Published By: Hemlock
Pages: 384
Released On: 12/02/2026
There’s a dead body in my living room. I’ve not called the police because it was I who stabbed him. Seven times in all. The truth is, it’s surprisingly difficult to dispatch someone with a vegetable knife.
In case you’re wondering, the dead man is not my husband. I do resent our pitiful sex life and his woeful lack of ambition, but I wouldn’t murder him for it. Not yet, anyway.
Right now, I have far more pressing concerns: scheming to get my daughter into the perfect school; buying my dream home in Hampstead; and disposing of a corpse.
A woman’s work is never done. I’ve created the perfect life – and I’ll kill to keep it.
*****
Thanks to Hemlock for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review. I was lucky enough to receive a proof of this at the Theakston Old Peculiar Crime Festival 2025.
It has 86 chapters, which equates to roughly 4.5 pages a chapter, with some being only 1 or 2 pages. I looooove a short chapter, it really adds to the frenetic, twisty turny, craziness that is this story and makes it such a quick read.
It is such good fun and reminded me of CJ Skuse’s Sweetpea series, which I loved. It’s morbidly hilarious, very dark humour, and it’s just really, really great fun.
I read the first 24 chapters one evening in bed as I just couldn’t put it down it is so addictive.
Yes Lalla killed someone and we’re generally meant to dislike people who kill other people. But I couldn’t, I absolutely loved her, she was fantastic and I was supporting her all the way. She very quickly felt like a friend. And all the other characters, good or bad, were just fabulous creations. It’s been a long time since I’ve read a book where every single character deserved their place.
Before I read this, I thought M.K Oliver was a female author, I’m not sure why. And even after I knew it was a male author, it still read as if written by a woman and I’m not sure why. It’s fascinating how a book can feel that way.
There have been a number of these kinds of books recently – the sociopath/psychopath female murderer and whatnot, and I’ve loved most, if not all, of them, and this definitely goes on that pile. I devoured it in hours, it was such a good book to read. The plot was interesting, the characters fabulously horrid, the storytelling fist rate – it was just so much fun and I highly recommend it.
There are twists and turns and when you think you’ve got it, something throws a spanner in the world and you’re on the back foot again. It’s not a whodunnit really, I mean we already know whodunnit, but there’s still that whodunnit element of waiting to see how it all resolves itself.
This was definitely one of my favourite reads of 2025. I believe this is M.K Oliver’s debut, and it’s very impressive and bodes well for the future. Keep ’em coming.
Books By Your Bedside 