Day: January 17, 2022

In the thriller The Ex-Husband, a character states, “Secrets make liars of us all.” In the case of this book (which I hope I convey accurately in this review), there really are no truer words spoken.

Secrets also make everyone paranoid. Some for good reason.

The ex-husband in question is Sam, once married to Charlotte, who is the protagonist. The story unfolds solely from her perspective. After a prologue that details when their marriage was, for all intents and purposes, over, the action proceeds in alternating “then” and “now” chapters.

It is an effective story-telling method because the reader gets to see “in real-time” how much Sam had a hand in his own failures. Let’s just say a conman is always looking for his next con, and that can be in any part of his life.

Charlotte is aware of this in the “now,” but it is easy to see where she got pulled in and how he manipulated her. I’m not going to say anymore, because it really is best to read and discover on your own.

But somebody else is aware of what Sam (and Charlotte) were up to in the past – and they mean to make her pay for it. That’s where the “cat-and-mouse” aspect of the thriller comes in.

All this setup takes some time to relate, and there were a few times I wished the author would get to the point.

After finishing the book, I realized that the long set-up was necessary to build the tension. It would not have been nearly as effective if the author had sped it up. So, yeah, what do I know?  

In effect, the author was setting up the long con for the reader as well as for Charlotte. I loved how the connections between characters were made, but the reader never really knew which ones were important, and which were coincidental.  

Come to think of it, Charlotte didn’t either. Remember that point about liars being paranoid?

Another thing I liked was how Charlotte would narrate what she was saying as true or untrue. That dwindled a bit in the later part of the book as the action took off. I wish it had been a bit more consistent later because I found it gave great insight to her character.

I’ve cruised a lot, and I know several people who have and still do work on cruise ships. Some of the things that the author mentions didn’t ring true to my knowledge. But I’m sure she did her research. Perhaps she is not referring to the bigger cruise lines? Not sure.

The section that details Charlotte’s job on a luxury yacht was especially entertaining, as I am a big fan of “Below Deck,” and I totally got that vibe. The opulence also provides a great contrast as she becomes more paranoid.

I also had a “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” feeling in a few parts. That’s all I’m going to say about it in this book review. Read it, and you’ll understand.

I very much enjoyed The Ex-Husband and would highly recommend this atmospheric, twisty thriller.

Another book review for this author: The Last Wife

Author Bio: 

Karen Hamilton spent her childhood in Angola, Zimbabwe, Belgium and Italy and worked as a flight attendant for many years. She has now put down roots in the UK to raise her three children with her husband and she also writes full time. Her books include The Perfect Girlfriend, The Last Wife, and The Ex-Husband, out January 2022.