His and Hers – Alice Feeney

*I received a free ARC of this novel, with thanks to the author, HQ – Harper Collins UK and NetGalley.  The decision to review and my opinions are my own.*

Blurb:  If there are two sides to every story, someone is always lying…

Jack: Three words to describe my wife: Beautiful. Ambitious. Unforgiving.
Anna: I only need one word to describe my husband: Liar.

When a woman is murdered in Blackdown village, newsreader Anna Andrews is reluctant to cover the case. Anna’s ex-husband, DCI Jack Harper, is suspicious of her involvement, until he becomes a suspect in his own murder investigation.

Someone is lying, and some secrets are worth killing to keep.

His and Hers is told in a split narrative between two main narrators: Anna Andrews, news presenter, and DCI Jack Harper, her ex husband. 

There is a third narrative inserted towards the end of some chapters, which the reader quickly realises is that of the murderer.  In the Kindle version I read, it wasn’t always clear where the switch came between Anna/Jack’s narrative voice and the unknown murderer, so I got a little confused at some points as to who was talking!

Both of the main characters are connected to the victim, both are damaged, and both are highly likely to be unreliable narrators, so the question of who to trust becomes vital as the story unfolds.  This mistrust creates some compelling tension, as it conflicts with the intimacy of the first person address.

In addition to the intrigue, there is plenty of action as the main characters plunge us rapidly into their struggles with grief, alcoholism, casual sex and childhood bullying.  There are triggers here too for animal cruelty, which was quite graphic and upsetting, so anyone who struggles to read that might be best setting this one aside.  The characters themselves were pretty much all unlikable, which isn’t always a bad thing, but did make it a little difficult to empathise with them, as we are party to their darkest, least endearing thoughts.

For those ready to face the darker side of human nature and wade through a sticky mass of lies and concealed truths, this story is packed with surprises and revelations, very few of which I predicted.  In fact, I was still changing my mind about who I thought the killer might be, right up to the grand reveal –  I do like a book that keeps me guessing!  If you’re looking for a he said, she said murder mystery, where everyone is suspect and no-one is safe, then this might just be the thriller for you.

There are at least two sides to every story:
Yours and mine.
Ours and theirs.
His and hers.
Which means someone is always lying.

– Alice Feeney, His and Hers

Find more from Alice Feeney at her website here, or follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Goodreads.

His and Hers is available on Amazon right now!

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