C.L. Taylor’s It’s Always the Husband is a great psychological suspense story, delivering a gripping narrative that kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish.

Set in the seemingly tranquil town of Lowbridge, the story follows Jude, a newly divorced woman who moves to the area with her daughter. She quickly becomes entangled with Will, a widower whose past is shrouded in tragedy. The community whispers about the deaths of his two wives, and as Jude delves deeper into his history, she uncovers secrets that challenge her perceptions and threaten her safety.

This story revolves around a group of school mums - gossips of the town and their latest victims are Jude and Will!
Did Will have something to do with both his wives deaths? Is it always the husband?
There are quite a few characters but I became invested in each one quite quickly. The sharp and evocative writing style creates tension and unease that permeates every page. The pace is very fast and ends with a satisfying conclusion. I love CL Taylor’s books and this one is one of my favourites so far.

This one is a must for your summer TBR!

Thank you to Avon Books and NetGalley for the advanced copy to read and review

Single mum Jude is relatively new to the area of Lowbridge and doesn't want to become embroiled in school gate politics with the other mothers. The only person she's really clicked with is single dad Will. There's an attraction between the pair until one of the other mothers goes out of her way to warn Jude that both of Will's wives died under suspicious circumstances.

C. L. Taylor has written such a twisted story with It's Always The Husband that I felt dizzy every time I picked up the book. At times I thought I was going to follow the practice of TV detectives and put up a murder wall filled with suspects, clues and red wool linking everything just to keep track of everything that was happening. What begins as a warning to Jude about Will quickly spirals into a complex web of lies, deceit, blackmail and murder.

I liked Jude's character, she isn't intimidated by the school gate posse of mothers, she just doesn't want to get dragged into the politics. However, she's aware that she needs to play her part for the sake of her daughter, the reason they've moved to the area. One of the other mothers, Sorrell, seems to stick to the periphery too and is approachable. Sorrell has issues at home and doesn't need to be caught up in playground machinations.

Initially, the group of mothers who seem to dominate proceedings come across as bitchy and unlikeable, particularly their leader, Victoria. Victoria likes to be in control and to know everything that is going on, to her knowledge is power. In the process of going through a less than amicable divorce little does she realise how little knowledge and power she truly has.

Piqued by the comments regarding Will's wives, alongside her attraction to the man, Jude flirts with danger as she tries to learn more. Pretty soon both Sorrell and Victoria are dragged into the investigation as it becomes apparent they have links to at least one of the dead women.

As clues are uncovered you are left gasping at the intricate way everything is woven together. I couldn't even begin to pinpoint a suspect. The more that was revealed, the more I felt my sympathies towards certain characters changing, some for the better and some for the worse. The author keeps the reader dangling thanks to one particular plot line so that the big reveal is a complete shock.

Thanks for the early review copy.

This is author is new to me.

What a fantastic read and story line.

Very well written.

A must read for fans of thrillers!
This was faced paced, filled with twists and turns, lots of secrets, and some interesting characters. This is told in multiple POVs, but seamless to follow. Hooked me from the start and left me reading all night to figure things out.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review

A solid thriller! Fast-paced, tension packed, and addictive. I enjoyed it a lot!

Thank you to NetGalley & Avon Books for the ARC!

I usually enjoy C.L. Taylor's writing, so I couldn't resist adding her newest story It's Always The Husband to my shelves. It's true that I'm reading less psychological thrillers these days, but I was curious about the blurb with the rumors around the previous women in Will's life... What I didn't realize was that It's Always The Husband is basically more domestic drama than thriller, and this is probably one of the reasons why this story just wasn't a good fit for me personally. I'm sure that if you enjoy stories with plenty of drama and secrets, you will enjoy your time with this book though!

So, It's Always The Husband. Before I continue, I have to once again stress that this is probably mostly an 'it's not you, it's me' problem I had with this story. Domestic dramas just don't seem to work all that well for me anymore in recent years, and if I had known just how much focus there was going to be on the domestic life of the characters I might have thought twice before picking up this book. If you enjoy the genre, please take this review with a grain of salt! But I'll try to explain what did and didn't work for me below.

There is just something about the way C.L. Taylor writes her stories that is extremely readable, and the short and snappy chapters in It's Always The Husband without doubt helped to keep turning those pages. I think where it went wrong for me had a lot to do with the huge amount of characters in play, and I almost felt like I should have taken notes as it was hard to keep them all apart. In fact, I had totally forgotten about one of the characters mentioned in one of the final twists altogether! The multiple POV structure didn't really help either, as the constant switching back and forth ment it was kind of hard to become invested in the lives of the different characters in play.

My main issue had definitely everything to do with all the drama though. Every single character seems to be having secrets, and while I do love a story with secrets to unravel, I have to actually LIKE the characters to be able to care. The majority of the characters were considerably unlikeable, and as a result I honestly couldn't care less about what happened to any of them. Jude is probably the most tolerable of them all, although she does make some very stupid decisions... The constant drama, bitching and backstabbing just got way too much for me to be able to enjoy the story, but if you like that kind of thing you will probably react completely different to this part of the plot.

There were a lot of twists involved, some a bit too predictable while others were simply too over the top to be credible. Sure, certain reveals towards the ending will definitely come as a surprise, but is it a good surprise? The jury is still out on that one. It definitely wasn't my favorite C.L. Taylor, but the writing itself was more than solid and this story should work a lot better if you are able to appreciate the domestic drama and don't mind a huge cast of characters.

This was a great read. The little town of Lowbridge appears to hold lots of secrets. We meet a group of local mums, some are friends with each other, some aren't. However, they are all members of a chat group and the focus of the town gossip is single dad, Will. Will's first wife died, and his second wife Robyn went missing. Of course, the consensus is that he killed them both, and when fellow single parent Jude becomes friendly with him, she needs to decide whether she believes him or the group of mums!

This was a gripping read which kept me on toes throughout wondering what was going on! The storyline initially begins where you wonder what happened to Robyn and if her husband Will had anything to do with her disappearance. The "leader" of the mums group is Victoria and she seems to be the main instigator of the gossip. There are lots of mums within the group and the chapters alternate between some of those mums, Jude, Sorrell and Victoria's perspectives. I did find the storyline a little complicated at the beginning, I think due to the number of characters and having to remember who was who, but as the story moved on and focussed on only a few characters it became more easier to understand and more enjoyable.

I loved the short chapters and found the switching between the different characters at each chapter held my attention more. Everyone seemed to have a secret or was involved in someone else's secret and you really needed to try and work out who was telling the truth and who was lying! There were lots of twists and turns which will definitely keep you guessing, and just when I thought I'd worked it all out, everything changed! This was a really interesting storyline which had me hooked and the ending was just brilliant!! Would recommend!

My first novel by this author and it didn’t disappoint. This book just keeps pulling you in after every chapter with new twists and turns leaving you guessing how this situation will end and who is involved. I would definitely recommend great page turner! Thanks to Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC. I will be reading more of C.L.Taylor's back catalogue.


When newly divorced Jude arrives in the small town of Lowbridge, she is soon drawn to the enigmatic Will, father to her young daughter's best friend.


But Will's devastating past holds questions that nobody knows the answer to – and after two tragedies tore his life apart in just a few short years, gossip and rumours abound about what really happened to the women he loved.

Wow!!!! I stayed up to three in the morning to finish this book as I was absolutely hooked!!! The character dynamics were so interesting, I adored the pacing, the intrigue, Will in general was such a hard to read character, with so many many things to analysis. I loved how the three women came together in the end and although I was a little disappointed by who was the villain in the final act ( trying hard not to spoil) I adored the final chapter as it gave me closure I didn’t know I needed about Will !! Fantasting, engrossing thriller.

Another great mystery from C.L. Taylor !!

School playground cliques, a widower with a chequered past, a touch of blackmail and secrets in every corner. Who can you trust !

This book will keep you riveted with it's twists and turns right until the end and you'll be thinking about it for a long time after as well.

When newly divorced Jude arrives in the small town of Lowbridge, she is soon drawn to widower Will, the father of her young daughter's best friend.
But Will's past is shrouded in tragedy, with questions that no one knows the answer to – and after two tragedies tore his life apart in just a few short years, gossip and rumours abound about what really happened to the women he loved.

This is an enjoyable read but there seems to be lots of characters to deal with. The story progresses at a steady pace and keeps the pages turning. I wasn't drawn to the characters although they had backstories. I have read several C L Taylor books previously but I just didn't feel that this had the punch of the others.

Wow this was so good. Fast paced (just how we like it), multiple POV & short chapters.

A group of mums have a group chat. Some are closer than others. A couple are left out of some events & baby sitting swaps but they all have their own secrets.

I couldn't put this down. The whole way through I was trying to guess what was going to happen but I didn't see the twist coming (do we ever? 🤣)
Definitely recommend this one when it is released.

An enjoyable domestic thriller.

Jude is on the outskirts of the mom group at her daughter’s school, but does she really want to be in? When everyone is keeping secrets, what is the truth?

Things slowly fall together and the truth comes out as we follow along with Jude, Sorell and Victoria, moms from the school and area. Lifestyles of the rich, and keeping up with appearances. Enjoyable and intriguing.

It’s Always The Husband is a dark read that I enjoyed from the first page to the last.
Lowbridge is a small town and Jude has just arrived with her daughter after being recently divorced. She hates the school run, she’s not in with the cool ones and gets drawn to Will, a single dad and father of her daughter’s best friend. Will’s wife died and his partner has disappeared with Will being interviewed by the police over her disappearance. Jude has tragic history of what happens when the wrong person is blamed and sets out to find out one way or another if he’s guilty or not. Add to this the daily lives of other mums in the popular group and it becomes one twisty read.
This was a book I knew I was going to love from the first page, I have loved all this authors previous work and this doesn’t falter from being a great read. The characters although quite a few, with some of them getting their own chapters it made it easy to follow who was who. The snappy chapters were good as well. The storyline was twisted and I hadn’t a clue how it was going to end but the ending was everything I hoped it would be.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Avon Books UK for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks netgalley for this really good reaf by a really good author.
What’s it like to live in a wealthy area, to send your children to,private school and wait for your children to go in or out of svhool , you gossip and talk about each other unless your in the inner. Circle then it’s ok.
Jude had divorced her husband and was finding it difficult at the school gate, she felt everyone was looking and talking about her, that was until she met Will.
He was friendly and his daughter and Jude’s daughter became best friends.
Things were getting better until the woman at the gates started telling her to leave Will alone as he had one two wives one died and the other dissapeared, and they all think he killed them.
Then it good really interesting.
Great book here’s to another one by this great author,

Jude lives in the small town of Lowbridge and rather than wanting to be a part of the school mums group, she is drawn to single dad Will. Only the mums suspect Will of being involved in the disappearance of his partner, especially as there was suspicion with his first wife’s circumstances.

I always know that I will be getting a fantastic twisty read when I pick up a C.L. Taylor book and this was no exception. This was another entertaining psychological thriller that had me needing to read ‘just one more page’ and before I know it the book was finished. The story is told in the voices of multiple characters and I enjoyed discovering each one. It did take me a while to distinguish between them all however as there were a few mentioned. Even though it is a common trope, I enjoyed the gossipy school mums and the drama that came from this.

I really enjoyed discovering all the secrets and never knew who to fully trust. My mind kept changing and the author did a great job a misdirection… I was sure I had it sussed at multiple points. The last chapter was a great addition! This is another one I will be recommending, with plenty of twists and turns. I can’t wait for more. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

What a thrilling, rollercoaster ride this was. So many potential perpetrators in this story and so many twists and turns. Jude is a single parent trying to find her way but not really wishing to infiltrate herself into the clique of school mums who seem to delight in gossip. Instead she becomes friendly with a single dad, Will. Unfortunately, the school jungle drums delightfully inform her that his first wife died and his second disappeared, presumed dead. Does she listen to their warnings or make up her mind to decide for herself? Should she start a relationship with him or is she just inviting danger? The apparent leader of the school mums is Victoria who seems controlling and vindictive but is also struggling due to an impending divorce. She is not the only one who isn’t all she seems and as this complex and well woven story reveals its darkest secrets, the horrific truths threaten to destroy many lives. A clever, psychological story that has the reader continually second guessing until the final page.

"It's Always the Husband" by CL Taylor is an entertaining and gripping read that keeps you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. When Jude recently moves to the quaint village of Lowbridge, she is immediately faced with the challenges of integrating into a tight-knit community. The school gates become her new battleground as she tries to fit in with the mums and single parents, navigating the complex social dynamics.

Jude's journey takes an intriguing turn when she finds herself irresistibly drawn to Will, a single dad. As their relationship develops, Jude is soon entangled in a web of rumours and gossip surrounding Will's past relationships. The author masterfully unravels these layers, bringing to light the hidden secrets and tensions.

Each character is well crafted, adding depth and complexity to the story. The twisty plot is full of unexpected turns and revelations, making it impossible to put the book down.

This is a thrilling and captivating novel that showcases CL Taylor's talent for storytelling. The blend of suspense, character development, and an unpredictable plot makes this book a must-read. Highly recommended for fans of psychological thrillers and anyone looking for a compelling and intriguing read.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley UK for the ARC.

Twisty, gripping thriller from an amazing author!!

If you are a fan of fast-paced thrillers packed with plot twists then this is for you!

This one was an easy read, written in multiple POVs and had quite a few different characters! The story line with fast paced and flowed and the ending blew me away!

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review!

It’s Always The Husband by C L Taylor
I give this book 4 stars.

Welcome to Lowbridge. Where secrets hide behind every door. Because whilst one dead wife is tragic, two starts to look like murder . . . .

The excitement of a new engaging domestic thriller from an autobuy author for me!
Loved the school mum playground clique and the mysterious dad Will. Told from Jude, Andy, Victoria and Sorrell’s pov in alternating short chapters, the reader has to work out who’s telling the truth and who’s lying. This novel is filled with secrets, gossip, a missing person, blackmail and a murder and the writer delivers it all with an intriguing slow burn tension that doesn’t allow you to put the book aside. While reading I was doubting all the characters but the ending i didn’t see coming!
With thanks to Netgalley, C L Taylor and Avon Books UK for my chance to read and review this book.