The Secret Lives of Murderers’ Wives by Elizabeth Arnott
on March 3, 2026
Genres: Fiction / Crime, Fiction / Mystery & Detective / Women Sleuths, Fiction / Thrillers / Crime
Pages: 304
Format: Audiobook
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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?
I loved getting to know the three main characters—all strong, distinct women—as they tested limits and challenged societal norms. It did a good job highlighting the challenges women encountered at the time—being misjudged, dismissed, and pushed to take extreme measures just to be heard. I just wish we’d gotten a little more of their backstory: how they met and more details of what unraveled to bring them to where this story begins. That extra context would’ve made their friendship and choices resonate even more.
I rated this novel 3.5 stars. The pacing was slow at times with a lot of details that didn’t feel necessary. It didn’t really pick up until the last quarter of the book as everything resolved. The ending wrapped things up nicely, though I do wish the rest of the story had the same tension and pacing. Still, I loved some of the twists and the overall message about women refusing to stay quiet and fighting for themselves!
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