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I, Claudia
Claudia Alcock is looking for a hitman. Not just any hitman but one who can get the job done properly. After all, she may be a frizzy-haired, middle-aged woman with paranoid tendencies and a chequered romantic past, but she’s no fool. Her cheating soon-to-be ex-husband Gary, aided by his equally unfaithful new lover Alexa, deserve nothing less than a fitting comeuppance.
Unfortunately for Claudia, Gary has plans of his own. Determined to secure Claudia’s fortune, he hires his own hitman whose messy efforts range from bombs to snipers to poisonous spiders.
Can Claudia dodge these increasingly ludicrous attempts on her life?
Unfortunately for Claudia, Gary has plans of his own. Determined to secure Claudia’s fortune, he hires his own hitman whose messy efforts range from bombs to snipers to poisonous spiders.
Can Claudia dodge these increasingly ludicrous attempts on her life?
- GenresMystery
302 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 28, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
May 23, 2026
I had no idea where this was going, and I choked on my tea more than once at the unexpected bursts of dark humour that was right up my street.
Claudia is, frankly, barking but actually underneath the bizarre behaviour and slightly shady past, the woman clearly has a moral compass. Everyone who met a somewhat unexplained but suspicious end after crossing our Claudia had breached her moral code in some way with infidelity, abuse of children and animals in particular being red lines for her. Can’t fault her actually, despite of her craziness, I was rooting for her and really wanted her to keep getting away with it. And I really wanted her odious husband and his mistress to get their comeuppance.
We never quite know where we stand with Claudia, she’s got all sorts of mental health issues, we actually hear her story through her talking it loud to a doll. She’s eccentric, quirky and dark and driven by a need to exact revenge on all who wrong her, a which is actually a huge cast of characters. But through all of that she talks a lot of brutal, honest sense.
This is a witty, sharp page turner that is much earthier in tone than the slightly saccharine sweet cosy mysteries. If, like me you prefer your humour darker then you’ll love this. Recommended.
Thanks to the publisher via netgalley for my copy.
Claudia is, frankly, barking but actually underneath the bizarre behaviour and slightly shady past, the woman clearly has a moral compass. Everyone who met a somewhat unexplained but suspicious end after crossing our Claudia had breached her moral code in some way with infidelity, abuse of children and animals in particular being red lines for her. Can’t fault her actually, despite of her craziness, I was rooting for her and really wanted her to keep getting away with it. And I really wanted her odious husband and his mistress to get their comeuppance.
We never quite know where we stand with Claudia, she’s got all sorts of mental health issues, we actually hear her story through her talking it loud to a doll. She’s eccentric, quirky and dark and driven by a need to exact revenge on all who wrong her, a which is actually a huge cast of characters. But through all of that she talks a lot of brutal, honest sense.
This is a witty, sharp page turner that is much earthier in tone than the slightly saccharine sweet cosy mysteries. If, like me you prefer your humour darker then you’ll love this. Recommended.
Thanks to the publisher via netgalley for my copy.
April 15, 2026
Dark humour, hilarious narration, wanted it to keep on forever.
This was brilliant. A wealthy wife - Claudia - tells her feelings to a doll (and by extension us of course) about her philandering husband and her schemes to make him a thing of the past... like a couple of other husband before him.
Gary thinks his wife is absolutely barking, she's talking to a doll, for goodness sake. Threatening to change her will - which would be most unfair before he and his mistress can off her!
And so starts what appears to be a bit of a race to who can get the job done first. Especially as Gary's work wife and mistress can't seem to find a competent hitman.
This just got better and better, you definitely like Claudia. Even if she's mad as a box of frogs and NOT someone you want to be on the wrong side of, she's definitely who you root for. Gary and Alexa are plain unlikeable, nicely written to both be amoral and worthy of a messy end.
A huge cast of minor characters, all bringing their own quirks to the story, with lots of Claudia's backstory drip-fed to us clarifying her history and previous romantic entalgments... and how she got out of them.
Loved the narrative style, which pulls you up short when Gary and Alexa's story is told so very differently and conventionally, more omniscient third person.
I wanted this to keep going, it was one of the most entertaining reads I've found in a while. We had bombs going off in suburban streets, random shootings, work affairs, poisonings... it was a whole series of TV gold in the making.
Please make this for the small screen! A riot of dark humour, much to recommend.
With thanks to Netgalley for providing a sample reading copy.
This was brilliant. A wealthy wife - Claudia - tells her feelings to a doll (and by extension us of course) about her philandering husband and her schemes to make him a thing of the past... like a couple of other husband before him.
Gary thinks his wife is absolutely barking, she's talking to a doll, for goodness sake. Threatening to change her will - which would be most unfair before he and his mistress can off her!
And so starts what appears to be a bit of a race to who can get the job done first. Especially as Gary's work wife and mistress can't seem to find a competent hitman.
This just got better and better, you definitely like Claudia. Even if she's mad as a box of frogs and NOT someone you want to be on the wrong side of, she's definitely who you root for. Gary and Alexa are plain unlikeable, nicely written to both be amoral and worthy of a messy end.
A huge cast of minor characters, all bringing their own quirks to the story, with lots of Claudia's backstory drip-fed to us clarifying her history and previous romantic entalgments... and how she got out of them.
Loved the narrative style, which pulls you up short when Gary and Alexa's story is told so very differently and conventionally, more omniscient third person.
I wanted this to keep going, it was one of the most entertaining reads I've found in a while. We had bombs going off in suburban streets, random shootings, work affairs, poisonings... it was a whole series of TV gold in the making.
Please make this for the small screen! A riot of dark humour, much to recommend.
With thanks to Netgalley for providing a sample reading copy.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I really enjoyed this debut novel! It's quirky and clever and lots of fun to read, and I highly recommend it to fans of popcorn thrillers who like to give debut authors a chance.
Claudia is a middle-aged woman whose husband is cheating on her with his business partner, so she's looking for a hitman to kill either just him or possibly both of them. Unbeknownst to Claudia, her husband and his mistress are also planning to kill her. The story plays out in chapters alternating between Claudia's hilarious first person narration and the third person POV focused on the perspective of the husband and mistress, and as the story progresses, that of the police who get involved once the attempts begin to get made on some of the characters' lives.
Claudia is a very irascible woman diagnosed with schizophrenia and multiple phobias, and her chapters feature her talking to a lifelike baby doll whom she takes with her in a child's seat in the back of her car. Claudia, with all her personality quirks and secrets, is a profoundly unreliable narrator; she is both weird and unlikable, but spending time with her is quite enjoyable and she is often hilarious in her perceptions and complaints. It's easy to root for her while hoping for the worst possible outcome for the adulterous couple. Claudia might be an angry and unhinged black widow, but she is very entertaining and easy to root for. The book ties all its threads together nicely and in a satisfying manner.
Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing a review copy in exchange for my honest opinion.
Claudia is a middle-aged woman whose husband is cheating on her with his business partner, so she's looking for a hitman to kill either just him or possibly both of them. Unbeknownst to Claudia, her husband and his mistress are also planning to kill her. The story plays out in chapters alternating between Claudia's hilarious first person narration and the third person POV focused on the perspective of the husband and mistress, and as the story progresses, that of the police who get involved once the attempts begin to get made on some of the characters' lives.
Claudia is a very irascible woman diagnosed with schizophrenia and multiple phobias, and her chapters feature her talking to a lifelike baby doll whom she takes with her in a child's seat in the back of her car. Claudia, with all her personality quirks and secrets, is a profoundly unreliable narrator; she is both weird and unlikable, but spending time with her is quite enjoyable and she is often hilarious in her perceptions and complaints. It's easy to root for her while hoping for the worst possible outcome for the adulterous couple. Claudia might be an angry and unhinged black widow, but she is very entertaining and easy to root for. The book ties all its threads together nicely and in a satisfying manner.
Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing a review copy in exchange for my honest opinion.
June 8, 2026
Oh boy. From the first page, I knew this book was going to be different. The heroine, Claudia, is definitely different. She describes herself as bonkers and none of the other characters in the book voice a conflicting opinion. She does not suffer fools, or husbands, gladly. She has a short fuse and a creative imagination which is more than can be said for her philandering husband #3. The other two were dispatched in inventive ways that allowed her to avoid prosecution. The police have her on their radar. People around her seem to suffer unbelievable misfortunes.
Currently she is keeping tabs on Gary and his various liaisons, biding her time to think of a suitable retribution for the wrongs he has committed. At the same time, Gary and Alexa are plotting how to get rid of her. Without giving too much away, it is a darkly funny and wicked romp filled with inadequate hit men, groupies of Claudia, a nudist cult, a dumber than a sack of bricks police hierarchy and all sorts of other things that will keep you turning the page to see what shenanigans comes next. The satire comes fast and thick. I enjoy this kind of read. I enjoyed this one. Five purrs and two paws up.
Currently she is keeping tabs on Gary and his various liaisons, biding her time to think of a suitable retribution for the wrongs he has committed. At the same time, Gary and Alexa are plotting how to get rid of her. Without giving too much away, it is a darkly funny and wicked romp filled with inadequate hit men, groupies of Claudia, a nudist cult, a dumber than a sack of bricks police hierarchy and all sorts of other things that will keep you turning the page to see what shenanigans comes next. The satire comes fast and thick. I enjoy this kind of read. I enjoyed this one. Five purrs and two paws up.
April 5, 2026
I think I’m not the audience for this book. It’s not bad, and it’s not problematic. It’s just that the author and I don’t share a sense of humor, so as I’m reading this book I’m only becoming more and more frustrated at the disconnect. I can see where other people might find Claudia funny, but I just found her pitiable.
Sometimes a book is like that. Not every book is for every person and that’s fine. Hard to review … but fine.
The writing is solid, the pace is quick, and the cast of characters are painted in bright, broad strokes. From bombs and bodies in the backyard to surprise children, there is always something happening. The book is solidly plotted, even if some of the reveals are a bit predictable — but that’s the nature of the formula. The author does, however, put their own spin on it. People more interested in small town murder mysteries — if they like Claudia or find the humor in this book — will probably have a good time.
Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the book.
Sometimes a book is like that. Not every book is for every person and that’s fine. Hard to review … but fine.
The writing is solid, the pace is quick, and the cast of characters are painted in bright, broad strokes. From bombs and bodies in the backyard to surprise children, there is always something happening. The book is solidly plotted, even if some of the reveals are a bit predictable — but that’s the nature of the formula. The author does, however, put their own spin on it. People more interested in small town murder mysteries — if they like Claudia or find the humor in this book — will probably have a good time.
Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the book.
September 20, 2026
Claudia Alcock wants her cheating husband Gary dead. She's on the hunt for a hitman. The thing is, he wants her dead, too, plotting with his colleague and lover Alexa. Gary is lazy, a serial sexual harasser, and terribly self-centred. Alexa is pretty self-centred and manipulative
Using first person narration for Claudia and third person for the other action, author D.N. Potter creates a tale full of bad behaviour, poor attitudes, and multiple murder attempts. At the same time, we learn of Claudia's past, from her awful early childhood, through her multiple marriages that strangely ended in deaths…. She's got mental health issues, is callous, bigoted, lacks empathy for others, but likes animals, and cannot stand infidelity.
I had high hopes for this story, but found everyone either despicable, horrible bigots, or in some other way unsympathetic. I found myself struggling to get through this book many times, and did not particularly like it.
Thank you to Netgalley and to The Book Guild for this ARC in exchange for my review.
Using first person narration for Claudia and third person for the other action, author D.N. Potter creates a tale full of bad behaviour, poor attitudes, and multiple murder attempts. At the same time, we learn of Claudia's past, from her awful early childhood, through her multiple marriages that strangely ended in deaths…. She's got mental health issues, is callous, bigoted, lacks empathy for others, but likes animals, and cannot stand infidelity.
I had high hopes for this story, but found everyone either despicable, horrible bigots, or in some other way unsympathetic. I found myself struggling to get through this book many times, and did not particularly like it.
Thank you to Netgalley and to The Book Guild for this ARC in exchange for my review.
March 10, 2026
NetGalley Arc Review:
Claudia is looking for a hitman but so is her husband Gary.
This immediately sounded like this was going to be an interesting read. Almost a page turner but unfortunately, it was not for me.
I did appreciate some things about this book. I liked Claudia’s character, her personality and what she brought to the book. There are a handful of things that she said that made me laugh out loud. But there were points throughout this book that felt repetitive, as well as parts that didn’t add much to the story making it feel like it was dragging.
I was interested in this up until I got towards the later chapters. Everything just seemed to be happening so slow to the point where I was ready to just be done with the book. I didn’t really get much from the ending of the book unfortunately. But hey you might really enjoy this one.
Claudia is looking for a hitman but so is her husband Gary.
This immediately sounded like this was going to be an interesting read. Almost a page turner but unfortunately, it was not for me.
I did appreciate some things about this book. I liked Claudia’s character, her personality and what she brought to the book. There are a handful of things that she said that made me laugh out loud. But there were points throughout this book that felt repetitive, as well as parts that didn’t add much to the story making it feel like it was dragging.
I was interested in this up until I got towards the later chapters. Everything just seemed to be happening so slow to the point where I was ready to just be done with the book. I didn’t really get much from the ending of the book unfortunately. But hey you might really enjoy this one.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
3.5
if claudia has a million fans, then i am one of them. if claudia has ten fans, then i am one of them. if claudia has only one fan then that is me. if claudia has no fans, then i am dead.
it goes without saying that i enjoyed claudias chapters, they made me laugh out loud several times. what a fascinating, witty, disgusting character thats impossible to *not* root for. reading her POV basically saved the book for me, writing claudias pov in 1st person was a fascinating choice made by the author!
i kept rolling my eyes when chapters of claudias husband & her mistresses chapters were on my screen.. not a single likeable character! that alone was enough to ruin my experience of reading this book sometimes.
oveall a quick, gripping read!
"Men. What’s wrong with them? On second thoughts, don’t answer that, Ophelia, or we’ll be here all day."
if claudia has a million fans, then i am one of them. if claudia has ten fans, then i am one of them. if claudia has only one fan then that is me. if claudia has no fans, then i am dead.
it goes without saying that i enjoyed claudias chapters, they made me laugh out loud several times. what a fascinating, witty, disgusting character thats impossible to *not* root for. reading her POV basically saved the book for me, writing claudias pov in 1st person was a fascinating choice made by the author!
i kept rolling my eyes when chapters of claudias husband & her mistresses chapters were on my screen.. not a single likeable character! that alone was enough to ruin my experience of reading this book sometimes.
oveall a quick, gripping read!
"Men. What’s wrong with them? On second thoughts, don’t answer that, Ophelia, or we’ll be here all day."
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This book is unhinged in the best of ways.
Claudia is a hilarious character. She's had enough of her crappy, cheating husband and is looking for a hitman. Do you happen to know one?
The problem is that Claudia's crappy, cheating husband and his girlfriend have the same idea, only they are doing more than talking about it.
You learn about Claudia and her past and her two suspiciously deceased husbands. You get to read along as she reads her diary to her life like baby, and as she narrates her life to the reader - and let me tell you, her life is something else!
This book is full of laughs from page one to the very end, and I enjoyed it immensely. I can't wait to see what this author does next. I highly recommend this book.
Thank you to Netgalley, The Book Guild, and D N Potter for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Claudia is a hilarious character. She's had enough of her crappy, cheating husband and is looking for a hitman. Do you happen to know one?
The problem is that Claudia's crappy, cheating husband and his girlfriend have the same idea, only they are doing more than talking about it.
You learn about Claudia and her past and her two suspiciously deceased husbands. You get to read along as she reads her diary to her life like baby, and as she narrates her life to the reader - and let me tell you, her life is something else!
This book is full of laughs from page one to the very end, and I enjoyed it immensely. I can't wait to see what this author does next. I highly recommend this book.
Thank you to Netgalley, The Book Guild, and D N Potter for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
NetGalley Arc Review:
Claudia is looking for a hitman. So is her husband.
As soon as I read the synopsis, this book felt right up my street. I really enjoyed the first 20% of the book and the completely unhinged FMC reminded me a lot of Rhiannon from the Sweetpea series.
However by the 50% mark I just really wasn’t enjoying it. It felt reparative, not as much going on as I’d have liked/expected considering the story.
However, I did enjoy the authors style of writing, it was easy to read and there was some point that really made me chuckle.
But on the whole, I had to make the difficult decision to DNF.
Claudia is looking for a hitman. So is her husband.
As soon as I read the synopsis, this book felt right up my street. I really enjoyed the first 20% of the book and the completely unhinged FMC reminded me a lot of Rhiannon from the Sweetpea series.
However by the 50% mark I just really wasn’t enjoying it. It felt reparative, not as much going on as I’d have liked/expected considering the story.
However, I did enjoy the authors style of writing, it was easy to read and there was some point that really made me chuckle.
But on the whole, I had to make the difficult decision to DNF.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Now this is “woman gone mad” done right! I don’t know if I was supposed to agree with all of Claudia’s decisions, but I absolutely did. I love reading about a woman coming completely undone and wreaking havoc on men in a reserve uno style. Claudia’s narration is so well written and hilarious, I was hooked on page one. Sometimes this genre makes women so unlikable it’s hard to read without constant eye rolling. This book does not have that problem. All around the humor is fantastic, the schemes and follies reminded me of the burglars in Home Alone. The grown up Home Alone female revenge fantasy of my dreams. Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Claudia is what happens when the ego and superego leave the chat and the id is left as group admin.
This book was quirky, witty, and filled with dark, dry humour. The characters are so unlikeable that you find yourself rooting for a funny, unstable murderer. The book tackles real issues like childhood trauma, mental illness and the uniquely human obsession with the macabre, while also bringing levity and total ridiculousness to the forefront.
I look forward to reading more of D N Potter’s work.
Thank you to NetGalley for the e-ARC.
This book was quirky, witty, and filled with dark, dry humour. The characters are so unlikeable that you find yourself rooting for a funny, unstable murderer. The book tackles real issues like childhood trauma, mental illness and the uniquely human obsession with the macabre, while also bringing levity and total ridiculousness to the forefront.
I look forward to reading more of D N Potter’s work.
Thank you to NetGalley for the e-ARC.
April 2, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley and The Book Guild for gifting me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I just could not get into this one. While there are some good bits of dark humor, I found some of it a bit hard to follow. Maybe it was written like that in order to mimic the scattered thoughts of the MC, I am not sure. I just know I didn't jive with it. There was nothing about the story that stuck with me beyond the humor, but even that quickly turned into being a tiny bit annoying, especially the jokes about her own mental illness, which was on the edge of offensive and cheap.
I just could not get into this one. While there are some good bits of dark humor, I found some of it a bit hard to follow. Maybe it was written like that in order to mimic the scattered thoughts of the MC, I am not sure. I just know I didn't jive with it. There was nothing about the story that stuck with me beyond the humor, but even that quickly turned into being a tiny bit annoying, especially the jokes about her own mental illness, which was on the edge of offensive and cheap.
May 13, 2026
Funny. British. Overwrought. A couple at war, each of who hirr their own hitman to kill the other by various means. Every line seemed to be a punchline so by the time the book ends and all scores seemingly settled, this reader was simply exhausted and doesn't care who survived and who didn't. Even with a quick fun Saturday one-day read like this, as you're flopped on a couch, sipping an ice-cold soda and noshing on popcorn, it would be nice to end a book like this rooting for someone. No such luck.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
A great read by an author unknown to me. The FMC is a determined and unstable character who is attempting to have her husband killed. A highly enjoyable story with some hilarious lines. Loved the sarcasm. It's best not to know too much about this story and let the thrill unfold for you. Definitely entertaining. Thank you to Netgalley and the Author/Publisher for this advanced copy.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Fun popcorn thriller with a very interesting main character in Claudia, in all her irascibility and chatting-to-dolls self. she's trying to kill her husband and at times is unlikeable, but you can definitely root for her at points. 4 stars. tysm for the arc.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews