The Dead Friend Project

'A fresh new voice in crime fiction' - JANICE HALLETT
'Funny, sad, witty and very engaging' - EMMA CURTIS
'Darkly funny and deftly plotted' - ALICE CLARK-PLATTS
Everyone needs a hobby...
Things haven't been going well for Beth. Her husband has left her for one of her friends. Her fellow school mums judge her for swearing too much and not shifting the baby weight. And now she's stuck in A&E after her son fell off the climbing wall on the first day of school.
In fact, things haven't been going well for Beth since Charlotte died - her best friend, a favourite at the school pick-ups and the only person to ever run an interesting PTA meeting. But after being hit by a car while on an ill-timed evening jog, Charlotte is no longer there to help Beth pick up the pieces of her increasingly difficult life.
That is, until Beth discovers that Charlotte left her toddler alone in the house during that fatal run. The Charlotte she knew would never do something so irresponsible, and suddenly Beth is questioning whether Charlotte's death was really an accident. With a newfound purpose and a glass of wine in hand, it's time for Beth to uncover what really happened to her best friend. And what better place to start than the circle of chatty school mums, who can't be as perfect as they pretend. But which of them is hiding something? Beth's determined to find out. Once she's put the kids to bed, of course...
'Riotously funny and searingly observed' - KATE SIMANTS
'A twisty-turny mystery that drew me in from the opening lines' - PHILIPPA EAST

Joanna Wallace studied Law at Birmingham University before working as a commercial litigation solicitor in London. She now runs a family business and lives in Buckinghamshire with her husband, four children and dog. Her debut novel, You'd Look Better as a Ghost, was published by Viper in 2023.