For Adults
You’ve heard of the men who kill, but what about the women who loved them?
It’s a baking hot summer in 1960s California and three women have formed an unlikely friendship. Beverley, Elsie and Margot may look like they lead idyllic lives, but behind the false smiles and glittering pools lies the truth: their husbands are some of the country’s most notorious serial killers.
Amidst neighbourhood gossip and pointed fingers, the women are fighting to forge new paths for themselves. Wide-eyed Beverley is raising two young children under the long shadow of their father’s crimes. Bookish Elsie is determined to make a name for herself in the patriarchal newsroom, while Hollywood party-girl Margot has a penchant for an early morning margarita – anything to quieten the shame of her ex-husband’s deceit.
But when a string of local killings hits the news, the women – underestimated and overlooked – are hurled into an investigation of their own. After all, who better to catch a killer than those who have shared their lives with one?
To celebrate the upcoming publication (9 April) of Elizabeth Arnott’s THE SECRET LIVES OF MURDERERS’ WIVES, we’re offering 5 lucky reading groups the chance to read and review 10 copies of this compulsive and thought-provoking book. With a book club pack available to download too. Please only apply if you’re willing to leave a review on amazon, Goodreads or Waterstones.com.
‘As if Taylor Jenkins Reid wrote a crime novel. Beautifully written, with twists that had me compulsively turning the pages’ – Emilia Hart, author of WEYWARD
‘A sultry period thriller with a big, hopeful heart’ – Abigail Dean, author of GIRL A
‘Lessons in Chemistry with Californian serial killers. Wickedly clever – I loved it!’ – Ellery Lloyd, authors of THE CLUB
‘This is more than a crime novel; it is a story of womanhood and friendship under unthinkable circumstances’ – Charmaine Wilkerson, author of BLACK CAKE
‘A wickedly feminist whodunnit for fans of Richard Osman and Nita Prose’ – Sarah Penner, author of THE LOST APOTHECARY
‘Scandalous, shocking and seriously addictive, but also an urgent and important read’ – Emma Stonex, author of THE LAMPLIGHTERS
