I picked this book up from my library in work (okay, it is just a cardboard box full of books, but it still manages to excite me). I’ve already nearly broken one of my golden rules for this challenge – not to review any massively successful books. My Lovely Wife wasn’t a monumentally successful book, but it was undoubtedly a hit. In my defense, I wasn’t aware until I’d finished reading the book!
My Lovely Wife is told through the the POV of the husband (we never actually learn his real name, which was a clever touch). Naturally, his wife, Millicent, isn’t lovely at all – she is a sociopath, and a serial killer. What made this POV fascinating is that they worked as a team – the story is told through the viewpoint of a killer.
As a writer, what inspired me? The concept excited me, for starters. And Samantha delivered the dripping tap effect perfectly. The characters drew me in, because they were real people with lives and problems and children, just like me and (most likely) you. I loved the copycat story (believe me, it was cleverly delivered). And the abandoned hotel and the abandoned church sent a shiver down my body.
Undoubtedly, Samantha is a great writer, and this is a thrilling book. I intended getting an early night, but instead I stayed up until the early hours of the morning, devouring the pages, because I just HAD to discover what happened in the end. What better recommendation is there than that?
I’m conflicted by a few things, though. I couldn’t understand the husband’s motive, and without a strong motive, it falls apart. Sure, the first murder was an accident, and he had no involvement in the second; but this was a catalyst for a killing spree. On the one hand he was a devoted husband who cared dearly for his teenage children, but on the other hand he showed barely any remorse for the innocent lives he’d taken. It was indicated that the motive was excitement, or his pure infatuation towards his sadistic wife, but this didn’t explain his lack of guilt.
Additionally, I have no idea how he wasn’t convicted as an accomplice to the crimes. And so, I would have either tweaked the plot or changed the ending. Nevertheless, the book gave me plenty to think about!