Meet Fox and Haze, once they were a super cool couple jet setting around the world to all the best parties, occasionally killing bad guys along the way. Since the arrival of their baby they are stuck in suburbia with nothing more than baby groups to keep Haze entertained. Fox has put a ban on killing and it’s doing nothing for their marriage.
This is a fun book, starts very well, sags in the middle a bit but, as the twist is revealed, romps to the end. A really good thriller, I’ll look forward to Asia Mackay’s next book.

I really enjoyed this book, I wasn't quite sure at first but I got into it and wanted to keep reading.
It's a totally different concept, which really worked!!
I liked the story of the killings but also the regular family problems and of course Hazes friend Jenny!
The characters were all good, I think I would have liked to know more about Jenny's ex but it wasn't lacking.
It made me laugh out loud of times. Definitely worth a read.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Would recommend.
Settling down, marriage and a child mean no more killing. What happens if you can't stick to the no more murders part of your marriage?
Entertaining premise for this novel.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC in return for my honest review

I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher, in return for an honest review. This review is based entirely on my own thoughts and feelings.

Overall rating : 3*
Writing skill : 3*
Plot: 3*
Pace: 3*
Characters: 4*
Twist: 4*

The female serial killer trope has been done a lot over the last few years, but a serial killer couple a bit less. This gave me mr & mrs smith vibes, but with a bit less action and some more mundane day to day trivial activities.
The characters were great, I really liked fox and Jenny, they were complex and unpredictable. Haze was a bit more plain Jane.
If you haven’t read lots of the female serial killer books then you may get on with this a bit better than I did, I just found it’s been done better previously.

I really wanted to like this book more than I did, and although I was invested in what happened, I didn’t really gel with the characters. I found myself not all that interested in them, which surprised me. They had distinctive voices, but just not ones I *had* to hear… That's not to say I didn't enjoy the book, but I didn't find myself desperate to return to its pages.

Haze and Fox had the ideal marriage, they were both able to indulge their urges to rid the world of bad people, That is until Haze fell pregnant with Bibi. Now they live in suburbia and it's mind numbingly dull.
Haze feels the magic has gone, they don't communicate any more.
Fox feels like he is doing everything he can to keep them safe. Threats from his family aren't helping and Haze appears to have made a friend who is actually a detective.
Will they get the magic back? Read it and find out.
An entertaining read.

A Serial Killer’s Guide to Murder is definitely “different”. But then I knew that it was going to be when I read the blurb..

A book about two Serial Killers married to each other is never going to be a conventional read.

Hazel (Haze) and Fox seem like an ordinary married couple. Nice house, good neighbours, beautiful child. But their lives are not like others. The pair were drawn together by dark pasts. Both of them killing bad men for

They both know how to get away with murder.

Literally.

When they first met, their relationship was idyllic, both of them excited by the kill. As soon as they found out they were expecting Haze detected an immediate change in Fox. He wants them to stop their killing and become “normal” parents to their daughter.

When Haze meets Jenny at a mother and baby club she is bonded to this stranger in a way that she never has been before. She’s never been one for close female friendships, but the truth is she needs Jenny’s friendship in a way that she never even realised.

She needs a distraction. Because she and Fox made a pact, which lately she has been itching to break. She knows if she kills again it will break her marriage and she doesn’t want to do that.

And then Jenny drops a bombshell which makes Haze question everything she thought she knew about her friend, her own relationship with her husband and where she should go from that moment on….

If all you need to solve a marriage is a dead bad man, I think a lot of marriages would be solved quicker (joke)

Haze and Fox are probably the most normal married couple out there when you think about it. They’ve got a child, secrets and many many skeletons in their closet. I do love that they want to be better for Bibi and don’t want to kill anyone anymore, but habits are definitely hard to break. Them trying to live a normal life and do normal things, make friendships is actually one of the funniest and realistic things I’ve read (without all the killing obviously).

I didn’t know what to expect, but loved it nonetheless.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC in exchange of an honest review

A Serial Killer’s Guide to Marriage by Asia Mackay is a daft, silly and extremely entertaining story of a husband and wife team, who are serial killers. When they have a daughter, they decide that they should stop killing in case, they are found out, and there is no one left to take care of their daughter, if they are found responsible for the killings they have carried out.
However, Hazel misses the adrenaline rush that she got from killing bad men, who deserved to die. Fox also finds he misses the rush that killing gave him. He has tried going to AA meetings and even playing high stakes poker but he is also missing the preparations, involved in the killings.
They manage to resolve their difficulties and become part of an even better partnership.
Highly recommended

A Serial Killer’s Guide to Marriage was an incredibly strong adult thriller with a killer concept and the chops to back it up.

As soon as I heard the pitch for this book, I knew I had to snap it up. It is just such a rich and fascinating premise that Mackay makes full use of. We move between Hazel and Fox’s perspectives, as well as both the past and present timelines. This gives texture to the novel – seeing how Hazel and Fox met and their whirlwind romance to today’s suburbian boredom. It has that classic feel of a marriage on the rocks, but here that stems from the lack of murder in their marriage now. Within this, there is a dark sense of humour that I really enjoyed. It adds a smirk to proceedings that are often plagued by darkness.

As the story unfolds, you get more of an understanding of Hazel and Fox’s backgrounds and how these inform them as the killers they are now. There is a beautifully poignant thread about mental health and grief, which really hit home for me. On the other hand, there is also a throughline about privilege and legacy protecting you at all costs, which is a sharp shock of reality pushing through (though obviously pushed to an extreme).

Mackay pulls you in straight away with a fast-paced, compelling opening that is cinematic, slick and sinister. It instantly validated the Mr and Mrs Smith comparison I had heard and promised you a dynamic that you simply must unpick. From there, the tension never let up. Every page of this is soaked in blood and tension with a brilliant story and plenty of twists. It is a very well crafted thriller with great use of atmosphere and suspense. All the way through it feels balanced on the edge of a knife, where it all may descend into chaos at any moment.

A Serial Killer’s Guide to Marriage is a sensational and suspenseful thriller that will be a hugely talked about story in 2025. Don’t let it pass you by.

I sat down to read this and just kept going until I’d finished. I’m still in my PJs at 14.30!
Great, pacy, thriller of sorts about a very rich, glamorous couple who are both serial killers but have given up killing to raise a child. Haze, the female killer, makes a new friend at a toddler music class who might turn out to be the worst choice ever, and Fox, the male killer seems to be keeping a lot of secrets. What could possibly go wrong?
It’s probably better not to examine the plot points too carefully, but I enjoyed this - it’s a fun read, and I did find myself rooting for killers.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

i half read this and half listened to the audiobook, and i think i preferred the flow of the audiobook. it's a domestic thriller from the perspectives of two ex-serial killers. i enjoyed thr growth of the characters.

As soon as I saw the book title I knew I had to read this book and I'm so glad I did. It reached and exceeded my expectations. A brief summary Hazel and Fox are former serial killers who are married but promise to never kill again once Hazel gets pregnant and gives birth to Bibi. Hazel does not keep this promise.

I really enjoyed this book, mainly because of the main characters. Despite them being serial killers I found them surprisingly relatable. Since moving to suburbia Hazel has found herself struggling to fit in with making friends and the expectations of her. Meanwhile, Fox is doing everything he can to keep his family safe and stop them from falling apart, even as things inevitably begin to unravel. You get to read both of their POVs, which gives you a deeper understanding of them. Even though they’re both former serial killers, their worries are normal making it easy to empathise with them. At least until they mention that they miss killing.

This writing is easy to read, making it easy to put down and then pick up without losing track of the story. I didn’t laugh out loud, but I smiled throughout it thanks to the dark and cynical humour of the author. I’d recommend this book to anyone, it’s a fun read that I could see anyone enjoying.

This book was weirdly dark but lighthearted all at the same time.
I really enjoyed the dual POV, particularly Haze’s as she adjusts to life as a new mum.
The character development was brilliant and despite all their shenanigans I found both Fox and Haze to be super likeable character. Is it okay to be routing for a pair of serial killers?!?
A great read that I would highly recommend!

I liked this dark thriller about a married couple who are retired serial killers. Alternating viewpoints from Hazel to Fox made the story flow fast. A quick and easy read.

I started this and was not sure how I felt, but this was a great read. I had no trouble getting through it quickly and enjoyed every moment. The twists and turns kept coming to the end and it was a great read.

Thank you so much for allowing me to read this early!

Although I did enjoy the twist that happened I feel like getting to the twist was a lot of nothingness!!

My expectations were high going into this and unfortunately worent met!!

Highly entertaining, quirky and dark. More a dark comedy than a thriller, though still with great twists and reveals. Very enjoyable read!

I thought this was good wholesome fun, if a tinsy bit predictable. Asia McKay is a dependable author.

Haze and Fox are a couple of retired serial killers living in the suburbs with their baby Bibi! The story is written with dark humour and you can see the couple are struggling in suburbia! Haz and Fox are from very different backgrounds, which comes across in an unique way. The book is told using various view points and you want the couple to overcome their differences. All in all, an entertaining read with an ending that I did not see happening.