My Lovely Wife: The gripping Richard & Judy thriller that will give you chills this winter Paperback – 24 Sept. 2019

Quite possibly the most fun I have had with a psychological thriller since the guilty pleasure of The Kind Worth Killing and, in common with that novel, Samantha Downing’s debut benefits from strong characterisation, a brisk pace and some outlandish twists. With an unnamed male narrator and some masterful plotting taking the novel to some dark and heinous places, My Lovely Wife certainly lives up to the compulsive page-turner definition.In Woodview, Florida our thirty-nine-year-old narrator coaches tennis at the local club whilst his wife of fifteen years, Millicent, is a realtor. As parents to fifteen-year-old Rory and thirteen-year-old Jenna their family life is typically suburban and although they are financially comfortable they aspire to the wealthy inner sanctum of their leafy neighbourhood. Whilst Millicent might be a little controlling and OCD about rules and her husband might be a soft touch the pair also have a very novel way of spicing up their life, with a sideline in murder and torture. After starting so innocuously with a little self-defence it has since turned into a devious game of cat and mouse, selective omissions, deceptions and outright lies in a bid to impress each other!The novel opens with the breaking news of a recent corpse having been found in an abandoned motel and as details start to emerge it appears that the victim, a young woman by the name of Lindsay, was held captive for a year prior to being strangled. This is news to our narrator because as far as he was aware although his wife killed Lindsay she also dumped her body in a swamp, to say nothing of the multiple torture wounds she also failed to mention inflicting. However Millicent is a planner and he would trust her with his life and doesn’t doubt this she has everything under control. So when she reveals that Lindsay was just the first part of an audacious plan to re-enact the original crimes of Owen Oliver Riley, a notorious serial killer of their youth, it smacks of her trademark ingenuity. With Millicent having laid the groundwork for a spate of murders with a ready-made killer already on the police radar neither of the couple are quite prepared for the pervasive media coverage which necessitates ever more elaborate ruses to conceal their work, or the effects on their cynical son and terrified daughter. But with the murders threatening to destroy their harmonious family life, can they really bow out scot-free and keep their marriage alive?The narration sets the tone brilliantly with our male narrator, despite being complicit in some despicable acts, relatively unassuming and naive in comparison to his cool headed wife. Whilst I shouldn’t have cared about either partner in this marriage of serial killers I found myself invested all the way as our narrator is forced to confront the horrifying extent of his wife’s psychopathic nature. Entertaining, well-worked and underpinned by two compelling protagonists. An out-and-out infectious and edgy dark thriller.

Actual Rating: 4.5’That’s why I asked about her favourite things.I should have asked about Holly.If I had to pick just one word to describe Samantha Downing’s books then it would have to be propulsive. Within moments of starting her novels I always find myself utterly hooked on them, the idea of putting them down simply incomprehensible. Her thrillers always succeed in leaving me utterly addicted and it’s pretty safe to say that she’s easily one of my favourite authors of the genre.Throughout ’My Lovely Wife’ there’s lots of twists, turns and dark details yet for me the standout feature of this novel – and the authors others – is just how downright compelling her characters are. In every novel that she’s written Samantha Downing manages to create the most fascinating – and often disturbing – individuals that you can’t help but hunger to know more about. Are they likeable people? Generally no but that doesn’t stop you from wanting to learn more about them. There’s something mesmerising about the complex, tangled, multilayered characters that she crafts. They’re always impossible not to get hooked upon and their voices always leap off of the page.There was never a dull moment in this book and I constantly found myself longing to discover more. The narrative unravels mostly in the present although there are a few moments where it looks back on key moments from the past – all of which fascinated me immensely. It’s impossible not to get caught up in a narrative like this; twisted, complex, disturbing and yet utterly riveting.Honestly for the majority of this book I was convinced it was going to be another five star favourite for me. Most of it was, in fact, so I was devastated to find the ending a little bit too rushed. I can’t decide, in truth, if I’m satisfied with how everything was tied up but I do know that I’d have loved a little bit more depth and a few more answers about certain things. Villains bragging about all their dark deeds is such an overused cliché but in this case I’d almost have liked one – just to know the total sum of someone’s horrible antics. That or an additional chapter that went into the thoughts behind all of this history. The epilogue did somewhat make up for this though and is certainly the sort to play upon your mind. Unsurprisingly, really, as both of the authors other books have also done so.Altogether I absolutely recommend this book, as well as both others that the author currently has published. It’s an utterly addictive, propulsive tale with some truly compelling characters at its core. If possible avoid reading the quotes on the cover though; one of them did give a little too much away in my opinion.

If you like thrillers with a bit of darkness you will love this book and really won't want to miss it, a true page turner from the beginning and yes people always say that but for me this is a book that defines page turner. The stereo family husband and wife Millicent a boy Rory and a girl Jenna both teenagers but Mum and Dad have really bad habits but you'll discover that yourself when you read the book.. The bad news everyone is talking about is the serial killer who is killing the odd local Lady and the police and press are all focused on Owen a Psycho who was active a few years ago and seems to have returned to his old haunt and old habit. It's the topic of all the gossip and all tongues seem to be focused on Owen as well. The family we are with are hit by their daughter and her fear of being the next victim and Rory has found away to blackmail his Dad what is happening that is what I can't say as Samantha is better at telling that than I can ever be so you will have to read her thriller yourself. There are so many brilliant twists and turns you will be left blown away or rather I was, even the one I guessed still managed to throw me when it came I had a sleepless night as I could not put this thriller down and read far longer than I intended which is just how a good book should be I think. The characters are believable which given the subject matter is genius and the twist are believable as well and not far fetched like some I have read. For me this was a fantastic book and one I think you may well love also. Even the sub plots blend in well and are so natural that they definitely enhance the plot even if Faiths parents are the short you want to slap but you will need to read the book to see that and I hope you do.