Pages: 374
Published: 26th March 2019
Genre: Thriller
Content warnings: Violence, injury detail, mental health storyline
Every marriage has secrets. Everyone has flaws. Your wife isn’t perfect – you know that – but then again nor are you.
But now a serial killer is on the loose in your small town, preying on young women. Fear is driving your well-behaved young daughter off the rails, and you find yourself in bed late at night, looking at the woman who lies asleep beside you.
Imagine a married couple on a typical date night. They could be at a fancy restaurant tucking into a candlelit dinner, smiling indulgently at each other from across the table. It could be a trip to the theatre, or just a chilled time at the bar around the corner. But for the husband and wife at the centre of this novel, their version is to go outside, sit side by side in the car and plot a murder – and work out between them how they will get away with it.
The concept is dark and to be honest, rather messed up. However, it is that fact which keeps you as the reader utterly hooked, such is the intrigue it creates for how the plot will develop and what fractures may appear in the family dynamics. The layered means of storytelling and detailed exploration of the wider impact of the main characters’ crimes save it from coming across as overly gratuitous and instead provide a handy amount of emotional depth.
There are a number of things that catch the eye straight away, most notably a prologue that tells us that the author truly means business. It is a blockbuster of a start, extremely menacing in a way that puts you on edge, setting alarm bells ringing at the sight of a conniving, deceitful narrator identifying and reeling in the next potential victim, and making us desperate to dive further in to see where it will lead. The other main talking point which becomes evident as the book wears on, is that the husband who narrates the story, remains unnamed.
That adds all manner of possibilities to the mix as there must be a clear reason why the author made such a deliberate choice, although disappointingly it does not lead to quite the dramatic outcome it leads us to expect. On the plus side, there are some twists that land spectacularly well in a plot that takes an explosive turn ahead of the final act and accelerates towards the showdown of an ending that the book always looked likely to deliver.
As a narrator, the husband is hugely thought-provoking. While Millicent is the one who calls all the shots, he is a willing participant, seeking out the victims and gaining their trust in a calculating manner. Every now and then there are hints of remorse and he is always conscious of his actions, yet what makes it twisted is that his motivation is pleasing his wife, to whom he is devoted to a dangerous and disturbing extent.
Millicent is one of the more cold-blooded characters you might ever find. She exerts a special kind of coercive control over her family and her obsessive ways are evident throughout in various ways, showing a psychopathic lack of remorse and a vengeful streak that makes your skin crawl. To describe the marriage as problematic and dysfunctional does not cover it, and as we find out later in the story, it is Millicent who can make all the tables turn.
Together they carry the façade of an ordinary suburban couple, which probably makes the whole concept even more unsettling. But other than the not forgetting the murder victims and the man they try to pin the blame upon, the most impactful and profound aspect of this book is the heartbreaking secondary effects their actions have on their two oblivious teenage children.
Rory acts out, afraid his father is conducting an affair, and the way he has to be bribed for his silence is messed up in itself. That relationship is explored quite sensitively in the circumstances and you truly feel for him, but the emotional intensity here is nothing like what we see in the case of Jenna and her descent into pure, unshakeable fear.
Forget the fascinating premise of a husband who helps his wife commit murders and the marital dynamics that come with it – the chilling consequences for Jenna are what elevate this book beyond a simple thriller. How she becomes utterly petrified of a killer who she thinks is outside the apparent sanctuary of her home is hard-hitting as anything, and truly changes the perspective of the story, for the reader as well as the narrator.
The ending was always going to be messy one way or the other, and it does not disappoint. Perhaps fittingly, the epilogue ties things up in a morally questionable way where on the one hand justice is not done fully, yet it still provides the best possible outcome for all the main characters. And it is also the only part of the book where we can breathe after the unhinged atmosphere that fills our head for the majority and is so well conjured in the author’s writing.
Overall, this is a book that delves fearlessly into dark territory but also has the presence of mind to shine a light on the heavier stuff, exploring the stone cold precision of Millicent and the narrator’s twisted motives, but also the trauma inflicted on those caught in the crossfire. For any thriller lover it is an entertaining read that should tick many boxes, but be prepared to be struck by the emotional punch.
Samantha Downing has become a massively successful author of edgy psychological thrillers since the release of My Lovely Wife in 2019. It was nominated for awards on both sides of the Atlantic, and her subsequent novels have gone on to be bestsellers. These include He Started This, A Twisted Love Story, and her most recent one Too Old For This, which was released in 2025.
An uncomfortable read which sometimes had me shaking my head thinking it was messed up! But in a way, that is what made it so interesting and I have to say, the author did a great job with this, giving the characters real depth to go with their roles in a sinister plot.
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Stephen Reads Books 