Review of 'The Secret Lives of Murderers' Wives' - Elizabeth Arnott

What do you do when you find out your husband is not just a murderer, but a serial killer? For Beverley, Elsie and Margot, the answer is to forge a new life for themselves (and in Beverley's case, her children), but old sins cast long shadows. It is hard for the three friends to step our from those shadows and leave the past behind them. It's never easy to conceal who you are, especially when one wrong word could see your entire life, the one you have worked so hard to reconstruct, crumble around you. So, it's no wonder that each woman finds refuge in something others might deem unsuitable. For Margot, it is a younger lover, for Elsie, it is her work and for Beverley it is an affair with one of the men who arrested her husband.

Unfortunately, the past has a way of coming back to haunt you and the three friends soon find themselves caught up in a new wave of horror as a serial killer strikes, targeting women in their area. What can they do? Living with their killer husbands has given them an insight into how these men think and the women decide they are going to work together to catch this killer. But the police aren't interested in the help of amateurs and the women quickly find they are working alone.

Aside from the murder investigation plot, the main premise of this book is the friendship shared by women, particularly those with common trauma experiences. Whilst each processes their experiences in a different way, Elsie, Margot and Beverley are bound together, not only by their friendship but by a bond that unites them in a way outsiders could never hope to understand. As they unravel the clues to the killer's identity, the women are drawn closer than ever, even as their friendship is tested to its limits.

The women are smart and they work well together, but have they taken on more than they can handle? Will they succeed in bringing the killer to justice, or will their new found confidence ultimately lead to their downfall?

I loved this book and finished it almost in one sitting. It's a must read for anyone who wants to read about how strong women can be with just a little bit of support, as well as anyone who likes a good whodunnit.