From the author of Richard & Judy selection, THE FAVOUR, THE NEW MOTHER is both relatable and nerve-wracking, sympathetic and bone-chilling. A fresh new twist on motherhood and murder in suburbia. ISOLATED. LONELY. TIRED. It's hard being a new mother. Sometimes it's murder. Natalie Fanning already loves her newborn son, Oliver, with everything she has. From the moment he was born she knew that she was meant to be his mother, even though she didn’t want that to be all she was. When Oliver refuses to sleep, and her husband Tyler returns to work, Nat is left mostly alone in a new house, in a new neighbourhood, the task of keeping her small son healthy and happy on her shoulders alone. No one else can breastfeed Oliver; no one else will protect him like she can; no one can help her. No one, that is, except her neighbour Paul. Paul is everything Tyler isn’t, and provides the lifeline she needs in what feels like the most desperate of times. When Paul is helping with Oliver, calmed by his reassuring, steady presence, Nat feels like she can finally rest. But Paul wants something in return. It’s no coincidence that he has befriended Nat—she is the perfect pawn for his own plan. Praise for Nora Murphy: 'A thrilling debut - I couldn't put it down' Shari Lapena 'Taut, compelling and deliciously dark' - B. A. Paris 'Brilliant, gripping, dark and superbly written' - Gilly Macmillan

‘Taut, compelling and deliciously dark’ – B. A. Paris Leah Dawson and McKenna Hawkins had a lot in common, but they had never met. They are smart, professional women living in the same sunny, prosperous neighbourhood in lovely houses with picket fences and beautiful gardens. And they were both married to successful, good-looking men who both seem bent on having ‘the perfect wife’. They don’t – ever – find themselves in the same train carriage or meet accidentally at the gym or in the coffee shop. And they don’t – ever – discuss their problems and find common ground. But they do cross paths. And they see something each recognizes in the other. That they are living in hell. Neither narrator is unreliable. They always tell us the truth. And their truth hurts. A lot. Because these two attractive, intelligent professional women are living in a hell of their husband’s making. And there is no way to get out of hell. Is there?

The Favour is a chilling domestic-suspense debut from Nora Murphy. 'Taut, compelling and deliciously dark' - B. A. Paris bestselling author of Behind Closed Doors Leah Dawson and McKenna Hawkins had a lot in common, but they had never met. They are smart, professional women living in the same sunny, prosperous neighbourhood in lovely houses with picket fences and beautiful gardens. And they were both married to successful, good-looking men who both seem bent on having 'the perfect wife'. They don't - ever - find themselves in the same train carriage or meet accidentally at the gym or in the coffee shop. And they don't - ever - discuss their problems and find common ground. But they do cross paths. And they see something each recognizes in the other. That they are living in hell. Neither narrator is unreliable. They always tell us the truth. And their truth hurts. A lot. Because these two attractive, intelligent professional women are living in a hell of their husband's making. And there is no way to get out of hell. Is there? 'A thrilling debut - I couldn't put it down!' - Shari Lapena, author of The Couple Next Door

Leah Dawson and McKenna Hawkins had a lot in common, but they had never met. They are smart, professional women living in the same sunny, prosperous neighbourhood in lovely houses with picket fences and beautiful gardens. And they were both married to successful, good-looking men who both seem bent on having 'the perfect wife'.

They don't - ever - find themselves in the same train carriage or meet accidentally at the gym or in the coffee shop. And they don't - ever - discuss their problems and find common ground. But they do cross paths. And they see something each recognizes in the other.

That they are living in hell.

Neither narrator is unreliable. They always tell us the truth. And their truth hurts. A lot. Because these two attractive, intelligent professional women are living in a hell of their husband's making. And there is no way to get out of hell. Is there?