The Ideal Wife

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What to expect

In the most explosive and twisted psychological thriller since The Woman in the Window, a perfect love story leads to the perfect crime.

It seemed like such a beautiful marriage...

Maddie and Ian's love story began with a chance encounter at a party, while she was a travel writer visiting her best friend, Jo. Now, almost two decades later, they are married with a beautiful son, Charlie, and living the perfect suburban life in middle America.

But when a camping accident leaves Maddie badly scarred, she begins attending writing therapy, where she gradually reveals her fears about Ian, her concerns for the safety of their young son and the couple's tangled and tumultuous past with Jo.

Following their story across the globe, sixteen years of love and fear, adventure and suspicion culminate in a frantic 911 call summoning the police to the scene of a shocking crime . . .

****Previously published as Beautiful Bad****

(P)2019 Quercus Editions Limited

Critics Review

Ward writes with the same compelling energy as you get in a blockbuster Netflix series. The original storyline and the expertly drawn minor characters will leave you suspecting everyone - and trusting no one
Daily Mail
Beautiful Bad is beautifully written, beautifully twisty - and beautifully twisted. A dark thriller with real psychological depth
JP Delaney, internationally bestselling author of The Girl Before
As imaginatively constructed as it is compelling. Filled with unexpected twists, Beautiful Bad is a riveting read
Sarah Pekkanen, internationally bestselling author of The Wife Between Us
You won't be able to tear yourself away from the page. With fascinating characters that chill and horrify, the ending will leave you staggered
Liv Constantine, bestselling author of The Last Mrs. Parrish
Readers need to be off-the-charts clever to figure out who's going to kill whom in this disturbing first novel
Toronto Star
As touching and thought-provoking as it is terrifying, Beautiful Bad will leave readers spellbound. A buzzworthy read!
Mary Kubica, New York Times bestselling author of The Good Girl
Utterly gripping and thrillingly original - I loved the unique settings. Cannot recommend this book highly enough
Karen Hamilton, author of The Perfect Girlfriend
A slow-burning, intense and dramatic story about damaged characters
Sunday Mirror

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