The Ex-Husband by Samantha Hayes
Genre: Domestic thriller, Psychological thriller, Suspense
Read: 26th June 2022
Audio Links:
Published: 28th June 2022
★★★★★ 5 stars
DESCRIPTION:
You thought you were safe. Until he moved in next door…
I haven’t lived here long. The house is small and a little rundown, but each piece of faded floral wallpaper I peel away feels like unwrapping the second chance I never thought I’d get. I’m finally free to wear what I want, and I don’t flinch when I accidentally burn dinner. My new home is warm, and the kids are safe inside. Anywhere would feel idyllic after the nightmare marriage I’ve just escaped.
But then I see my ex-husband Craig stroll past my window and let himself into the house next door. Fear chokes me. How did he find me? Does he want me back, or to destroy me for good?
As the removals van pulls away, Craig tells me it’s just a coincidence, that we can all get along and be good neighbours. But at night I lie awake listening to the sound of laughter and lovemaking through the thin wall that separates us, wondering if his new girlfriend is safe. And in the morning, I rifle through his trash, trying to guess his next move. I know how crazy I look, but I’d do anything to protect my children.
Weeks later, when the night air fills with smoke, and this quiet street dances with blue and red flashing police lights, all the secrets behind our two closed doors will be revealed. But after everything that’s happened, will anyone believe I’m innocent?
An absolutely unputdownable psychological thriller from an Amazon No1. bestseller that will keep you turning pages long into the night. Fans of The Wife Between Us, The Family Upstairs and The Girl on the Train will be totally hooked!
MY THOUGHTS:
I am excited to be taking part in the #BooksOnTour #BlogTour for Samantha Hayes' chilling thriller THE EX-HUSBAND.
OMG!! This book literally made my blood boil! If ever there was ever a character to get under your skin it's Craig. I hated him with every fibre of my being that I could have murdered him myself. And as a domestic abuse survivor THE EX-HUSBAND hit very close to home in many ways that I found it uncomfortable at times - closer to home than many other thrillers featuring domestic abuse.
Leah Ward is finally free and has found the house of her dreams. Well, it will be once she has given it a good coat of paint and established her vegetable garden and hen house. It's the perfect place for her and the children - Zoey (14) and Henry (7) - to make a fresh start after her somewhat drawn out and acrimonious divorce.
But their joy is to be short-lived.
Leah notices moving vans pulling up next door and a well-dressed woman directing furniture and boxes into place. They have new neighbours in the Old Vicarage next door, a much larger grander house that shares a wall with her own, once known as the Wash House. She meets Gillian who is effervescent and friendly and can't wait until her partner "Rexie" returns from his business trip so they could enjoy neighbourly get-togethers.
But nothing prepares Leah for who she sees walking into the house, Gillian having invited her and boyfriend Gabe over for cocktails. No...it can't be. But it is. Craig, her ex-husband, is Gillian's partner and Leah's new neighbour. Could things get any worse? It appears they can.
But Leah knows Craig. She knows he is up to something. This cannot be a coincidence. Craig leaves nothing to chance. He plans everything.
And so the battle lines are drawn in a messy case of he said/she said; he's controlling, manipulative and abusive, no she's crazy and psychotic. Who do you believe? And Craig is loving the havoc he is creating, the distress he is causing Leah, isolating her from her friends with carefully planned lies and even her children, to petty misdemeanours that really do make her sound crazy. He takes every opportunity he can to annoy her, belittle her, scare her and gaslight her as well as all the other little manipulative tricks he employs. Such was the manipulation, the abuse, the accusations...it was actually quite distressing to read and at times I found it incredibly uncomfortable.
But never fear, for Samantha Hayes has some surprises in store with a few twists that will leave you wondering what the hell just happened. To be honest, I predicted most of the twists to come (including the one towards the end) but that doesn't spoil the story for me if it is well-written and intriguing as THE EX-HUSBAND is. Just about all the main players have secrets which will undoubtedly come out in the wash (pun intended), but none more than Craig Forbes. The man is a vile character but an excellent villain.
And then things come to a head when a body is found in a bonfire and all the secrets begin to unravel. But I was dying to know who the body was. I wanted it to be Craig so much...but that would be too easy, wouldn't it?
And Leah. Oh goodness, she made some stupid choices under pressure but it was understandable under the circumstances. Still...she did herself no favours and played right into creepy Craig's hands. And there was no way at all that he was ever going to be likeable. Not. A. Chance. IN. HELL.
I have read several thrillers by Samantha Hayes and most of them are intricately slow burns but I stick with them because I know they are worth it in the end. THE EX-HUSBAND, however, began with a steady pace that only increased as the story unfolded and, as uncomfortable as I found the "closer to home abuse", this has to be her best thriller yet. I literally read it in one sitting and I am sitting here at 3.30am writing my review while it is all still fresh in my mind, having started the book when I climbed into bed around 9pm and finishing it just under six hours later.
THE EX-HUSBAND is a well-written domestic and psychological thriller that was gripping from very first page right up until the last. It is absolutely brilliant - every manipulative moment of it. It really is a book that gets under your skin by way of the most abhorrent villain in Craig.
WOW! Just wow...is all I have right now. As I closed my kindle I was speechless. THE EX-HUSBAND is dark, disturbing and chilling and so damn twisted. And Samantha Hayes' best yet.
I would like to thank #SamanthaHayes, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheExHusband in exchange for an honest review.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
When not writing, Samantha loves to cook, go to the gym, see friends and drink nice wine. She is also studying for a degree in psychotherapy. She has three grown-up children and lives in Warwickshire.
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