My Lovely Wife

At times this book was completely shocking! It was hard for me to wrap my head around two people being able to accomplish what the two main characters in this book did. At times I couldn’t believe someone could think that way. I figured out the big twist early on, but still had to continue reading to see how it would unfold. Not as good as some books I’ve read this year, but still a good solid four star read.

good dark humor characters were likable

Even though I was able to predict this book, I enjoyed it immensely and didn’t want it to be finished. Had really great characters and a great storyline.

I picked up My Lovely Wife on a WHSmiths bookshelf in an airport, about to jet off for a week in the sun. Usually, a book takes me a couple of weeks, but on holiday and with more time, I’ll fly through a healthy-sized story in a few days. My Lovely Wife was one such novel and kept me pleasantly hooked until the end.

It’s the sort of story which leads you into a false sense of security and makes you believe that you know exactly where things are leading. But if you do fall into that trap, as I did, you will be genuinely shocked by the book’s superb twists. It’s a fast-paced page-turner with solid characters and somewhat of a unique plot.

The only reason for the lack of the 5th star is that the book finishes rather suddenly and attempts to tie up a handful of loose ends in a couple of pages. I believe that the book would have benefitted greatly from a couple more short chapters to wrap things up a little neater. But I am grasping at straws with that.

All-in-all, I recommend this as a fast and fun read with great twists.

The story was well written. The narration was spot on. I can’t think of anything bad to say about this book. The ending was awesome. Totally didn’t see that twist.

This is one titillating twisted tale that kept me on the edge of my seat in sweet anticipation of what laid next. I am both shocked and sadden that this is the debut novel by the author, I am in awe over the level of skill the author shows through her plot and character development and sadden that there are not a ton more books for me to devour by the author.

I really enjoyed this book it had a lot of twists that kept you guessing where it was going. I would definitely recommend this book.

A riveting novel, My Lovely Wife keeps the reader engaged from page one. Downing has created complex, twisted characters who simultaneously fascinate and repulse. They are so well drawn that as a reader it’s difficult not to (at least sort of) root for them despite their obviously depraved behavior and world view.

The book is well-paced and perfectly plotted. Never a dull moment, never a time when I couldn’t wait to find out what the next twist would be. And there always was one. Or several. I can’t wait for more from this author!

My Lovely Wife, the debut novel from Samantha Downing, is uniquely compelling exploration of a marital relationship.

By all outward appearances, they seem perfectly average. A normal family unit. The story is told by the husband, a tennis instructor at a country club. He and his striking wife, Millicent, have been married for 15 years. She is a realtor and they have two children, Rory 14, and Jenna, 13. They support their children’s school and sports activities, and have the occasional dinner with their friends, including his best friend, Andy Preston, and his wife, Trista, who takes tennis lessons at the club. But they are anything but normal, especially on “date night.”

Downing weaves a tale about dark compulsions and the consequences of acting upon them. As the story opens, the body of a murdered young woman, Lindsay, has been found and the case is dominating the headlines. The news is shocking for several reasons. The body was never supposed to be found. But, more importantly, Lindsay supposedly died more than a year ago. Yet it is being reported that she was only dead for a few weeks before her body was discovered. That raises a plethora of questions about what has actually been going on for more than a year. And provides the first inkling that perhaps Millicent may not be trustworthy.

So begins a game of cat and mouse in which the stakes could not be higher. Eighteen years ago, Owen allegedly murdered nine women. But he was released from custody because the police failed to have the warrant signed by a judge before collecting critical evidence — a DNA sample. He disappeared, but became known as the “local monster, boogeyman, serial killer. Eventually he became a myth, too large for life.” So they set in motion a plan to make the public and police believe that Owen Riley, the Woodview Killer, has returned. It seems like the perfect distraction until it all goes wrong.

As the search for the killer proceeds, Downing ramps up the pace of the story. They failed to anticipate the ramifications of their subterfuge, and the fallout from their scheme is swift, far-reaching, and devastating. No one in their lives remains unscathed.

The unnamed narrator is wholly unreliable. Downing keeps readers guessing whether he is a loving husband who has been pulled into the dark psyche of his wife and goes along with her behavior for the sake of the marriage and children or if his nature is as malignant as Millicent’s. Which of them is the true mastermind behind their actions? Downing injects shocking plot twists and revelations, and an action-packed race to a jaw-dropping conclusion.

Downing invokes extreme emotional reactions from readers. She deftly includes comedic moments, providing momentary relief from the story’s unrelenting tension, but just as cleverly breaks readers’ hearts. My Lovely Wife is a clever, inventive, and engrossing character study from a promising new writer of psychological thrillers.

Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader’s Copy of the book.

It kept me reading and the ending had me hard to go to sleep, as I kept thinking about it. Samantha Downing wrote a super thriller.