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The Marriage Rule

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What to expect

What’s the one thing you need to do to stay married?

A propulsive domestic thriller with an urgent message for fans of Lisa Jewell and Jessica Knoll that asks, What’s the one thing you need to do to stay married? and blows apart the uncomfortable answers.

Elle never dreamed she’d end up with a man like Dom. He’s handsome, successful, the perfect father to their baby girl.

But Elle doesn’t feel the joy she knows she should. She's struggling with being a mum, failing at work, even her post-baby body doesn’t feel like her own. Not that Dom cares. He worships Elle and craves intimacy as deeply as troubled Elle wants to shy away from it.

Elle starts relying on red wine and the attention of new colleague Gabriel to get through her day. But the morning after a team away day, a bewildered and hungover Elle wakes up with a lifeless body in her bed. She knows devoted Dom is the only person who’ll give her any chance of getting out of there a free woman.

Elle would never have ended up in such danger if she’d followed the Marriage Rule, the one thing she’s been told a wife needs to do, even if it breaks her…

Readers are gripped by The Marriage Rule:

'An intelligent, suspense-filled exploration of marriage, motherhood, and the secrets we hide' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

'Heart-stopping' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

'Gripping and hard-hitting' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

'The twists are insane' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

'Compulsive and intelligently written' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Praise for Helen Monks Tahar:

‘Terrific…An absolute humdinger of a thriller!’ Gytha Lodge, author of A Killer in the Family

‘Expertly plotted and pulsing with suspens…it kept me guessing right up to the jaw-dropping end’ Lindsay Cameron, author of No One Needs to Know

‘A pulse-pounding rollercoaster through the shadows of the silver screen, Nothing Without Me will leave you questioning the true nature of celebrity and the devastating sacrifices women are forced to make to stay in the spotlight’s glow’ Jaclyn Goldis, author of The Chateau

'A brilliant read' Bella

'Twisty and addictive…A true page-turner' Heat

‘Deliciously dark and twisty’ Sarah Linley

‘I was absolutely transfixed. What mother hasn’t considered doing absolutely anything to give her children access to the best things in life? This will keep you up all night’ Amanda Eyre Ward

‘Goes straight for the jugular of modern motherhood’ Lindsay Cameron

‘Exceptional, taut and emotional storytelling’ Georgina Cross

‘Dark, disturbing, compulsive. I was genuinely terrified reading this’ Adele Parks

Critics Review

‘A compelling and suspenseful thriller that boldly tackles the ever-topical themes of the struggles of being a new mother, bullying in the workplace and, above all, the insidiousness of psychological abuse. This is also a story of female solidarity – women supporting women. I loved this book and whizzed through it in two days!’ Diane Jeffrey, author of The Crime Writer

‘A new mother wakes to a dead man in her bed in Helen Monks Takhar’s latest feminist thriller. Unnerving and propulsive, The Marriage Rule is a gripping exploration of family secrets, toxic power dynamics, and the snare of abuse. I tore through it.’ Allison Buccola, author of The Ascent

‘Few writers are able to capture human nature as incisively as Helen Monks Takhar. In The Marriage Rule, she crafts a taut psychological thriller that hums with a sense of menace. Raw, riveting and painfully timely, it takes an unflinching look at power, control and the ways in which we efface ourselves for those who deserve it least.’ Kia Abdullah, author of Those People Next Door

‘A riveting domestic thriller with a fresh twist on toxic relationships… a gripping tale that left me wondering how well we really know someone we share a bed with.’ John Marrs, author of The Good Samaritan

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