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Marion C. (Peabody, MA)
My Lovely Wife
When I chose to read My Lovely Wife, I knew dynamic love would develop but not this particular kind of strange love. Initially, I almost put the book down, not wanting to read a whole novel with these actions, but the prose is good, the characters are likable and the story moved fast. The end came. The final scene is unbelievable and almost comical. You will not be able to put down My Lovely Wife if you like dark mysteries. I recommend this debut novel.
Jeanne W. (Colorado Springs, CO)
Mixed Review
It's hard to rate a story about a married pair of serial killers. If I say I liked it, what does that say about me? It was well-written and a fast read; the twists and turns just keep coming. But the idea of this couple picking out young women to capture, torture and kill while raising two young teenagers was repellent. Millicent and her husband (the unnamed narrator) live nice upper-middle class lives in a wealthy Florida suburb. She's a realtor and he's a tennis coach at the club so they have very flexible schedules. This allows plenty of time for their other ventures. But, of course, it can't go on forever
…more and when a body is found the couple must scramble to cover their tracks. The effect this has on their family is both expected and unexpected. And the final twist at the end really makes you wonder..... (less)It's a brisk page turner with some nice twists. The frustrating aspect of the book is that the narrator is not particularly realistic. He's supposedly smart yet he is both excited about murder but is deeply concerned about the impact of frightening, local murders on his kids' psychological well-being. This did not make much sense to me.
I wish the publisher hadn't referenced Mr & Mrs Smith on the book back as that reference gives too much away.
Portia A. (Monroe Township, NJ)
Hard to put down
Full of surprises, twists and turns, this is a page turner.
Do read it. I don't want to say more; it might give too much away.
Pam L. (Melbourne Beach, FL)
Paper cuts
Really a 4.5 star review. Chilling, compelling, keep you guessing. Samantha Downing's novel My Lovely Wife starts out intriguing, who is this man? His wife Millicent, chilling. Then the story simmers, leading into a runaway train ending that is unputdownable. Who is the evil one? What would you do to keep your marriage exciting? Exciting, creepy, haunting. An extraordinary page turner. Just clicks along. Set aside a day to just read it.
Bev C. (Latrobe, PA)
My Lovely Wife
MY LOVELY WIFE
"Our love story is simple...
We look like a normal couple...
We all have our secrets to keep a marriage alive...
Ours just happens to be getting away with murder" (book jacket)
This stand alone thriller is a debut novel. One moment is total family normalcy and the next is borderline bizarre. Aberrations intensify and becomes the prominent thread. If you carefully observe Millicent and her husband and their behaviors, you'll probably reach conclusions earlier than I did.
It is intense and convoluted and although I have seen this type of ending before, it suited the story well.
Maxine D Chicago
Did not find the Characters believable nor likable
I basically did not enjoy this book. I marked average instead of poor because I found the book easy to read. Not very original. The story and characters are unrealistic and the story and subject matter are not to my liking. I would not recommend this book to most people.
Rebecca H. (Bolton, CT)
My Lovely Wife
Dysfunctional doesn't begin to describe the marriage and family relationships of the two main characters in this novel. Harlan Coben and Meg Gardiner both apparently liked this dark psychological thriller, and I read it with high expectations. It is well written, suspenseful and twisty. However, none of the characters is remotely sympathetic. I don't mind characters with flaws--in fact, they aren't interesting or believable without them--but if I can't find anything to like in them, why should I care what happens to them? A reader has to have at least one character to root for!
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