When Gwen’s husband Jason is killed in a suspected Great White shark attack, she’s plunged into shock and grief – until a glamorous, loud jazz singer named Tish bursts onto the scene claiming she’s Jason’s wife too.

It turns out Jason was living a double life… or rather, a triple one. All their money has vanished, sent to a mysterious “business partner” in Egypt named Skye, who turns out to be yet another grieving widow.

Thrown together by betrayal, this unlikely trio set off across continents to track down the truth – and their missing money. What follows is a riotous tale of friendship, sisterhood, and a touch of chaos as the women swap heartbreak for empowerment.

Sharp, funny, and brimming with female camaraderie, Till Death, or a Little Light Maiming, Do Us Part is a madcap adventure that proves revenge can be sweet, self-discovery can be surprising, and sometimes the best relationships begin with the worst men.

3.5/5.

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The premise sounded grand but as I was reading this story, which is chockful of wild, off the wall characters, lots of sightseeing on the chase to locate the absolute bum of a husband who marries women then steals their money and vanishes, I felt it really start to drag and I kept looking to see how much further to the end. That is never a good sign though I did have to keep reading because I needed to know if the women could catch Jason.

I feel it would have been better as a shorter book because while the sights were fun to hear about, it was irritating to see Gwen, Tish, and Skye come so close to getting Jason, when he slips away again and again. Plus the insults traded among the women got very repetitive. The final twist was pretty fun though and the lessons learned along the way of the chase about not being afraid to live and take chances but also be a bit responsible and not just give your money to someone with a pretty smile made this book okay in the end.

Will, I read this again? Probably not because I have read similar stories which took this concept and did a better job but it had good parts so I will rate this three stars.

I wanted to love this so much, but it fell flat for me, sadly. The premise sounded brilliant; dark and funny, but I disliked the "wives", finding them shallow and cliched, and the puns were just too, too much. A couple of them were really funny, but they were so relentless, I was over them very quickly. The plot was ok, but it was too long, with repetitiveness and filler that made it drag a bit in places. Ok for a light beach read, but didn't live up to expectations for me this time.

2 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

Death or a Little Light Maiming Do Us Part by Kathy Lette

One dead husband. Three grieving widows.

When she hears a man has been killed by a Great White shark, Gwen races to the beach only to find that all that remains of her husband is his swimming cap and a piece of torn, blood-stained wetsuit. Her grief is soon interrupted by Tish, screaming for information about the accident. When Gwen reassures her that it's her husband, Jason Riley, who's perished, Tish's response is earth-shattering for them both: Jason was her husband too.

The women's mutual animosity is not assuaged when they learn that Jason recently sent all his - make that their - money to a mysterious 'business partner' in Egypt called Skye. But when they fly to Cairo to confront her, they find another grieving widow whose life-savings have gone missing...

As this double-crossed threesome cross continents in their search for truth and retribution, they start to realise they're embarking on a journey of self-discovery, renewal and friendship too.

I’ve read Kathy Lette before so I was expecting ballsy women, lots of wit, perhaps some raunchy behaviour and definitely laughter. I wasn’t disappointed. I’ve seen this described as a revenge caper and that is the perfect description. Gwen has a happy life with her children and second husband Jason, who’s a real hottie. He is a big blonde surfer type with a sprinkling of grey, but a body honed to perfection by Iron Man training. She sometimes wonders how they got together. She sees herself as a rather ordinary widow nearing her sixties, while he’s a lot younger and so fit. However, tragedy comes along when Jason is training. Gwen hears on the radio that there’s been a shark attack in the bay and she makes her way there immediately. When she arrives, she knows by the scrap of wetsuit on the sand that the lost man is Jason. She hardly has time to breathe before a leather clad ball of fury catapults herself into the situation. Tish is there because she thinks her husband is missing too, she’s married to a tall, blonde hunk called Jason. Surely they can’t both be married to the same man?

Gwen wants to quietly go home and cope with the double shock of Jason’s death and the news that he’s a bigamist. Tish has the grip of a small terrier and has about a million questions that Gwen is incapable of answering. She’s totally gobsmacked by Tish’s biker girl style, they couldn’t be more different so why was he attracted to both of them? It seems that when Gwen thought he was working or training, he was with Tish and vice versa. They’ve been together a similar amount of time. They make a very uncomfortable trip to Jason’s lawyer, Tish is adamant there should be a will and she wants to see it. She invested a large amount of money in a business start-up he was working on. Gwen is keeping her cards close to her chest but she too has invested some of her widow’s inheritance in his endeavours. Where has it gone? They soon find out. His lawyer tells them that Jason signed a document that transfers their joint investment to a woman in Cairo. Tish wants to be on the next plane and wants Gwen to go with her. Can they find this woman, solve the mystery of her connection to Jason and retrieve their money?

I found the novel intriguing and funny at first. Tish is an absolute ball of energy and her power as a character did overpower everyone else slightly. I wonder if Kathy based Tish on herself, her most extrovert side. I felt a little bit like the momentum of the story was lost in long verbal exchanges between the two women that are more about one-liners than developing characters or their relationships. Some are funny, but when they come thick and fast the humour sometimes misses the mark. It’s also difficult to change the tone and I think the novel could have done with some light and shade. The caper takes us all over the world as the women try to work out if Jason has faked his own death and retrieve their money. Cairo brings even more surprises and leads to Tanzania, the Maldives and through Europe. It’s an absurd plot, but it is fun and a great escape read. I read this in one afternoon and had some laugh out loud moments. There’s also some lovely female camaraderie as these women start to come together, overcoming their differences and keep chasing their love rat husband. I also liked the re-evaluation of women’s lives in middle-age and the very profound idea that just when you learn to make the most of your life, it is almost over.

Really good book which I will recommend to others.

Thanks for the opportunity to read & review it.

After a traumatic incident, Gwen discovers her husband is missing, likely dead, before she can assimilate what this means, Trish appears, and even though they seem to differ in every way, they find they have more in common than they thought or want. The story continues with the discovery of another deceived woman, unified in vengeance, the unlikely allies decide to find out what happened to Jason and their money. It's a relentless story full of humour and emotion. The characters are vibrant, and there are many vivid, humorous scenarios, but it didn't engage me.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

Hilarious, barmy and utterly brilliant, this raunchy caper made me laugh from start to finish. It begins with a suitably crazy premise: Gwen rushes to the beach after hearing that a man has been killed by a Great White Shark to discover that all that is left of her husband, Jason, is his swimming cap and a piece of torn, blood-stained wetsuit. But Gwen’s grief soon turns to anger and disbelief when Tish turns up asking after her husband and the women discover they were married to the same man. Things get worse when they learn that Jason recently transferred all of their money to a mysterious business partner in Cairo. So, they put aside their animosity to go and confront her. But instead they find another swindled wife and the trio embark on an around-the-world journey of vengeance, self-discovery and sisterhood.

This book was the definition of insane. And I absolutely loved it. From the storyline to the characters, everything was ridiculous, but it also felt relatable and real, with moments of real emotion and surprising twists thrown in amongst the craziness. Gwen, Tish and Skye are fantastic characters. Each woman is completely different to the others and they often wonder how they could all be married to the same man. But as they bond over their anger and grief at Jason’s betrayals, they find the similarities that exist in them and work together to try and get answers. I loved their banter and the xx situations they got themselves into. It kept me turning the pages, eager to see if they would finally get their vengeance. But what I loved most is how they went from women who had been humiliated and felt they couldn’t go on without Jason to discovering themselves and their inner strength. These ladies are a great example of girl power and a reminder that it is never too late to find out new things about yourself or to find a new best friend.

This was my first time reading a book by Kathy Lette but it won’t be my last. Witty, entertaining and addictive, this is a must for your summer TBR.

Thank you to NetGalley and Aria & Aries for this ARC.

Gwendoline Brookes discovers she's married to a bigamist when Jason Riley is apparently killed by a shark and his brash second wife Trish turns up. Then his lawyer has bad news for them both - all their money has been transferred to a woman in Cairo. It is dislike at first sight for both women but they nevertheless team up in an unlikely alliance to try and get their money back, on the way encountering a third wife.

This could have been an amusing road trip and an ode to sisterhood but it is neither. Instead it is a slapstick story that makes no sense and is very sloppily researched. Examples:
- Men don't wear Lederhosen outside Bavaria, and Cologne is nowhere near that.
- You drink Carlsberg in Denmark. Karlsberg is the German beer.
- If you want to follow someone who is in a hot air balloon you don't climb into the next one saying "follow that balloon". You stay in the Land Rover you were in and follow in that because hot air balloons are unpredictable. Also, you can't just hijack a hot air balloon, the rides cost a lot of money and are usually pre-booked.

I'm sorry, but stuff like that takes me out of the already implausible story. Like, son Max is autistic and therefore naturally a hacker following Jason effortlessly via the internet, wherever he is? And they go to a great many places. And are we really expected to believe that men like Jason exist? A conman yes, but so perfect in every other aspect that women are attracted at a rate of knots?

I didn't like the writing style. Is the author a stand-up comedian in her spare time? Every sentence is either a pun, a quip or innuendo and I got really tired of it. I wanted to read a story not follow a comedy show. Plus the constant sexual talk, mostly coming from Trish, grated. I'm not even going to repeat the stupid collective nickname they give themselves, it's too embarrassing.

The narrative felt repetitive and too long, with only a couple of twists. This is a sloppy, nonsensical book that didn't grab me at all. Only read if you like utter nonsense and cliché that plays out over various continents in some kind of strange, quirky travelogue.

***advance review copy received from NetGalley in return for an honest review***
Till Death or a Little Light Maiming Do Us Part by Kathy Lette didn’t quite land for me. While the premise promised sharp wit and dark humour, the execution fell flat. The characters felt mostly one-dimensional, making it hard to invest in their stories or care much about what happened to them.

The plot dragged in places and could have done with a tighter structure—it felt stretched far beyond what the story could comfortably sustain. Most notably, the relentless stream of puns quickly wore thin. What started as cheeky wordplay became exhausting, leaving me with a serious case of pun fatigue by the end.

There’s a clear audience for this kind of rapid-fire, pun-laden humour, but unfortunately, I wasn’t it. A few smart observations are buried in the noise, but overall, the novel didn’t live up to its potential.

Gwen is driving to work when she hears on the radio that a man training for an Ironman has been killed by a shark. She immediately heads for the scene aware that this could be her husband. When she gets there it is Jason, but she also finds his other wife, Tish. They loathe each other on site, but agree to both go to the solicitors office where they find out that there is no money, even though they had both "invested" their life savings in one of his investment schemes.
Through devious means they find out the money was transferred to someone else and a trip through several countries begins.
A fun romp, if I say more I will give it away.

Gwen’s husband Jason goes missing and is declared dead after his swimwear was found after a shark attack. However, Gwen isn’t given any time to grieve or process her emotions as Jason’s other wife, Tish, appears at the scene. Gwen and Tish decide to team up to uncover the truth of their husband as they find out their life savings have been transferred to another woman in Cairo. Nothing could have prepared them for what they discover. They find themselves travelling the world as they unravel more lies that Jason has spun.

Unfortunately I didn’t love this one. I wanted to love the idea of a woman’s sisterhood after being scorned by the same man however, the ending felt too far fetched to be believable and for that reason it was not enjoyable. I did appreciate the witty humour however I feel that the story moved slowly and was repetitive and I could not connect with the main character.

Thank you to NetGalley and Aria & Ares for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Ove this authors books but for me this was not one of my favourites and so was a dnf at 20%
Funny idea and some good humour but just found it hard to like any of the characters etc

This book made me laugh out loud

Loved being on a dventure with three totally different female leads as they each looked for revenge, learning new skills and developing themselves along the way
Highly recommend

Kathy Lette excels at giving us the fun and dark humour that leaps of the pages and often make you want to do a pantomime cackle. and once again she pulls another corker out the bag. she must have funny bones this woman, true writers skill woven through funny bones. her books are true escapes, and the skill it takes to be so outrageous but still capturing and believable to follow is something any writer must be proud of.
the story gives us Gwen and her husband Jason, both madly in love. but then a terrible accident happens and at the beach Jason is killed by a shark! whilst waiting for conformation and news Gwen is taken aback when another woman (ugh who is this woman Gwen thinks) comes and says she is Jason's wife. whaaaaaat! these two couldn't be more different(so they assume) and are totally shocked and baffled. but when the shock subsides a little they know what they have to do so join forces to find out just whats been going on here. more importantly they want to find out where their money has gone, and just how "eaten" Jason actually is? but wait for it, because the trial leads them to another woman and yes you get it this woman is also married to him. its not up to the three of them to chase the money but are they chasing something or someone else too?and might they just find something in each other, a new more brilliant relationship could unfold?
brilliant. loved it.i know when i pick up a book by Kathy Lette i can let all my troubles go and just enjoy and i always always know its going to be great.

This was a completely mad story, that kind of grew on me!

Gwen is married to Jason, and blissfully happy, as far as she's concerned she has no idea why he's with her as she's just a normal widow and he's a God amongst men (according to Gwen anyway)! Then there's a tragedy and it seems as if Jason has been killed by a shark practicing for his Iron Man competition. Whilst at the beach waiting for news about Jason another women, Tish, comes along looking for information about the tragedy and it turns out Jason is also married to her!

Once they get over the shock Gwen and Tish, who couldn't be more different in personalities, join forces when they find out all their money has gone, along with the 'missing' Jason. They then find yet another woman he was married to, and she also joins their group to find the missing money, and Jason, who it turns out had faked his death.

The 'widows' fly all over the world looking for Jason and their missing money, most of the time just missing him, before he flies off somewhere else and they gave chase.

Initially I found this book funny, then annoying, then it kind of grew on me and I found myself really enjoying it again. It is so full of one liners, practically every other sentence, which is the bit I found really annoying, but as the story went on and the mad escapade continued I found myself enjoying it.

If you're looking for a very funny, pun filled, completely mad escape from real life for a while then read this book!

Many thanks to netgalley, the author and the publisher for approving my request to read this book.

Gwen receives devastating news, her husband Jason is missing assumed dead after a shark attack. Whilst trying to process this at the scene of the accident Gwen's life is then thrown into a tailspin by the sudden arrival of foul mouthed, completely overbearing Tish who informs her that she is also married to Jason.

After meeting Jason's shady solicitor both Gwen and Tish are horrified to learn that Jason has left his money and theirs to a mysterious business partner in Cairo leaving them both penniless.

Together this unlikely duo set off to Cairo to uncover the truth of where their money has gone.

This story of revenge and sisterhood is hugely entertainingly and is also extremely funny- I was laughing out loud throughout.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will most certainly be recommending it, 5 stars from me!

Till Death, or a Little Light Maiming, Do Us Part by Kathy Lette is a fast-paced fun read.

Gwen’s husband, Jason, disappears whilst swimming in the ocean and it’s presumed a Great White Shark has killed and devoured him. Gwen is understandably overwrought with grief. And then Tish, a loud and overbearing jazz singer crashes into Gwen’s life announcing that she is also married to Jason.

The women couldn’t be more different, neither could their families. They really are the odd couple. They have to come together to track down their assets on a journey that takes them across Australia and the globe. It’s a story of friendship, sisterhood and women behaving a little badly and having fun.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Aria & Aries, for making this available to me in exchange for a fair and honest review.