I’m rating this book a definite five stars. It falls squarely into the psychological thriller and domestic suspense genres, but it offers such a fascinating, almost sociological lens on crime. Having been engrossed in murder mysteries and true crime lately, I was instantly drawn to the chilling premise of exploring the aftermath, not through the eyes of the police or the victim, but through the women left behind. It’s a masterful way to examine guilt, denial, and the horrifying truth of what we, as readers, might not know about the person sleeping next to us.

I’m going to go into a detailed review, that’s how much I love this kind of book! Firstly, it forces us readers into the claustrophobic space of these women’s lives, scrutinising their memories, doubts, and choices. The narrative isn’t about solving a crime, it’s about dissecting the cognitive dissonance required to love a killer. It constantly made me question - Did they know? How did they not know? What stopped them from seeing the truth? The intense psychological introspection is what makes this book completely unputdownable.

What truly elevated this for me was the intricate portrayal behind the title “secret lives”. Elizabeth doesn’t treat these women as monolithic figures of tragedy, they are complex, layered individuals whose identities are violently reshaped the moment the crime is revealed. I loved how the book gives voice to their internal chaos, exposing the different ways trauma manifests, from frantic loyalty to immediate, chilling detachment. It’s an incredibly nuanced look at the ripple effect of violence and the burden of public scrutiny.

This book is a gripping, intelligent, and emotionally charged deep dive that moves well beyond the standard thriller clichés. It offers a rare look at the invisible victims of murder, turning the focus from the killer to the unbearable position of the spouse. For anyone like me who appreciates a story that’s as much a character study as it is a suspenseful plot, this book is an essential read!!

Secret Lives of Murderers by Elizabeth Arnott is a gripping and intricately woven mystery that keeps readers hooked from the very first page. Arnott masterfully balances psychological tension with emotional depth, crafting characters who feel both real and disturbingly unpredictable. Each chapter peels back new layers of deceit, guilt, and obsession, drawing readers deeper into a web of secrets that blurs the line between victim and perpetrator. The author’s sharp prose and keen eye for detail create an atmosphere that is both chilling and immersive. While the pacing slows slightly at times, it allows the suspense to simmer and the characters to fully develop. The ending delivers a satisfying blend of surprise and reflection, leaving a lasting impression. Overall, Secret Lives of Murderers is a sophisticated and absorbing thriller that highlights Arnott’s gift for storytelling and her profound insight into the darker corners of human nature.

Highly entertaining tale of three wives who are very different characters but all suffered the same misfortune- to be married to a murderer!
They form a strong friendship and strive to prevent others from suffering their fate.

⸻

So I requested this ARC on NetGalley because a quick skim of the premise and the cover instantly caught my eye. It’s a thriller, but not the usual kind I’d reach for. Instead of the police swooping in as heroes, it follows three very different women — all of whose husbands were serial killers. Wild, right? And it really is, but it’s also so much more than that. It’s delicate, moving, enraging, and deeply empowering all at once.

What I loved most is how it shines a light on gender-based violence and the way society has historically treated women — especially in the 1950s and 60s, when women’s rights were almost non-existent. It also touches on the civil rights movement and how race, class, and privilege shaped whose stories were told. The book subtly but powerfully shows how your economic standing could influence everything — from how much newspaper coverage a crime received to how many resources the police dedicated to finding victims. The force, too often bogged down by prejudice, rarely saw women — particularly poor or marginalised women — as worth saving.

The pacing did feel a little jumpy at times, like there were so many brilliant ideas that didn’t quite have enough room to breathe. It’s still incredibly strong, but those moments sometimes took away from the realism of the story.

That said, the characters completely made it for me. Each woman felt so distinct and fully realised — their voices, their fears, their ways of coping with trauma were all so individual. One turned inward, another fought back, another rebuilt quietly but fiercely. I loved them all for entirely different reasons, and by the end, I felt protective of each of them.

It’s one of those stories that stays with you — messy, painful, and powerful — reminding you how much strength it takes for women to survive what the world throws at them.

“The Secret Lives of Murderers' Wives” by Elizabeth Arnott is an absolutely captivating read. From the very first page, I was drawn into the simmering heat of 1960s California and the lives of these three women who, on the surface, seem to have it all—glamour, friendship, a touch of Hollywood sparkle—but beneath that lies a web of secrets, guilt, and resilience.
What struck me most about this book is its fresh lens on crime. Instead of focusing solely on the killers or the police, Arnott chooses to explore what happens to the spouses—women who loved men capable of heinous acts. It’s a fascinating shift that allows for an intense psychological deep dive into love, denial, guilt, and shame. I kept asking myself: Did they know? How could they not have known? What kept them from seeing the truth? The narrative’s focus on these questions made it impossible to put down.
The characters are richly layered. Beverley, the young mother trying to shield her children from her husband’s dark reputation; Elsie, the ambitious woman fighting to carve out her place in a male-dominated newsroom; and Margot, the Hollywood party girl drowning her shame in margaritas—each has a complex internal world that Arnott vividly brings to life. I appreciated how none of these women are painted as simple victims or villains; instead, they’re carefully crafted individuals whose identities are violently reshaped once the truth comes out.
What truly elevated this novel is its exploration of the “secret lives” these women lead—the internal chaos, the conflicting loyalties, and the way trauma manifests differently for each of them. Arnott doesn’t shy away from showing how societal judgment and family secrets weigh heavily, creating a tense and emotionally charged atmosphere. The story isn’t just about solving a mystery; it’s about understanding the ripple effects of violence on those left behind and questioning what we truly know about the people closest to us.
The pacing is deliberate but never dull. There were moments when I slowed down to savour the introspection and nuanced character development, which only made the eventual revelations more impactful. The ending was satisfying—full of surprises and depth—and left me pondering long after I finished.
If you love a thriller that’s as much about character study as it is about suspense, this book is a must-read. Arnott’s sharp prose, combined with her insightful exploration of human psychology, makes “The Secret Lives of Murderers' Wives” a compelling and thought-provoking journey into the darkest corners of love and betrayal. I couldn’t recommend it more—definitely one of the best thrillers I’ve read in a long time.

I really enjoyed this book it was not what I was expecting it to be in a good way!

The three main characters could not any different from one another but they became friends because they have one thing in common their husbands have all been arrested and are in prison for multiple murders.

The plot was not something that i have read before and i could not put it down! I loved how it touched on a subject that’s not spoken about very often - how the loved ones of the murderers feel and how it affects them after it’s all come to light.

It was well paced and was written really well. I look forward to reading more from this author.

'But evil, she has learned, is not order. It is chaos.'

In The Secret Lives of Murderers' Wives, Elizabeth Arnott transports us to a sweltering summer in the 1960s, where three women are trying to rebuild their lives after discovering that their husbands were all serial killers. As Beverly, Margot, and Elsie grapple with guilt, doubt, and the haunting question of whether they could have stopped the horrors committed in their own homes, a new killer emerges—one whose crimes reopen old wounds and threaten their fragile sense of safety. Refusing to stand by again, the women take it upon themselves to hunt the murderer, even as the men in power dismiss them as little more than frivolous housewives. Their determination, however, is anything but.

I absolutely loved this novel. Arnott immerses the reader in the glamour, tension, and cultural limitations of 1960s America, and the mystery kept me eagerly turning pages. I felt as drawn into the investigation as the protagonists themselves, and the final revelation genuinely stunned me. Is anyone really who they claim to be? Who can we trust? Is the friendly neighbour as kind as he seems, or is the unsettling man down the road hiding something far darker? This book is a brilliant exploration of appearances, secrets, and the faces we show the world.

Pre-order this book ASAP—you won’t regret it. With sharp pacing, compelling characters, and a gripping whodunnit at its core, The Secret Lives of Murderers' Wives is impossible to put down.

This is such a captivating and stylish thriller set in 1960s California.

Beverley, Elsie, and Margot—women whose husbands' have committed horrific crimes and are convicted serial killers. This is what gives the women a powerful bond.

When a new string of local murders begins, the women get together and try and figure out the whos and whys

Each woman—the controlling Beverley, the ambitious journalist Elsie, and the glamorous, shame-hiding Margot—is flawed and deeply human, making their journey of self-determination and amateur sleuthing brilliant to read .

I loved getting to know the women and this was a read I enjoyed

A fascinating and riveting story that is set apart from the usual thriller. Gripping, enthralling and keeps you guessing to the end. A really refreshing type of read, despite the horrifying nature of the story. Strong female characters who refuse to let circumstances beyond their control define who they are.

When a year ends and a new one is about to begin, we start to think about what we want to achieve during this new year. We want to set goals that can inspire and motivate us. I guess one of my goals next year will be to get everyone I know to read this book. That’s how much I loved it!

I can’t remember what caught my attention first: the cover or the title. Maybe both at once but it was the premise that really told me I should like this book. “The Secret Lives of Murderers’ Wives is a testament to the intricacies of women’s lives and how the deep bonds of female friendship can empower, uplift and lead us to endure”...say less. I’m already interested.
But once I read the book, I realised it was even better than I expected. It being set in 1966 played a part because it was harder for women to be listened to back then but they were judged very easily. However, I feel it was frustrating to realise the book could have been set in the present time and not much would have changed. But I understand the choice and it added a super interesting flavour to the story. Especially Elsie’s.

We got three main characters who bonded over going through the same traumatic event. Beverly, Margot and Elsie found out, in different ways, that their husbands were murderers and that obviously changed their lives forever. However, while that event made them have something very unique in common, they’re still very different as individuals. They’re also coping with what happened in different ways and that shows us a brief analysis of how to deal with trauma and how people grieve the life they lost. It’s sprinkled all throughout the book.
But this is also a mystery and that part was so good too. The three ladies didn’t know what their husbands were up to so they want to help other women now, since they feel they failed the ones whose lives were taken by the men married to them. It’s very common to feel that sense of guilt, even when we’ve done nothing wrong, and it was depicted really well in the book. Because each of them dealt with that in a different way. What they all had in common was that they hated being in the dark once, so they now craved knowing what was going on. They wanted all the answers and no one would stop them when they tried to find them.

This book of course is about friendship. Not just for our three protagonists but we also explore how others deal with loneliness. It’s also about empathy because these women got no empathy from others. And yet, rather than using that as an excuse to have no empathy themselves, they still care. They care a lot. More than the police or the media.
Speaking of the media, we get a lot of that through Elsie. She wants to be a journalist but it’s 1966 so she’s stuck being a secretary or an assistant. But because she’s still working at a newspaper, we get to see how this kind of news is approached. How the media uses these tragedies and we get that common conversation point of knowing all about the murderers but no one even remembers the victims’ names. They are so dehumanized and lies are written too so it can lead easily towards victim blaming. While Elsie allows us a good look into this, it’s a scene featuring Beverly that really highlights this issue and it made me so mad…because it’s realistic. My heart broke for Beverly.

And that’s the thing too. Anyone reading this book will care so much about these women and what they’re going through. Even without the social commentary, we would care. But the way that commentary was introduced all over the story was the cherry on top. Frustrating, because of its realism. But I love good social commentary in a book and I have no complaints about how it was done here.
There are other things commentary wise I would love to analyse more (and I will once the book is out) but I rather keep this as spoiler free as possible for now.

Back to the mystery, it was really interesting. There is something about the way the book is narrated that adds a tiny bit of confusion but in a good way. It makes us want to discover what’s going on and who’s behind all this even more. It was hard to put this book down.
And of course, I got to a point when I thought I knew who the killer was…and was wrong once again. I love that I was and had not even gotten close to guessing right. That’s more fun to me and it shows it’s a well written mystery.

This could be my favourite book I read this year. While I kept reading, I felt that way but was also terrified the ending would ruin it. And it didn’t. It was a perfect ending.
And I say I would recommend it to everyone because I feel it’s one that can work for so many people. This genre isn’t always for everyone but this book is, in my opinion.