Along with this mini review, I am linking to both Book Beginnings, a meme in which readers share the first sentence of a book they are reading, hosted by Gillion of Rose City Reader and First Line Friday hosted by Carrie of Reading is My Super Power, as well as Friday 56 hosted by Anne of My Head is Full of Books, in which readers share a random sentence or two from page 56 or 56% of the book they are reading.
Maybe we should have tried marriage counseling. [opening of The Serial Killer's Guide to Marriage]
★
I had so many questions I wasn't going to ask him. I wasn't going to show my hand.
And then it hit me.
We weren't on the same team. We were on opposing sides, circling each other, waiting to see who was going to crack first. [56% of The Serial Killer's Guide to Marriage]
The Serial Killers Guide to Marriage by Asia MacKay
Bantam, 2025
Mystery/Suspense; 334 pgs
Source: Publisher via NetGalley for an honest review
I wasn't smashing the patriarchy; I was killing it. Literally.
Hazel and Fox are an ordinary married couple with a baby. Except for one small thing: they're murderers. Well, they used to be. They had it all. An enviable London lifestyle, five-star travels, and plenty of bad men to rid from the world. Then Hazel got pregnant.
Now, they’re just another mom-and-dad-and-baby. They gave up vigilante justice for life in the suburbs: arranged play dates instead of body disposals, diapers over daggers, mommy conversations instead of the sweet seduction right before a kill. Hazel finds her new life terribly dull. And the more she forces herself to play her monotonous, predictable role, the more she begins to feel that murderous itch again.
Meanwhile, Fox has really taken to being a father. Always the planner, he loves being five steps ahead of everyone and knowing exactly what’s coming around the bend. Plus, if anyone can understand Hazel needing one more kill, it’s Fox. But then Hazel kills someone without telling Fox. And when police show up at their door, Hazel realizes it will take everything she has to keep her family together. [from the publisher]
My thoughts: The Serial Killer's Guide to Marriage was an entertaining read, not to be taken too seriously. It was a touch dark and macabre, at times funny, and surprisingly somewhat relatable. Not the murdering part. That wasn't relatable. If you strip away the serial killer part, the issues our protagonists struggle with are not unusual in terms of adjusting to life and marriage with a baby. It is a life changing experience, and it completely upends the life they had living. It's an adjustment Haze (as Fox calls her) is having a hard time making. She loves her daughter very much, but she also feels like she has lost a part of herself. At one point in the novel, Fox thinks Haze may be depressed, and, honestly, I wondered if she might have mild case of postpartum depression.
I did not find Haze or Fox to be particularly likeable characters (I'm not sure I was supposed to--and that's okay), but I did find their story compelling. At times it felt like watching a train wreck. Mostly I just wanted to shake them and force them to sit down and talk to each other truthfully. Haze really hadn't meant to kill that man. Well, maybe she had thought about it a little. She should have come out and told Fox about it right away. Fox's parents showing up on their doorstep was a complete surprise, and Fox keeping their ultimatum a secret from his wife didn't help. All their secrets kept adding up, snowballing from there.
My favorite character in the novel besides little Bibi who is the daughter of Haze and Fox, was Jenny, a mother who befriends Haze over the course of the novel. Jenny is not in the best of places mentally or financially when they first meet, but I think she ended up being really good for Haze. Matty was another favorite, and I appreciated the way the author incorporated his character throughout the novel. In a way, I felt like his character grounded Haze.
It took a few chapters before The Serial Killer's Guide to Marriage took off for me, but when it finally did, I had a hard time putting it down. The tension increased, the stakes kept getting higher, and it was just a matter of time before Fox and Haze would have to confront one another. As others have said, the novel does have a Mr. and Mrs. Smith vibe (if you are familiar with the movie or television series). I came away from the novel wondering if it counted as a mystery/thriller or was it a dark and twisted rom com, but have decided it does not really matter. It was a fun read. Thank you to everyone who voted for this one in my February TBR List poll! (Be sure to stop by tomorrow to vote in March's poll!)
Does this sound like something you would enjoy? If you have read it, what did you think?
Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general. It is hosted by Linda Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell and Jen from That’s What I’m Talking About. Join in by answering this week's question in the comments or on your own blog.
Which books are you looking forward to reading this spring? (March-May)?
I am excited about many of the upcoming book club picks this spring for the clubs I am in. Those are about the only ones I can predict with near certainty I will read. I hope to fit in other books I am looking forward to as well, but today I thought I would focus on some of the spring book club selections. Unfortunately, the May list isn't available yet, so this list just covers March and April.
- Murder by Degrees by Ritu Mukerji (March - Mystery Book Club)
- Ida, In Love or in Trouble by Veronica Chambers (March - Historical Fiction Book Club)
- Thistlefoot by GennaRose Nethercott (March - Science Fiction/Fantasy Book Club - I thought I'd try the group out since I want to read the book.)
- The Five Stages of Courting Dalisay Ramos by Melissa De La Cruz (April - Diverse Romance Book Club)
- Against the Loveless World by Susan Abulhawa (April - Cellar Door Book Club)
- All the Good People Here by Ashley Flowers (April - Mystery Book Club)
I also plan to read Steel's Edge (The Edge #4) by Ilona Andrews for the COYER Ilona Andrews' Edge and Inn Keeper read-a-long in April (I am currently reading Fate's Edge which is March's book).
What are you looking forward to reading this spring?
Every Friday Coffee Addicted Writer from Coffee Addicted Writer poses a question which participants respond on their own blogs within the week (Friday through Thursday). They then share their links at the main site and visit other participants blogs.
How much time does blogging take out of your life weekly? (submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer)
It feels like a lot sometimes, especially when you add in visiting other blogs. I follow quite a few blogs, and I also do my best to visit all the blogs of those who comment on my posts or those participating in the memes I participate in. I do not always succeed, but I make an effort. I have never really paid much attention to the actual amount of time I spend blogging per week. Some days I am able to get onto the computer to work on my blog and other days not at all. There are days I can fit in five minutes while other days an hour or two. I do a lot of the prep work on the weekends if I am able. Ideally, I would be way ahead in prepping, but I just don't have that kind of time to dedicate to doing so. Some days or weeks, I am lucky if a post goes up at all. Blogging is a hobby for me, something I do for fun, and so isn't always a priority as a result.
How much time do you spend blogging? Do you dedicate time each day or get to it when you can?
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Be sure and tell me what you are reading and are up to!
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