Published in 2023, this is by K.L. Slater. My audio-version was expertly and enjoyably narrated by Clare Corbett.



First up, this is a very gripping story, and it makes a great bus (and boat) listen.

The plot certainly keeps you guessing. My suspicions switched to new candidates on a regular basis -- but ultimately I didn't get it right.

We open with the murder of a young woman, Sarah. But then we shift immediately to a family saga. The point of view is mostly that of Nicola, a 60-something mother and grandmother, who has recently undergone treatment for cancer. But as we switch backwards and forwards between the present and different points in the past (a manoeuvre that's smoothly done, and not at all confusing), we gradually fill in bits of the backstory of the murdered woman, and also of the other characters.

The "husband and wife" of the title is ambiguous, because we actually have three pairs. Nicola seems kind and loving, but you can imagine her being a bit interfering, and you think this might be the reason for the coolness that currently affects relations with her son and daughter-in-law.

Nicola is married to Cal, a down-to-earth plumber, who comes across as pretty dependable.

Their son is Parker, and because of all the convolutions in the plot, I feel we never quite get a handle on him. He remains a bit of an enigma right to the end.

Parker's wife is Luna, an "influencer". Here too, I think the need to keep the plot twisty came at the expense of consistent character development, because Luna too remains a bit of a cypher. Parker and Luna have a son called Barney. His role is primarily to serve as a bargaining chip among the warring couples.

Luna's parents, Marie and Joe, constitute our third husband-and-wife. They're rich, rude, and generally very up themselves. In some ways they're the most straightforward characters, though. We start by disliking them, and end with the same feelings. There's an odd little plot strand concerning Marie, that emerges right at the end. I never quite saw the point of that additional complication.


The story is set in Nottingham and the surrounding area

Anyway, we start at the point where Nicola is welcoming little Barney, whom she and Cal will baby-sit while Parker and Luna head off to a swanky dinner-dance. Tantalizingly, the normally stand-offish Parker tells his mother there's something he needs to confide to her.

But in the middle of the night there's bad news. Parker and Luna have been involved in a terrible road accident. They're in hospital. Parker might not pull through.

With the ostensible aim of collecting things for Barney, Nicola insinuates herself into Parker and Luna's house. There she finds not only a lot of clues that things are badly amiss in the marriage, but also a much-publicized bit of evidence from the murder case.

Nicola fears the worst, but understandably wants to protect the son who is now appearing more than a bit dodgy (and who, of course, is ultra-vulnerable on account of his injuries). Nicola's concern, however, projects her into full snoop mode, and there are many points in the story where I wondered about her judgement, if not her sanity.

More I will not say...

I found the wrap-up at the end a little pedestrian. But then I often find endings slightly disappointing.

In fact, "pedestrian" is probably a good descriptor of the overall style. It's very workmanlike. Nothing sings. There's a lot of tension, but there's not much atmosphere.

You couldn't accuse Slater of fudging the ending, though. Half the cast is in danger of going to prison by the time we reach the close...

In all, Husband and Wife is a little bare-bones, but it sets out with a task in mind, and it accomplishes that task. Can't complain.