What do you think?
Rate this book
The Loving Husband
Can you ever truly know the one you love?
Fran Hall and her husband Nathan live in a farmhouse on the edge of the Fens with their two children. One February night, when Fran is woken by her baby, she finds the bed empty beside her and Nathan gone. Searching the house for him she makes a devastating discovery.
As Fran finds herself under intense police scrutiny, she and her two small children become more isolated as she starts to doubt whether or not she really knew Nathan. Was he really the loving husband that Fran had trusted him to be?
As police suspicion grows the questions for Fran begin to mount. Is there something that she is hiding from them - something that she has kept hidden from everyone, including her husband?
From the author of The Crooked House comes another stunning psychological thriller about family, secrets and the lies we tell ourselves. For fans of Gillian Flynn and SJ Watson, The Loving Husband draws readers into a marriage where nothing is as it seems.
416 pages, Paperback
First published April 7, 2016
215 people are currently reading
3285 people want to read
About the author
Christobel Kent
23 books231 followersChristobel Kent was born in London in 1962 and now lives in Cambridge with her husband and four children; in between she lived in Florence. She worked in publishing for several years, most recently as Publicity Director at Andre Deutsch. Her debut novel A Party in San Niccolo, was published in 2003.
Series:
* Sandro Cellini
Series:
* Sandro Cellini
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 514 reviews
July 23, 2016
When the email came through from the publisher about this book, it said "for fans of domestic thrillers" and I was like: is that me? That's me, isn't it?! I must read it.
I won't mention the book that this is obviously being compared to (two words, rhymes with John Swirl) or the bestseller from last year that it's also being compared to (five words, rhymes with The Twirl in the Rain), but these books are like crack for us unromantic people. They're like the opposite of romance books. Instead of two angsty people figuring out that they're perfect for one another, you have two blissfully married people being torn apart by secrets, lies and murder! Yeah! Muahaha. My bf sleeps with one eye open.
But, problem is, this one just isn't that good. Sure, it follows the same pattern: this guy dies, leaving his wife and kids behind, and it turns out that maybe their perfect marriage was not quite so perfect. The clues are a little glaring, though. Even without my issues with the writing, my lack of empathy for Fran and that one twist which is so ridiculous I can't even - yeah, even without all that, it's just a little obvious and dull.
Firstly, Fran Hall is noAmy Dunne Flamy Sun. She will probably be remembered by very few people. She has no personality. From the opening of the book when she discovers Nathan's body, she is "the victim's wife" and she never really becomes anything more than that.
Second - still on Fran - it's absolutely amazing that she never asked any questions until now. Suddenly it turns out that she knew literally nothing about her husband, where he was most of the time, what he was doing, and that only starts ringing a "this is weird" bell when she discovers his dead body. The flashbacks to their relationship don't really paint any chemistry between them either, and caring about the story depends on your investment in their relationship, on him being “the loving husband”, but I never got that.
Also, as I mentioned above, I had some problems with the writing. The narrative is very choppy, moving quickly backward and forward between the past and present. It wasn't smoothly incorporated and the author's habit of leaving you on a cliffhanger and returning to the past/present actually killed the tension she had built - by the time I got back to the good stuff, I didn't care anymore.
And not every noun needs an adjective. Just sayin'.
So yeah, I'm all for these domestic thrillers - they have all the nastiness of a good ol' thriller and they're creepily close to home - but this one isn't a new favourite. That's before we even get to the thing that happens which is completely absurd. REAL SPOILER ALERT:
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | Store
I won't mention the book that this is obviously being compared to (two words, rhymes with John Swirl) or the bestseller from last year that it's also being compared to (five words, rhymes with The Twirl in the Rain), but these books are like crack for us unromantic people. They're like the opposite of romance books. Instead of two angsty people figuring out that they're perfect for one another, you have two blissfully married people being torn apart by secrets, lies and murder! Yeah! Muahaha. My bf sleeps with one eye open.
But, problem is, this one just isn't that good. Sure, it follows the same pattern: this guy dies, leaving his wife and kids behind, and it turns out that maybe their perfect marriage was not quite so perfect. The clues are a little glaring, though. Even without my issues with the writing, my lack of empathy for Fran and that one twist which is so ridiculous I can't even - yeah, even without all that, it's just a little obvious and dull.
Firstly, Fran Hall is no
Second - still on Fran - it's absolutely amazing that she never asked any questions until now. Suddenly it turns out that she knew literally nothing about her husband, where he was most of the time, what he was doing, and that only starts ringing a "this is weird" bell when she discovers his dead body. The flashbacks to their relationship don't really paint any chemistry between them either, and caring about the story depends on your investment in their relationship, on him being “the loving husband”, but I never got that.
Also, as I mentioned above, I had some problems with the writing. The narrative is very choppy, moving quickly backward and forward between the past and present. It wasn't smoothly incorporated and the author's habit of leaving you on a cliffhanger and returning to the past/present actually killed the tension she had built - by the time I got back to the good stuff, I didn't care anymore.
And not every noun needs an adjective. Just sayin'.
So yeah, I'm all for these domestic thrillers - they have all the nastiness of a good ol' thriller and they're creepily close to home - but this one isn't a new favourite. That's before we even get to the thing that happens which is completely absurd. REAL SPOILER ALERT:
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | Store
September 22, 2016
* Thank you to www.shotsmag.co.uk for my ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review*
*4.5 STARS*
Swirling snow across the Fens, only adds to the chill factor already present in this well crafted psychological thriller from Christobel Kent. In just a few pages I was completely hooked.
Fran and Nathan Hall live in a fairly rundown farmhouse on the edge of the British Fenlands. Surrounding them is a damp flat landscape with big wide skies. In the summer it may appear to be an idyllic location, but it's a bleak, isolated and unforgiving place in the dead of winter.
One February night, Fran wakes to the sound of her baby crying, only to find Nathan's side of the bed empty. Finding no sign of him in the house, and with mounting panic, her search takes her into the cold dark night, where she makes a devastating discovery. This discovery will put Fran under police scrutiny. During the investigation, there will be secrets and lies revealed, that will have the power to make Fran question just how much she really knew about Nathan - the eponymous loving husband.
Kent's novel makes one ask the question "doesn't everyone have secrets" including Fran?
The characters are well developed with the narrative suffused with an air of menace, and a sense of all pervading doom that stalked every page. As for the storyline, the word that comes to mind is 'magnetic' as it drew me back every time I put it down.
This was my first encounter with Christobel Kent, but after this novel it won't be my last!
*4.5 STARS*
Swirling snow across the Fens, only adds to the chill factor already present in this well crafted psychological thriller from Christobel Kent. In just a few pages I was completely hooked.
Fran and Nathan Hall live in a fairly rundown farmhouse on the edge of the British Fenlands. Surrounding them is a damp flat landscape with big wide skies. In the summer it may appear to be an idyllic location, but it's a bleak, isolated and unforgiving place in the dead of winter.
One February night, Fran wakes to the sound of her baby crying, only to find Nathan's side of the bed empty. Finding no sign of him in the house, and with mounting panic, her search takes her into the cold dark night, where she makes a devastating discovery. This discovery will put Fran under police scrutiny. During the investigation, there will be secrets and lies revealed, that will have the power to make Fran question just how much she really knew about Nathan - the eponymous loving husband.
Kent's novel makes one ask the question "doesn't everyone have secrets" including Fran?
The characters are well developed with the narrative suffused with an air of menace, and a sense of all pervading doom that stalked every page. As for the storyline, the word that comes to mind is 'magnetic' as it drew me back every time I put it down.
This was my first encounter with Christobel Kent, but after this novel it won't be my last!
March 9, 2018
I'm very disappointed not to be giving "The Loving Husband" by Christobel Kent five stars as I really did enjoy the interesting and intriguing story to the book. However, the writing style really let it down for me, there was constantly unfinished and stuttering sentences and a narrative I just couldn't take to. This really frustrated me as there were times I thought I couldn't take any more of the dialogue but because I actually found the story quite compelling I had to finish it. Along with boring ambivalent characters and useless repetitive speaking policemen that I don't think I've ever encountered the likes before, this book just had so many things wrong for my enjoyment. I didn't take to Fran, for someone who had just made a truly shocking discovery, I don't think I saw her cry once and as a mother she just didn't seem to want to care for her kids - everything seemed off regarding her parenting - walking around in a totally naive and pathetic state for the majority of the book. As for the title "The Loving Husband" this couldn't be further from the truth, it was totally unbelievable that Fran knew so little about her husband either personally or his work! The only character I actually thought was normal was Fran's friend Jo, even the family liaison officer didn't appear to have any backbone towards her job.
Overall I felt this book could have been so much better, if for example it was perhaps written by a different author, I really liked the plot and didn't expect the outcome, it did make an excellent psychological thriller.....but sadly in premise only.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4 for the story only.
Thank you to fellow reader Rachel Hall for my copy of the book.
Overall I felt this book could have been so much better, if for example it was perhaps written by a different author, I really liked the plot and didn't expect the outcome, it did make an excellent psychological thriller.....but sadly in premise only.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4 for the story only.
Thank you to fellow reader Rachel Hall for my copy of the book.
March 10, 2017
You know back when I first started reading Linwood Barclay I thought now here is a guy that pens what I would call domestic thrillers. I had never really put those two words together before when describing a book. Now it seems that there is glut of books on the market that fit that description and The Loving Husband is one of them.
The story opens with Fran laying in bed. The reader gets the sense that she may be semi awake or still hovering in a dream like state. There is an intimate act that unfolds that leaves the reader somewhat dimly puzzled.
But it was the baby’s cry that woke her outright. She reaches out to touch Nathan her husband in bed beside her but he is not there. In the kitchen she finds the door unbolted and muddy footprints. She bundles up and goes outside to find her husband and bring him back to the warmth. But he is face down in a ditch and it does not take Fran long to realize that he is dead.
As the story flashes back in time we get a better understanding of who Fran is or at least was. When she first met her husband she was writing full time for a magazine in London and still recovering from the end of another relationship with a handsome bad boy called Nick. She meets Nathan at a social outing held by her best friend. They hit it off and before you know it they are married and Fran is expecting. Some time after Emme is born they move to a remote area on the Fens, near Nathan’s childhood home. Fran is not as taken with the place as Nathan is but he assures her he will fix it up and they will eventually have a beautiful home. And now they have been blessed with a beautiful baby boy named Ben.
While it becomes pretty clear that Nathan is mysterious, secretive and controlling, you never really get the sense that he was ever violent with his wife or children. But something is definitely going on here. Things just don’t add up. And clearly the police detective investigating Nathan’s death is of a similar mind.
I had an incredibly difficult time warming up to Fran, I really don’t think I ever did. She was just so wishy washy and muddled. In fact there are not very many truly likeable people within this story, although I must admit that I was keen on her fellow school mom Karen.
The investigators on the team come across as arrogant and harassing. I simply don’t believe that they could get away with their attitude, comments and body language when speaking with the victim’s wife, befuddled though she may be.
I often found the narrative oddly vague and choppy, not flowing well between past and present. And it is a very drab, bleak place, void of colour and human warmth. Speculations about Nathan’s death abound but very few facts are revealed to the reader thereby amplifying the fugue like state of the narrative. While frustrating this approach certainly lends itself to the buildup of suspense. The ending however was quite ambiguous and really fell flat for me. You know, not very believable in an obscure sort of way.
My thanks to Sarah Crichton books/ Farrar, Straus and Giroux, NetGalley and Christobel Kent for an opportunity to read an advance copy.
3 nebulous stars.....
The story opens with Fran laying in bed. The reader gets the sense that she may be semi awake or still hovering in a dream like state. There is an intimate act that unfolds that leaves the reader somewhat dimly puzzled.
But it was the baby’s cry that woke her outright. She reaches out to touch Nathan her husband in bed beside her but he is not there. In the kitchen she finds the door unbolted and muddy footprints. She bundles up and goes outside to find her husband and bring him back to the warmth. But he is face down in a ditch and it does not take Fran long to realize that he is dead.
As the story flashes back in time we get a better understanding of who Fran is or at least was. When she first met her husband she was writing full time for a magazine in London and still recovering from the end of another relationship with a handsome bad boy called Nick. She meets Nathan at a social outing held by her best friend. They hit it off and before you know it they are married and Fran is expecting. Some time after Emme is born they move to a remote area on the Fens, near Nathan’s childhood home. Fran is not as taken with the place as Nathan is but he assures her he will fix it up and they will eventually have a beautiful home. And now they have been blessed with a beautiful baby boy named Ben.
While it becomes pretty clear that Nathan is mysterious, secretive and controlling, you never really get the sense that he was ever violent with his wife or children. But something is definitely going on here. Things just don’t add up. And clearly the police detective investigating Nathan’s death is of a similar mind.
I had an incredibly difficult time warming up to Fran, I really don’t think I ever did. She was just so wishy washy and muddled. In fact there are not very many truly likeable people within this story, although I must admit that I was keen on her fellow school mom Karen.
The investigators on the team come across as arrogant and harassing. I simply don’t believe that they could get away with their attitude, comments and body language when speaking with the victim’s wife, befuddled though she may be.
I often found the narrative oddly vague and choppy, not flowing well between past and present. And it is a very drab, bleak place, void of colour and human warmth. Speculations about Nathan’s death abound but very few facts are revealed to the reader thereby amplifying the fugue like state of the narrative. While frustrating this approach certainly lends itself to the buildup of suspense. The ending however was quite ambiguous and really fell flat for me. You know, not very believable in an obscure sort of way.
My thanks to Sarah Crichton books/ Farrar, Straus and Giroux, NetGalley and Christobel Kent for an opportunity to read an advance copy.
3 nebulous stars.....
March 8, 2017
The book opens with a scene that is shocking and strange. It grabbed me. I knew I’d learn more of the people involved and I wanted that; I needed to make sense of this bewildering event.
First I’d learn of the past. Fran was once a dedicated career woman, writing for a magazine in London, but she didn’t have much luck with men. Her last boyfriend, Nick, was a shady character: a good looking bad-boy, involved with nightclubs and clandestine deals. But her luck might be changing, she recently met Nathan at a social event organised by a friend. He’s attractive enough but more importantly he’s attentive and she’s drawn to him. In no time they’re a couple and in the blink of an eye he’s married her and they have a baby girl.
Nathan is involved in the building trade and is away quite a bit. Fran settles into non-working life, looking after her child. In time Nathan starts to talk about getting out of London, he’s from a small village in the rural Fens, north of London, and is keen to re-visit his roots. They travel to the area to look at properties and Nathan finds an old house he falls in love with. It’s not quite what Fran had in mind, but Nathan persuades her he’ll work on the house and make a good home for them here. Her one-time career in London now seems a distant memory, child number two is on its way.
The book then returns us to the present and it becomes obvious that all was not what it seemed. Fran had heard rumours from neighbours concerning Nathan’s past life and she was becoming increasingly aware of her remote surroundings and estrangement from old friends and acquaintances. Then the ‘event’ changed everything. From here on nothing is certain and doubts begin to surface concerning everything we’ve learned so far.
This is a tense psychological thriller in the vein of The Girl on the Train. No humour exists in this world, the surroundings are painted as uniformly drab and unpleasant and the people rude and unfriendly. Facts are minimal, gossip is king. It’s not a book to read if you need cheering up but if you’re in the mood for something to get your pulse racing then this may well do the job.
I normally find, with such books, that the ending is a disappointment. I’m not sure what I expect, maybe something that blows me away, a brilliant light bulb moment that has me wondering why I’d failed to spot the obvious answer. This book didn’t surprise me with it’s ending, well maybe it did be a little – but not in a good way. I found it to be vaguely unbelievable and that’s a shame because it had done most things right up to this point.
But it’s certainly a well executed thriller, for the most part, and I’m sure others will be more appreciative of the way the author knits the facts together to deliver a punchy denouement.
My thanks to Little, Brown Book Group UK and NetGalley for supplying a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
First I’d learn of the past. Fran was once a dedicated career woman, writing for a magazine in London, but she didn’t have much luck with men. Her last boyfriend, Nick, was a shady character: a good looking bad-boy, involved with nightclubs and clandestine deals. But her luck might be changing, she recently met Nathan at a social event organised by a friend. He’s attractive enough but more importantly he’s attentive and she’s drawn to him. In no time they’re a couple and in the blink of an eye he’s married her and they have a baby girl.
Nathan is involved in the building trade and is away quite a bit. Fran settles into non-working life, looking after her child. In time Nathan starts to talk about getting out of London, he’s from a small village in the rural Fens, north of London, and is keen to re-visit his roots. They travel to the area to look at properties and Nathan finds an old house he falls in love with. It’s not quite what Fran had in mind, but Nathan persuades her he’ll work on the house and make a good home for them here. Her one-time career in London now seems a distant memory, child number two is on its way.
The book then returns us to the present and it becomes obvious that all was not what it seemed. Fran had heard rumours from neighbours concerning Nathan’s past life and she was becoming increasingly aware of her remote surroundings and estrangement from old friends and acquaintances. Then the ‘event’ changed everything. From here on nothing is certain and doubts begin to surface concerning everything we’ve learned so far.
This is a tense psychological thriller in the vein of The Girl on the Train. No humour exists in this world, the surroundings are painted as uniformly drab and unpleasant and the people rude and unfriendly. Facts are minimal, gossip is king. It’s not a book to read if you need cheering up but if you’re in the mood for something to get your pulse racing then this may well do the job.
I normally find, with such books, that the ending is a disappointment. I’m not sure what I expect, maybe something that blows me away, a brilliant light bulb moment that has me wondering why I’d failed to spot the obvious answer. This book didn’t surprise me with it’s ending, well maybe it did be a little – but not in a good way. I found it to be vaguely unbelievable and that’s a shame because it had done most things right up to this point.
But it’s certainly a well executed thriller, for the most part, and I’m sure others will be more appreciative of the way the author knits the facts together to deliver a punchy denouement.
My thanks to Little, Brown Book Group UK and NetGalley for supplying a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
April 5, 2017
Here we go again – a book that promises to be “utterly compulsive” and “eerily menacing” - and fails miserably.
Fran and Nathan move with their two small children from the hustle and bustle of London to the desolation and loneliness of the Fens. Nathan occupies himself with his work as a project manager while Fran mopes around most of the time with nothing more exciting than hanging curtains and looking after a baby and a small child. One cold night, having awoken to find Nathan's side of the bed empty, she wanders into the garden and finds Nathan, dead, face down in a ditch.
If I could have found something – anything – about Fran to induce a feeling of sympathy for her, believe me, I would, but this woman is as interesting as an odd sock with a hole in the toe. As for Nathan - again, nothing. Lifeless, devoid of humour and personality. Dusting behind the radiators is more interesting than Nathan. I would say that these two having nothing in common, but actually they do: they're both insipid, boring and bland. I just couldn't form a picture in my mind of any of them; there is no spark between them, and little, if any, interaction with the children. They have to be The Most Boring Couple in the Country. How can you marry someone and yet know absolutely nothing about them! All Fran seems to know is that Nathan's childhood holidays were spent near to where they now live. She knows of only one friend; has never visited Nathan's office, never had conversations about their previous lives. It is so lifeless and colourless.
The writing style is awful. I find it hard to believe this was written by an adult because it reads more like a teenager aspiring to be a Writer. The sentences. Choppy. Short. Often one word. Sometimes two. It's full of irrelevancies: do we really need to know that Nathan's mother is “in a home with a version of dementia that wasn't Alzheimer's.....” Surely the fact that she is in a care home would suffice?
Another example: “There was a sister but she was working abroad. Miranda.” Since when did a name constitute a sentence?
And this; …....”She looked from door to window, gauging what it would take. To make it safe.....”
Can anyone make sense of this: " …..There'd be psychology in them building in an interview room this much like a dungeon.....” I haven't. Not yet.
The writing is so clunky, so chopped up, and with confusing timelines where recollections collide with the present with absolutely no cohesion at all. It's no wonder that Emme. Small daughter. Is always pale!
I'll say one thing – the police are not your stereotypical Plods With Personal Problems. No, these ones are just downright unprofessional and rude; they seem to have no idea of how to handle a young, recently bereaved mother. In the middle of interviewing her they suddenly discuss the weather or a recent football match! Inappropriate comments such as “It's not like we're trying to catch you out” are made, whilst laughing; and can the police really just walk, uninvited, into someone's home?
Is Fran a human or a dog? I ask because of this: …...”You said it was complicated” she said, scenting something.....". I have a mental picture of Fran with her nose in the air, sniffing. I would have said this was possibly a typo, but in view of the poor writing, I'm not so sure.
This book is 406 pages long; I've reached 126,which not only marks the end of Chapter Ten, but the end of the road as far as I am concerned. Even reading this as a spoof didn't hold my attention. I enjoy psychological thrillers and have often wondered about reading Ms Kent's novel. I wonder no more.
Thank you Amazon for a complimentary copy to review.
Fran and Nathan move with their two small children from the hustle and bustle of London to the desolation and loneliness of the Fens. Nathan occupies himself with his work as a project manager while Fran mopes around most of the time with nothing more exciting than hanging curtains and looking after a baby and a small child. One cold night, having awoken to find Nathan's side of the bed empty, she wanders into the garden and finds Nathan, dead, face down in a ditch.
If I could have found something – anything – about Fran to induce a feeling of sympathy for her, believe me, I would, but this woman is as interesting as an odd sock with a hole in the toe. As for Nathan - again, nothing. Lifeless, devoid of humour and personality. Dusting behind the radiators is more interesting than Nathan. I would say that these two having nothing in common, but actually they do: they're both insipid, boring and bland. I just couldn't form a picture in my mind of any of them; there is no spark between them, and little, if any, interaction with the children. They have to be The Most Boring Couple in the Country. How can you marry someone and yet know absolutely nothing about them! All Fran seems to know is that Nathan's childhood holidays were spent near to where they now live. She knows of only one friend; has never visited Nathan's office, never had conversations about their previous lives. It is so lifeless and colourless.
The writing style is awful. I find it hard to believe this was written by an adult because it reads more like a teenager aspiring to be a Writer. The sentences. Choppy. Short. Often one word. Sometimes two. It's full of irrelevancies: do we really need to know that Nathan's mother is “in a home with a version of dementia that wasn't Alzheimer's.....” Surely the fact that she is in a care home would suffice?
Another example: “There was a sister but she was working abroad. Miranda.” Since when did a name constitute a sentence?
And this; …....”She looked from door to window, gauging what it would take. To make it safe.....”
Can anyone make sense of this: " …..There'd be psychology in them building in an interview room this much like a dungeon.....” I haven't. Not yet.
The writing is so clunky, so chopped up, and with confusing timelines where recollections collide with the present with absolutely no cohesion at all. It's no wonder that Emme. Small daughter. Is always pale!
I'll say one thing – the police are not your stereotypical Plods With Personal Problems. No, these ones are just downright unprofessional and rude; they seem to have no idea of how to handle a young, recently bereaved mother. In the middle of interviewing her they suddenly discuss the weather or a recent football match! Inappropriate comments such as “It's not like we're trying to catch you out” are made, whilst laughing; and can the police really just walk, uninvited, into someone's home?
Is Fran a human or a dog? I ask because of this: …...”You said it was complicated” she said, scenting something.....". I have a mental picture of Fran with her nose in the air, sniffing. I would have said this was possibly a typo, but in view of the poor writing, I'm not so sure.
This book is 406 pages long; I've reached 126,which not only marks the end of Chapter Ten, but the end of the road as far as I am concerned. Even reading this as a spoof didn't hold my attention. I enjoy psychological thrillers and have often wondered about reading Ms Kent's novel. I wonder no more.
Thank you Amazon for a complimentary copy to review.
September 16, 2019
Was the general consensus that this was a good story, or not?
I was extremely torn, mainly because although the story had the makings of a good plot, the bloody thing went on so long I was starting to lose the will to live. Why did it need to be so long and bulky?
The plot and the finale could've been wrapped up in half the time. I was also under no impression whatsoever that all the characters were horrible, or dodgy or stupid. There was nothing redeeming about the husband whatsoever, and Fran was a pain in the neck most of the time. I think it takes a lot of talent to pull off a 'likeablely unlikeable character' and msot authors don't get it right (we can't all have Conan Doyle's "Moriarty" in our backlog).
I had some vague ideas about the big twist, and while parts of what I thought turned out to be true, it didn't really matter by then, because I just wanted to book to be over.
I was extremely torn, mainly because although the story had the makings of a good plot, the bloody thing went on so long I was starting to lose the will to live. Why did it need to be so long and bulky?
The plot and the finale could've been wrapped up in half the time. I was also under no impression whatsoever that all the characters were horrible, or dodgy or stupid. There was nothing redeeming about the husband whatsoever, and Fran was a pain in the neck most of the time. I think it takes a lot of talent to pull off a 'likeablely unlikeable character' and msot authors don't get it right (we can't all have Conan Doyle's "Moriarty" in our backlog).
I had some vague ideas about the big twist, and while parts of what I thought turned out to be true, it didn't really matter by then, because I just wanted to book to be over.
December 8, 2016
Domestic thrillers have slowly become a genre in their own right, and when they feature a strong storyline and good writing they are almost impossible to put down. Unfortunately this just didn't live up to my expectations; I thought the cover art was inspired but that was perhaps the best part about the entire thing.
Fran and her husband Nathan have recently upped sticks to rural Cambridgeshire with their two young children. When Nathan is found brutally murdered on their vast property, Fran is tasked with aiding the police in their investigation.
I found the character of Fran bland and unappealing. Even after the discovery of her husbands body, she is rather despondent about it, as if that kind of thing is common. The police weren't much better and too much of the authors time was spent in detailing minute details of inter police relationships. Finally, there are too many cliches for my liking - from the lonely, childless policewoman to the gossipy school run mums.
The author shows a flicker of promise, but I felt her pacing could be improved as it takes until the very end of the book until the mystery is solved - and by that point I was feeling bored. If Fran had been a strong, empowered protagonist this would have helped hold my attention.
A thriller minus 95% of the thrill.
Fran and her husband Nathan have recently upped sticks to rural Cambridgeshire with their two young children. When Nathan is found brutally murdered on their vast property, Fran is tasked with aiding the police in their investigation.
I found the character of Fran bland and unappealing. Even after the discovery of her husbands body, she is rather despondent about it, as if that kind of thing is common. The police weren't much better and too much of the authors time was spent in detailing minute details of inter police relationships. Finally, there are too many cliches for my liking - from the lonely, childless policewoman to the gossipy school run mums.
The author shows a flicker of promise, but I felt her pacing could be improved as it takes until the very end of the book until the mystery is solved - and by that point I was feeling bored. If Fran had been a strong, empowered protagonist this would have helped hold my attention.
A thriller minus 95% of the thrill.
August 5, 2016
Fran and Nathan Hall live in a farmhouse with their two children. One night Fran is wakened by her baby crying but the bed was empty next to her and Nathan was gone. She searches the house for him and makes a devastating discovery. The police start searching for Nathan but as their suspicion mounts the questions for Fran grow.
Is Fran keeping a secret? Was Nathan the loving husband she thought she knew?
A phycological thriller where family life is not what it seems.
I would like to thank Net Galley, Little Brown Book Group UK and the author Christobel Kent for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Is Fran keeping a secret? Was Nathan the loving husband she thought she knew?
A phycological thriller where family life is not what it seems.
I would like to thank Net Galley, Little Brown Book Group UK and the author Christobel Kent for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
September 1, 2016
Fran and Nathan are like any married couple or are they?
They decided to move back to where Nathan grew up with their two small children. Nathan chooses an isolated farmhouse. The farmhouse is pretty bleak and not quite what Fran had hoped for.
In the middle of the night, Fran is woken by their baby and finds her husbands side of the bed empty.
She goes to look for him downstairs and makes the shocking discovery.
The police seem to think she may be involved, she feels so isolated, alone. But is the husband she married not the same man she thought he was and is she keeping secrets from the police too.
A killer could still be out there watching the family and with the police breathing down her neck and wanting answers Fran also needs answers.
Complimentary Copy provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
June 21, 2017
Also read my review here: http://bookbum.weebly.com/book-review...
AVAILABLE NOW IN THE UK!
Firstly I’d like to thank Netgalley and Little Brown Book Group UK for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.
This has a very samey storyline, how many books have you read where a husband has a secret second life?
I did enjoy this for a good while but it got to the point where the subjects of the novel got to me in a negative way and I found it really hard to continue reading. For some readers this book will be great and comfortable with them, but for me, some of the subjects, , are things I really fear could happen in my life so it didn’t sit comfortably with me, made me feel very uneasy and, in the end, ruined the novel for me.
Another thing about this novel that made it an average read was the predictability of it. And the ridiculousness of it.
In terms of characters, they were very well developed but not at all likable. I hate when characters don’t cooperate with police to save their own backs which is something Fran does throughout, and even about some things that don’t even matter that much! She was also extremely weak and irritating which, after a while, got very annoying to read.
Gerard, I get it, was supposed to be a “bad” guy, but it got to the point where his misogynistic views and opinions got uncomfortable to read and he made the story more grimy and nasty that it needed to be, especially since there wasn’t any particularly endearing character in the novel at all.
Like a lot of other reviewers, I found this to be written weirdly. There was lots of repetition and jumping about with clunky sentences and those annoying skips into the past that make little sense to the audience.
Can we just talk about how the title doesn’t make much/any sense? Nathan was never a loving husband - not even a pretend loving husband like in Behind Closed Doors, so how can this book have been named that when there is no evidence of it anywhere?
This gets a mediocre 3 stars from me because I think it will be enjoyed by a lot of people, but for me personally it didn’t do the right things and its subject matters made me feel really uneasy and triggered my stupid anxieties.
AVAILABLE NOW IN THE UK!
Firstly I’d like to thank Netgalley and Little Brown Book Group UK for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.
This has a very samey storyline, how many books have you read where a husband has a secret second life?
I did enjoy this for a good while but it got to the point where the subjects of the novel got to me in a negative way and I found it really hard to continue reading. For some readers this book will be great and comfortable with them, but for me, some of the subjects, , are things I really fear could happen in my life so it didn’t sit comfortably with me, made me feel very uneasy and, in the end, ruined the novel for me.
Another thing about this novel that made it an average read was the predictability of it. And the ridiculousness of it.
In terms of characters, they were very well developed but not at all likable. I hate when characters don’t cooperate with police to save their own backs which is something Fran does throughout, and even about some things that don’t even matter that much! She was also extremely weak and irritating which, after a while, got very annoying to read.
Gerard, I get it, was supposed to be a “bad” guy, but it got to the point where his misogynistic views and opinions got uncomfortable to read and he made the story more grimy and nasty that it needed to be, especially since there wasn’t any particularly endearing character in the novel at all.
Like a lot of other reviewers, I found this to be written weirdly. There was lots of repetition and jumping about with clunky sentences and those annoying skips into the past that make little sense to the audience.
Can we just talk about how the title doesn’t make much/any sense? Nathan was never a loving husband - not even a pretend loving husband like in Behind Closed Doors, so how can this book have been named that when there is no evidence of it anywhere?
This gets a mediocre 3 stars from me because I think it will be enjoyed by a lot of people, but for me personally it didn’t do the right things and its subject matters made me feel really uneasy and triggered my stupid anxieties.
April 10, 2016
I read The Crooked House and quite enjoyed it, so I thought I'd try this one. In some ways it's quite similar, focusing on an isolated woman in a remote community, but I didn't think that this worked so well. Fran is living in the fens with her husband Nathan and their two children, having given up her work in London to bring up the kids. One night, she finds Nathan's body in a ditch outside her house, and discovers that he had a secret life she knew nothing about. The is set partly in the present, as two rather unpleasant and sexist policemen investigate her, clearly believing that she did it, and an FLO, Ali, tries to help her. It's partly set in the past, going over Fran's relationship with Nathan and how it developed. It's written in a similar style to The Crooked House, in that it's rather confusing, as Kent swaps from the past to the present willy-nilly, so at times it's hard to tell when it is that she's writing about. I thought this was quite original in The Crooked House, but in this book it just frustrated me - this is a thriller, not Virginia Woolf!
SPOILER ALERT!
There were three things that annoyed me about this book. One was the idea that a strange man could get into bed and have sex with you in the middle of the night, and you wouldn't notice that it wasn't your husband! That was just ridiculous. The second was that Fran (who I didn't really like as she was so dull) had no curiosity, interest in or suspicions about Nathan, despite the fact she didn't really know what he did for a living, and that he disappeared 'down the pub' every night. The book is called The Loving Husband, but at no time did Nathan appear loving, Fran didn't love him either, they seemed to have drifted into their relationship. There are many novels in which a wife or girlfriend discovers that her partner is leading a secret life and can't be trusted, but in these there's usually some love and trust to start with.
The third thing was the writing style - the movements through time were annoying, but also the way the narrative kept stopping in a false way and cut to another scene. I think this was to build tension, but it did the opposite. For example, there was a part where Fran goes to London to meet Jo. Jo is just about to reveal something significant, but before she does we cut to hours later, when Fran is driving home and worrying because she's given her daughter Emme some fast food. I don't care about Emme, just tell me what Jo said! By the time we find out what Jo did say, though, I've lost interest. I really didn't care about the kids, Emme and Ben, and there was a great deal of unnecessary detail about them. I think you could have probably cut the book down by a third if you missed those bits out!
SPOILER ALERT!
There were three things that annoyed me about this book. One was the idea that a strange man could get into bed and have sex with you in the middle of the night, and you wouldn't notice that it wasn't your husband! That was just ridiculous. The second was that Fran (who I didn't really like as she was so dull) had no curiosity, interest in or suspicions about Nathan, despite the fact she didn't really know what he did for a living, and that he disappeared 'down the pub' every night. The book is called The Loving Husband, but at no time did Nathan appear loving, Fran didn't love him either, they seemed to have drifted into their relationship. There are many novels in which a wife or girlfriend discovers that her partner is leading a secret life and can't be trusted, but in these there's usually some love and trust to start with.
The third thing was the writing style - the movements through time were annoying, but also the way the narrative kept stopping in a false way and cut to another scene. I think this was to build tension, but it did the opposite. For example, there was a part where Fran goes to London to meet Jo. Jo is just about to reveal something significant, but before she does we cut to hours later, when Fran is driving home and worrying because she's given her daughter Emme some fast food. I don't care about Emme, just tell me what Jo said! By the time we find out what Jo did say, though, I've lost interest. I really didn't care about the kids, Emme and Ben, and there was a great deal of unnecessary detail about them. I think you could have probably cut the book down by a third if you missed those bits out!
August 13, 2016
Had to surrender. The sampler was really good, but that was before any dialogue started. Constant use of unfinished sentences and one or two line replies from main characters drove me crazy. Very weak and rude police detective and a wishy-washy FLO did not help. I had zero feeling for the protagonist as she was practically dead herself! Bizarre experience.
July 26, 2016
This isn't my usual choice of read but I was intrigued by the synopsis. Fran Hall is married to Nathan he's a builder a project manager, or so he says. He moves Fran and their two children to a run down farmhouse on the Fenlands. Then one night Fran wakes to the baby crying, there's no sign of Nathan so she ventures outside and makes a grim discovery.
Right from the very first page I was confused, the writing is all over the place, the flipping between the past and present plus the constant changing POV only made things worse. As to the characters I didn't find them sympathetic at all. Fran was wishy washy, the supporting characters all seemed to me to be in the know but were tight lipped which only made the story drag instead of building the tension. I might have been more onboard with Fran's plight had I believed in her and Nathan's relationship. There had been no chemistry and no apparent love between her and Nathan so it was hard to understand why the hell they had married one another. She seemed to know nothing about Nathan which after some years of marriage and having two children together seemed unrealistic. The book was overly long IMO, and when you find out Nathan's secrets it was a, is that it moment for me.
ARC courtesy of NetGalley
Right from the very first page I was confused, the writing is all over the place, the flipping between the past and present plus the constant changing POV only made things worse. As to the characters I didn't find them sympathetic at all. Fran was wishy washy, the supporting characters all seemed to me to be in the know but were tight lipped which only made the story drag instead of building the tension. I might have been more onboard with Fran's plight had I believed in her and Nathan's relationship. There had been no chemistry and no apparent love between her and Nathan so it was hard to understand why the hell they had married one another. She seemed to know nothing about Nathan which after some years of marriage and having two children together seemed unrealistic. The book was overly long IMO, and when you find out Nathan's secrets it was a, is that it moment for me.
ARC courtesy of NetGalley
September 22, 2016
Firstly I would like to thank TBC and the publisher as I won a copy of this book in a giveaway.
Unfortunately this book was just not my cup of tea at all. The whole storyline just seemed to drag and unfortunately it didn't grab my interest in any way. I had heard some good things about it and was determined to see it through until the end but alas even by the end it still hadnt grown on me. Sure this book will appeal to some other readers who likes a plot to be more drawn out but it just didn't work for me.
Unfortunately this book was just not my cup of tea at all. The whole storyline just seemed to drag and unfortunately it didn't grab my interest in any way. I had heard some good things about it and was determined to see it through until the end but alas even by the end it still hadnt grown on me. Sure this book will appeal to some other readers who likes a plot to be more drawn out but it just didn't work for me.
November 28, 2016
thanks to netgalley and publisher for a copy of this book for an honest review.
I couldn't get into this book and struggled all the way until the end and just felt like the characters weren't real and felt the storyline going off on tangents. maybe it was just my feeling of this book.
I couldn't get into this book and struggled all the way until the end and just felt like the characters weren't real and felt the storyline going off on tangents. maybe it was just my feeling of this book.
June 13, 2016
A gripping spooky thriller. You trust your husband with your life wouldn't you? After all your married have children and wouldn't mind moving to a remote farm house to please your husband. But what if your husband is hiding secrets from you. Fran finds her husband dead and it seems that the police have their suspicions that Fran killed her own husband. Fans of Apple Tree Yard and The Silent wife will know that marriage is nothing as it seems. For me I think that The Loving Husband by Christobel Kent is her very best novel.
January 8, 2017
This book had all the right ingredients for a thrilling story but sadly, the ending fell flat for me. I loved the tension and I loved trying to work out what was going on; what was behind the motive for Nathan's death. On the downside, I think there was way too much going on overall and at times it did get a bit confusing. Perhaps most irritatingly, having finished the book, I'm still trying to piece together some of the events and their relevance. Perhaps it's just me, but I felt the ending was rather odd.
January 26, 2018
Good but I found it hard to warm to Fran.
April 11, 2017
Review on www.snazzybooks.com
I have to say that although I’m usually a fan of ‘domestic noir’, which this book fits into, this story fell flat for me. However I still thought it was an entertaining read.
The main protagonist Fran was irritating and unlikable. Now, it doesn’t automatically mean I’m going to dislike the book because of this, but the rest of the story wasn’t enough of a hook to make me care what happened, and I struggled to really care about any of the characters.
The writing style was a little confusing. I usually love storylines that flick back and forwards between past and present, but this book presented these different timescales in such a way that I got really confused about where on earth I was. Perhaps if they’d been a bit more clearly marked it would have helped me enjoy the novel more, but as it was it was a little bewildering and meant I had to keep re-reading sections to figure them out.
I did, however, enjoy the way the story kept releasing hints about what had happened. There was an air of mystery and suspense which I appreciated, and which kept me reading on as I wanted to know more, though sometimes it was a little obvious.
The ending was satisfying enough – not disappointing but didn’t blow me away. I would still read The Crooked House by Christobel Kent, though, to compare. This isn’t a bad book, it’s just not – in my opinion – anything exciting or hugely different.
Many thanks to the publisher, Sphere, for providing a copy of this novel on which I chose to write an honest and unbiased review.
I have to say that although I’m usually a fan of ‘domestic noir’, which this book fits into, this story fell flat for me. However I still thought it was an entertaining read.
The main protagonist Fran was irritating and unlikable. Now, it doesn’t automatically mean I’m going to dislike the book because of this, but the rest of the story wasn’t enough of a hook to make me care what happened, and I struggled to really care about any of the characters.
The writing style was a little confusing. I usually love storylines that flick back and forwards between past and present, but this book presented these different timescales in such a way that I got really confused about where on earth I was. Perhaps if they’d been a bit more clearly marked it would have helped me enjoy the novel more, but as it was it was a little bewildering and meant I had to keep re-reading sections to figure them out.
I did, however, enjoy the way the story kept releasing hints about what had happened. There was an air of mystery and suspense which I appreciated, and which kept me reading on as I wanted to know more, though sometimes it was a little obvious.
The ending was satisfying enough – not disappointing but didn’t blow me away. I would still read The Crooked House by Christobel Kent, though, to compare. This isn’t a bad book, it’s just not – in my opinion – anything exciting or hugely different.
Many thanks to the publisher, Sphere, for providing a copy of this novel on which I chose to write an honest and unbiased review.
Read
May 28, 2017Could not finish. Couldn't get to grips with the characters, the storyline either.
March 19, 2017
Not as good as I had hoped.
Rating : 2.5 stars
What started out as a tricky and difficult read, (which I considered adding to my DNF shelf at 5%, 12% and again at 20%!), turned out to be good-ish. I gave this my best shot, but it certainly wasn’t all smooth and flowy, so I couldn’t get really engrossed into its storyline at any point throughout. It's a shame, because I was looking forward to this one. Trouble is, I’ve been spoilt with Crime/Psychological Thrillers of late, with the likes of The Ice Twins and The Fire Child by S K Tremayne and Fractured by Catherine McKenzie There's some truly awesome writers out there, so it’s a tough genre to get right.
The Loving Husband introduces us to Fran Hall and her husband Nathan. They relocate, along with their two young children to the Fens for a fresh start, away from the hustle and bustle of London. But, all is not well. The fresh, country air starts to turn pretty sour for our main character from the onset. Is Frans’ husband as loving as the title suggests? Obviously not, this ain’t no sappy romance that’s for sure.
Initially I struggled with this because I didn’t really like the characters. I felt no connection with any of them, and certainly had no sympathy for Fran. She was really quite pathetic! I felt a smidgen of warmth towards the children, because, well, they were children. Poor little things in the centre of an awful situation. But to enjoy a book, liking the characters isn’t necessarily the be all and end all. I started to actually like the fact that they were all so awful. So I persevered.
The writing style got on my nerves! More so during the first 35%, but I got used to it after a while. The author wrote a bit like how a lot of us Brits talk. (Possibly how I'm writing this review if I'm honest!) The sometimes lazy attempt to string words together properly, one word here, two words there. Missing words and leaving sentences unfinished. I think we all do it sometimes, but it doesn’t make for an easy read. It was just clunky and disjointed, I found myself having to read certain bits out loud so I could actually make sense of what the author was trying to portray. Once I was hearing what I was reading, I grasped it a bit better, but it took a bit of getting used to.
So, I got my head around the dialogue, and things started to fall into place a bit more. The mystery and twisty-turny bits started to wheedle their way into the plot. This is what kept me going. A few twists I predicted, a few I didn’t.
The conclusion was satisfying, with nothing too outrageous or unbelievable being added to get me rolling my eyes, which is always a good thing. I had a few raised eyebrow moments throughout, but no open-mouthed OMG’s to speak of I’m afraid.
Overall, I would recommend this to readers who don’t give up too easily and who have the time and patience to persevere. It wasn’t a bad book, but I’ve read better in this genre.
I’d like to thank NetGalley and Little Brown Book Group UK for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.
Rating : 2.5 stars
What started out as a tricky and difficult read, (which I considered adding to my DNF shelf at 5%, 12% and again at 20%!), turned out to be good-ish. I gave this my best shot, but it certainly wasn’t all smooth and flowy, so I couldn’t get really engrossed into its storyline at any point throughout. It's a shame, because I was looking forward to this one. Trouble is, I’ve been spoilt with Crime/Psychological Thrillers of late, with the likes of The Ice Twins and The Fire Child by S K Tremayne and Fractured by Catherine McKenzie There's some truly awesome writers out there, so it’s a tough genre to get right.
The Loving Husband introduces us to Fran Hall and her husband Nathan. They relocate, along with their two young children to the Fens for a fresh start, away from the hustle and bustle of London. But, all is not well. The fresh, country air starts to turn pretty sour for our main character from the onset. Is Frans’ husband as loving as the title suggests? Obviously not, this ain’t no sappy romance that’s for sure.
Initially I struggled with this because I didn’t really like the characters. I felt no connection with any of them, and certainly had no sympathy for Fran. She was really quite pathetic! I felt a smidgen of warmth towards the children, because, well, they were children. Poor little things in the centre of an awful situation. But to enjoy a book, liking the characters isn’t necessarily the be all and end all. I started to actually like the fact that they were all so awful. So I persevered.
The writing style got on my nerves! More so during the first 35%, but I got used to it after a while. The author wrote a bit like how a lot of us Brits talk. (Possibly how I'm writing this review if I'm honest!) The sometimes lazy attempt to string words together properly, one word here, two words there. Missing words and leaving sentences unfinished. I think we all do it sometimes, but it doesn’t make for an easy read. It was just clunky and disjointed, I found myself having to read certain bits out loud so I could actually make sense of what the author was trying to portray. Once I was hearing what I was reading, I grasped it a bit better, but it took a bit of getting used to.
So, I got my head around the dialogue, and things started to fall into place a bit more. The mystery and twisty-turny bits started to wheedle their way into the plot. This is what kept me going. A few twists I predicted, a few I didn’t.
The conclusion was satisfying, with nothing too outrageous or unbelievable being added to get me rolling my eyes, which is always a good thing. I had a few raised eyebrow moments throughout, but no open-mouthed OMG’s to speak of I’m afraid.
Overall, I would recommend this to readers who don’t give up too easily and who have the time and patience to persevere. It wasn’t a bad book, but I’ve read better in this genre.
I’d like to thank NetGalley and Little Brown Book Group UK for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.
October 30, 2016
I was very taken with Christobel Kent’s last book, I meant to explore her backlist, but before I could do that a new book appeared and I had to read it.
It’s a psychological thriller, asking questions about how well we really know the people who share our lives, and about what happens when we don’t tell ourselves the truth.
Fran Hall and her husband Nathan lived in a farmhouse on the edge of the Fens with their two children. She used to have a job she loved and a group of friends, but she left all that behind when her new husband wanted to move out of London, so that his children could grow up in the same part of the country that he had. She understood that, but there life in their new home wasn't what she hoped it might be, and she felt horribly alone when his work took him away from home for log periods of time.
One night, when he is home, Fran is woken by the crying of her baby. When she returns to bed she realises that Nathan is gone, and she senses that something is terribly wrong. She goes outside to investigate and she stumble over her husband's body in a nearby field.
She can't understand - she really has no idea - why anyone would have at reason to kill him.
Over the next few days Fran struggles to cope, but she has to carry on for the sake of her friends and because she has almost nobody to turn to. She realises that she has lost touch with so many people. And she realises that there were many sides to her husband’s life that she knew nothing about; that she hardly knew him at all.
It is clear that the police believe that she has killed her husband. She understood why they might think that, and she found it very difficult that to show that she did not. Circumstances – and people – seemed to be conspiring against her.
The two stories – one belonging to Fran and one belonging to the police – were finely balanced.
Was she reliable or unreliable? Were the police right or wrong? I thought about those questions a great deal, my opinion kept shifting, and it was very late in the day that I made up my mind.
It was clear that Fran had been keeping some secrets of her own. That muddied the waters, but Christobel Kent drew her character and her situation so well that I felt that I really was involved. I had to keep turning the pages. I had to find out what happened.
I loved the atmosphere she created, the cleverness of her plotting, and the way she suggested possibilities as the story moved forward.
That is not to say that this is the perfect ‘domestic thriller’. It isn’t.
I shouldn’t mention about specifics, but I have to say that there were aspects of the story that were horribly implausible. Oe of them is fundamental to the resolution of the plot. I struggled to believe that the relationship between Fran and Nathan had survived as long as it did . I could rationalise it, but I shouldn’t have to. There is a final chapter that feels tacked on, that I wished wasn’t there.
The arc of the story is interesting though. I loved the twist. I think that maybe I should have worked it out but I didn’t.
I’ve picked up many other books that could be labelled ‘domestic thriller’, but I’ve either found that I’ve not wanted to read them or I’ve given up on them very quickly, because there was nothing that made me want to read beyond finding out what happened.
This book is so much better that that.
It’s a psychological thriller, asking questions about how well we really know the people who share our lives, and about what happens when we don’t tell ourselves the truth.
Fran Hall and her husband Nathan lived in a farmhouse on the edge of the Fens with their two children. She used to have a job she loved and a group of friends, but she left all that behind when her new husband wanted to move out of London, so that his children could grow up in the same part of the country that he had. She understood that, but there life in their new home wasn't what she hoped it might be, and she felt horribly alone when his work took him away from home for log periods of time.
One night, when he is home, Fran is woken by the crying of her baby. When she returns to bed she realises that Nathan is gone, and she senses that something is terribly wrong. She goes outside to investigate and she stumble over her husband's body in a nearby field.
She can't understand - she really has no idea - why anyone would have at reason to kill him.
Over the next few days Fran struggles to cope, but she has to carry on for the sake of her friends and because she has almost nobody to turn to. She realises that she has lost touch with so many people. And she realises that there were many sides to her husband’s life that she knew nothing about; that she hardly knew him at all.
It is clear that the police believe that she has killed her husband. She understood why they might think that, and she found it very difficult that to show that she did not. Circumstances – and people – seemed to be conspiring against her.
The two stories – one belonging to Fran and one belonging to the police – were finely balanced.
Was she reliable or unreliable? Were the police right or wrong? I thought about those questions a great deal, my opinion kept shifting, and it was very late in the day that I made up my mind.
It was clear that Fran had been keeping some secrets of her own. That muddied the waters, but Christobel Kent drew her character and her situation so well that I felt that I really was involved. I had to keep turning the pages. I had to find out what happened.
I loved the atmosphere she created, the cleverness of her plotting, and the way she suggested possibilities as the story moved forward.
That is not to say that this is the perfect ‘domestic thriller’. It isn’t.
I shouldn’t mention about specifics, but I have to say that there were aspects of the story that were horribly implausible. Oe of them is fundamental to the resolution of the plot. I struggled to believe that the relationship between Fran and Nathan had survived as long as it did . I could rationalise it, but I shouldn’t have to. There is a final chapter that feels tacked on, that I wished wasn’t there.
The arc of the story is interesting though. I loved the twist. I think that maybe I should have worked it out but I didn’t.
I’ve picked up many other books that could be labelled ‘domestic thriller’, but I’ve either found that I’ve not wanted to read them or I’ve given up on them very quickly, because there was nothing that made me want to read beyond finding out what happened.
This book is so much better that that.
March 20, 2017
Listened to in audio format.
I have read other people's reviews. and I am glad I am not the only person who found this book confusing.
Fran Hall lives with her husband Nathan and two children on the edge of the Fens. One night Nathan disappears and Fran finds him dead in a ditch at the bottom of their garden. Two male detectives are assigned to the case who are sure that Fran murdered Nathan.
As the investigation continues the reader realises that Nathan was not a loving husband at all, he was manipulative and cut Fran off from her old friends. Nathan was a building manager and was often spent long periods away from home. Fran annoyed me, she was a very bland character who didn't know didn't even know what Nathan did for a living.
I have to admit, I made the mistake of reading a spoiler review of this on the internet. This allowed me to follow the clues to Nathan's secret life. I know other readers have enjoyed this book but I thought it was far fetched.
This was potentially a good story but for me it was ridiculous.
I have read other people's reviews. and I am glad I am not the only person who found this book confusing.
Fran Hall lives with her husband Nathan and two children on the edge of the Fens. One night Nathan disappears and Fran finds him dead in a ditch at the bottom of their garden. Two male detectives are assigned to the case who are sure that Fran murdered Nathan.
As the investigation continues the reader realises that Nathan was not a loving husband at all, he was manipulative and cut Fran off from her old friends. Nathan was a building manager and was often spent long periods away from home. Fran annoyed me, she was a very bland character who didn't know didn't even know what Nathan did for a living.
I have to admit, I made the mistake of reading a spoiler review of this on the internet. This allowed me to follow the clues to Nathan's secret life. I know other readers have enjoyed this book but I thought it was far fetched.
This was potentially a good story but for me it was ridiculous.
August 17, 2016
I wanted to like this book but have finally finished it after twice as long as I'd expect to read such a book and am left frustrated and confused. The book opens with Fran Hall finding the body of her husband, Nathan, who has been murdered. Fran and Nathan moved from London back to the Fens a few years before the story takes place. Nathan was brought up in the area and the unravelling story to find his killer introduces the reader to many of his childhood friends and acquaintances along the way.
I found the writing style confusing as it switched between time periods with no indication of the switch. This style of writing is very common but the time switch is usually at the start of a chapter, or is preceded by a subheading or occasionally just an extra space between paragraphs. In this book there is no such indication of moving to a different time and one can read on quite a way before realising. I found myself going backwards to try and work out when the switch happened so as to re-read the text in the correct context.
At one point the main character makes a discovery of something in the attic of her house. I still don't really know what it was, who it belonged to and what it had to do with the plot.
The main police officer investigating the case, Gerald, seems to spend his whole time acting inappropriately - reminded me of the 'male chauvinist pig' stereotypes in 1970s cop programmes. As with many other things in this book, it didn't really seem to add to the plot in any way. Nor the police lady, Ali, who was assigned as the Family Liaison Officer. She was dealing with family issues which again seemed irrelevant and just in the book for padding.
Hints are dropped throughout the course of the book about most of the characters having some dark, mysterious history. This kept me turning the pages as I was convinced that this would all become clear and there would be several twists and turns towards the end. How wrong I was. I just felt quite let down at the end having spend too much time getting there and feeling most unsatisfied and confused by the whole story.
With thanks to Netgallery for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
I found the writing style confusing as it switched between time periods with no indication of the switch. This style of writing is very common but the time switch is usually at the start of a chapter, or is preceded by a subheading or occasionally just an extra space between paragraphs. In this book there is no such indication of moving to a different time and one can read on quite a way before realising. I found myself going backwards to try and work out when the switch happened so as to re-read the text in the correct context.
At one point the main character makes a discovery of something in the attic of her house. I still don't really know what it was, who it belonged to and what it had to do with the plot.
The main police officer investigating the case, Gerald, seems to spend his whole time acting inappropriately - reminded me of the 'male chauvinist pig' stereotypes in 1970s cop programmes. As with many other things in this book, it didn't really seem to add to the plot in any way. Nor the police lady, Ali, who was assigned as the Family Liaison Officer. She was dealing with family issues which again seemed irrelevant and just in the book for padding.
Hints are dropped throughout the course of the book about most of the characters having some dark, mysterious history. This kept me turning the pages as I was convinced that this would all become clear and there would be several twists and turns towards the end. How wrong I was. I just felt quite let down at the end having spend too much time getting there and feeling most unsatisfied and confused by the whole story.
With thanks to Netgallery for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
April 2, 2017
What. The. Hell. The Loving Husband is a train wreck of a novel.
Characters have no background, no distinguishing characteristics. No one is likable; this would be fine if it were a good book and there was a reason for everyone to be unlikable...but it isn't, and there wasn't.
It's hard to believe a copy editor ever saw the manuscript. I could complain about the myriad grammatical offenses, but that's low-hanging fruit, and it's much more interesting to note that the structure is an utter mishmash. (Pointless) flashbacks abound. The narrative jumps back and forth in time, with no discernible reason and no signal to the reader that they're suddenly reading about an event set years in the past.
The dialogue suffers from the same disorganization as the plot: in the space of one paragraph, two characters will speak, without any indication of which is which. There are no distinguishing characteristics in their syntax or word choices.
The plot? If I had to guess, I'd say Ms. Kent began with a half-formed idea, sat down to write it, then changed her mind several times during the process, without going back to update what she'd written previously. Characters who start out fairly quick-witted abruptly become caricatures. Others disappear. The story, such as it is, is told chiefly from the viewpoint of the wife, but occasionally switches to a second character, who adds nothing to the narrative. McGuffins and red herrings abound. The story is capped with an absurd epilogue.
Yet I finished reading it, which says something. Ms. Kent writes beautiful prose. It's jarring to see eloquent turns of phrase juxtaposed with a plot an eleven-year-old might have come up with. I kept hoping it would get better, and the poetic prose kept it just interesting enough to continue.
It did not get better.
This "domestic thriller" was a waste of several hours I should have spent reading something else.
Characters have no background, no distinguishing characteristics. No one is likable; this would be fine if it were a good book and there was a reason for everyone to be unlikable...but it isn't, and there wasn't.
It's hard to believe a copy editor ever saw the manuscript. I could complain about the myriad grammatical offenses, but that's low-hanging fruit, and it's much more interesting to note that the structure is an utter mishmash. (Pointless) flashbacks abound. The narrative jumps back and forth in time, with no discernible reason and no signal to the reader that they're suddenly reading about an event set years in the past.
The dialogue suffers from the same disorganization as the plot: in the space of one paragraph, two characters will speak, without any indication of which is which. There are no distinguishing characteristics in their syntax or word choices.
The plot? If I had to guess, I'd say Ms. Kent began with a half-formed idea, sat down to write it, then changed her mind several times during the process, without going back to update what she'd written previously. Characters who start out fairly quick-witted abruptly become caricatures. Others disappear. The story, such as it is, is told chiefly from the viewpoint of the wife, but occasionally switches to a second character, who adds nothing to the narrative. McGuffins and red herrings abound. The story is capped with an absurd epilogue.
Yet I finished reading it, which says something. Ms. Kent writes beautiful prose. It's jarring to see eloquent turns of phrase juxtaposed with a plot an eleven-year-old might have come up with. I kept hoping it would get better, and the poetic prose kept it just interesting enough to continue.
It did not get better.
This "domestic thriller" was a waste of several hours I should have spent reading something else.
July 30, 2016
There are plenty of novels around built on the same premise as this one: a husband goes missing or is killed and the wife uncovers dark secrets that underpinned their marriage - but this is one of the better in that sub-category. Kent is a subtle writer and keeps the atmosphere edgy and unsettling as Fran Hall has to both keep her own secrets while fending off the suspicions of the police and uncover the secrets of her elusive husband.
The setting of a rural village in the Fens adds a slightly spooky edge to proceedings, and the characters are nicely delineated. There's rather too much domestic detail around Fran's children: we really don't need to know about every time she breastfeeds the baby or changes his nappy... and the climax feels a little rushed as revelations and twists are piled one upon each other to confusing effect. Overall, though, this is a deft and classy domestic thriller which keeps to the realistic rather than the overly fanciful. Kent's light touch means that there's enough space for the reader's own imagination to work with this book as she refrains from spelling everything out - a gripping, one-sitting, page-turner of a read.
The setting of a rural village in the Fens adds a slightly spooky edge to proceedings, and the characters are nicely delineated. There's rather too much domestic detail around Fran's children: we really don't need to know about every time she breastfeeds the baby or changes his nappy... and the climax feels a little rushed as revelations and twists are piled one upon each other to confusing effect. Overall, though, this is a deft and classy domestic thriller which keeps to the realistic rather than the overly fanciful. Kent's light touch means that there's enough space for the reader's own imagination to work with this book as she refrains from spelling everything out - a gripping, one-sitting, page-turner of a read.
February 16, 2018
I quite enjoyed this book - I did want to know what happened, but something was missing. The story jumped about from the present to the past and back again. The story is somewhat far-fetched partly because of the timescale. I know it is fiction, but fiction has to maintain some hold on reality.
Fran is not a particularly likeable character and yet I didn't get the impression she was so weak as to be manipulated by Nathan. She had had the strength to break up with her previous partner when she saw the way things were going.
Inconsistent, rather unconvincing in places, the time scale would suggest the children are left with Karen for long periods despite the baby still being breastfed, the continuity is not there.
Fran is not a particularly likeable character and yet I didn't get the impression she was so weak as to be manipulated by Nathan. She had had the strength to break up with her previous partner when she saw the way things were going.
Inconsistent, rather unconvincing in places, the time scale would suggest the children are left with Karen for long periods despite the baby still being breastfed, the continuity is not there.
February 18, 2018
I didn’t particularly enjoy this book, somehow the writing was too fervid but is really smart. Without giving too much away the premise would be dismissed as fanciful if it was not based on a real occurrence.
September 15, 2016
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley for review.
Fran is woken up by her baby crying and she realises her husband, Nathan, isn't in bed beside her. They have moved to an isolated farmhouse on the edge of the Fens in order to make a fresh start away from the rat race in London but Fran has not been altogether happy with her new surroundings. When she makes a shocking discovery her life is turned upside down. Who can she trust? Can she even trust herself and her own memories?
While this novel is full of tension and suspense and it keeps you reading I found I was getting annoyed with Fran and I frequently wanted to get hold of her and shake her. She hides things from the police and behaves erratically which invites their suspicion . I didn't like the police characters and I'm surprised they managed to detect anything as they seem too busy fighting their own battles.
In spite of these comments I did find the book compelling reading for the plot alone. I just did not warm to most of the characters at all. We mainly see the Fens in Winter which gives a depressing and not altogether accurate picture of them. Interspersed with the present, the book shows snippets of Fran's previous life before she and Nathan moved to the country which can be a little confusing at times. Nathan emerges as a shadowy and enigmatic character with plenty of secrets.
If you enjoy books by Sharon Bolton you may enjoy this one.
Fran is woken up by her baby crying and she realises her husband, Nathan, isn't in bed beside her. They have moved to an isolated farmhouse on the edge of the Fens in order to make a fresh start away from the rat race in London but Fran has not been altogether happy with her new surroundings. When she makes a shocking discovery her life is turned upside down. Who can she trust? Can she even trust herself and her own memories?
While this novel is full of tension and suspense and it keeps you reading I found I was getting annoyed with Fran and I frequently wanted to get hold of her and shake her. She hides things from the police and behaves erratically which invites their suspicion . I didn't like the police characters and I'm surprised they managed to detect anything as they seem too busy fighting their own battles.
In spite of these comments I did find the book compelling reading for the plot alone. I just did not warm to most of the characters at all. We mainly see the Fens in Winter which gives a depressing and not altogether accurate picture of them. Interspersed with the present, the book shows snippets of Fran's previous life before she and Nathan moved to the country which can be a little confusing at times. Nathan emerges as a shadowy and enigmatic character with plenty of secrets.
If you enjoy books by Sharon Bolton you may enjoy this one.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 514 reviews