'An intelligent, utterly-of-the-moment thriller' EMMA STONEX'Compelling, atmospheric. It's BRILLIANT' MARIAN KEYES'Sumptuously written. One of the most compelling literary debuts of the year' GLAMOURONE WOMAN KNOWS THE TRUTH. CAN YOU TRUST HER TO TELL IT?Laura flies to her parents' homeland for the defence case of her life. Facing trial is Marija Popa, 'the Black Widow'; a constant at her husband's side until the day his people rose up and executed him. Beautiful and beguiling, Marija insists she knew nothing of her husband's dark affairs. For Laura, the case has a personal meaning. Her mother has never spoken of the horrors she witnessed under the old regime, and remains a shadow of the woman she used to be. As Laura prepares for the trial, she realises that to find the truth, she must enter the web of the dictator's wife. But what secrets lie within?A BBC 2 BETWEEN THE COVERS BOOK CLUB PICK.SHORTLISTED FOR THE AUTHORS' CLUB BEST FIRST NOVEL AWARD 2022THE NEW EUROPEAN'S BEST FICTION PICK OF THE YEAR 2022----------'Richly imagined' THE TIMES'A remarkable new talent' ANTHONY HOROWITZ'Magnificent' CHARLOTTE PHILBY'A gripping and moving debut' HARLAN COBEN'Fascinating, atmospheric, utterly gripping' LIZ HYDER'Spellbinding' JANE SHEMILT'Darkly compelling' STYLIST'Thrilling and remarkably assured' NEW EUROPEAN'The ending left me breathless' LARA PRESCOTT'Atmospheric, claustrophobic and so elegantly written' ELLERY LLOYD'Engrossing, evocative, chillingly claustrophobic' KAREN HAMILTON'A darkly atmospheric, rich, compulsive and page-turning read' KATE HAMER'Excellent, immersive' HARRIET TYCE

'I know you would like to hate me. History is written by the victors, and these are always men...'

The wife of a toppled dictator stands trial for her husband's crimes.
The world will finally know the truth. But whose?

Visceral and thought provoking, powerful and emotional, haunting and heartbreaking, The Dictator's Wife will hold you in its grip until its gut-wrenching conclusion.

WOMAN
I learned early in life how to survive. A skill that became vital in my position.

WIFE
I was given no power, yet I was expected to hold my own with the most powerful man in the country.

MOTHER OF THE NATION
My people were my children. I stood between him and them.

I am not the person they say I am.
I am not my husband.
I am innocent.

Do you believe me?

A gripping and timely story, The Dictator's Wife will keep you turning the pages long into the night...