The Ex-Husband: The perfect thriller to escape with this year

by Karen Hamilton

She's safe from him, a thousand miles from harm. Or so she thought.

'Immediately gripping. Once I started I couldn't stop' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ REAL READER REVIEW

'Perfect holiday reading' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ REAL READER REVIEW

'Absolutely brilliant. Can't put it down!' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ REAL READER REVIEW

'A gripping, luxurious thriller' Laura Marshall

'An irresistible slice of escapism' TM Logan

'Full of twists and turns, it will keep you furiously turning the pages...' Sarah Pearse

'Pacy, exciting and unpredictable.' Charlotte Duckworth

'An addictive page-turner, pulsing with threat. Thrillingly sinister!' Lucy Clarke

Charlotte and Sam were partners. In life, and in crime, but that's all behind her.

Until now, years later, it comes rushing back when her estranged ex-husband Sam suddenly goes missing. And someone threatens to expose what she did.

Desperate to escape her mysterious tormentor, Charlotte boards a luxurious superyacht in the Caribbean. But it soon becomes clear that the open ocean isn't the haven she thought it was.

Because they are onboard too. And now there's nowhere left to run.


Praise for Karen Hamilton:

'Fabulously dark' Harriet Tyce
'Wonderfully twisted' C J Tudor
'Karen Hamilton has a rare gift for character' Fiona Cummins
'Compelling, absorbing and highly entertaining.' Allie Reynolds
'Sizzles with tension, desire, and a forever-escalating sense of menace. A must-have summer read.' Jack Jordan
'A dark and addictive thriller with superb characters and a shocking conclusion.' Jenny Quintana
'Dazzling, dangerous and addictive. The perfect combination for a twisty exotic thriller.' Lauren North
'Completely addictive, fantastically paced. I was absolutely immersed in The Ex-Husband.' L V Matthews
'Let this supremely enjoyable thriller whisk you up, up and away.' Sunday Mirror
'Grippingly unpredictable' Daily Express
'Be prepared to put your life on hold for The Perfect Girlfriend' Good Housekeeping
'Taut and tense from the first page to the closing paragraphs' Sun
'Fast-moving and fun' Observer

• ISBN10: 1472279387
• ISBN13: 9781472279385
• Publish Date: 19 August 2021
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 28 August 2024
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Headline Publishing Group
• Imprint: Wildfire
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 368
• Language: English

Reviews

[Quirky Cat]

The Ex-Husband is the latest novel to come from the mind of Karen Hamilton – the author that brought us The Perfect Girlfriend and The Last Wife. I've been meaning to give Karen Hamilton's writing a try for quite some time now, and The Ex-Husband seemed like the perfect opportunity.

Everyone has skeletons in their closet – it's more or less a fact of life. It just happens that some people have more, while others skeletons are the size of monsters. Charlotte's closet is full of the beasts, but she's not going to let hold her back. She's getting her life back in order.

Or so she thought. She's fallen for the sweet Sam and his wonderful words, only to see him disappear between one moment and the next. Now she's left with a mystery, and somebody who knows her darkest secrets is closing in.

“He gets what it must have felt like not to be able to see properly as a child whenever my glasses broke, or were deliberately broken.”

If you're looking for a fun and quick thriller read, The Ex-Husband is perfect for you. Charlotte's story may feel familiar in some ways, but it is enough to keep readers occupied right up until the end.

There was something very satisfying in the core concept of this plot – a con artist getting conned, or at least having everything flipped on her head. It's not a new concept, but honestly, I don't think it'll ever get truly old. Hamilton clearly knew how to lean on this concept, stretching it out, so it hit those ideal thriller highs and lows.

I like that we got a chance to know Charlotte and see how she is actually trying to improve herself and her life. There is something very human about this and her portrayal. It was the perfect setting for everything else that occurred.

Long story short, I did enjoy The Ex-Husband, even if it didn't end up being one of my favorite reads of the year (no offense, there are just SO many thriller novels out there to enjoy!).

[Jeff Sexton]

Karmic Suspense At Sea. This book is a mystery/ suspense set partly in the UK and partly (or pretty well fully, in its back half) at sea mostly in the Caribbean and even one Alaska season. The dual timeline approach is used here to show the suspense of someone stalking our narrator with information she doesn't want known and which they shouldn't have in the present timeline, with the second timeline being "18 months ago" when her world came crashing down. Except that the 18 months ago timeline is filled at least as much with the entire backstory of how she got to that point as well. This tale is an interesting blend of both cruising and yachting, which are very different experiences. Even though the largest megayachts (such as the Azzam) and the smaller cruise ships (such as Windstar Cruise Lines' Wind Surf) are roughly the same size, with cruising you're usually with a few hundred (at least, it can be closer to 5,000+) strangers + up to 2,000 or so crew members whereas with yachting you're usually with no more than a few dozen people you're at least tangentially associated with - even if only through a common acquaintance - and no more than a hundred or so staff. Also, the onboard experience of a cruise tends to be more akin to a perma-mall/ theme park on a cruise vs a much more exclusive, bespoke experience on a yacht. (Think of the difference of going to say Disney World vs what happens on Bravo's Below Deck shows, for example.) Still, Hamilton actually does a good job showing how similar yet different each of these are, even as she weaves a tale of con artistry and karmic suspense through both facets of sea-travel experience. Very much recommended.