There’s a dead body in my living room.

I’ve not called the police because it was I who stabbed him. Seven times in all. The truth is, it’s surprisingly difficult to dispatch someone with a vegetable knife.

In case you’re wondering, the dead man is not my husband. I do resent our pitiful sex life and his woeful lack of ambition, but I wouldn’t murder him for it. Not yet, anyway.

Right now, I have far more pressing concerns: scheming to get my daughter into the perfect school; buying my dream home in Hampstead; and disposing of a corpse.

A woman’s work is never done. I’ve created the perfect life – and I’ll kill to keep it.

About the Author

M. K. Oliver is a former teacher and headteacher originally from Liverpool. He long dreamed of becoming a writer and after many years of working in schools took the exciting decision to put down his whiteboard marker to take up the keyboard and give it a go.

He enjoyed writing courses at Curtis Brown, Faber & Faber, and the Royal Court Theatre and now lives with his family and a talkative cat in North London, which provides the inspiration for the location but thankfully not the characters of this story. Intrigued by the lengths to which people will go to ensure their own success, M. K. Oliver created his protagonist, the uncompromising Lalla Rook.