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The Secret Lives of Murderers' Wives
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  • Published: 9 April 2026
  • ISBN: 9781405982917
  • Imprint: Penguin Audio
  • Format: Audio Download
  • RRP: $28.00

The Secret Lives of Murderers' Wives

Formats & editions
Tr. Paperback
10 Mar 2026
EBook
9 Apr 2026
Audiobook
9 Apr 2026
Hardback
9 May 2026
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A gripping period mystery with a story about women's lives, how their instincts are ignored and how they are so often sidelined and overlooked at its core.

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. From the outside, Beverley, Elsie and Margot lead idyllic lives, but behind the false smiles and glittering pools lies the truth: their husbands are some of the country’s most notorious convicted 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?
  • Published: 9 April 2026
  • ISBN: 9781405982917
  • Imprint: Penguin Audio
  • Format: Audio Download
  • RRP: $28.00
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Praise for The Secret Lives of Murderers' Wives

As if Taylor Jenkins Reid wrote a crime novel. Beautifully written, with twists that had me compulsively turning the pages

Emilia Hart, bestselling author of SIRENS

A sultry period thriller with a big, hopeful heart

Abigail Dean, bestselling author of GIRL A

An utterly addictive thriller with important things to say about women and the power of female friendships. This book is an absolute killer

Elizabeth Macneal, bestselling author of THE DOLL FACTORY

This is more than a crime novel; it is a story of womanhood and friendship under unthinkable circumstances

Charmaine Wilkerson, NYT bestselling author of BLACK CAKE

A wickedly feminist whodunnit for fans of Richard Osman and Nita Prose

Sarah Penner, NYT bestselling of THE LOST APOTHECARY

Scandalous, shocking and seriously addictive, but also an urgent and important read

Emma Stonex, bestselling author of LAMPLIGHTERS

Sun-soaked and sinister, gripping and glamorous, this 1960s-set mystery is Lessons in Chemistry with Californian serial killers. Wickedly clever - loved it!

Ellery Lloyd, NYT bestselling author of THE CLUB