Murderers’ spouses become amateur sleuths after rash of killings in 1960s California

Being married to a murderer would be traumatic for anyone — but it could also give profound insights into people’s motivations and behaviours. In The Secret Lives of Murderers’ Wives, Elizabeth Arnott tells the fictional story of three women whose experiences being married to murderers encourage them to use their knowledge to solve a new set of crimes.

Arnott is a writer and journalist whose work has appeared in publications including the Sunday Times, the Guardian and the Telegraph. The London-based Arnott has also written historical fiction written under the pseudonym Lizzie Pook.

The book begins in 1966 California, with Beverley nervously preparing to speak at a Los Angeles Police Department gala, where she talks about her experience of learning, five years earlier, that her husband was a murderer.

Margot and Elsie were also married to serial killers; energetic and self-confident Margot had taken an active role in exposing her husband’s crimes.

Elsie is hoping her insights will help her become a journalist. The three women have been in contact with each other for several years, and have supported each other in their quest to understand the implications of being married to killers. Yet, as Margot comments, “We cannot keep bad people from doing bad things.”

Soon, the three friends decide to investigate a series of new murders and disappearances, hoping their inside knowledge of their husbands’ crimes will give them insights into the cases. Beverley is in a romantic relationship with a police detective named Roger, through whom she hopes to learn something about the professional side of investigations.

The trio struggle to sort out the clues they discover, the task more difficult than they had anticipated — could they be surprised to find the killer is someone they had never suspected? After all, Beverley reflects that “mass killers are master manipulators.”

Later, when a reporter comes to interview them, Beverley, Margot, and Elsie are ready to tell their story.

Arnott uses many of the devices common to this type of story as the amateur trio of sleuths suspect one person after another. And while the kind of investigation the friends undertake might be unlikely in real life, it fits well within the mystery genre.

The characters are believable and the story quite compelling, although some readers might wish for a faster-moving plot with a more logical sequence of clues and deductions. Themes that run through the book include the barriers that keep people from really knowing even their closest family members and friends, as well as how people can hide their true nature behind a facade.

While The Secret Lives of Murderers’ Wives is written in a casual, accessible style that’s accessible to a wide audience, Arnott has chosen to write the book in the present tense, which could be a hang-up for some readers while helping others feel they are part of the action.

Regardless, enthusiasts of mysteries and thrillers will find plenty to like here.

Susan Huebert is a Winnipeg writer and pet sitter.