I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
My Wife, The Serial Killer by H.J. Garbett Series: Standalone
on 2025 June 17
Genres: Dark Humor, Thriller
Pages: 317
Format: E-Arc
Source: Netgalley
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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…
A dark, sharp and hilarious novel about love, marriage, and murder, with an ending you won’t see coming… Gareth certainly didn’t. Perfect for fans of How to Kill Your Family, Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone and Killing Eve.
So what do we have here? Basically, we have a book that follows the life of Fran Donoghue. Ordinary. In love with her husband. Cat lover extraordinare. Assertive. Does not like having her husband bullied in the office. Some sort of a control freak. And well, an unrepentant killer who had made it her mission to make a select group of individuals unalive. That’s Fran Donoghue for you.
There’s a lot of gory details here and Fran’s detached nature after killing someone. It’s like stabbing someone to death and cleaning the bloody mess afterwards is just part of an ordinary day. While killing would always be condemnable regardless of reason, I still can’t help but support Fran in her favorite hobby. And the most sensational thing about My Wife, The Serial Killer is that Fran’s husband, Gareth, is a police detective. And boy oh boy, what an enthusiastic one. When others are willing to look the other way around because it’s just case of “missing person,” Gareth is the one rocking the boat and doing all that he can to force his boss and workmates to dig deeper into the case.
The way the story was written is darkly humorous and had me on giggles. Gareth definitely knows being a detective but is completely gullible and naïve in spotting red flags about his wife’s activities and mysterious past. Fran, on the other hand, is a complete psycho. She’s on the path of vengeance and nothing gets in her way. She truly loves her husband but does not bat an eyelash whenever she’s planning to murder someone. She’s very deadpan and if she’s not kicking Gareth’s bullies in the precinct, she’s just busy being the capable housewife and murderer.
Pacing wise, it’s kind of a here and there. There are some scenes that were boring slow and some were just paced nicely. But this is just a minor flaw for me. Honestly, the thing that really did not sit right with me in this book is that while it’s really hilarious and snappy, there’s just something wrong with Fran as a character. Like she’s really detached and even going to prison did not bother her anymore. Or that she just took it in stride when her marriage to Gareth is really hanging by a thread. And speaking of Gareth, for all his uprightness and being a dedicated detective, I was quite uncomfortable when it was so easy for him to lower his standards and forgive Fran for what she did. I mean, there should have been some kind of drama at the end, isn’t it? It almost felt like it’s a cop out ending and I’m just so disappointed about Gareth compromising his values just because he loves Fran. I know I’m spoiling you but there is just no way to explain this heartbreak without spilling the tea.
So yup, 3 stars for this baby. It was truly enjoyable and memorable but could’ve benefitted from a bit of drama at the end.