The Exe's Revenge

Author: Jo Jakeman
Genre: Suspense
Type: Trade Paperback
Pages: 352
Source: Publisher
Publisher: Berkley
First Published: September 11, 2018
First Line: "I expected to feel free, unburdened, but when the curtains close around Phillip Rochester's satin-lined coffin all I feel is indigestion."

Book Description from GoodReads: A wickedly dark debut thriller about three women who've all been involved with the same man and realize the one thing they have in common is that they all want revenge against him...

Divorces are often messy, and Imogen's is no exception. Phillip Rochester is controlling, abusive, and determined to make things as difficult as possible. When he shows up without warning demanding that Imogen move out of their house by the end of the month or he'll sue for sole custody of their young son, Imogen is ready to snap.

In a moment of madness, Imogen does something unthinkable--something that puts her in control for the first time in years. She's desperate to protect her son and to claim authority over her own life.

But she wasn't expecting both Phillip's ex-wife and new girlfriend to get tangled up in her plans. These three very different women--and unlikely allies--reluctantly team up to take revenge against a man who has wronged them all. 

My Rating: 2 stars

It's always nice to get free books so when this book was sent to me, unsolicited by the publisher, and sounded right up my alley with its suspenseful blurb I was thrilled. We have one nasty ex-husband and three women (a la First Wives Club) who want revenge on this misogynistic, abusive man who made their lives miserable.  Sounds good but it fell flat for me.

First, this isn't a suspenseful read because readers know what's going to happen early on. It started out fairly strong but as the plot progressed it lost focus while the story got sillier and sillier to the point of being ridiculous. 

The characters didn't fair better.  They are lackluster and one-dimensional, especially Phillip who came off so villainous that I wouldn't be surprised if he was seen twisting his moustache while cackling evilly. He had no redeeming qualities. None. Imogen was ridiculously naïve, made some stupid decisions and generally not someone I could get behind. 

While I applaud the author for bringing domestic physical and mental abuse to the forefront of the story, overall, I struggled with too many issues to enjoy this book. I ended up skimming to get to the end faster. Other people seem to have enjoyed this book so I'm in the minority with this one.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to the publisher for sending me a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.