IT!!!!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you Netgallery for my ARC 💖