I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Secret Lives of Murderers' Wives by Elizabeth Arnott Published by Berkley on March 3, 2026
Genres: Historical Fiction, Thriller
Pages: 320 •Format: E-ARC •Source: NetGalley
Goodreads
A remarkable trio whose lives have been cracked wide open by their husbands’ crimes unite to catch a serial killer in this dazzlingly captivating novel.
Beverley, Elsie, and Margot are not your average housewives. They are all wives of convicted killers. During the sun-drenched summer of 1966, the three women form an unlikely friendship after the discoveries of their husbands’ brutal crimes. With their exes—some of California’s most infamous murderers—dead or behind bars, they are attempting to forge a new future for themselves.
Headstrong Beverley tries compulsively to maintain control of everything around her, all while raising two children. Bookish Elsie fights to make a name for herself in the newsroom, working among men who sneer at her career goals. Glamorous Margot prefers partying to homemaking and devotes all her energy to upholding the appearance that everything is fine—anything to quell the shame from her husband’s deceit.
They know people look at them and think only one How could they not have known what their husbands were doing? How much are they to blame? And yet when a string of local killings hits the news, the three women—underestimated, overlooked, shrewd—decide to get to work. After all, who better to catch a killer than those who have shared their lives and homes with one?
At once a riveting portrayal of shattered trust and a story of gripping suspense, The Secret Lives of Murderers' Wives is a testament to the intricacies of women’s lives and how the deep bonds of female friendship can empower, uplift, and lead us to endure.
Thriller meets historical fiction in this fast-paced, high stakes read that follows the young wives of serial killers who are now behind bars, examining how they move forward and reconcile their identities in the aftermath of their husbands’ crimes.
I thought the premise for this book was fascinating from the get-go. I think there’s always been a horrific curiosity around the families of serial killers…how do they move forward? Deal with guilt? Start over? How do you live with that kind of specter hanging over you for the rest of your life? That’s the premise of Bev, Margot and Elsie’s stories. Each of them had very different types of husbands, each of them eventually had a hand in helping the police, and each of them deal with the aftermath in very different ways, and all are part of a club that no one wants to ever be a part of. Yet their husbands’ transgressions have also served to radicalize them in a way, pushing them toward independence and driving their desire to want to help other young women when another serial killers is on the loose in their area.
Sure, the plot is a little far-fetched (the wives of serial killers coming together to solve a crime) but I loved seeing Bev, Elsie and Margot each wield their experiences and skills in different ways to find clues, follow leads, and push for justice for the young female victims. They are three women with very different lives (Bev’s a mother, Elsie’s an aspiring reporter, and Margot harnesses her looks and charm) but they’ve all lived through a very unique, awful type of betrayal but haven’t let it break them. The story does a good job highlighting the challenges women of the 1950s-60s faced in America, and how each of the women used their unique positions and skill sets to navigate the misogyny and pursue their investigation.
While the premise was interesting, I do think the pacing of the book was a bit slow in the beginning. It really ramped up in the last quarter or so (and I really enjoyed the ending) but I did find I needed to push through a bit in the beginning. I think it would have helped to get more backstory on each of the women and how their friendship grew over the years and through their shared trauma, as we’re dropped right into the middle of their established friendship and I think there’s just so many questions that readers have (I did!) about how one forms a bond over something so awful.
Overall: I think this was a really unique take for a thriller and really for me it was more historical fiction than anything.
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