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‘The story is juicy, the detail about Lagos life is rich – I gobbled it all up’ PANDORA SYKES, Books and Bits

‘I was hooked right through to the shocking end’ BERNARDINE EVARISTO

‘An excellent read’ GUARDIAN

‘Big Little Lies meets The White Lotus’ GOOD MORNING AMERICA

‘Beautifully written, immersive, thought-provoking’ MARIAN KEYES

‘A gripping mystery, a portrait of an exhilarating but perilous city and a nuanced examination of clashing cultures’ FINANCIAL TIMES

‘Obsessed’ KERRY WASHINGTON

‘A shimmering success’ DIANA EVANS

THE PERFECT WIFE. THE PERFECT MURDER.

Nicole Oruwari has the perfect life: a handsome husband, a palatial house in the heart of Lagos and a glamorous group of friends. She left London and a troubled family past behind to become part of a community of expat wives.

But when Nicole disappears without a trace after a boat trip, the cracks in her so-called perfect life start to show. As the investigation turns up nothing but dead ends, her aunt Claudine flies to Nigeria to take matters into her own hands. As she digs into her niece’s life, she uncovers a hidden truth. But the more she finds out about Nicole, the more Claudine’s own buried history threatens to come to light.

Publisher Review

A brilliantly original novel about family, motherhood, identity and diaspora, with a crime thriller twist -- Afua Hirsh In this superb thriller with a devastating conclusion, Vanessa Walters finally fulfils her precocious talent. One of my books of the year -- Alex Wheatle Explores the ways a set of ex-pat women in Nigeria exchange autonomy for comfort. But it's a raw, and potentially fatal deal. A murderously good read! -- Sarah Langan A thrillingly suspenseful novel that reveals its riches, layers and secrets through effortlessly elegant prose, while exposing the imprisoning dynamics inside transactional relationships of patriarchal power. I was hooked right through to the shocking end -- Bernardine Evaristo, Booker Prize-winning author of Girl, Woman, Other The search for a missing woman, set against the backdrop of glamour and wealth, is utterly captivating. Lush, poignant and gripping with a killer ending to boot . . . Vanessa Walters is one to watch -- Mary Kubica Dark secrets seethe beneath the glamorous lives of Nigeria's uber rich. A propulsive and complex tale of passion and betrayal. Electrifying -- Liv Constantine The search for a missing woman, set against the backdrop of glamour and wealth, is utterly captivating. Lush, poignant and gripping with a killer ending to boot, The Lagos Wife shows that sometimes the perfect life and the perfect marriage aren't exactly what they seem. Vanessa Walters is one to watch! -- Mary Kubica Evokes skillfully the atmosphere of a wealthy life by the Lagos Lagoon . . . A shimmering success -- Diana Evans