What if the person you trusted most was the one lying to you all along? Alice Feeney's His and Hers is a psychological thriller that plays with your mind from the very first page and refuses to let go until the final, jaw-dropping reveal. If you are a fan of books that keep you guessing, this one belongs at the top of your reading list.
What Is His and Hers About?
Published in 2020, His and Hers is written by British author Alice Feeney, who is already well known for her debut novel Sometimes I Lie. The story is set in the small English town of Blackdown and centers around a murder that shakes the community. A woman's body is found, and the investigation pulls together two compelling narrators: Anna Andrews, a BBC news presenter who is sent back to her hometown to cover the story, and Jack Harper, the detective assigned to the case.
The twist? Anna and Jack have a history together. And as the investigation deepens, it becomes clear that both of them are hiding things from the reader and from each other. A third, unnamed narrator adds another layer of unease, hinting that the killer may be hiding in plain sight throughout the entire story.
Why His and Hers Stands Out in the Thriller Genre
The psychological thriller genre is crowded, and it takes real craft to stand out. Feeney manages to do exactly that with a narrative structure that feels fresh and genuinely disorienting in the best possible way. Here is what makes the book work so well:
Unreliable Narrators Done Right
Both Anna and Jack narrate in the first person, and both are clearly keeping secrets. Feeney builds their voices with enough personality and specificity that you find yourself alternately trusting and doubting each of them. The alternating perspective is not just a structural gimmick. It is essential to the mystery itself. What one narrator tells you, the other quietly contradicts.
The Third Voice That Changes Everything
Woven between the chapters of Anna and Jack is a third, unnamed narrator who speaks in a chilling, matter-of-fact tone. This voice belongs to someone deeply involved in the crime, and Feeney uses it brilliantly to ratchet up the tension without giving too much away. Reading those sections feels like watching someone calmly describe a disaster they themselves caused.
The Small Town Atmosphere
Blackdown feels suffocating in exactly the right way. Everyone knows each other. Old grudges simmer beneath polite surfaces. Feeney captures that specific claustrophobia of small-town life where nobody truly escapes their past. For Anna, returning home is not just professionally uncomfortable but personally devastating, and the town itself feels like a character with its own secrets.
Alice Feeney's Writing Style: Elegant and Deceptive
Feeney writes with a cool precision that suits her subject matter perfectly. Her sentences are clean and efficient, but there is always something slightly off about the information being shared. She withholds just enough to keep you reading compulsively. Readers who loved Gone Girl or The Silent Patient will find a similar satisfaction in the way Feeney parcels out revelations.
One of the most impressive elements of her craft is how she plants clues that feel completely invisible on the first read but become obvious in retrospect. This is the hallmark of a great mystery writer. The ending does not feel cheap or arbitrary. It feels earned, even if it hits you like a cold splash of water.
Themes That Resonate Beyond the Mystery
His and Hers is not just a whodunit. It is also a sharp examination of how people construct versions of themselves for the world. Both Anna and Jack present one face publicly while hiding deeply personal wounds. The book asks uncomfortable questions about memory, guilt, and how far someone might go to protect a secret they have kept for years.
Gender dynamics also run quietly through the narrative. Anna operates in a media environment that is dismissive and hostile toward women, and the way she navigates that while simultaneously being a suspect, a grieving person, and a professional is one of the most interesting character studies in the book. Her frustration feels real because it is rooted in recognizable experience.
Who Should Read His and Hers?
This book is ideal for readers who enjoy psychological thrillers with a strong sense of place, morally complicated protagonists, and plot twists that feel genuinely surprising. If you have read and loved books like Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris, The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn, or any of Gillian Flynn's work, His and Hers will scratch that same itch beautifully.
It is also an excellent pick for book clubs, since the multiple narrators and the mystery of who is telling the truth give plenty of material for discussion. You will almost certainly disagree with other readers about key interpretations until the very end.
What Readers Are Saying
His and Hers has earned passionate reviews from readers worldwide. Many cite the ending as one of the most satisfying and shocking conclusions they have encountered in the genre. The book holds a strong rating on both Goodreads and Amazon, with consistent praise for the pacing, the atmospheric setting, and the way Feeney keeps readers completely off balance throughout.
Critics have also noted that Feeney improves with each book, suggesting that her instincts for structure and misdirection get sharper with every novel she writes. For a second novel, His and Hers shows tremendous confidence and control.
A Few Things to Keep in Mind Before You Start
No thriller is perfect, and His and Hers has a few minor elements that some readers find polarizing. The pacing in the middle section slows slightly as backstory is established, and some readers feel that the romantic history between Anna and Jack could have been developed with more depth. The third narrator's voice, while chilling, may feel too detached for readers who prefer emotionally immersive perspectives.
That said, these are small complaints against a book that genuinely delivers on its central promise: a mystery that keeps you guessing until the very last page.
Ready to Find Out Who Is Really Lying?
His and Hers by Alice Feeney is available now in paperback, hardcover, and ebook formats. Pick up your copy from your favorite bookstore, order it online through Amazon or BookDepository, or borrow it from your local library. Once you start reading, clearing your schedule for the rest of the day is highly recommended.
Grab His and Hers today and discover which secrets change everything.
