Magpie

Written by Elizabeth Day

Narrated by Tanya Reynolds

For fans of The Last Mrs. Parrish comes a twisty psychological suspense novel about motherhood, obsession, and just how far some will go for the perfect family. “Great, plain and simple” (Stanley Tucci).

Marisa and Jake are a perfect couple. And Kate, their new lodger, is the perfect roommate—and not just because her rent payments will give them the income they need to start trying for the baby of their dreams.

Except—no one is truly perfect. Sure, Kate doesn’t seem to care much about personal boundaries and can occasionally seem overly familiar with Jake. But Marisa doesn’t let it concern her, knowing that soon Kate will be gone, and it will just be her, Jake, and their future baby.

Conceiving a baby is easier said than done, though, and Jake and Marisa’s perfect relationship is put to the test through months of fertility treatments and false starts. To make matters worse, Kate’s boundary-pushing turns into an all-out obsession—with Jake, with Marisa, and with their future child. Who is this woman? Why does she seem to know everything about Marisa and Jake?

In her quest to find out who Kate really is, Marisa might destroy everything she’s worked so hard to create—her perfect romance, her perfect family, and her perfect self.

Jake doesn’t know the half of what Marisa has created—and what she stands to lose.

For fans of Gone Girl and The Perfect Nanny, Magpie is a “tense” (The Guardian), “gorgeous” (Lisa Taddeo, bestselling author of Three Women), “completely, terrifyingly brilliant” (Marian Keyes, author of Grown Ups) novel about mothers and children, envy and possession, and the dangers of getting everything you’ve ever dreamed of.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
• Release date: May 3, 2022
• ISBN: 9781797140094

Elizabeth Day

Elizabeth Day is an award-winning author and broadcaster based in the UK. Her chart-topping podcast, How to Fail, is a celebration of the things that haven’t gone right. Guests have included Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Gloria Steinem, Andrew Scott, Lily Allen, Mabel, Kazuo Ishiguro, and Malcolm Gladwell. It won the Rising Star Award at the 2019 British Podcast Awards. Elizabeth is the author of the novel The Party, which was published in the US in 2017.

Reviews for Magpie

[Joyce · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I thought the twist that became apparent in the middle of the book was fun. However, I felt it petered out some towards the end. Still, glad I read it.

[Brittany Cook · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book started out feeling like a domestic suspense, then had a great psychological thriller feel in the middle, and then the ending was back to domestic suspense. As a reader who devours psychological thrillers, I really enjoyed this book! The twist in the middle had me reading for literally hours upon hours. The ending kind of lost its thrill, but I was still desperate to find out the ending. I was a little disappointed in the ending but also so happy with the ending because it was a “feel good” end. No cliffhangers or desire for more. Overall, a great story and perfect for those who love domestic suspense with a touch of thriller!

[CCT · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

The beginning was good, a little slow as I felt it was too descriptive in some parts, and it felt like the story had so much possibility in where it could go, but it in the end it was a dud. Landed flat like a Disney tale. It was read well and the pace was good but I wasn’t a fan of the story

[Emily Marshall · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved this book. It had mixed reviews but I had no problem getting through it. I liked the characters. It was interesting and I liked the ended!

[Karen Horde · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

That was a twisty ride! I love how mental illness wasn’t vilified for dramatics. All around great book!