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A sociopath’s guide to a successful marriage
A Sociopath's Guide to Making a Killing, a new Hemlock Press book, full description to follow when available.
384 pages, Paperback
Published July 16, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
September 8, 2026
Sam would hate ❤️
June 7, 2026
Lots of twists and turns with an enjoyable bunch of crazies. A good fun read.
September 5, 2026
It’s hard to believe this is a debut novel!!
Stop what you are doing and go read this book!
Oliver has crammed every page, and every chapter, which are delightfully short by the way, with absolute unadulterated chaos!
Lalla Rook is certifiably, deliciously, insane and you’re going to love her for it.
There are many fictional female serial killers ridding the world of bad men, and honestly I’m here for it, but Lalla just gets rid of everyone and anything in her way, whether they really deserve it or not!
She has a clear plan, and will stop at nothing to get what she wants.
It is mildly concerning how well Oliver coveys the thoughts and voice of a psychotic female with killer tendencies, it left me wondering if he wears Prada on a weekend 💃💄🤣
However he does it, he just needs to keep on doing it, because if he writes it, you bet I’m gonna read it!
Stop what you are doing and go read this book!
Oliver has crammed every page, and every chapter, which are delightfully short by the way, with absolute unadulterated chaos!
Lalla Rook is certifiably, deliciously, insane and you’re going to love her for it.
There are many fictional female serial killers ridding the world of bad men, and honestly I’m here for it, but Lalla just gets rid of everyone and anything in her way, whether they really deserve it or not!
She has a clear plan, and will stop at nothing to get what she wants.
It is mildly concerning how well Oliver coveys the thoughts and voice of a psychotic female with killer tendencies, it left me wondering if he wears Prada on a weekend 💃💄🤣
However he does it, he just needs to keep on doing it, because if he writes it, you bet I’m gonna read it!
August 22, 2026
Such a fun read with a remarkably disgusting and completely likable main character. I don’t know whether to cheer her on or hope for her demise - such an internal moral conflict! Loved the pace of the book and the plot twists and turns. Is it an intellectually challenging book? No. Is it a great literary novel? Also no but for pure escapism and fun (and one of the few books that actually made me laugh out loud) it deserves 5 stars.
July 28, 2026
The funniest book I've read all year so far! this book reeled me in instantly and I loved it, The main character is mean, quirky, hilarious and I felt a connection with her instantly but not sure what that says about me?? Well written, fast paced and hard to put down I read this in three days neglecting my work, the housework, the kids, pets and husband and not one bit sorry! Thanks to #Netgalley, #MKOliver and #Hemlockpress for my e-copy.
August 1, 2026
This is one of the funniest books I've read in a while. What I would do with just 5% of her confidence! The story had a great flow, and even though you do go on a few "side quests" it fits in with the story so well! Im excited to see what Lalla does next!
September 11, 2026
Lalla Rook is your typical suburban mum - she’s trying to get her daughter into private school, she wants to upgrade their house to live in lovely Hamstead Heath... oh yeah, and she has a dead body in her living room. But she can’t deal with that now - it’s her son’s birthday party for goodness sake, priorities! Yes, she may have ‘accidentally’ stabbed him *coughsSevenTimescoughs*, well to be fair, a vegetable knife as a murder weapon made it somewhat harder. Lalla is determined to get her perfect life and one corpse isn’t going to get in the way...
The Pros:
1) Do you love a completely unhinged character? Say hello to your new best friend Lalla, lol. Lalla will do anything to get her own way...
2) There are so many different twists, turns, secrets and lies. I had no idea where the story would end up!
3) Lalla has a cat called Purrdy * a blue eyed Angora 😻 * I’m guessing the spelling as I listened to the book and can’t see it mentioned elsewhere
The Cons:
1) I did feel like there was too much going on at times. Personally I feel the story would have benefitted from having less plot lines and focussing on the more interesting ones
The Quotes:
1) I like the past to be past, I like the dead to be dead.
2) The truth is often disgusting, that’s why no one bothers with it any more.
3) In my experience, the best way to stop someone being afraid of something is to make them more scared of something else.
The Summary:
What a ride this one was! I loved Lalla, she is absolutely unhinged and will not let anything get in the way of her getting exactly what she wants. The dark humour was excellent and there were so many twists and turns, it was fun not knowing where it would end up. I do feel however, that because there were so may different plot lines, it felt too much at times. I think it would have benefitted with being a bit more streamlined. Overall this was such a fun, deranged, unpredictable read! I look forward to reading more from the author.
Summed up in a sentence?:
Lalla is determined to have the perfect life, but first she needs to deal with the dead body in her living room...
I rated the book 4.5 stars, rounded down to 4.
The Pros:
1) Do you love a completely unhinged character? Say hello to your new best friend Lalla, lol. Lalla will do anything to get her own way...
2) There are so many different twists, turns, secrets and lies. I had no idea where the story would end up!
3) Lalla has a cat called Purrdy * a blue eyed Angora 😻 * I’m guessing the spelling as I listened to the book and can’t see it mentioned elsewhere
The Cons:
1) I did feel like there was too much going on at times. Personally I feel the story would have benefitted from having less plot lines and focussing on the more interesting ones
The Quotes:
1) I like the past to be past, I like the dead to be dead.
2) The truth is often disgusting, that’s why no one bothers with it any more.
3) In my experience, the best way to stop someone being afraid of something is to make them more scared of something else.
The Summary:
What a ride this one was! I loved Lalla, she is absolutely unhinged and will not let anything get in the way of her getting exactly what she wants. The dark humour was excellent and there were so many twists and turns, it was fun not knowing where it would end up. I do feel however, that because there were so may different plot lines, it felt too much at times. I think it would have benefitted with being a bit more streamlined. Overall this was such a fun, deranged, unpredictable read! I look forward to reading more from the author.
Summed up in a sentence?:
Lalla is determined to have the perfect life, but first she needs to deal with the dead body in her living room...
I rated the book 4.5 stars, rounded down to 4.
October 6, 2026
Completely unhinged. Completely hilarious. I loved it.
This book was such a surprise, and I absolutely loved it.
A Sociopath’s Guide to a Successful Marriage is dark, clever and genuinely funny. The writing style was probably my favourite thing about it. It’s sharp, dry and wonderfully deadpan, with Lalla narrating the increasingly ridiculous situations around her with the calmness of someone working through an ordinary household to-do list.
Lalla is… quite possibly one of the most outrageous protagonists I’ve read. She sees marriage, motherhood, friendship and pretty much every human interaction as a transaction, and her complete lack of a conventional moral compass makes for some brilliantly funny observations.
What I loved most was how effortlessly readable this was. The story moves quickly, the chapters are short, and the writing has this wonderfully easy flow that made me want to keep turning the pages. I was constantly amused by Lalla’s internal commentary and the sheer absurdity of her thought process.
There’s also a surprisingly sharp commentary on marriage, status, wealth, motherhood, social expectations and the lengths people will go to get the life they think they deserve. Beneath all the outrageous behaviour, there’s actually quite a lot going on.
And Lalla? I couldn't decide whether I wanted to hug her, laugh at her or stay very, very far away from her. 😂
This was just such a fun read. Dark without feeling heavy, funny without trying too hard, and with a writing style that completely worked for me.
Easy 5 stars. I absolutely loved it. 🖤
This book was such a surprise, and I absolutely loved it.
A Sociopath’s Guide to a Successful Marriage is dark, clever and genuinely funny. The writing style was probably my favourite thing about it. It’s sharp, dry and wonderfully deadpan, with Lalla narrating the increasingly ridiculous situations around her with the calmness of someone working through an ordinary household to-do list.
Lalla is… quite possibly one of the most outrageous protagonists I’ve read. She sees marriage, motherhood, friendship and pretty much every human interaction as a transaction, and her complete lack of a conventional moral compass makes for some brilliantly funny observations.
What I loved most was how effortlessly readable this was. The story moves quickly, the chapters are short, and the writing has this wonderfully easy flow that made me want to keep turning the pages. I was constantly amused by Lalla’s internal commentary and the sheer absurdity of her thought process.
There’s also a surprisingly sharp commentary on marriage, status, wealth, motherhood, social expectations and the lengths people will go to get the life they think they deserve. Beneath all the outrageous behaviour, there’s actually quite a lot going on.
And Lalla? I couldn't decide whether I wanted to hug her, laugh at her or stay very, very far away from her. 😂
This was just such a fun read. Dark without feeling heavy, funny without trying too hard, and with a writing style that completely worked for me.
Easy 5 stars. I absolutely loved it. 🖤
September 16, 2026
I’d describe this book as The Desperate Housewives of Muswell Hill (jtbc, I’m thinking about the tv show with Eva Longoria, can’t say about the reality one as I never watched it).
It’s first and foremost a fun book and I was highly entertained by it. It has murder, deception, a full suit of unlikeable characters (even the child is unlikeable) and some shocking plot twists!
The main appeal for me was the Muswell Hill setting, as I live close by, and I enjoyed so much picturing so many scenes in the places I know so well. It was endearing.
On the other hand, I personally found it hard to relate, as my life is so far removed from the lives of the characters. But, if you are a mother, or are somehow familiar with school applications, or with the process of buying a house, or you hang around upper middle class people, I think the absurdity of the situations will be even funnier for you. I’m none of these things and I don’t know anyone like that in my life, so I feel I missed out on some of the funny characterisation of these people.
That being said, I found it fast paced and entertaining enough to keep me hooked and wanting to return to the page. Again, similar experience as watching the Desperate Housewives show, very unrelatable to me, but very much worth the read.
It’s first and foremost a fun book and I was highly entertained by it. It has murder, deception, a full suit of unlikeable characters (even the child is unlikeable) and some shocking plot twists!
The main appeal for me was the Muswell Hill setting, as I live close by, and I enjoyed so much picturing so many scenes in the places I know so well. It was endearing.
On the other hand, I personally found it hard to relate, as my life is so far removed from the lives of the characters. But, if you are a mother, or are somehow familiar with school applications, or with the process of buying a house, or you hang around upper middle class people, I think the absurdity of the situations will be even funnier for you. I’m none of these things and I don’t know anyone like that in my life, so I feel I missed out on some of the funny characterisation of these people.
That being said, I found it fast paced and entertaining enough to keep me hooked and wanting to return to the page. Again, similar experience as watching the Desperate Housewives show, very unrelatable to me, but very much worth the read.
Review of advance copy
I really wasn’t sure what to make of A Sociopath’s Guide to a Successful Marriage when I first picked it up, but it completely surprised me. The short chapters, dark humour, and razor sharp wit had me hooked from the very beginning, and I found myself laughing far more than I expected.
What made this story particularly interesting was the protagonist, Lalla. Despite being a self proclaimed sociopath, she was surprisingly easy to read from and, somehow, impossible to completely dislike. Which I felt was interesting considering most narcissistic/sociopathic characters can be quite controversial.
Watching the chaos of her carefully curated life unravel was both entertaining and oddly compelling.
Twisted, clever, and packed with humour, this was by far my most entertaining read of 2026, as far as humour goes. If you enjoy dark comedy, morally grey characters, and stories that don’t take themselves too seriously, this one is well worth picking up.
What made this story particularly interesting was the protagonist, Lalla. Despite being a self proclaimed sociopath, she was surprisingly easy to read from and, somehow, impossible to completely dislike. Which I felt was interesting considering most narcissistic/sociopathic characters can be quite controversial.
Watching the chaos of her carefully curated life unravel was both entertaining and oddly compelling.
Twisted, clever, and packed with humour, this was by far my most entertaining read of 2026, as far as humour goes. If you enjoy dark comedy, morally grey characters, and stories that don’t take themselves too seriously, this one is well worth picking up.
August 15, 2026
Cosy thriller? Usually I'd completely dismiss anything labeled cosy, but this came recommended by someone else who would normally steer clear, so I thought I'd give it a go. Surprise, surprise.
I love the narrative voice, the sardonic, bolshy tone of the MC, Lala and her clique remind me of the cast of Motherland/ Amandaland. It is funnily observant of social behaviour of the affluent bourgeois suburbs through Lala's unfiltered dialogue. There's always a danger that these cosies might tip into cliché, but this one retains it's freshness from start to finish.
I will definitely read whatever this author publishes next.
I love the narrative voice, the sardonic, bolshy tone of the MC, Lala and her clique remind me of the cast of Motherland/ Amandaland. It is funnily observant of social behaviour of the affluent bourgeois suburbs through Lala's unfiltered dialogue. There's always a danger that these cosies might tip into cliché, but this one retains it's freshness from start to finish.
I will definitely read whatever this author publishes next.
October 4, 2026
Me he sentido transportada a los lugares en los que transcurría la trama porque conozco muy bien la zona. Tendré que tener que cuidado con mis vecinos, nunca sabes si la vecina posh puede ser una psicópata vestida de Sweaty Betty que está de camino a Pilates Reformer.
U debut divertido y entretenido, perfecto para leer en un par de sentadas.
U debut divertido y entretenido, perfecto para leer en un par de sentadas.
August 21, 2026
So unique and funny, loved being inside Lalla's head, was rooting for her the whole time
September 21, 2026
It started out okay, but it was just too much. I ended up skimming the last half to get some closure on a few matters, but could not bring myself to actually read the whole thing.
September 6, 2026
I started this thinking what on earth have I chosen to read… then I was obsessed. It made me laugh out loud so many times, and there were so many plot twists it kept me gripped.
Want to Read
June 27, 2026Sociopath's Guide to a
Successful Marriage by MK Oliver
Hemlock £16.99
In this scintillating debut, Lalla Rook is on a mission: she wants an f8 million Hampstead home, a high-earning husband and elite schooling for her children. But Lalla must juggle north London family life with the messy repercussions of having killed a home intruder. And when her supposedly dead first husband reappears, her to-do list priority suddenly shifts from dry cleaning to murder. While echoes of Bella Mackie's How to Kill Your Family linger, the novel's wicked energy sustains it as a sardonic social comedy cunningly disguised as a psychological thriller.
Successful Marriage by MK Oliver
Hemlock £16.99
In this scintillating debut, Lalla Rook is on a mission: she wants an f8 million Hampstead home, a high-earning husband and elite schooling for her children. But Lalla must juggle north London family life with the messy repercussions of having killed a home intruder. And when her supposedly dead first husband reappears, her to-do list priority suddenly shifts from dry cleaning to murder. While echoes of Bella Mackie's How to Kill Your Family linger, the novel's wicked energy sustains it as a sardonic social comedy cunningly disguised as a psychological thriller.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews