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Summary
Summary
Two former serial killers trying to keep their past buried realize that old habits die hard in this "wildly original, razor-sharp thriller" (Chris Whitaker, New York Times bestselling author of All the Colors of the Dark ).
"An invaluable manual that I return to again and again."―Hugh Grant
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.
Reviews (3)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Artist Hazel Matthews and wealthy heir Nathaniel Foxton "Fox" Cabot, the married protagonists of Mackay's wildly entertaining latest (after The Nursery), have spent the last few years traveling across Europe, murdering men who prey on women. Their exploits have earned them the Interpol nickname "the Backpacking Butcher." When Hazel becomes pregnant, Fox decides it's time to settle down, and the couple decamps to the London suburbs to raise their daughter. Fox takes a job in an office; Hazel sees her artistic inspiration buried beneath a mountain of diapers and playdates. Restless, she kills a man on her own--one who she believes deserved to die. Soon, however, Hazel learns that one of the mothers from her toddler's playgroup is a cop who's been investigating the case of the Backpacking Butcher, and that this latest kill has put her on Hazel's trail. Mackay brilliantly exaggerates the stifling aspects of parenthood through the eyes of her charismatic killers, wringing both laughs and pathos from her deliciously outlandish premise. This is sensational. Agent: Alice Luytens, Curtis Brown U.K. (Jan.)Correction: A previous version of this review incorrectly identified the cop who is investigating the case of the Backpacking Butcher.
Kirkus Review
It's hard to keep the spark going in your marriage when you move to the London suburbs and have to let go of your glamorous, globe-trotting lives. (No more partying, traveling, or murdering!) Hazel and Fox have been married for more than 10 years, and they both adore their little daughter, Bibi. Hazel, an artist, has hung up her paintbrush to become a stay-at-home mom, and Fox is out breadwinning at an investment company every day. So what if they might have sex a little less often than they used to--it all sounds pretty normal, right? Well, MacKay's novel might cover the kind of bumpy transition that's familiar to many couples--but there's a catch: Hazel and Fox are former serial killers, now trying to reform for the sake of their child. But giving up killing has dulled a spark that has them each feeling trapped and resentful. As MacKay switches back and forth between their two perspectives, it becomes clear that Hazel--forged in a difficult childhood and still mourning her best friend from art school, who died by suicide--has always found killing a release from her anger. Now it's all bottled up, and she can only direct it by snarking at the local moms in her baby-and-me music group and resenting her husband. When she meets Jenny, another mother, they begin an unlikely friendship that offers Hazel a distraction; Jenny's former partner is a total sleazeball who owes her a lot of money, and Hazel is determined to see that he pays up. Fox, meanwhile, deals with his struggles by attending AA meetings, figuring that an addiction to murder is not so unlike an addiction to alcohol. This is a dark comedy indeed--any ethical concerns over murder are brushed under the rug because it's something Hazel and Fox do together, and they only kill "bad men." As a metaphor for modern family life, it's entertainingly astute. Fans of Mr. and Mrs. Smith, this one's for you. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Hazel Matthews is a bored mom. She stays at home with her daughter Gigi while her husband, Fox, is out working to support them. The worst part? Haze and Fox used to be a serial killer duo. With Fox's family money, they jetted all over Europe, finding unconnected victims so as not to be caught. They loved the thrill of the kill, but they also loved the vigilante justice they dispensed to domestic abusers. But when Gigi came along, Fox told Haze he wanted to stop killing. Their "hobby" could only hurt their daughter. Haze, though, is desperate to regain the connection they used to have. With her life just the same as any cookie-cutter mom's, Haze must find a way to reenergize herself--even if it means going back to her old ways. Haze and Fox's story feels somewhat uneven as surprises appear without much warning. However, it's ripe for book club discussion, as readers must decide how far they will go in rooting for our murderous protagonists.