I really enjoy the flow of the story and the back and forth pov between Fran, the wife (also the serial killer, in case you don't already know!) and Gareth, the husband (surprise, surprise, he's a detective!). They both have their flaws and are very human with their own impulses and purpose, and with dramas that just keep happening, I can't put down the book and had to almost speed through it.

That said, what I don't enjoy as much is the inconsistency (or maybe it's just me?) in the characters. Fran was positioned to be this unapologetic, kinda-psychotic killer, but as the story progress and I learned about why she kills, it was a little lost on me. She's still a psycho but for the most, she requires heavy therapy and lots of help. As for Gareth... idk man, I guess he gotta do what he did for the love of his life, including completely abandoning his morale and core of his being. Yay, love wins...?

I wish the story had progress better instead of just turning out to be so convenient, I want it to be more difficult but it's more of a hehe-haha thing?

Also, for a plot that has been done quite a bit before in other books and dramas, I wish it has a more unexpected twist as well.

Overall, it's a 3.5 - I did really enjoy it but also felt that things were a little convenient (not that convenient, since Fran did suffer for a bit). Also I don't like how things ended up for Angus. :"(

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Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the arc!

The concept of a police office slowly realizing that his wife is a serial killer had me hooked BUT the first half of the book felt slow even though there was some humour the characters were very vanilla which made it hard to stay totally invested.
What really let me down was that we knew too much too soon, so there was no building up of suspense and no surprises and the ending wrapped up just as I expected it to.
I give it points for the idea but the delivery just wasn't as sharp.
Thanks to Netgalley and Storm Publishing for the Arc.

I mentioned it in my pre-review but Dexter is one of my favorite shows and this gave loose Dexter/Mindf*ck vibes.

I enjoyed this book a lot! Fran was dry, funny, and full of dark humor. Gareth was a bit hit or miss for me as a main character. There were times where I really enjoyed his blissfully oblivious POV chapters and times where I was just like get it together Gareth!!! There were also so many moments where I wanted to shake Fran. AND MEP!!! Can’t forget about ancient old beloved Mep the cat.

I don’t want to give anything away but I did feel like the pacing and some of the information reveal was just a little clunky for my preference. I was hooked for the first 30% and then my interest kinda tapered off as I could guess most of what was coming and it took away some of the mystery. There were also a few plot points or filler side plots that I just didn’t quite jive with but I still flew through this and was heavily entertained the whole time.

Side note, I also really enjoyed the epilogue but almost wish the ending was more solid and the epilogue was a secondary epilogue. (But this is mostly a me problem - open ended endings wreck me.😭 like what happens to one of the other MC’s after all that??)

Overall, My Wife, the Serial Killer is a fast and entertaining read full of wit, dark humor, and chaotic stakes. Thank you so much Storm Publishing for the e-arc! As always, all opinions are my own. 😊

3.75⭐️ Rounded up!

My Wife, The Serial Killer by H.J. Garbett is a gripping and twisty psychological thriller that kept me hooked from the start. The premise is chilling—what if your spouse isn’t who you think they are?—and the story explores that question in a tense and emotionally complex way. I really enjoyed the main character’s inner conflict and the slow unraveling of the truth. Some parts felt slightly drawn out, but overall, the suspense and character depth made it a strong read. A solid 4 stars from me, and I’ll definitely keep an eye out for more from this author.

I wanted to love the story but I didn’t. Both Fran and Gareth read so similar that I often forgot whose POV I was reading. Neither is overly likeable. Very slow read.

I went into My Wife, the Serial Killer with really high hopes. I was expecting relationship drama, dark humour, and some good old fashioned feminine rage, but H.J. Garbett didn't quite deliver in those areas.
When I pick up a book in this genre, I'm usually looking for suspense and tension to keep me on my toes. Unfortunately, this one leans more heavily into domestic themes than thriller territory. It wasn't a bad read (hence the three stars), but it didn't grip me in the way I was hoping. I want to be turning pages with urgency.
That said, the book had a fantastic start. The adrenaline of the first few chapters had me hooked, and I was excited to keep going. But after that initial rush, the story settled into a rhythm of domestic life with a light touch of crime. Gareth's work drama and the ongoing fertility discussions just weren't as engaging for me.
Still, I can appreciate that My Wife, the Serial Killer is a well written debut, it just didn't match my personal taste. I'll definitely keep an eye on H.J. Garbett and look forward to seeing what they write next.

This book was so damn funny! Fran was hilarious she had one liners that would have me cackling out-loud. Now normally I’m not rooting for the killer - but I was with this story. The character was very likable to me. I love how cut throat she was and how she was VERY protective of those that she loved (especially Garth and Angus)

Garth was funny as well in a different way. He loved Fran so so so much and you could tell even when things got rough. Deep down I knew he’d protect her if he ever found out about O’Neill and the truth. But there were times where I was like 👀 - would be?

At the end this book is described as “Dexter meets Schitts Creek” and I would have to agree just British.

5⭐️ read!!

This was such a fun and twisted book and it keeps you rooting for a murderer, which is not usually what you do. I loved that this was dual POV and we got to see all the events take place through both sides. This kept me laughing the entire time I was reading it, and I just kept rooting for our couple to make it out together!
I highly recommend this one if you need a good comedy that has some action and keeps your heart racing!

I absolutely loved this book!!!!

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the chance to read this book by H J Garbett for my honest review.

This is the first book I have read by this author and I throughly enjoyed their style of writing, the book was so easy to follow and the chapters flowed brilliantly.
I loved the storyline, the characters and the twists and turn (which I did not see coming at all).

I hope this book does amazing on publication day and I wish every success to the author

The blurb really caught my attention and I wanted to love the story but I didn’t. I wasn’t a fan of Fran and Gareth at all so this was an extremely slow read.

How to describe this book?

Dark, weird and confusing.

The title had grabbed me and the blurb - but this book was a disappointment in the end.

We knew who’d done it - and who’d been done - but getting to the why was a bit torturous. It started OK, fizzled in the middle and ramped up to the end. However the end was just another disappointment and didn’t fit the rest of the story.

As a school report would say - ‘good effort but could do better’ - perhaps book 2 will be an improvement.

Thank you for the chance to read the ARC in return for my honest opinion

Wickedly funny and deliciously dark, My Wife, the Serial Killer is a brilliantly twisted domestic thriller that keeps you guessing—and laughing—until the final, jaw-dropping twist. H.J. Garbett delivers a sharp satire of marriage, morality, and murder through the eyes of Fran, a suburban wife with a killer instinct, and her increasingly unnerved husband Gareth, a detective whose home life is about to become his biggest case. With biting wit and perfectly timed reveals, this compulsively readable debut is perfect for fans of Killing Eve and How to Kill Your Family. Equal parts clever, chilling, and chaotic—this is one you’ll want to talk about (but maybe not with your spouse).

Fran Donoghue has just killed her neighbor. Don’t worry, you’ll agree, he deserved it.

A domestic thriller that is unhinged, dark, and funny. I was intrigued and hooked from the first page. I love the premise, the plot, and even the chaos, but I didn't like the main characters. I think Detective Gareth could be more grounded, and Fran was all over the place. The writing was engaging, witty, and easy to follow. If you enjoy woman serial killers and some dark, twisty humor, this is for you.

Thank you, NetGalley and Publisher, for the eArc.

This story pulled me right in from the beginning and held my attention throughout - I read it pretty quickly.

The wife commits the murder of a neighbor, for reasons unknown to the reader in the beginning. Her husband is a detective and is assigned to do a welfare check on the neighbor and reports his findings back to his precinct, and the story moves from there.

Thank you to NetGalley, Storm Publishing and H.J. Garbett for the ARC!

https://www.instagram.com/p/DKhfsQ7TIM8/?igsh=MWoxMmVrdzVrZDF3YQ==

🩸 Quirky. Quick. Kinda chaotic.

This book sounded like the perfect dark thriller—a secret serial killer wife a detective husband unknowingly investigating her crimes, and a neighbor who “mysteriously disappears” (Fran literally stabbed him in the eye 👀🔪).
The concept? Brilliant. The execution? A little uneven.

The writing style is accessible and engaging, and the plot moves at a brisk pace. But the characters felt oddly written. Fran, our murderous narrator, is somehow still someone you root for… even though she’s, well, actively murdering people. Some character motivations feel underdeveloped, and the psychological depth could have been richer. The story leans more on shock value than emotional complexity, and a few plot points strain believability.

I kept waiting for the dark twists the blurb promised, but they never quite landed. What started strong eventually fizzled, and the ending—meant to shock—felt far too easy to see coming.

Still, if you're into unconventional murder mysteries with a dash of humor and a morally grey (okay, blood-red) female lead, this might just work for you.

3.75⭐️. This novel opens with a bang—literally. Fran Donoghue has just killed her neighbor, and the dry, unapologetic tone makes it hard not to root for her in a twisted sort of way. Her husband, Detective Gareth Donoghue, is left piecing together the aftermath, unaware that the real danger is a lot closer to home. What follows is a darkly comic, genre-bending tale that mixes domestic noir with satirical crime fiction.

Garbett's writing is sharp and clever, and the narrative walks the fine line between absurdity and believability in a way that mostly works. The characters are quirky and flawed in ways that feel intentionally exaggerated, adding to the novel’s offbeat charm.

That said, the pacing falters in the middle. While the premise is strong and the humor biting, certain sections drag on longer than they should. There were times when I found myself wanting the plot to move faster or dig a bit deeper into character motivation. The ending is indeed surprising—and satisfying—but I wish the journey there had held my attention a bit more consistently.

All in all, this is a good read with some great moments, but not quite a standout for me. Still, it’s a bold and fun twist on the domestic thriller.

At times humorous at times dark story that I read in a day. Thanks to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for the chance to ARC this book.

Firstly, thank you so much for the arc.

I am obsessed with Fran & Gareth. Honestly more Fran. I have read a couple of dark comedys before but this was by far the best. I was laughing so much in parts but the story was also amazing. The progression was perfect and it was so well written. I read this in less than 24hrs i couldn't put it down. I loved the relationship Fran and Angus had also and the ending was a fantastic final touch. I would of given the full 5 stars but i wanted more about Frans story from the beginning (if that makes sense).

Can't wait to read more from the author!

My Wife, The Serial Killer was a great debut! I enjoyed the dark humor and the chaos within the book, it was an overall fun read. Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing for this advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.

We follow Fran, the ordinary housewife, married to her policeman husband, Gareth. They have recently moved to a charming neighborhood which they thought would be a perfect setting to finally start their family. There's just one problem, Fran killed the neighbor.

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This one really had so much going for it. The plot sounded interesting and I was really devouring the first half of the book. Once things started taking a legal turn and we got a lot of Gareth's POV, I started struggling. Gareth was such a boring character to read about, it was everything in me to get through some of his chapters. Also, there was talk about infertility that ultimately just felt like filler, rather than spoken about in any meaningful way. After the halfway point, we really lost steam. Which is such a shame, because I was really enjoying myself and getting to know Fran's character and her motives. This is definitely a "why-did-it-happen" rather than a "who-did-it." The ending just fell flat for me, as things declined and the ending felt very forced. We saw characters change their entire personality in the last bit, which made it feel very out of place. Not to mention, we didn't really get the ending you were hoping for.

This one would be perfect for fans that wanted a less gory Mindf*ck series, with the dark sarcastic humor of Finley Donovan.

*Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for providing a free copy in exchange for my honest review.*