Synopsis
The incredible, twisty psychological thriller from the award-winning author.
'Gets twistier and more satisfying with every page' - ELLY GRIFFITHS
'The kind of twists and turns that left my head spinning. A brilliant read' - JENNIE GODFREY
_____________________
Bestselling crime author Marian Lane is surrounded by adoring readers when she learns that her husband Dane is dead.
Marian returns home in shock to discover a stranger on her doorstep. A woman who not only claims she's Marian's biggest fan but says that she comforted Dane in his final moments.
At first, this woman, Mary, is a source of comfort. Until she admits Dane confessed a secret. One she can't quite remember; one Marian is desperate to learn.
But Mary is a storyteller too. And though Marian knows every twist in the genre, she won't see this one coming . . .
***
Praise for The Woman Who Wasn't There:
'Twisty, ingenious, thrilling, and unputdownable. Grips like a vice' - WILL DEAN
'[A] fast-paced, escapist thriller is full of jaw-dropping twists' - HEAT MAGAZINE
'A twisty and twisted murder mystery where no one is what they seem' - JO CALLAGHAN
'So clever, so twisty' - ANDY NYMAN
'A deliciously dark read' - ESSIE FOX
'The tension is relentless. A superb, suspenseful treat' - TOM MEAD
'Gets twistier and more satisfying with every page' - ELLY GRIFFITHS
'The kind of twists and turns that left my head spinning. A brilliant read' - JENNIE GODFREY
_____________________
Bestselling crime author Marian Lane is surrounded by adoring readers when she learns that her husband Dane is dead.
Marian returns home in shock to discover a stranger on her doorstep. A woman who not only claims she's Marian's biggest fan but says that she comforted Dane in his final moments.
At first, this woman, Mary, is a source of comfort. Until she admits Dane confessed a secret. One she can't quite remember; one Marian is desperate to learn.
But Mary is a storyteller too. And though Marian knows every twist in the genre, she won't see this one coming . . .
***
Praise for The Woman Who Wasn't There:
'Twisty, ingenious, thrilling, and unputdownable. Grips like a vice' - WILL DEAN
'[A] fast-paced, escapist thriller is full of jaw-dropping twists' - HEAT MAGAZINE
'A twisty and twisted murder mystery where no one is what they seem' - JO CALLAGHAN
'So clever, so twisty' - ANDY NYMAN
'A deliciously dark read' - ESSIE FOX
'The tension is relentless. A superb, suspenseful treat' - TOM MEAD
Details
23 July 2026
384 pages
9781785123900
Imprint: Zaffre
Reviews
“This thriller is the very definition of a page turner with the kind of twists and turns that left my head spinning. A brilliant read”JENNIE GODFREY, Sunday Times bestselling author of The List of Suspicious Things, JENNIE GODFREY, Sunday Times bestselling author of The List of Suspicious Things
“A love-letter to crime writing and a novel that just gets twistier and more satisfying with every page. The ending is a tour-de-force. I loved it”ELLY GRIFFITHS, ELLY GRIFFITHS
“Twisty, ingenious, thrilling, and unputdownable. Grips like a vice.”WILL DEAN, WILL DEAN
“Perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell, The Woman Who Wasn't There is a twisty and twisted murder mystery where no one is what they seem. The entertaining plot makes it hard to put down, but it is the powerful exploration of poverty, shame and class where Hussey's writing really excels and it would be perfect for TV”JO CALLAGHAN, JO CALLAGHAN
