My Wife, the Serial Killer is a darkly comedic thriller that delves into the complexities of love, trust, and deception. The story centers on Fran Donoghue, who has just killed her neighbor—a deed the narrative suggests was justified. Her husband, Detective Gareth Donoghue, senses something amiss about the neighbor’s disappearance, but that’s only the beginning of his troubles.

Garbett masterfully balances suspense and humor, crafting a narrative that’s both gripping and entertaining. The characters are richly developed, with Fran’s enigmatic nature and Gareth’s internal conflicts adding depth to the story. The plot unfolds with unexpected twists, keeping readers engaged until the very end.

This novel is perfect for fans of unconventional thrillers that blend dark humor with psychological intrigue. If you enjoyed How to Kill Your Family or Killing Eve, this book will likely resonate with you.

A sharp, witty, and suspenseful read that offers a fresh take on the domestic thriller genre.

This book has a great plot and tells a good story. It was the story that drew me in, I did not feel particularly empathetic to the characters but found them interesting. A good read.

When his neighbour suddenly disappears, detective Gareth Donoghue has a bad feeling about it, and he dives headfirst into the case, not knowing that his wife, Fran, is the one who murdered him.

The premise for this book is so enthralling, and it reads so quickly; it's such a perfect story to binge on a cosy day. The writing also is very engaging, so funny and sharp, which makes it even easier to fly through the pages. I really enjoyed the double narration, and I think being able to see what was going on with both Fran and Gareth really made this all that much more interesting.

I will say I did not feel particularly connected to any of the characters, and sometimes it made it a little harder to care, but the plot was enough to make up for it. I found the ending to be a little... weird? Especially when it comes to Gareth, and I mean that in the sense that it felt like it was coming out of left field, and, to me, it read as such a quick and sudden switch up that I really didn't see coming; but then again, I couldn't really figure him out through the entirety of the story.

Overall, while it might not be anything revolutionary, it definitely still is such a fun, entertaining read, and I would definitely recommend it. Also, so curious to see what the author does next!

This is a mystery with a darkly comedic edge starring a gallery of wonderfully drawn oddball characters. The story zips along at a fast pace with revelations and the signature humour keeping the pages turning. I particularly loved Fran's inner monologue by turns insane and delightful which made me smile long after I closed the final page. This is a wonderful book that I find easy to recommend.

Fran is the wife of a detective, but she’s also a killer. This was a fast paced thriller that was exciting and bits were funny. It’s a quick read with a great plot, finding out why Fran became a killer was good and the ending was great. I liked the way the author wrote it with views from each of the main characters. A great 4.5 star read. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy.

This is a hilarious mystery that I read in one sitting! It reminded me a bit of the Finlay Donovan series, which I also love. I do wish a little more of the backstory was explained but overall great read.

Such a quick easy read for me. Absolutely loved it and definitely recommend to all my friends now! I couldn’t put it down!

I picked up My Wife the Serial Killer expecting a quirky, clever read—something along the lines of Dexter meets Schitt’s Creek, as promised. And while it delivered on that darkly humorous premise, what surprised me most was the novel’s emotional core.

Fran, a social worker with a tender heart and a ruthless streak, kills a man in the opening pages. She’s married to Gareth, a straight-laced police officer with a heart of gold. What unfolds isn’t a whodunit or even much of a mystery—it’s a love story. A strange, dark, and unexpectedly moving love story.

Garbett writes with wit and a dry, knowing tone, but what lingers is the depth of feeling behind the cleverness. Fran’s fierce, complicated love—for her aging cat, her chosen brother, and especially for Gareth—is the engine of the book. And Gareth, ever the rule-follower, quietly breaks apart as he contemplates the possibility of losing Fran to prison. His sections are surprisingly affecting, revealing the emotional cost of loyalty and love.

Despite its sharp humor and offbeat premise, My Wife the Serial Killer is ultimately a gentle book. It’s about the kinds of love that make you want to protect someone at all costs—even from themselves. I finished it with an ache in my chest and immediately texted my partner: “You are, under no circumstances, to kill anyone. I could never live without you.”

Highly recommended for readers who like their dark comedy with a strong dose of heart.

Fran is a woman on a revenge mission. I love a strong FMC getting vigilante justice. Her husband Gareth is a detective and will be investigating her latest crime. I liked that you got the view from Fran and her thoughts. You can't help but root for Fran. Gareth gets to know the truth about his wife and he will need to make some tough choices.

It is a quick read and entertaining.

I enjoy a good murder mystery, and the title of this book immediately caught my attention. The story follows Fran (FMC) & her husband that is a detective trying to solve a murder that keeps happening around them. Little does he know, spoiler alert the killer is his wife. Ah, ha!
The dark humor woven throughout the narrative provided a welcome comedic relief within the mystery, and at times reminded me of the humor in Schitt's Creek, which I thoroughly enjoyed. While I did predict the ending, the humor kept me entertained.

This book comes out on June 17th, 2025.

I also wanted to mention a trigger warning for infertility.

Thank you again to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

*arc review*

So for me this book was a fun read but I definitely wish they would’ve first explained more plot and backstory before going straight to killing. While I did enjoy fran and gareth I almost feel like we just kind of got tossed into their life with any form of backstory. I think the reason the book fell flat for me was not of the past was brought into the story even though the book was heavily about it. Thanks for arc!

Thank you to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

My Wife, The Serial Killer is a dark comedy thriller with a dual POV. This book quickly jumps right into the story and continues to be a fast paced read. I enjoyed seeing the progression of our two main characters, Fran and Gareth, and how they changed throughout the book. I also loved nosey neighbor Beryl (I have one of those myself) and sweet Mep.

Where I struggled with this book was the "mystery/thriller" aspect. The story is fairly straightforward to the point that I wouldn't call anything that happens a twist. I would've loved to be genuinely surprised by some of the events in the book but I felt I could always tell what was coming next.

While the humor was hit or miss for me, overall this is a fun fast paced book that I think a lot of people will enjoy.

This book will be featured on my TikTok @alireadsanywhere before it's release date!

Would give this 3.5 stars ⭐️

Good murder mystery, liked the dual POV as it helped build the story from both sides. Was rooting for Fran (AKA the not quite serial killer) throughout the story as let’s be honest the guy had it coming.

Good storyline and pacing, little predictable in parts but still a good read!

Mep is an icon and deserves an independent sequel all about his life.

Thanks NetGalley and Storm publishing for the ARC in exchange for this honest review.

The first half of the novel is a strong four star ⭐⭐⭐⭐ read the last half comes in at a three ⭐⭐⭐ that puts my rating at a 3.5, but I always round up for debuts and so that's how this one lands at a four. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ The novel hit a snag for me in its tone about halfway in, the abrupt shift turned the pace to sludge and took the dark humor that made the first half such a blast to read and made it a blast from the past. This still is a good one that is an easy read to fly through, but it had to potential to be great.

Fran and her husband Gareth have a loving relationship, but what couple shares everything? They've recently moved to a new neighborhood and before the dishes are unpacked into the cupboard their next-door neighbor is missing. Gareth is a detective and can't shake the bad feeling that something about the disappearance isn't right. He investigates on the sly against orders.

My liking of Fran was immediate because dark humor is my love language. Her inner thoughts and quips had me struggling not to drop my coffee mug more than a few times. She's morally gray, but she has her reasons. Her character is dealing with a lot. She's struggling with the heartbreak of infertility and trying to right the wrongs of the past with the most permanent of solutions, murder.

I can't go into detail about the issues that didn't work for me without spoiling the book. So, I'll say that the plot took turns that were questionable and didn't work with the vibe of the story. I still liked this one and read it in two days. The writing itself was quite good and to the point which I think works in these types of stories. There are a lot of novels right now with serial killer in the title and right away the authors are humanizing them or giving them a good reason. Readers are loving it. I think they will love Fran too.

I will be keeping an eye out for what Garbett writes next.

Thank you to Storm Publishing for an eARC via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I did not expect to love this as much as I did. From the very first page, I was completely invested - like, ignore-the-to-do-list level invested. This might just be my favourite read this month (and I’ve read some really good ones lately). 🙌🏻

It’s one of those books where you think you know what you’re getting - a bit of humour, a bit of murder, some predictable fun - and then it totally catches you off guard. I genuinely didn’t see that ending coming. And when it hit? I actually laughed at myself thinking, how did I not see this? 🫣

The writing style was just perfect for me - fast-paced, witty and so easy to get lost in. Honestly, I’ve been in a bit of a slump this month. I keep picking up great books but not being able to finish them (currently five half-read ones just glaring at me). But this one? Everything else faded into the background as soon as I started reading. 🤭

The main characters were brilliantly quirky - I loved them. The husband’s colleagues were kind of annoying, but their scenes were funny enough that I didn’t even care. If you’re into shows like Dexter or You, you’ll probably vibe with this. 😍

Yes, it’s totally unrealistic at times, but I was so entertained I didn’t mind one bit. It actually had more depth than I expected too. ♥️

Highly recommend if you’re after a thriller with a twist of dark humour and chaotic married energy. ♥️

Thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the free copy in exchange for an honest review! ✨

This book ended up just ok for me. It started out really interesting, the middle dragged, and then the ending felt rushed. At the beginning it was reminding me of the Mindf*ck series, but the similarities didn’t continue. While I didn’t love it. I’d consider it a promising first book by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

👀 Phew, where do I begin? The second half was better than the first half in terms of the plot. The writing was good, there was certainly an intrigue in wanting to uncover how the story ends which kept me reading, along with an absurd craziness to the events that was fun in parts (in a messed up sort of way 😂).

Before I share my personal experience with this story and why it didn't work for me, I will say that objectively speaking, it's a good debut novel by this author - so if you like dark humour and this specific sub-genre - give it a go. The cover and blurb are very catchy. 2.25 or 2.5 might be a more accurate rating.

My Thoughts:

So here's the thing - I just don't have the stomach for getting into the dark twisted minds of murderers, especially when it gets into some gleeful descriptions of blood, gore and murderous euphoria. I disliked Fran's POV for that reason - it made me feel sick, and I just skipped over those sections. (That one SLY smile gave me the creepy chilllls 💀 Her internal dialogue is quite disturbing ☠️🤣).

More importantly, I didn't find her to be a sympathetic character. The motivation for why she commited the murders, wasn't as strong as I was expecting it to be (considering the degree of bloodlust she was displaying ☠️). Strangely, none of the characters were truly likeable, especially the women - and I didn't find anyone's motivations redeeming by the end.

I'm not a fan of crude jokes. The depictions of relationships, intimacy, and use of generally crude humour between characters, were not funny for me. This is the second time I have read a book with this kind of humour, and realised that I was correct in assuming that it was written by a male author.

On the whole, Fran was just too psyhchotic a character for me to root for ☠️ What I was rooting for though is her UTTER downfall 😂 That was fun for me, so I liked the direction the story started going in, mid-way through. There were a couple of twists with the ending, which were done well, but I was dissapointed with the conclusion. Gareth was semi-likeable, but his decisions by the end undid that. Ultimately, I am left with the opinion that ALL the characters in this story were unhinged in their own ways 🙊😂 (which the story intended to do).

Overall, I was expecting to read something more lighthearted and comedic in this space (similar to Dial A for Aunties), but this took me down a dark and twisted path. Now I desperately need a pallete cleanser 😅

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me complimentary e-arc of this book. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Thanks NetGalley and Storm Publishing for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I wanted to love this book. It started off strong and really grabbed my attention, but then I found that things slowed down. The author also had a habit of adding details after things were happening, which I found harder to follow and made some actions seem very extreme. I ended up skimming to the end. This book was not for me, but was popular with others. Check it out for yourself when it’s released in June.

This was a fun read told through Fran and her cop husband‘s POV. I enjoyed it though I expected the end (one element) and was disappointed by another element. I’d definitely read more by this author though.

I read an advance digital copy of this book for review.

Thanks to storm publishing and NetGalley for this arc!

This is an excellent read! If you want a female Dexter with the sass of a desperate housewife, you’ll love the main character. The plot of this book was so good and funny too.