Title: My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing
Publisher: Berkley
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense
Length: 378 pages
Book Rating: B+
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley
Summary:
Dexter meets Mr. and Mrs. Smith in this wildly compulsive debut thriller about a couple whose fifteen-year marriage has finally gotten too interesting…
Our love story is simple. I met a gorgeous woman. We fell in love. We had kids. We moved to the suburbs. We told each other our biggest dreams, and our darkest secrets. And then we got bored.
We look like a normal couple. We’re your neighbors, the parents of your kid’s friend, the acquaintances you keep meaning to get dinner with.
We all have our secrets to keeping a marriage alive.
Ours just happens to be getting away with murder.
Review:
My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing is a diabolically twisted and absolutely riveting mystery.
Millicent and her unnamed husband (who is also narrates this clever story) are parents to fourteen year old Rory and thirteen year old Jenna. Living in an upscale neighborhood, she is a realtor and he is a tennis instructor at the country club. After fifteen years of marriage, the marriage has become a little stale and humdrum. However, Millicent and her hubby have come upon just the thing to liven things up: murder.
Opening with the narrator hunting for their next victim, he is shocked when their previous victim’s body has just been discovered. Even more stunning is the revelation that she was held captive and tortured before being murdered. This was not part of their plan since he and Millicent have been able to keep their, umm, hobby undetected by hiding their victim’s bodies. Well, Millicent has decided to take their murders to a whole new level without informing her husband and partner in crime.
Millicent’s deviation from their plan has very unexpected consequences for their family. Rory is unaffected as he figures out ways to keep his extracurricular activities undetected. Jenna, on the other hand, is terrified that a serial killer is on the loose. Her father begins to realize his and Millicent’s unorthodox attempt to spice up their marriage does not exist in a vacuum. He is beginning to feel a bit remorseful, but will this be enough to put an end to their murderous shenanigans?
My Lovely Wife is a wickedly devious and delightfully entertaining mystery. This intricately plotted novel is fast-paced with a surprisingly likable narrator (crazy, right?!). Millicent is the alpha in the marriage and she manages their household with an iron fist. Rory is a smart young man who has the upper hand with his father for far too long. Jenna’s fear is absolutely heartbreaking but she has a steel backbone. With fiendishly clever twists and turns, Samantha Downing brings this novel to an incredibly satisfying conclusion that is soooo chilling! I highly recommend this fiendishly warped yet oh so mesmerizing mystery to fans of the genres.