My Wife, The Serial Killer by H. J. Garbett was a great read.
I was hooked from the beginning!
It was amazing and engaging.
I was instantly sucked in by the atmosphere and writing style.
The characters were all very well developed .
The writing is exceptional and I was hooked after the first sentence.

My Wife, The Serial Killer is a well written, witty, and engaging story in all of the best and also unexpected ways. I was hooked right from the beginning and at times I couldn’t put it down.

Towards the end of the book I felt like it dropped off a little and I was a little disappointed. I was desperate for a different ending, for more clarity on what actually happened at the end, and to get a bit of closure on some of the characters. The ending felt abrupt in comparison to the rest of the story and I would’ve loved to have just had a little more there.

The author covered off some really difficult themes but did them well generally and provoked empathy towards the main characters.

So, this book was an unexpected fun read. I could have done without a lot of the backstory, but Fran as a character made me laugh out loud. with some of her unhinged thoughts. She looks at the world the way I do, and I don't know what that makes me.

A character's pov I could have done without was Fran's husband, Gareth. While I understand why it was necessary, there were times I found him a little grating as a character.

I also found there were bouts of repetition in the book, but I'm sensitive to things like that, whereas another reader may not be.

Laugh out loud funny and if you like your murder mysteries with a little unhinged twist I'd definitely recco mend as a quick and enjoyable read.

Disclaimer: I received this book as a free ARC, but all thoughts are my own.

This was such an unexpected story. I don’t really know what I expected, but I enjoyed it! I loved the very real love between the characters, though I definitely struggled with some of the backstory. Without giving anything away, I found this to be an interesting read that kept me immersed in the story throughout.

My Wife, The Serial Killer is such a fun read with the suspense-fulness still in full effect. The humor was intensely on point.

Picture this: Gareth, a goody two shows detective, his wife Fran, a social worker, and Mep, their 17 year old perpetually-on-the-brink-of-death cat who despises them both. Sounds like the perfect nuclear family, doesn't it? Except, Fran likes killing people, specifically, skewering him in the eyeball with her favorite kitchen knife, yikes?)

This morally ambiguous, delightfully chaotic premise had me absolutely buzzing! I was ready to crown Fran my new bookish bestie, queen of the unhinged, and the writing in the first half? Sharp, witty, and perfectly snarky. Also, you'd think a brilliant detective might notice whether his wife is a killer, but our Gareth was too busy being obliviously in love. Honestly, bless his heart, even if it was a bit beige. Fran, bless her homicidal serial killer heart, was the undisputed star of this show, effortlessly carrying the narrative on her delightfully sinister shoulders. And Mep, the 17-year-old feline curmudgeon, was a close second, offering much-needed comic relief with his perpetual disdain.

The initial ride was a rollercoaster of dark humor and I was wholeheartedly rooting for Fran despite her... umm, lethal hobbies. But then, much like Gareth's investigative skills, the book took a bit of a nosedive (lol). The second half dragged its feet, and Gareth, who had the emotional range of a teaspoon (iykyk) in the second half , suddenly started pulling moves so dumb they defied belief.

Despite its fumbling second act, I'd still recommend it since it had all the delicious ingredients for a genuine bestseller, proving that even a slightly unfulfilling ending can't completely spoil a delightfully deranged premise.

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I was glued to this book right from the first page! Very funny, very unusual and very entertaining - the quick wit had me chuckling on nearly every page of the first half. Fran, the protagonist comes across as the friend we all need in our corner, inspite of her unusual proclivities!
A thoroughly entertaining, skillfully written read.

This was a quick read for me! It starts out with little backstory and it’s your job to keep reading to find out! I enjoyed the duel pov between husband and wife. I also enjoyed the random internal comments she has! This story started a little slow but picked up the farther you got in the book! I wish there was more to the backstory but enjoyed the golden retriever husband that would do anything for the women he loves!

Gareth is a devoted husband, dedicated police officer, and he follows a straight and narrow path.
Fran is a loving wife, caring social worker, and…..well….. maybe a bit of a psychopath?

Will their marriage be able to survive Fran brutally murdering their new nextdoor neighbor, ahem, I mean the mysterious and totally unexpected disappearance of their new nextdoor neighbor? When duty, the past, corruption, and devotion collide, who will survive and can love really withstand it all?

I really enjoyed this book. I’d love to get more of Fran. My Wife, The Serial Killer is dark and funny and fun. Honestly, it reminded me a bit of Finlay Donovan but if she was a psychopath and not just a circumstance of mistaken identity. Highly suggest for someone who wants a fun twist on crime fiction.

I enjoyed the banter and dark humour in this story. It felt cosy but not in a way. The main thing that was an issue for me was that it felt very predictable and the twists that were meant to shock me just didn’t, but I feel it definitely help distract me briefly from the slump I’m in! I just wish the twists had been a bit more elaborate! It was quick and easy to understand, overall was good for the purpose I needed it for!

3.5 ⭐️ This book was such a fun surprise! The main character, Fran, is funny, witty, a little bit of a psychopath - but oddly enjoyable nonetheless. The story alternates between two points of view: Fran (the wife and serial killer) and Gareth (her husband, who just so happens to be a police detective). That setup alone is already hilarious, but the book delivers even more with its mix of tension, mystery, and some solid character development.

There were moments when the pacing dipped a little and I found myself needing to push through, but overall, it kept me entertained. Clever, sharp, and unexpectedly layered - I’d definitely recommend it if you’re into dark comedy with a splash of crime and chaos.

Fran, a social worker by trade, has some deep secrets that she is trying to keep from her police detective husband, Gareth. She is quietly trying to avenge the death of her sister, Emily, but things go terribly wrong and she is caught. Gareth, a loving and dedicated husband will move and shake things up so the investigation takes a few twists and turns. Written in a fun, easy to read and witty way, I enjoyed the clever writing style. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

What a delightfully fun book for such a dark topic.

Fran was completely unhinged, and it was incredible. I really enjoyed her craziness—it was so entertaining.

Gareth was a great character (and husband), but seeing him slowly losing his mind for his wife as the plot went on was very fun.

I loved that we got both POVs and how the story unfolded. The side characters of the noisy neighbor and weird brother were great.

Overall, I had a wonderful time reading this!

The book was goood! At first i wasn't sure about the ending but i liked that it was realistic. The husband as a detective was actually smart and connected dots quickly, which i appreciated, as mostly the killer is shown to be super smart and everyone else as dumb. It didnt keep me on the edge of my seat but it was a good read, and was funny too.

3.5 stars!

This was such a fun little thriller. It was exciting and a quick read and didn’t take a whole lot of brain power haha.

Fran Donoghue has just killed her neighbour. Don’t worry, you’ll agree, he deserved it.
Detective Gareth Donoghue has a terrible feeling about his missing neighbour.
By the time this is over, that will be the least of his worries…

This reminded me of the MindF series, which completely hooked me in the beginning. I felt like this book had a lot of potential and I genuinely wanted to enjoy it. But the writing ended up feeling confusing at times. During some conversations, I couldn’t even tell who was speaking, and it felt like I missed some kind of build up that never came.

What really threw me off was a moment where the author mentioned a neighbor being physically attracted to a Dalmatian and trying to assault it. The neighbor ends up in pain and it’s written like it’s supposed to be funny? That honestly shocked me and felt completely out of pocket. I kept reading because I wanted to see how everything played out, but overall, this could’ve been a much stronger book. The female main character is a police officer who lived her entire life by the law, and then suddenly that all changes with barely any explanation. It just didn’t click for me.

The book follows the story of husband a wife,Fran and Gareth. Gareth is a detective and Fran, she’s a serial killer. Their neighbour goes missing and Gareth is assigned to the case. But little does he know his wife killed him.
I really enjoyed this book, rating it 4 stars. It was unhinged, witty, dry, sarcastic and funny. But also with layers of emotion when covering the topic of infertility. The characters were likeable, with Fran being my favourite. Closely followed by Mep, their cat. I liked the dual pov element.
I found this book to be similar to How To Kill Your Family. I was initially draw to this book by the blurb but also to cover, I really loved this!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ – Dark, Twisty, and Funny

My Wife, The Serial Killer by H.J. Garbett is a deliciously sharp, darkly funny thriller that grabs you by the collar from the first page and doesn’t let go. The premise alone...what if your sweet, loving wife murdered the neighbor across the street and you, a police detective, had to solve the case?...is enough to hook you, but the story goes deeper and darker in ways that are both unsettling and strangely satisfying.

Fran Donoghue is no ordinary wife. She’s a woman shaped by trauma, raised in a corrupt children’s home, and driven by a quiet, calculated sense of justice. Her husband, Gareth, is a well-meaning but increasingly frantic detective caught between doing his job and protecting the woman he loves. Their relationship is the heart of this story, and it pulses with tension, wit, and an almost absurd devotion...yes, even through murder charges.

The book peels back its layers at a perfect pace, revealing Fran’s motivations and tragic backstory while keeping you guessing until the very end. And just when you think you’ve figured it out, the story throws one last twist that makes you rethink everything.

The humor is pitch-black...think How to Kill Your Family or Killing Eve...but it works. Garbett has a knack for mining absurdity out of horror without ever mocking the gravity of Fran’s past. It’s a surprisingly fast read, and one that kept me turning pages late into the night.

My only quibble (and why it’s not a full 5 stars) is that I wished for a little more depth in the supporting cast and maybe a slower build at times...but those are minor notes in an otherwise clever, compelling debut.

If you enjoy your thrillers with a side of gallows humor and a morally murky heroine who’s as dangerous as she is endearing, My Wife, The Serial Killer will not disappoint.

this was such a fantastic concept for a dark comedy, it had that overall feel that I was looking for and enjoyed from this type of book. The characters were so well written and worked with the genre and world in a way that worked. H. J. Garbett has a strong writing style and was glad I was able to read this.

3.5 rounded to 4

Fran has been happily married to her husband Gareth for years, and is looking forward to starting a family. The only issue is that she's currently standing over the body of the neighbour she killed, and she needs to find a way to dispose of everything without it leading back to her. Especially considering her husband is a detective, pining for the respect and admiration of his peers by searching for a case that elevates him in their eyes. Would he sell her out if he knew?

*****

This was such an incredible concept for a book, and I loved the setup and start to it. It kept me engaged for a few chapters, but then just started to slip. We deal with a lot of subterfuge as well as leads into Fran and Gareth's characters that seemed to be pointless to the overall plot. Gareth noticing coworkers and "friends" attractiveness and physical prowess felt like an odd aside to include. Especially as the author made him out to be such an undesirable lead. He wasn't respected by his boss or his peers, he was losing his hair, out of shape, and unsatisfactory in bed. All of these tied together with him being an unending people pleaser, staying late at work, neglecting his wife, and putting his career above all else, just made me want Fran to off him instead of lament about how much she loved him.

Aside from that, I found it funny that Fran was a killer, but so incredibly unprepared and genuinely terrible at it. She wasn't made out to be some kind of brutal genius. She was an average person, trying to right perceived wrongs and maybe not as well-versed as she should be, despite enjoying doing so. Her monologues were hilarious and kept the story upbeat through longer slogs, but her husband's POV dragged it down until the latter portions of the book where he did a complete 180 and suddenly became a mildly interesting lead.

The ending in general did leave a lot to be desired. I know it's more open to interpretation, but after Gareth and Angus making huge strides and changes into who they fundamentally are, it just kind of wraps up. I expected more from the description, and I wish we'd either had earlier character arcs, more interesting characters, or characters that acted in ways that aligned with who they are, and not just changing on a whim and then having everything tied up neat and tidy.

All in all it was a decent novel, but not something I would rave about.

*****

Thank you to Storm Publishing for the digital ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.