Book Summary and Reviews of My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing

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Elizabeth of Silver's Reviews

Unbelievable - Elizabeth of Silver's Reviews
A Lovely Wife is definitely a misnomer. A demented psycho is more like it.

Everything Millicent does seems innocent on the outside, but it is truly evil. She plans things that will benefit her and only her with her family being at the brunt of the control issues she has. Millicent is definitely a character to hate.

One day after a number of years of marriage, she had the most bizarre plan. Her husband who was never given a name in the book did what he did to keep Millicent pleased most likely because he was afraid of his wife.

MY LOVELY WIFE is unbelievable, but Ms. Downing does an excellent job of keeping you engaged from the first page, and the engagement doesn’t stop just like Millicent doesn't stop the murders of young women.

Ms. Downing's debut is unique and well-written, but also has a story line that is unthinkable and unimaginable.

If you enjoy a fast-paced book that takes you on a crazy ride and will have you biting your nails, then MY LOVELY WIFE will be a book you will want to take a look at.

You HAVE to read this book to believe what the characters are doing. You won't be able to turn the pages quickly enough. 5/5

This book was given to me as an ARC by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Laura E. (El Cajon, CA)

A true page turner!
Clever, different, interesting and frightening all wrapped up in one engrossing tale. This book's twists and turns kept me intrigued and disturbed at the same time. It takes the reader to some dark places and makes one stop and wonder how a normal looking (to the outside world) middle-class marriage can be so dysfunctional and messed up. What a tale! I think this would be a good one for Book Clubs and also anyone looking for a well written page turner. I was also fascinated that the book was written by a woman. It was pitch perfect told in the words of the main character, the husband. Samantha Downing, outstanding job!

George M. (Antioch, CA)

Ozzie & Harriet, With a Twist
My Lovely Wife is a great lesson in the Law of Unintended Consequences. I mean, you take a middle class couple with two adolescent kids who have added an odd extracurricular activity to their family dynamic and you have a recipe for an exciting and gripping and very surprising result. It definitely pays to pay close attention to the story and stick to it til the mind-blowing end. Samantha Downing has really given us a tale that we will find enthralling and exciting and breathless. Read this book and prepare for a great experience

Vicky R. (Roswell, GA)

Twists and turns
This is my kind of book! Totally off the beaten path and full of twists....thrillers are a trending genre right now and it's difficult to find unique story lines. This one is somewhat unbelievable however it's a fun read and I couldn't wait to see how it ended.

Darcy C. (San Diego, CA)

So Much Fun To Kill !
This book was such a pleasurable ROMP! A mystery quickly devoured and completely engaging! The story had me thinking of the mystery in my non-reading time. To me, this is the mark of an engaging read. Downing's story is not an in-depth dive into a killer's psyche. The family is not fleshed-out, yet this didn't detract from this tightly-wound murder mystery. It's entertaining and had beautifully dark overtones. The husband was emasculated by his controlling wife and I would have like this more explored. I felt this to be a story weakness.

The book's premise of a bored suburban couple spicing up the pabulum of their marital life with murder – here and there. This was a great hook and this same hook kept me on the author's fishing pole throughout its entirety. Not every mystery has to be Capote's "In Cold Blood" and that's the space where this novel shines. I hope you will be gripped by the snappy dialog, the wry social observations and surprised by who ends up dead. Lastly, there are some dynamite plot twists that utterly thrilled me. Get this book, you'll have a great romp!

JW Davis, CA

Who is the psychopath?
This story is GOOD. Haven't enjoyed a mystery/thriller as much as this in a very long time. Just when the reader thinks they know it all - they don't! It is creepy and disturbing but so well constructed that one cannot put it down. The characters are believable and clever and their deeds fit their personas.

Samantha Downing has a great future ahead of her if she can turn out more stories like this one. I look forward to that future.

...35 more reader reviews

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