The Serial Killer’s Wife
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- Create Date：2021-06-22 07:52:24
- Update Date：2025-09-14
- Status：finish
- Author：Alice Hunter
- ISBN：0008414076
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Summary
They’re saying he’s a monster。 And they’re saying she knew。
Beth and Tom Hardcastle are the envy of their neighbourhood – they have the perfect marriage， the perfect house， the perfect family。
When the police knock on their door one evening， Beth panics。 Tom should be back from work by now – what if he’s crashed his car？ She fears the worst。
But the worst is beyond imagining。
As the interrogation begins， Beth will find herself questioning everything she believed about her husband。
They’re husband and wife – till death do them part…
Beth and Tom Hardcastle are the envy of their neighbourhood – they have the perfect marriage， the perfect house， the perfect family。
When the police knock on their door one evening， Beth panics。 Tom should be back from work by now – what if he’s crashed his car？ She fears the worst。
But the worst is beyond imagining。
As the interrogation begins， Beth will find herself questioning everything she believed about her husband。
They’re husband and wife – till death do them part…
Reviews
Olivia
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RTC。
Josie Harrison
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Easy read and loved the story。 Good twist。
Mary Welter-o'connor
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Deep twisted read！！！This novel jumps back and forth between the twisted past and what lead to the murders。 Then to the real time story of those in the present， mostly the wife of the murderer。 This novel has dark graphic sexual content and isn’t for all readers。 It’s has ok character development。 It could have gone deeper in to why they became who they are。。。。 the story line was well developed with realistic。 I couldn’t put it down。 It ended with a twist that left you wondering what would happen Deep twisted read！！！This novel jumps back and forth between the twisted past and what lead to the murders。 Then to the real time story of those in the present， mostly the wife of the murderer。 This novel has dark graphic sexual content and isn’t for all readers。 It’s has ok character development。 It could have gone deeper in to why they became who they are。。。。 the story line was well developed with realistic。 I couldn’t put it down。 It ended with a twist that left you wondering what would happen next。 。。。more
Diane Sedmak
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Well DoneThis was a very well written psychological thriller that satisfies the reader's need for surprises and twists but I do think even more could have been done with it and I hope I dont sound too hard to please when I say that but I wanted to explain why the four stars instead of five。 Well DoneThis was a very well written psychological thriller that satisfies the reader's need for surprises and twists but I do think even more could have been done with it and I hope I dont sound too hard to please when I say that but I wanted to explain why the four stars instead of five。 。。。more
Lorraine Martin
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Liked this book Beth married to Tom then he’s taken in for questioning of his ex girlfriend who went travelling 8 years ago twists told by Tom Beth and Katie good read 🤪
Debbie
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Brilliant read， a real slow burn with a nice twist
jean robertshaw
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No one is who they seem Full of suspense no who is who they seem each has an hidden agenda ， keeps you guessing till the end
Emily
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3。5 :）
Kelly
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I am definitely the minority on not enjoying this book but I just absolutely do not understand the hype。 I kept waiting for the mic drop moment which did not come。 I didn't like Beth's narrative。 She was unreliable and I didn't trust a word she said， but because she was shallow and selfish I didn't like her enough to feel any tension from her。 More concerned with how a group of mums from the school saw her than defending her own husband。 The ending provides evidence for her actions but it didn't I am definitely the minority on not enjoying this book but I just absolutely do not understand the hype。 I kept waiting for the mic drop moment which did not come。 I didn't like Beth's narrative。 She was unreliable and I didn't trust a word she said， but because she was shallow and selfish I didn't like her enough to feel any tension from her。 More concerned with how a group of mums from the school saw her than defending her own husband。 The ending provides evidence for her actions but it didn't make the rest of the book feel natural。 By her inaction alone it gave up the general flavour of the 'twist'。 If Beth had been more gung-ho about defending her husband then I'd have fallen into the trap but the minute he was arrested she was like， oh well better move on！ And it was such an obvious indicator of things to come。I also found it anticlimactic that it was revealed that Katie wasn't the only victim。 The book was called 'The Serial Killer's Wife' I would have been more shocked if he hadn't been a serial killer。 Likewise， too much was being made of the Camilla plot （the constant repetition of Beth and Camilla sharing recipes） for the outcome to surprise me。There also seemed to be no plot。 The opening chapter grabbed me immediately but once Tom was arrested the whole book was just Beth going from place to place worrying about her image and baking。 It just wasn't tense or interesting。 When elements such as the gallows were introduced to add a new dimension of whodunit （lets be honest， Adam， Lucy and Julia were suspicious characters） it just petered out and nothing came of any of it。 I also didn't like the dialogue， it felt wooden and unnatural at times。Definitely didn't work for me， but I'm clearly the outlier ratings wise。 。。。more
A Need to Read
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I could NOT PUT THIS DOWN！！！ You’ll know if you’re in to it by the title， so if it’s a question on whether it’s good and keeps you asking questions， then the answer is yes。
Diane Malyan
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OkThere’s is a twist and I saw it early on which maybe spoiled the story for me。The beginning of the book is quite fast paced but then it slowed right down and I got bored with it I’m afraid。 Maybe it’s just my taste。
Garance J。 Bonadonna （The Nerdy Artivist）
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I'm a little torn with this book。 I'm giving it 4 stars because I think it deserves it， but it's more like a 3-3。5 stars。I don't usually read adult thrillers but I've been in the mood for horror lately and I've got a soft spot for serial killers， so the blurb of this novel spoke to me。 I was like YAAASSSS！The structure of the novel is perfect， smart sotrytelling between past， present， and the POV of different characters， good pacing with short chapters， a real page turner。 I was however a little I'm a little torn with this book。 I'm giving it 4 stars because I think it deserves it， but it's more like a 3-3。5 stars。I don't usually read adult thrillers but I've been in the mood for horror lately and I've got a soft spot for serial killers， so the blurb of this novel spoke to me。 I was like YAAASSSS！The structure of the novel is perfect， smart sotrytelling between past， present， and the POV of different characters， good pacing with short chapters， a real page turner。 I was however a little frustrated at times with a slowing in the pace for scenes that seemed unimportant to me。 I think the book could have been a little shorter。Another thing that I didn't like was the fact that the killings were always linked to sex。 Big meeeeh for me， not interested in this kind of twisted。 I like blood。 Please don't arrest me， I'm not a psychopath。Other than that， the novel was really centered around Beth， the wife， and the consequences of her husband's arrest。 It was interesting to see her side of the story and how it affected her。 But from the very beginning I thought that she was really selfish。And finally。。。 I guessed the final plot twist when I was halfway through the book。 I had finished reading for the night， got into bed， turned off the light and suddenly I thought: "Well， if I was writing the book， I would do this very twisted thing cause I have issues in my head。" And it turned out， it was the exact ending of the book。 It didn't completely ruin the book for me， cause it was still very addictive （and I wanted to know if I was right）， but I was like。。。 Maaaaan， I don't get mindblown anymore。Anyway， I still liked the writing style of the author， and I think she nailed the psychological depths of the characters， so it was very enjoyable。 。。。more
Ms D
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Very easy to read but not exactly a masterpiece。 Writing is very immature and full of narratives that made me cringe。
Hayley Hartley
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Excellent read with a great twist
Kayleigh Martinez
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Gripping I really liked this story - it had me gripped throughout。 The ending was great but I was really upset that it ended when I wanted it to continue！
Janice Staines
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Looks can be deceptive！Beth and Tom seemingly had the perfect marriage and they both adored their young daughter， Poppy。 They’d moved from London to the village a year or so back， to make sure she had a safe place in which to grow up。However， looks can be deceptive and when Police visit the cottage to question Tom about the disappearance of his ex-girlfriend， their lives began to fall apart。Beth knew she had to take action to protect herself and her daughter。 It’s what any good mother would do。 Looks can be deceptive！Beth and Tom seemingly had the perfect marriage and they both adored their young daughter， Poppy。 They’d moved from London to the village a year or so back， to make sure she had a safe place in which to grow up。However， looks can be deceptive and when Police visit the cottage to question Tom about the disappearance of his ex-girlfriend， their lives began to fall apart。Beth knew she had to take action to protect herself and her daughter。 It’s what any good mother would do。 Right？This is Alice Hunter’s debut novel and it certainly bodes well for her future writing career。The characters and settings are believable， well formed， and beautifully described。 I live in a village myself， and the ‘yummy mummies’ wouldn’t be out of place outside our village school。I did get an inkling that there was more to Beth’s story than we are first lead to believe quite early on in my reading。 But， try though I did， I didn’t quite guess the secret she was hiding。 So， well done to the author for keeping that hidden amongst all the twists and turns of this very enjoyable murder mystery！ 。。。more
Laura Kinsella
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Surprise endingI enjoyed this story more so than I thought I would。 It kept me up at night wanting to always read one more chapter。 Definitely didn’t expect the ending。
Nia Ireland
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Ever wanted to read about the investigation of a serial killer’s crimes from the spouse’s perspective？ Look no further！Beth’s husband is investigated for the disappearance of his ex-girlfriend， the police don't immediately have enough to pin it on him but things are not looking good。 While he faces the police， Beth has to stand trial in the court of public opinion and try to protect her three year old daughter from their hate and the truth of her daddy’s crimes。 Living in a small village means s Ever wanted to read about the investigation of a serial killer’s crimes from the spouse’s perspective？ Look no further！Beth’s husband is investigated for the disappearance of his ex-girlfriend， the police don't immediately have enough to pin it on him but things are not looking good。 While he faces the police， Beth has to stand trial in the court of public opinion and try to protect her three year old daughter from their hate and the truth of her daddy’s crimes。 Living in a small village means she has both the benefit of support from some of her neighbours and also the bite of local gossip， trying to keep her small business running while all this is going on proves to be a challenge and only adds more stress to an already stressful time。The lies between Tom and Beth are gradually unravelled as the investigation progresses and we find out exactly how much Beth knew about her husband’s past misdeeds - the suspense is well drawn out and unpredictable， right up to the very end。 This book is more psychologically interesting than action packed or gory， which is to its credit - it kept me hooked on secrets alone！ 。。。more
Soozee
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Beth's husband is late home from work。 And then the police appear and take him away for questioning about a missing girl。 Her perfect life - husband， child， business - all start to unravel as it seems the man she married is not who she thought he was。 But there is more to the tale than first appears。 Is Tom guilty as charged， or is he being set up？This is an entertaining read， and the reader keeps thinking they know what is happening， then the plot takes another twist。 Although I wasn't particul Beth's husband is late home from work。 And then the police appear and take him away for questioning about a missing girl。 Her perfect life - husband， child， business - all start to unravel as it seems the man she married is not who she thought he was。 But there is more to the tale than first appears。 Is Tom guilty as charged， or is he being set up？This is an entertaining read， and the reader keeps thinking they know what is happening， then the plot takes another twist。 Although I wasn't particularly surprised by the final ending。Some of the characters are a little one-dimensional， and some of the events a little unbelievable - like how Adam so readily inveigles himself into Beth's life， and Beth's reactions when the press hound her and she becomes notorious in the village - but overall it makes for a fun read that keeps you guessing。Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
kellie
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This book is well written with POV from both characters， which gave the story a strong timeline which was easy to follow。 The story was interesting but the character were unlikable。 I found it hard to keep going for this reason but did enjoy the plot。
kathleen bell
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Unfortunately this was a fast read， over too soonThe story was told in such a way that the ending was predictable， wrong。 This is a must read and oh so entertaining。
Bethea
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Beth's life is upended when the police come to her house one night to take her husband in for questioning in connection to a suspected murder。 When he is finally arrested and awaiting trial， there are whispers among the people in town that she must have known her husband was a killer。 Beth is struggling to cope with caring for their 3 year old daughter Poppy， and running her business。 Is he guilty？ Is he innocent？ No matter the verdict， Beth knows that her life will never be the same。Thank you t Beth's life is upended when the police come to her house one night to take her husband in for questioning in connection to a suspected murder。 When he is finally arrested and awaiting trial， there are whispers among the people in town that she must have known her husband was a killer。 Beth is struggling to cope with caring for their 3 year old daughter Poppy， and running her business。 Is he guilty？ Is he innocent？ No matter the verdict， Beth knows that her life will never be the same。Thank you to #NetGalley for an ARC of #TheSerialKiller'sWife by #AliceHunter 。 This novel has a lot of good twists however， I felt that they were presented in a way that wasn't shocking。 Enough had been built up prior to the reveals that I wasn't surprised by anything。 The ending was a bit far-fetched， but I like where the author was trying to go with it。 The overall story line was interesting and I enjoyed the book。 3 stars 。。。more
Bridget
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The Serial Killer's Wife is an addictive domestic thriller， written by Alice Hunter。 Beth and Tom Hardcastle live in a gorgeous house with their lovely daughter， Poppy。 One day， Beth is reading to Poppy when there is a knock on the Hardcastle's front door。 Assuming it's Tom late home from work Poppy answers the door but finds two police officers standing there who introduce themselves as Detective Inspector Manning from the Metropolitan Police and his colleague from Thames Valley， Detective Ser The Serial Killer's Wife is an addictive domestic thriller， written by Alice Hunter。 Beth and Tom Hardcastle live in a gorgeous house with their lovely daughter， Poppy。 One day， Beth is reading to Poppy when there is a knock on the Hardcastle's front door。 Assuming it's Tom late home from work Poppy answers the door but finds two police officers standing there who introduce themselves as Detective Inspector Manning from the Metropolitan Police and his colleague from Thames Valley， Detective Sergeant Walters。 They are looking to speak to Tom and insist on waiting。 Tom， an investment banker， eventually arrives home and they inform him that they think he may be able to assist them with a murder inquiry。 The following day Tom is arrested for being involved in the disappearance and probable murder of his ex-girlfriend Katie Williams eight years ago。 Largely told from Beth’s perspective， the reader follows along as Beth's life crumbles around her。 The police are suspicious of Beth’s naivety and others question why she was not aware of Tom’s murderous behaviour。 Beth and Tom’s story is one of toxic love and obsession – it’s sinister， twisted， and terrifyingly plausible。 It’s a totally compulsive read right up to the final words。 With its spot-on pacing， I couldn't get enough of the mind-boggling twists。 Very highly recommended and extremely worthwhile。I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Avon Books via NetGalley。 This review is my own unbiased opinion。 。。。more
Cara Bristol
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Beth lives the seemingly perfect life: she has a happy marriage， a bright young daughter， a thriving new business， and a lovely cottage in a quiet village—until the night there’s a knock on the door。 She thinks it’s her husband who forgot his key—but it’s the police who tell her husband has been implicated in the murder of a woman he’d dated years ago。 It’s the beginning of the end of Beth’s happy life as more and more details come out—not only about her husband， but also about Beth herself。 How Beth lives the seemingly perfect life: she has a happy marriage， a bright young daughter， a thriving new business， and a lovely cottage in a quiet village—until the night there’s a knock on the door。 She thinks it’s her husband who forgot his key—but it’s the police who tell her husband has been implicated in the murder of a woman he’d dated years ago。 It’s the beginning of the end of Beth’s happy life as more and more details come out—not only about her husband， but also about Beth herself。 How much did she know， when did she know it， and why didn’t she tell anyone？This is a twisting tale of psychological suspense。 The title promised a good read， and the book lived up to my expectations。 I did not see the twist coming at the end， but it made sense given my impression that Beth acted a little “off” from how a normal person would act upon learning her husband might be a serial killer。Highly recommend！ 。。。more
Lyn Sherratt
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This was a thrilling read。 I thoroughly enjoyed this book from beginning to end。 The ending was a total suprise。 A must read。
Heather Erickson
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I had mixed feelings about this book。 It definitely kept me turning the pages to find out what was going to happen next。 The concept for the plot was what intrigued me the most。 Can you imagine learning that your spouse is a serial killer？The problem was that some of the twists in the plot sort of ruined it for me。 I won't say what they are， because I don't want to include any spoilers in my review， but I found some of the motivations of the characters to ring hollow。 I have to say that lately t I had mixed feelings about this book。 It definitely kept me turning the pages to find out what was going to happen next。 The concept for the plot was what intrigued me the most。 Can you imagine learning that your spouse is a serial killer？The problem was that some of the twists in the plot sort of ruined it for me。 I won't say what they are， because I don't want to include any spoilers in my review， but I found some of the motivations of the characters to ring hollow。 I have to say that lately there has been a rash of books that have the female protagonist doing everything for the sake of their child （extreme unconscionable things）。 This just doesn't fit with reality。The Serial Killer's Wife was certainly interesting and it was a page-turner。 If you tend to need your books to be somewhat believable， you may want to give this a pass。 But， if you are just looking for an entertaining read and can suspend belief for the sake of it， give the book a shot。 One last thing。 I suspect this is the first book in a series due to the way it was ended。 Still， it can stand on its own。Thank you to NetGalley and to Avon Books for allowing me to have a free advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Hazel
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Reading Stuff 'n' ThingsThis isn't your usual 'serial killer' story; there isn't the plethora of bodies or frightening scenes of murder and mayhem but what it is is a surprisingly enthralling story that builds in tension and ends in an extremely， but strangely， satisfying way。Alice Hunter has created a story that focusses on the wife of the suspected killer and I quickly became engrossed in her inner turmoil as to whether her husband was innocent or guilty， how she coped with the press intrusion Reading Stuff 'n' ThingsThis isn't your usual 'serial killer' story; there isn't the plethora of bodies or frightening scenes of murder and mayhem but what it is is a surprisingly enthralling story that builds in tension and ends in an extremely， but strangely， satisfying way。Alice Hunter has created a story that focusses on the wife of the suspected killer and I quickly became engrossed in her inner turmoil as to whether her husband was innocent or guilty， how she coped with the press intrusion， the fingers of suspicion pointing at her （surely she should have known or suspected something？） all whilst trying to look after her young daughter， Poppy， and run a business。The short chapters helped the story to move quickly along and you soon find yourself passing a few hours before you know it。 The setting of a small village added to the claustrophobic feel to Beth's situation。 There are twists along the way and although I guessed most of them， I enjoyed watching how it played out and developed。All in all， a pretty good book and an author I will look out for in the future。Thank you must go to Avon Books UK and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest， unbiased and unedited review。 。。。more
Bookworm Extraordinaire
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⭐⭐⭐⭐ -- That twist！ 🙌🏻Sometimes I can't think of a lot to say about a book other than I really enjoyed it。 🤷🏻♀️ It was well written。 Well paced。 Had plenty of twists and turns。 None of the characters were particularly likable， but that worked in the story's context。 And that ending！ Did not see that coming， so kudos to the author for catching me off guard。 🙌🏻**ARC Via NetGalley** ⭐⭐⭐⭐ -- That twist！ 🙌🏻Sometimes I can't think of a lot to say about a book other than I really enjoyed it。 🤷🏻♀️ It was well written。 Well paced。 Had plenty of twists and turns。 None of the characters were particularly likable， but that worked in the story's context。 And that ending！ Did not see that coming， so kudos to the author for catching me off guard。 🙌🏻**ARC Via NetGalley** 。。。more
Angie Greenlees
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So disappointed with this book。 After seeing some of the reviews raving about it I was expecting to find a brilliant debut， unfortunately it was just so slow up until the last few chapters。 And it wasn't worth it。 Sorry Alice Hunter 😞 So disappointed with this book。 After seeing some of the reviews raving about it I was expecting to find a brilliant debut， unfortunately it was just so slow up until the last few chapters。 And it wasn't worth it。 Sorry Alice Hunter 😞 。。。more
Bobbi Wagner
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I enjoyed this suspenseful thriller。 This is a well written story where the characters bring the story to life。 It pulled me in from the beginning and it kept me turning pages to the end。 This is a great story about a husband and wife who might take til death do us part literally。 Beth life is turned upside down in one night when the police show up and her husband is not home yet。 Now life and things in her life as she knows it may or maynot be as she thinks。 The characters are connectable and m I enjoyed this suspenseful thriller。 This is a well written story where the characters bring the story to life。 It pulled me in from the beginning and it kept me turning pages to the end。 This is a great story about a husband and wife who might take til death do us part literally。 Beth life is turned upside down in one night when the police show up and her husband is not home yet。 Now life and things in her life as she knows it may or maynot be as she thinks。 The characters are connectable and made the story entertaining to read。 This is a fast paced story that kept me turning pages to the end。 I highly recommend this book。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Serial Killer’s Wife
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Serial Killer’s Wife&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft