Title: A SERIAL KILLER’S GUIDE TO MARRIAGE
Author: ASIA MACKAY
ISBN: 9781035419678
Publisher: Headline
Pages: 392
Source: Private Copy
I wasn’t smashing the patriarchy; I was killing it. Literally.
Hazel and Fox are an ordinary married couple with a baby. Except for one small thing: they’re murderers. Well, they used to be. They had it all. An enviable London lifestyle, five-star travels, and plenty of bad men to rid from the world. Then Hazel got pregnant.
Now, they’re just another mom-and-dad-and-baby. They gave up vigilante justice for life in the suburbs: arranged play dates instead of body disposals, diapers over daggers, mommy conversations instead of the sweet seduction right before a kill. Hazel finds her new life terribly dull. And the more she forces herself to play her monotonous, predictable role, the more she begins to feel that murderous itch again.
Meanwhile, Fox has really taken to being a father. Always the planner, he loves being five steps ahead of everyone and knowing exactly what’s coming around the bend. Plus, if anyone can understand Hazel needing one more kill, it’s Fox. But then Hazel kills someone without telling Fox. And when police show up at their door, Hazel realizes it will take everything she has to keep her family together.
Official Summary
02 June 2026
I had no idea what to expect from this book. The title intrigued me, which is what landed it on my TBR in the first place. While it is often marketed as humorous, I found it to be much darker than I anticipated, with sharp edges beneath the comedy.
At its core, this is a story about a married couple struggling to adjust to life as new parents while slowly drifting apart. Exhaustion, identity loss, and the pressure of parenthood begin to reshape their relationship, and as they navigate sleepless nights and shifting priorities, they start keeping secrets from each other and quietly questioning both their marriage and their long-term commitment.
Layered over this domestic tension is the wildly unconventional premise: the couple are serial killers attempting to suppress their violent instincts for the sake of their baby daughter. This unusual contrast between everyday parenting struggles and extreme behaviour creates a fascinating dynamic, and it becomes a very darkly comedic exploration of how dramatically people change after becoming parents—and how far they will go to maintain the image of being “good” people for their children.
What worked particularly well for me was the balance between inner turmoil and absurdity. The couple are constantly battling between their desire to kill and their attempts to live a normal, responsible family life, and that tension drives much of the humour as well as the unease. There is something oddly compelling about watching them try to navigate ethical boundaries while literally being murderers, especially as they attempt to justify their actions as only targeting “bad men.”
The addition of unexpected plot elements—such as their growing connection with a police detective—adds another layer of irony and unpredictability to the story. None of it is remotely realistic, but that is very much the point. It leans fully into its premise, and that commitment makes it all the more entertaining.
Overall, this was a darkly funny, cleverly absurd read that managed to be both unsettling and amusing at the same time. It is not a traditional thriller or a straightforward comedy, but somewhere in between, and that blend made it stand out in an unexpected way.
Also by Asia Mackay
KILLING IT
For trail-blazing women everywhere!
Every working mum has had to face it.
The guilt-fuelled, anxiety-filled first day back in the office after maternity leave.
But this working mum is one of a kind.
Meet Alexis Tyler.
An elite covert agent within Her Majesty’s Secret Service.
Her first project back is a high-stakes hit of global significance and the old boys network of government espionage is far from ready for the return of an operational mother. But woe betide anyone who ever tells Alexis Tyler ‘you can’t’.
She will have it all. Or she’ll die trying . . .
And yes, she damn well will be home for bath time.
About the Author
Author bio from the author’s site
Asia studied Anthropology at Durham University, after which she started a career in television. She presented and produced lifestyle programmes in Shanghai before moving back to London, where she worked for Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman as Project Manager on their round the world motorbike documentaries.
She started writing Killing It on maternity leave and undertook a Faber Academy course to help her finish it. Asia lives in London with her husband, four young children and two dogs. Killing It is her first novel and was the Runner Up in Richard and Judy’s Search for a Bestseller competition 2017.
Thank you for visiting the blog and reading my review. Have you read this one yet? I would love to hear what you think. Please leave a comment below. Until next time… Happy Reading.
