I thought this book was an intriguing and enjoyable psychological thriller with plenty of twists and turns. The story follows Vicki, a former aromatherapist with epilepsy, and intertwines her perspective with those of the other main characters, creating a nicely layered narrative. This is the first book that I have read by this author and it is clear that she excels at creating suspense and is very skilled at keeping readers guessing about who to trust. I liked the overall pace of the book although it got off to a bit of a slow start, but once it got going it was a good, easy going read. The plentiful plot twists were surprising, particularly one twist which I didn’t see coming; but a few aspects felt a little too far-fetched to be believable. Having said that, I thought the characterisation and the multiple perspectives in the storyline were pretty compelling. Overall, The Dead Ex is an entertaining read for fans of domestic thrillers. I’d have liked a heftier punch to it but it’s got my 2025 reads off to a good start and I’m definitely looking forward to reading another book from this author’s backlist.

I loved the cover, I loved the concept but something just didn't work for me and I was gutted. Vicki is an unreliable protagonist, she has epilepsy, her seizures, and medication mean at times she can't remember what happened... so how can she be sure she is innocent? From there the story is split between two characters experiences which I felt were rather disjointed as the connection between the vastly different stories was unclear for the majority of the novel. That being said my curiosity was piked enough to see me reading until the link was revealed and I was intrigued to see what become of them both in the final chapters. There are plenty of twists and turns throughout and this novel it had all the hallmarks of a brilliant thriller - revenge, a missing ex, an unreliable lead but its execution wasn't flawless. Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Books UK for sending me this in exchange for an open and honest review.

"The Dead Ex" is the third novel from Sunday Times Bestseller, Jane Corry, the Queen of the twisty read. It is the first of her books that I have read, the rest are already on my TBR list. The advance praise from some of the best writers in the business draws you into reading it. I have to say I was a little disappointed by my first foray into Corry's novels. I was an addictive and on the whole, easy to read, but the multiple points-of-view made for a complex and sometimes confusing narrative. I felt I had to consider things a bit too much as I prefer my thrillers to be light and not too taxing in order to relax. I carried on with it as I wanted to know how the different characters were connected and how the story concluded. Some of the subject matter explored was rather sad. There is no doubt that this is a clever story with many interwoven threads. The combination of the confusing narrative and unlikeable characters made for a book that I liked less than I thought I would unfortunately. I would definitely try another Jane Corry title in the future and will attempt to read her previous two in the hope that I enjoy them more than I did this. Many thanks to Penguin (UK) for an ARC. I was not required to post a review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

This is the second book I have read by Jane Corry and just like the first one I read, I spent most of this book exclaiming "but that just would not happen." The whole thing is so sensationalised to put the characters into the most unbearable state possible even if that makes no logical sense. I stuck with it to the end to see how all of the plot strands came together (which they did quite satisfyingly) but I just think this would have been a much better read if it hadn't been trying so hard to be shocking at every single opportunity - because the fact is absolutely none of it rang true.

Last year I read and really enjoyed Blood Sisters by Jane Corry, and I particularly loved the rather claustrophobic, somewhat enclosed first person telling of the story. In particular the character of Kitty living in care, unable to communicate but the reader is privileged in that he has total access to the mind and thoughts of the hapless Kitty. Unfortunately The Dead Ex comes nowhere near to the thrill read that Blood Sisters was. It is the same type of first person storytelling from the point of view of a number of characters and again that presents as an effective and good method of relaying events. However if the story has little merit, then everything falls apart, in a confusing and dreary manner. Vicki Goudman suffers with epilepsy and husband Daniel, rather than support her, decides to abandon her for his mistress the alluring, and seductive Tanya. When the police inform Vicki that husband Daniel is missing, possibly dead, she finds her world turned upside down when she realizes that she is the number one suspect. Vicki needs to prove her innocence but how is this possible as the drugs she is prescribed for her epilepsy appear to cause frequent and constant memory loss. The telling of this story is utterly confusing as we travel back and forward from the present to 2006/07 meeting Scarlet and Helen Evans. Vicki Goudman was a prison governor, then in inmate, ex husband Daniel has more than an interest in Tanya, Scarlet had an unhealthy relationship with a Mr Walters, Scarlet's mum Zelda is in prison, who is Jackie? Is Scarlett really Scarlet or Helen? does Zelda have an agenda from her prison cell?, is Daniel really David? what is the importance of Patrick? I could go on but I was just as confused as you are (dear reader of my review) trying to analyse and decipher just what the hell is happening!!. If a story becomes confused, complicated, and possibly losing the plot, then it is certainly difficult to retain the attention and support of the reader. I always endeavour to complete a book before offering an opinion but The Dead Ex really tested my stay ability! Many thanks to netgalley in sending me a gratis copy in exchange for an honest review and that is what I have written.....An extremely disappointing read, a confusing and complicated plot and a somewhat preposterous conclusion.