The Secret Lives of Murderers’ Wives

The ex-wives of three different serial killers band together to stop a new one in this riveting crime novel from Arnott (Maude Horton’s Glorious Revenge, written as Lizzie Pook). Set in Berryview, Calif., during the sweltering summer of 1966, the action centers on Beverley, a harried mother of two; Elsie, a shrewd office assistant at the town newspaper; and Margot, a beautiful party girl. The women are united in uneasy friendship by the fact that each was once married to a now convicted serial killer, earning them scorn and skepticism from their neighbors, who—like the women themselves—wonder how they could have missed what their husbands were up to. Though each woman has come to Berryview to escape the violence committed by their husbands, the bodies of attractive young women start turning up, all within an hour’s distance from Berryview, and police announce that a serial killer might be operating in the area. In response, Beverly, Elsie, and Margot set out to find the perpetrator, hoping in part to atone for the sins of their husbands. Arnott plays scrupulously fair with readers, seeding the narrative with well-disguised clues, but the novel’s real appeal lies in its convincing evocation of the ’60s and its tender depiction of the bond between its leads. It’s a winner. Agent: Madeleine Milburn, Madeleine Milburn Literary. (Mar.)