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‘A fresh new voice in crime fiction’ – JANICE HALLETT
‘A tragi-comic banger’ – HARRIET TYCE
‘Funny, sad, witty and very engaging’ – EMMA CURTIS

Everyone needs a hobby…

Things haven’t been going well for Beth. Her husband has left her for one of her friends. Her fellow school mums judge her for swearing too much and not shifting the baby weight. And now she’s stuck in A&E after her son fell off the climbing wall on the first day of school.

In fact, things haven’t been going well for Beth since Charlotte died – her best friend, a favourite at the school pick-ups and the only person to ever run an interesting PTA meeting. But after being hit by a car while on an ill-timed evening jog, Charlotte is no longer there to help Beth pick up the pieces of her increasingly difficult life.

That is, until Beth discovers that Charlotte left her toddler alone in the house during that fatal run. The Charlotte she knew would never do something so irresponsible, and suddenly Beth is questioning whether Charlotte’s death was really an accident. With a newfound purpose and a glass of wine in hand, it’s time for Beth to uncover what really happened to her best friend. And what better place to start than the circle of chatty school mums, who can’t be as perfect as they pretend. But which of them is hiding something? Beth’s determined to find out. Once she’s put the kids to bed, of course…

‘Darkly funny and deftly plotted’ – ALICE CLARK-PLATTS
‘Riotously funny and searingly observed’ – KATE SIMANTS
‘A twisty-turny mystery that drew me in from the opening lines’ – PHILIPPA EAST

Publisher Review

Had me rolling around with laughter on one page, and filled with empathy the next. The Dead Friend Project is hilariously brilliant, and Joanna Wallace is a rare talent — J.M. Hewitt, author of THE LIFE SHE WANTS Joanna Wallace harnesses the inner monologue of every parent who’s suffered at the hands of the unrelenting tiger mother. The Dead Friend Project is Fleabag meets Absolutely Fabulous and everything in between. Darkly hilarious and 2024’s must-read — Marion Todd, author of OLD BONES LIE A tragic accident, a dead friend and a fresh new voice in crime fiction… This vivid, witty story is expertly told in mesmerising detail and with boundless energy, but there’s a proper murder mystery at its heart. Joanna Wallace draws you into a deceptively ordinary world before she revels in the delicious horror beneath. Pure class — Janice Hallett, author of THE APPEAL Motherland with murder! I haven’t laughed so much in ages, then been struck speechless with horror… Funny, sad, wicked and very engaging — Emma Curtis, author of ONE LITTLE MISTAKE Darkly funny and deftly plotted — Alice Clark-Platts, author of THE FLOWER GIRLS A twisty-turny mystery with a brilliantly-relatable protagonist, characters that leap of the page and a narrative voice that drew me in from the opening lines. This is a brilliantly-entertaining and engaging read — Philippa East, author of LITTLE WHITE LIES Supremely well plotted and often hilariously funny — Leonora Nattrass, author of BLUE WATER Come for the murder and stay for the errant labradors and the Sweaty Betty mums. The Dead Friend Project had me snorting out loud one moment then covering my mouth with my hands the next. Witty, smart and terrifyingly well-observed — Sam Holland, author of THE ECHO MAN Riotously funny, dark as anything, heartfelt and searingly observed — Kate Simants, author of FREEZE A brilliant romp of a murder mystery; fast-paced, darkly funny, and utterly captivating. Can’t recommend this highly enough — Sarah Bonner, author of HER PERFECT TWIN An enthralling tale of secret obsessions and shocking revelations, shot through with Wallace’s trademark dark humour. You’ll never look at school gate parents the same way again — D.V. Bishop, author of CITY OF VENGEANCE Wallace may have invented a new genre. Not cosy crime or comic crime, but clever crime — Abbie Frost, author of THE GUESTHOUSE A cast of well-crafted characters, the blackest of humour and a mystery that twists and turns its way to a very satisfying ending — Chris Frost, author of THE KILLER’S CHRISTMAS LIST Brilliantly plotted, and dark and funny — J.B. Mylet, author of THE HOMES Darkly funny and touchingly observant, The Dead Friend Project is a page turner of an emotional thriller — Alison Stockham, author of THE CUCKOO SISTER