A Serial Killer's Guide to Marriage by Asia Mackay - ISBN: 9781035419678
Paperback
Ex-serial killers try to go straight, but the urge to kill resurfaces.

A Serial Killer's Guide to Marriage

Meet your new favourite darkly funny and relatable couple in the best thriller of 2025

$32.84

  • Paperback

    400 pages

  • Release Date

    14 January 2025

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Summary

SHORTLISTED FOR THE RADIO 2 BOOK CLUB AWARD 2026

A BBC RADIO 2 BOOK CLUB PICK

A COUPLE THAT SLAYS TOGETHER, STAYS TOGETHER

Hazel and Fox are an ordinary married couple with a baby. Except for one small thing: they’re ex-serial killers.

They had it all. An enviable London lifestyle, five-star travels, and plenty of bad men to kill. Not many power couples know how to get away with murder.

Then Hazel fell …

Book Details

ISBN-13:9781035419678
ISBN-10:103541967X
Author:Asia Mackay
Publisher:Headline Publishing Group
Imprint:Wildfire
Format:Paperback
Number of Pages:400
Release Date:14 January 2025
Weight:480g
Dimensions:234mm x 152mm x 30mm
What They're Saying

Critics Review

Sexy, stylish, thrilling and funny. Asia Mackay rips up the rulebook in this wildly original, razor-sharp tale of marriage and murder, mundanity and mayhem. I loved it. * Chris Whitaker *
An invaluable manual that I return to again and again * Hugh Grant *
Certain to be your sassy, twisted must-read of 2025 * Janice Hallett *
Murder has never been so funny. If you liked Mr & Mrs Smith, you’ll love this original and darkly funny thriller. * Clare Mackintosh *
Asia Mackay deftly exploits her outlandish set-up to view marriage, motherhood, middle-age and suburbia through a satirical lens. * Sunday Times *
I absolutely gobbled up this darkly funny and clever thriller about one of the most dysfunctional marriages to ever make it onto the page. Loved it. * Katy Brent *
Huge fun with a dark beating heart, a game of cat and mouse with sharpened tooth and claw. You won’t dare to put it down. * Harriet Tyce *
Sharp, whip smart, laugh out loud funny, I loved every page of this slick, witty thriller. * Andrea Mara *
So razor sharp, it had me reaching for the plasters. A fresh and original voice in a genre we’re all fascinated with. * John Marrs *
Dark, daring and disturbingly funny, this tale of love, murder and second chances will keep you hooked until the very last, blood-soaked page! * Lesley Kara *
A brilliant read! Witty, original and very entertaining. * Matt Coyne *
A Serial Killer’s Guide to Marriage had me from page one. It was enthralling, exciting, and so totally badass. Asia’s writing is so compelling and engrossing, and she writes characters that continue to live rent free in your head. * Lucy Vine *
Deviously plotted and perfectly paced, A Serial Killer’s Guide to Marriage is a blood-spattered breath of fresh air that had me laughing on every page. Never has domestic bliss been such badass, anarchic, laugh-out-loud fun. * Emma Styles *
Hugely original, gripping, and fun * Claire McGowan *
I loved A Serial Killer’s Guide to Marriage, it’s a sharp, witty and deliciously dark cliché-busting treat, a clever homage to Mr and Mrs Smith set in British suburbia. I can’t wait for the next one. * Louise Minchin *
Smart, funny and painfully relatable (the parenting woes not the serial killer bit). Will be a huge hit. * Sarah Turner (The Unmumsy Mum) *
A really fresh take on the genre. Asia is clearly an author to watch - if only for your own safety. * C. J. Skuse *
Sexy, stylish and sassy - murder never looked this good * Maz Evans *
A Serial Killer’s Guide to Marriage is not only a page-turning thriller; it’s also a witty and irreverent satire on middle-class heterosexual marriage and motherhood. I identified with Haze far more than I probably should have. * Julie Mae Cohen *
I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT. So new and different and refreshing. * Marian Keyes on Killing It *
With a slick plot, pin-sharp prose and an authentic feel, this fiercely feminist and witty thriller will keep you gripped * Sunday Mirror *
With dark humour, a twisty plot and a healthy dose of genuine emotion, this unique novel is a thrilling ride * Heat *
Compelling * Daily Mail *
Witty … fun … clever. BRILLIANT! * Sophie Ellis-Bextor on Killing It *
A Serial Killers Guide to Marriage is a stylishly written, dark and humorous page turner. A definite must-read! * Karen Hamilton *
What a killer idea! This is a laugh-out-loud page turner that has insightful things to say about modern motherhood and marriage. A dark, twisted riot just begging to be made into TV - loved it from cover to cover! * Ellery Lloyd *
This is an absolute showstopper of a thriller - a darkly gripping tale of marriage and murder, told with ice-pick accuracy in prose as sharp as a blade. Asia Mackay is a genius! Five stars to Haze and Fox - in fact, I wouldn’t dare give them anything less… * Alex Hay *
I completely devoured it. A really original look at the trade-off of excitement that sometimes happens when women set aside careers for marriage and children. Very clever, very funny and very enjoyable. * Edel Coffey *
Fast-paced and funny, this relationship-manual-turned-crime-drama is a new twist on an old classic. * Woman & Home *
Sassy, twisted and bold, you will laugh at this stylish and explosive tale … for those who loved Bella Mackie’s How To Kill Your Family. * Platinum *
This darkly funny story about a truly dysfunctional marriage will have you falling for a pair of twisted killers. * Heat *
A fun, pacy novel * My Weekly *
Clever, funny and inventive * Sunday Independent *
Sharp and funny * That’s Life *
A whole lot of fun … the characters are well drawn and the plot races on at lightening speed, making you eager to turn every page. * Daily Mirror *
Razor-sharp and so good! * Sun on Sunday Fabulous *
Following in the footsteps of Killing Eve’s Villanelle, here are more murdering antiheroes who you can’t help but love. * The I Paper *
A diverting romp where romcom meets crime in a mischievous tale of crossed lovers with both an agenda and a sinister past … Great fun and a most pleasing genre-combining debut, this will keep you smiling all through the joyful ride * Crime Time *
Dark and funny * HELLO *
Sharp and funny * Closer *
Fearlessly written and cleverly plotted, A Serial Killer’s Guide to Marriage is a darker, bloodier and more satirical Mr & Mrs Smith with a central duo you won’t always like or identify with but will find endlessly entertaining. * Culturefly *

About The Author

Asia Mackay

Asia Mackay is a Chinese Scottish author and mother of four based in London. Asia studied Anthropology at Durham University and began her career in television. She moved to China, presented and produced lifestyle programmes in Shanghai before returning to London where she worked for the likes of Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman, and subsequently completed a Faber Academy course.

A Serial Killer’s Guide to Marriage was shortlisted for The Radio 2 Book Club Award 2026 and her debut novel Killing It was the Runner Up in Richard and Judy’s Search for a Bestseller competition and Runner Up/ Exceptionally Recognised for the Comedy Women In Print prize.

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