Fran and Gareth are a run of the mill married couple who have unwavering devotion to each other. That is until Fran is accused of murder, and Gareth, the police detective, finds out.

I will always love a book that features a solid marriage. I enjoyed the dual perspective, feeling it added much to the story. The whole time, I was wondering how Fran would get out of it. I deduced the ending but was satisfied at the devotion in which her loved one showed her. All in all, this was a quick, fun read!

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!

ARC REVIEW Thank you NG & H.J!

First off, I love the cover of this book. I was pleasantly surprised with this book. I was HOOKED. This is a fast paced thriller with some comedy and domestic drama. All in the name of vengeance and drama. A serial killer wife and detective husband.

This is great for first time thriller readers too because it’s a page turner and it’s fast.

Goodreads —> https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7613192104

So let's be honest, my 3-stars-good-enough review is mostly due to the "we're trying for a baby" plot. As a childfree person, I already hate everything relating a pregnancy trope in a book, but here we get constant talk about trying for a baby, fertility test and clinics, it's a big part of like half the book... But the worst thing is that I feel like it's pointless to the story on itself, it's only a "look there's some humanity in Fran see she wants a baby!" kind of thing, and there's better way to share part of her humanity (and honestly none of them should be parent lmao).

Otherwise, it was indeed good and entertaining, even if slow. I liked the dark humour, see how much Fran is a psycho yet we're still wondering if she'll be found not guilty of the murder, as we're weirdly still hoping she won't be charged for it! I enjoyed her POV more than Gareth's, who changes a lot of also way too much and quickly (we get over a 2 months period that is easy to skim while reading, which might add to the feeling of sudden change of character).

I really enjoyed the dénouement, the ending. I wasn't chocked, disappointed, it was honestly the best and most logical thing that could have happened from what we've gathered from each main characters! The epilogue wasn't expected and kind of a fun little bonus.

I felt that the plot idea alone would have made this a great read but the over use of 'humour' (which at times fell flat ) dragged the story down.

I also enjoyed the second half of the novel more than the first half, it improved as the seriousness of the situation increased.

Whoops!! I devoured this book. Literally!

A friend on bookstagram commented that she feels like this is the year of Debuts. And I couldn’t agree more. My Wife, the Serial Killer is an absolute knockout of a debut. Dark, witty, and completely addictive.

Fran Donoghue casually kills her neighbor, and not only was I weirdly okay with it, I was laughing. Out loud. By myself. That pretty much sums up the vibe of this book: dark, wildly twisted, laugh-out-loud funny.

Fran is the definition of an unhinged female lead done right. Her internal monologue reminded was giving Decter vibes. Yeap, that Dexter. With the same sharp, calculated logic, but with dry wit and the kind of mental spiraling that’s somehow both relatable and deeply disturbing. I just wanted to spend more time in her head. Social worker by day, vigilante-ish by night? It was giving everything it was supposed to give, and I loved it!

And then there’s Gareth. Oh, Gareth. Sweet, oblivious Gareth. At first, I found him a bland, uninteresting character, But as the story unfolds, he grows on you. Watching him wrestle with his suspicions, question his marriage, and ultimately try to understand the impossible truth about the woman he loves. By the end, I was fully rooting for him too.

And the pacing? Perfect. Just perfect. Short, snappy chapters that kept me saying “one more chapter’ until I realized just how early in the morning I’d stayed up till. I definitely see that twist at the end coming, and I bet Gareth didn’t either.

For a debut, Garbett absolutely crushed it. And I’m definitely gonna read whatever she writes next.

This book was so good. I really liked how the story came together and how it ended. I liked Gareth's transformation as a person, a husband and detective. Mep was the cutest fictional cat and loved reading about him. I had no idea what to expect going into this book as I had never heard of this author before but I am so happy I was selected to read this. I look forward to seeing what the author does next. Thank you #stormpublishing and #netgalley for this opportunity.

Wasn't so sure about this book at first took some time to get into it but once I did i enjoyed it read it in 2 days as needed to know what happened next

Fran and Gareth are married - Gareth is a police detective and Fran is a serial killer. He is looking into a crime that she committed. This was entertaining and a great debut novel!

First of all thank you for approving my request!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The authors writing style had me hooked throughout this book.

I didn't want it to end, a book I really couldn't put down.

This book fell very flat for me. I was hoping for something slightly goofy and enjoyable. Instead I couldn't stand the MC, which usually means I will not like the rest of the book.

this was a good book, intense and very interesting
the plottwists were crazy!! I loved the writing and character development

This was such a fun quick read for me and a fantastic pallet cleanser! 3.75 and here’s my reasoning because she was sooooooo close to being a 4!

I’m an avid thriller, murder, mystery girl. I love it all.
Mep ( the cat lol ) 10/10 probably my favorite character of the entire book loved seeing him pop up here and there!
The book was super entertaining and what you would expect out of this genre except where it fell flat for me was I predicted the ending about 60% of the way through.

The dark comedy literally killed it, pun intended there. Kept the book upbeat and moving.
Banter was 4/5 I enjoyed it!

Pacing was ok, i tend to be a quick reader and the book read quickly so for me it wasn’t a turn off but I can see how it may be for others.

Big thanks to Storm Publishing and netgalley for the advanced copy!

This was a fun idea for a novel, but unfortunately the execution (see what I did there?) wasn't there. There were some moments that made me chuckle but overall, the storytelling was pretty bland. I still don't understand how Fran was even caught. There was clearly no evidence that actually pointed to her, since Angus ended up taking the fall for her crime. It just didn't make sense. Fran wasn't likeable enough for me to look past the plot holes.
The idea was hilarious, but it didn't deliver for me.

Thanks for the opportunity to read!

This was so much fun!!! Absolutely adored this book! Thank you NetGalley and publisher for early arc

The concept of this book is so interesting and I was very excited to read it. I’m sad to report that it fell a bit flat for me.

Let me start by saying that I enjoyed the overall plot of the book. I thought that the premise was intriguing and the first ~10% had me hooked and I thought that the ending was pretty well done. The characters pretty much all suck (except Mep), but I think the unlikable characters made it more interesting.

Unfortunately, it fell off for me after that. The writing style did not resonate with me at all. This book is supposed to be funny. The jokes are very dry and sarcastic and did not work for me personally.

There is also a lot of context that I think would have made me as a reader more invested to learn about early in the novel that is missing until the last few chapters. It’s treated like a sort of reveal even though it is hinted at so much that it just feels frustrating that it’s being withheld for minimal payoff.

The biggest killer here? This book feels so slow. It felt like we were crawling to the next plot point, which made me really struggle to focus and care about the book.

Now with all that being said, I do think that most of my issues with this book come down to personal preference. I think if you don’t mind a slower paced book and you enjoy dry humor, this would be a great one to try. I can see why people would really enjoy this, it just wasn’t for me.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: My Wife the Serial Killer by H.J. Garbett
Rating: ★★★½ (3.5/5)

This was a fast-paced, easy read — the kind of book you can finish in one or two sittings without feeling like you’re trudging through it. The plot moves quickly, and the writing is accessible, which I appreciated.

Now, full disclosure: I love unhinged women in fiction. There’s something endlessly compelling about characters who shed the constraints of what’s expected and just... go feral. So, I might be a little biased. That said, while the titular character gave glimpses of that unhinged energy, I found myself wanting more — more chaos, more depth, more unraveling of who she is and why she became that way.

The male main character (MMC) felt a bit undercooked for me. I was hoping for more psychological complexity or even a descent into madness of his own, but he never quite got there. I kept waiting for him to match her energy or at least reflect it in some twisted way — but it didn’t happen.

Spoiler warning
As for the ending... I would have never forgiven that man. Not in a million years. That part left me a little frustrated — I wanted retribution or at least more reckoning. Instead, it felt like a door closed without a satisfying slam.

In short: it’s a solid, bingeable read, especially if you're into morally grey characters and dark domestic thrillers. I just wish it had leaned more into the unhinged and given us a deeper psychological dive.

From the very first page, I knew I was in for a wild ride with this one - and I was certainly right! This story alternates POV between Fran, a not-quite-but-almost serial killer (only by number!) and her detective husband who, unknowingly, is looking into her case.

I FLEW through the first half and could NOT put this down! I really enjoyed both characters perspectives and the writing style was quick and addictive! I couldn't help but facepalm at nearly everything Fran did, but other parts had me laughing out loud at the absurdity of it! I often find legal thrillers to drag a bit, but not this one! I was truly back and forth over whether Fran would be found guilty or let off the hook.

Unfortunatey, the end fell a little flat for me. I could see what Garbett was going for, but the characters just weren't developed enough for it to fit. Without giving too much away, Gareth was too much of a rule follower and Fran's brother playing too small a role up until the ending for it to feel believable. Had it been set up earlier, I think it would have packed a bigger punch. And speaking of development, wth happened with Edith? Why is she barely mentioned but clearly plays a huge role in Fran's motivation. I feel like this was dragged out the entire story but we never got a clear picture of what really happened, making it harper to sympathize with everyone.

Overall, I enjoyed this one but some of the plot points felt underdeveloped and incomplete. 3.75/5 rounded up to 4. Thanks so much for the ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley for the copy
DNF @ 15 percent
It was a nice premise with so much shock value in the beginning but it fell off for me and i really don’t know how to pick it back up because there’s no development in the plot and the character work is still flat.

My Wife, the Serial Killer is exactly as crazy as the title sounds, and I loved every second of it. It leans into the madness with zero hesitation and hits the perfect balance between dark humor and 'ohmygod she really just did that?' moments. the ENTIRE time, I was like: 'yes girl, commit crimes and be cool about it!'

My queen Fran: she’s SO smart, so quick with the comebacks, always two steps ahead, and just a delight to be in the head of even when she’s doing deeply questionable things. and MEP!! the cat. if anything had happened to him, I would've absolutely lost it. Mep's health was my priority, even with everything else going on.

I was living for the station drama - every character in that building was terrible, and it was so satisfying to watch things spiral the way they did. Gareth finally getting his moment was sooo satisfying. I didn’t feel bad for any of Fran’s victims - they had it coming.

Gareth’s sudden switch-up was weird, though. Like, he went from 'Fran could never hurt anyone 🥺' to 'she definitely murdered that man and I’m calling the cops.' HELLO? it felt a bit out of nowhere. I get it, the evidence was there, but the shift was jarring. idk maybe his moral compass kicked in late?

The epilogue from Beryl’s pov was chef’s kiss. I loved that old lady so much. 🥰 It was truly a delight and wrapped things up in such a solid, satisfying way.

3.5 stars*

My Wife, The Serial Killer is exactly what the title promises: unhinged, darkly hilarious, and surprisingly heartfelt. H.J. Garbett delivers a sharp, well-paced debut that blends domestic drama and dark comedy into one wildly entertaining ride.

Told through dual perspectives, the novel explores a marriage full of secrets, tension, and unexpected tenderness. The characters are quirky and memorable, their dynamic both funny and emotionally layered. Even the grumpy household cat adds a surprising amount of charm and depth to the story.

With brisk pacing and short, binge-able chapters, it’s the kind of book you’ll race through in a single sitting. Garbett’s writing is witty and engaging, full of laugh-out-loud moments and chaotic turns that keep the energy high throughout.

That said, some readers may find the story more character-driven than twist-heavy. While there’s emotional weight and clever plotting, certain elements-like some character arcs or the final reveal-could have been explored a bit more deeply. Still, the overall experience is fun, fresh, and wholly original.

Clever, chaotic, and oddly charming-My Wife, The Serial Killer is a killer debut with bite.

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.