What do readers think of The Secret Lives of Murderers' Wives by Elizabeth Arnott? Write your own review.

I really liked the book and it would have been finished much earlier however holidays and other events got in the way. It read in a 1950's style and when I found time to get into the book it really held my attention. The 3 main characters were all quite interesting in the author's development and description of them. I would recommend this book.

The Secret Lives of Murderer's Wives was an enjoyable read. There are certainly some twists and turns, though I think I had a small inkling about the outcome in advance. While it was difficult for me to tell the main characters apart for a bit, they are clearly distinct individuals.

Beverly, while raising kids, seems to be quite prone to wild imaginings and periods of self blame and doubt (in a way that almost made me cringe). Elsie is undervalued in her position at a newspaper, treated like a secretary. Margot works in a clothing store, just
trying to make ends meet.

They meet regularly together as friends, and then try to guess at things regarding a bunch of unconnected murders taking place nearby.

Three women who had been married to serial killers come together. They don't have anything in common except their pain. They give each other support and encouragement. But more importantly they use what they learned to help stop a local murderer. Women who have been looked down upon and ignored break free of the norms put on women in the 1960s and stand strong to catch the man before he can attack another woman. As I got to the end, I had to keep reading to see if everyone made it out alive.

Three wives of serial killers support one another in the fun and thought provoking novel. There stories unfold as yet another serial killer seems to be on the loose.
My favorite thing about this book is the way we are given insight into the lives of the women who were in the dark as to what their husbands were doing. As they look back for signs they should have seen, things they may have missed, they realize they may have insight that can help find the culprit.

The balance between the mystery/detective work and the women's' stories is perfect.
Despite the heavy subject matter the book reads quickly and is almost impossible to put down! Somehow the author kept it light enough not to be too disturbing. The writing is excellent, way more than the usual detective novels. Looking forward to reading more from this author!!

I loved this book! A character driven book about three women who develop a friendship through the bonds of their husbands being serial killers. I loved the 1960 time period and the California setting. The three women, Beverley,Margot and Elsie are all great characters and tough women. The pace was fast and it took me until almost the end to figure out who the bad guy was.

I highly recommend this book.

Delivers on its premise: three women, each unknowingly married to a convicted killer, find each other in the wreckage and decide to put their hard-won expertise to use. Beverley, Elsie, and Margot are distinct enough to avoid feeling like variations on the same archetype, and their friendship has an earned, slightly barbed warmth. What unites them runs deeper than shared circumstance — each carries a sense of obligation to victims already lost and those who might still be saved.

Arnott keeps the focus where it belongs: not on the killers, but on the lives permanently altered in their wake, and the 1966 California setting grounds the mystery in a world that already treats these women as suspects. While the details of the murders are too graphic to qualify the novel as cozy murder mystery, I'd call it cozy-adjacent.

There are some slow points, and readers like me who guess the culprit early may find the ending deflating. But the journey holds. A compelling, twisty, imperfect read. 3.5 stars

Thanks to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for an opportunity to read and share my opinion of this book.

This is a character driven story about three women, Beverly, Margot and Elsie, all ex-wives of murderers. Each has forged a new life since their husbands' convictions but it's hard to live in the shadows with past hanging around. So each decides to be a bit unconventional: Margot finds a young lover, Elsie emerges her in her reporting job, and Beverly has an affair.

When a series of murders of young girls start to begin, the women, now friends, believe with they know about murder from observing their husbands, so decide they can find the killer since the police investigation seems to be going no where. In the process we learn about each of these women and their husbands while picking up clues and sharing with the police. Can these women actually crack the case? I enjoyed the book's premise and the characters. This is a story about women and friendship and how this friendship can help in healing trauma. As each woman experiences something upsetting while investigating, the others were there to support them. I found the murders themselves were not as interesting as the friendship, though there were lots of red herrings along the way, and I admit at the end when it looked like the women could be into something, I was on the edge of my seat to know the ending.

Not five stars but certainly worth the read. I enjoyed it a lot.

This was a very different way of presenting a murder mystery, as three wives of serial killers try to solve murders that appear to be the work of a serial killer. I did not feel that the character development worked well in the beginning of the book, but by the end, each character played out her role to help solve the puzzle of who was committing the murders. The last quarter of the book was a page turner that made the shortcomings of the earlier chapters worth working through.