I got invited to view this book and had to take a minute and rate it, because it’s an amazing thriller!! While, I read this book a while back, I couldn’t not take a second to mention just how riveting, creepy, twisted, and full of suspense & surprises it is! With a debut this amazing, I look forward to what Downing comes up with next!!!
Will be using in a challenging, showing both USA & UK versions, and highly recommending to the members of Chapter Chatter Pub!!

My Lovely Wife is a great page-turning thriller. I loved reading a book from the side of the psychotic serial killer, an unusual and really interesting perspective. The foreshadowing of the twists and turns was a bit heavy handed so nothing at all came as a surprise. This actually increased the tension for me as I knew what was coming and it made me feel like a helpless bystander who couldn't look away as a Juggernaut slides out of control. A lovely, light read of murder, madness and mind games.

I absolutely loved this book and have recommended it to everyone I know. Read it in a couple of days, totally gripping. My Lovely Wife surprised and shocked me, the author's writing flowed effortlessly.
This is a brilliant original read which I thoroughly recommend to all who like a good serial killer thriller.

A chilling thriller which gripped the reader from the beginning. A dark and disturbing story which took many twists and unexpected turns although slowed a little in the middle but that only added to the suspense with an unexpected ending which leaves the reader wondering. I didn't take to the main characters at all, living in a gated community in America as they seemed very disturbed, callous and devious couple. Well written book that will keep the reader guessing.

What an unpleasant story with unpleasant and unsympathetic characters. It was not in the least enjoyable to read, I only read to the end so that I could give a review on here. Unfortunately I had to give at least one star. It was reasonably well written with short chapters, which is always appealing. An interesting study in how our behaviour affects those closest to us. Also in selfishness. I sincerely hope there is no follow-up, the ending leads to believe there could be. I would not recommend this book.

I really enjoyed this book. I was intrigued by the first chapter about why our (unreliable?) narrator and protagonist would be pretending to be Tobias, a deaf man. We soon find out! He and his wife get their kicks from murder, but they are loving, caring parents whose children come first, or do they? Does the narrator's wife allow him to sleep with potential victime or has"Tobias" got a ot to hide?

We learn the history of the couple and their family through a series of flashbacks, The "twist" towards the end is pretty predictable, I think it is intended that you spot it early on but enjoy the ride to get there and see how it plays out. A good page turner when you want something "light", well, as light as murder can be.

Seemed good for the first few chapters but it failed to develop enough for me. The character were not at all likeable nor did I feel sympathy for the husband which I think I was supposed to do to a certain extent.
Difficult to learn much about anyone’s thought pattern as all written as if husband telling the story. That’s not in itself a deal breaker as I’ve read other books written like this but it didn’t work in this one.

So many twists kept me enthralled from start to finish. An excellent ending for an excellent book. This author is definitely someone to look out for in the future

Wow what a ride of a book this was. Hands down one of the best reads of the year so far. Fantastic! Looking forward to reading more from this author in the future.

This book tells the story of a couple who have been married for 15 years and have two young children, they are financially well off and have a decent home, he is a tennis coach and she works in real estate. All a very run of the mill, normal relationship to anyone looking from the outside in you might say, but things aren't always what they seem and this couple are far from normal, they have a very unhealthy interest in young women.

This story totally messes with your head and by the end of it I was left questioning who was really telling the truth. It's a book that has more twists than a corkscrew and each chapter leaves you wanting more, I was intrigued and repulsed in equal measures by the antics of this couple. Their 'date nights' consist of meeting in their garage to discuss their next victim!! Completely insane I know, but I was hooked, as you will be when you read it and you HAVE to read it because I'm not going to divulge any more for fear of spoiling it.

I would like to thank Penguin UK - Michael Joseph and Netgalley for the approval, I will post my review on Goodreads now and on Amazon on publication day.

This a good debut novel that I really enjoyed.
Particularly liked the style of writing - seen through the eyes of the serial killer which is something rare and really well done in this book.

The book is very intriguing and keeps you hooked from the beginning. What turns out to be your average husband and wife is something you don’t expect.

Fab book!0

What an intriguing mystery! I was hooked from the first chapter and loved the twists and turns of the story. It keeps you hooked and you can’t wait to see how it ends. Thoroughly recommend. #NetGalley #MyLovelyWife

A great book that kept me entranced from start to finish.

Totally chilling I had guessed the end result but not how much more scary and twisted it would be.

Totally epic.

Our love story is simple. I met a gorgeous woman. We fell in love. We had kids. We moved to the suburbs. We told each other our biggest dreams, and our darkest secrets. And then we got bored.

We look like a normal couple. We're your neighbors, the parents of your kid's friend, the acquaintances you keep meaning to get dinner with.

We all have secrets to keeping a marriage alive.

Ours just happens to be getting away with murder.

Well... if you're looking for a book that will have you second guessing, open-mouthed and astounded at every few pages then this is just the book for you. They really are a normal couple, the parents of your kid's friend...the colleagues you work alongside... that is...until they aren't.

This book is exactly what I look for in a Thriller - Gone Girl meets Mr and Mrs Smith with a sprinkling of Dexter thrown into the mix...

Millicent and... what was his real name? I have scanned reviews and the book but I can't find it. Everyone who has reviewed this book has written Millicent and her husband. He has a fake name, we know that, it's Tobias - but do we actually get given his real name? Do we actually have time to notice until we sit down to write a review? Nope. That's because Samantha Downing has woven an absolute cracker of a debut novel that has had us not even noticing the name thing.

This book will be one that you talk about - one that you question why you're so hooked on something so vile and yet...so clever! This is "the" psychological thriller of 2019.

This is a story about not one, but a married power couple of serial killers.

I think it’s best to go in blind, so, I won’t discuss the plot too much. I really didn’t know what I was in for.

The story unfolds through the husband’s eyes for the entirety of the book. He’s just your everyday family man. He talks us through the ups and downs of modern married life, taking the kids to school, looking after them when they’re sick. We learn about how he met his soul mate, how they built a life together and their typical issues surrounding money. Oh, and there’s odd murder thrown in there too.

With every chapter, we learn more about the characters and begin to navigate our way around the complex web of secrets they’re keeping. Eventually, the action in their secretive lives spills into their personal ones and things get messy. Yes, I guessed a couple of the major twists. However, the narration was so well executed that it was gratifying to watch it all play out and lead towards a satisfying ending.

There’s something about seeing the story from the serial killer’s perspective that alters the whole reading experience. I was stuck at a crossroads between both being repulsed and routing for the husband. Overall, this was a fast, addictive psychological thriller that will keep you turning the pages.

Thanks to Penguin UK - Michael Joseph for sending me a copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A debut thriller which is intriguing.
A normal family, husband and wife turn out to be serial killers. Ok to read but not my usual type of book.Thanks to Netgalley for an Arc.

A really excellent, surprising novel. Thought it would be a nice romance to counter all the serial killer books I read. How wrong was I. Written from the husbands point of view, regarding his wife and family, this was a riveting tale of the mind of the most devious and manipulative couple of serial killers I have read about. Mesmerising. Couldn’t put it down. This will go down as one of my favourite books of the year. Really couldn’t put it down. Excellent.

This is an incredibly assured and well written debut novel. In many ways it is about the ultimate in the secrets that the, oh so seemingly normal, family next door, may have. Millicent, her husband, fourteen year old son, Rory and Jenna, thirteen, are a typical suburban couple. Millicent sells houses, her husband gives tennis lessons. The couple have been married for fifteen years and, gradually, we learn of how they met and their deep love for each other. Oh, and there are also the dysfunctional backgrounds, the secrets, the growing, questioning children, the dissatisfaction with their earning potential, and the matter of murder…

If you enjoy psychological thrillers, then this is definitely one of the best that I have read. It is twisted, clever and will throw you off balance, even if, like me, you are very familiar with the crime genre. This is very cleverly done, with little twists and turns thrown into the storyline, so you are always questioning the characters. It is difficult to write too much about this, without giving plot spoilers, and I have no wish to do so. However, I feel sure that lovers of crime novels, will enjoy this and I look forward to reading more by Samantha Downing. I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.

Well where do I begin. This book is written so well and it was fantastic.. I was hooked from the start to the end. Samantha has made an excellent job keeping the rhythm and thrill of the book all the way to the last page.
The twists and turns throughout was gobsmacking and the last one, wow I never saw that coming.
Well done Samantha, hope there is more to come.

One of my favourite mystery thrillers of 2019!

They are that picture-perfect husband and wife in everybody's neighbourhood. They've got a lovely house, two great kids and socialise with all the right people. Only, there is more to them than that. You could say they have a little taste for danger and bloodlust; breaking numerous laws. My Lovely Wife definitely delivers a palpitating story of a Mr and Mrs Smith like couple, that dabbles with a little Dexter.

This was an insanely good read. I loved everything about it, especially the characters. Millicent and her husband were like Mr and Mrs Smith but on crazy stalker murderous steroids. The story is narrated by the husband, and through him we learn about his wife, his kids, his job etc. He and his wife were portrayed as typical tolerable characters, literally, like some neighbours on everyone’s street. That's what made this read even more intriguing. I really enjoyed the marriage dynamic between the couple; how he was the more submissive of the two, and tended to let her get away with murder (as the expression goes... *clears throat*)

I loved how amused I was (at times) whilst reading this. When the average husband and wife’s marriage ends up dwindling because of time or whatever, they usually decide to spice up their marriage, by say, couples’ classes like salsa lessons, trying out S&M stuff, creative role play. They don't decide to become serial killers for a jolt of excitement to their marriage! As twisted as this was, I was totally hooked. I had to know what inspired this, and where it was going.

The plot was clever and well executed, as I was completely invested in seeing where the story went, and how it would ultimately end. There was a danger of a slowing pace towards the climax of the story, where I felt there was too much focus on the kids. Although this was easily compensated for due to how enjoyable the overall story was. There's a handful of twists, and I'd probably say most of them are predictable. Where this would usually disappoint me, it was actually exciting, because despite guessing what's happened, it was enthralling to read it unfold, and see if the next bit of the plot could be predicted. And where it couldn't, it was really entertaining.

Overall, I read this over 2 days and I'm rating it 5 stars. This is a debut novel, and other than a little, tiny dip in the books thrilling pace, the story was a fantastic read. Give a debut author (and their book) the credit it deserves. A round of applause. This has definitely been one of my favourite mystery/mystery thrillers in a while, and will undoubtedly be in my top reads of 2019. I thoroughly loved it, and recommend it without hesitation. I will be buying a hardback copy :)
Thank you kindly to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an e-copy, in exchange for this honest review.