My Lovely Wife
by
Samantha Downing
In this debut thriller/dark humor novel, a picture-perfect marriage has shocking secrets beneath its shiny facade. To outsiders, Millicent and her husband have the perfect life. They live with their two teenagers in Hidden Oaks, the good part of Woodview, Florida. She sells real estate and her husband teaches tennis at the country club. They have friends. They go to work. Their kids play sports. And they are loyal to their traditions: family dinners, movie night, a standing lunch date after Saturday soccer, and guaranteed ice cream after a trip to the dentist. But Millicent and her husband play a secret deadly game. And when the stakes and pressure rise, they take greater risks to keep their secret hidden, until the dynamics of their marriage betray them.
Narrated by the husband, we learn the couple’s backstory, how they met and fell in love, and their early years as young parents. We also learn about their disturbing second life and how it fuels their marriage. When they change course, their actions begin to affect their children and the people in town. Soon, the husband reveals his own secrets and we see the trust between them erode.
Sandwiched between Millicent and her husband’s schemes are the daily activities of a normal American family and the typical problems that arise for working parents, moody adolescents and the ever-growing presence of social media and the news media. Similar in mood to shows like You, Dexter and Ozark, the characters’ mundane problems in My Lovely Wife offer comic relief to stories in which people lead secret lives which would be too dark by themselves.
Despite the obvious creepiness and some disturbing violence, I liked My Lovely Wife. While its main characters are mostly despicable, the husband reveals a glimmer of conscience, something interesting to think about. Readers who search for at least one likable character will find a couple in the side characters. Several entertaining twists, including a big reveal in the final pages will force the reader to look back and decide who is bad, who is worse, who is a little of both and what the future holds.
I recommend My Lovely Wife to readers who like thrillers and dark humor and I look forward to more books by Samantha Downing.
Thanks for visiting – come back soon!
Book Club Mom 
The shiny knife on the stunning cover apparently mirrors the horror within the story. I generally don’t like thrillers and dark humor, so I’ll probably pass.
Nevertheless, you are a great reviewer, Barbara!
Hi Marian – yes the cover is an accurate portrayal. Thanks for the visit and compliment, Marian!
This sounds excellent! Thanks so much for your review. I love it! X
Thanks for the review, Barbara. This sounds good, but I might need to sleep with one eye opened after reading! 🙂
Sounds interesting. Thanks for the suggestion. I’m beginning to grow a list of reads for my summer holidays. Cheers.
I’m so glad you ended up enjoying this one! Great review!
Good review. I don’t think it’s for me, but you are right–dark humor is something a lot of people like.
Hi, Barb – I wholeheartedly agree with Marian. Even when I book’s genre is not my thing (e.g. horror, murder), I always love your reviews. They are always a pleasure to read!
This sounds like a great read. I loved Dexter. That being said, no new books for me until I finish my 2021 challenge, but I’ll add this novel to my TBR list for whenever.
It’s a pretty fast read too!
I’ve seen people praising this author, but hadn’t read a review until now! Excellent review — it does sound like an engaging read. I don’t tend to read thrillers, but maybe I’ll keep this one in mind!
This sounds quite creepy, Barbara. I am sure that many families and individuals have secrets that others don’t know about. The face we present to the world is rarely the complete and true picture.
Yes, Robbie – this is a creepy story, but with a lot of dark humor to take the edge off. Thank you for stopping by!