Publication Date: January 21, 2026
Two wives. One husband. A deadly secret…
My daughter’s latest drawing lies on the kitchen island and I smile as I see the three stick figures under the words My family. My husband Oliver left for work early, so it’s just me and my precious daughter at home. Until I hear the sound of a removals van pulling up to the house next door.
Sneaking a peek through the blinds, my heart catches in my throat as I come face to face with my new neighbour – the one person I wished to never see again. Oliver’s ex-wife, Carla, stares back at me, and the slight curl of her lip proves that she isn’t here to make friends.
Oliver owns the house next door, so why did he let her move so close to us? And why didn’t he tell me? What other secrets has he been keeping from me?
When I try to talk to Oliver that evening, he quickly shuts me down, telling me I’m worrying over nothing. But I know him well enough to see the worried look on his face as he gazes towards Carla’s house…
Oliver is up to something. And so is Carla. But they don’t know I have secrets of my own, and I’m prepared to do whatever it takes to keep them.
And, days later, when police race to our house one evening, you might think you know what’s happened, but you’d be wrong. After all, nothing is what it seems behind closed doors…
An absolutely pulse-pounding psychological thriller, which is perfect for fans of The Housemaid, The Perfect Marriage and You, Me, Her.
From the outside, Dr. Oliver and Eve Haddon live a charmed life with their young daughter.
However, when his ex-wife moves in next door—to a home Oliver owns—the carefully crafted veneer begins to crack. Author Helen H. Durrant serves up a psychological thriller with Two Wives.
Told from multiple perspectives, the storyline slowly delivers missing pieces that enable readers to get a clearer picture of what is really happening. The friction between the two women is evident, especially since they both have secrets.
A third character, the nanny, adds another perspective along with an air of mystery. Her real motives extend far beyond school drop-offs. Oliver does little to endear himself as a character, which provides a perfect opportunity for the author to roll out some surprise twists.
Two Wives weaves a tangled tale of relationships pushed to the limit.
Helen is married with two daughters, five grandchildren and one great grandchild. She lives in the North West of England amid the beautiful, rugged scenery of the Pennine foothills. When Helen was close to retirement, she made the decision to give writing a go. At first, she tried romance but couldn’t get off the starting block, so crime it was. For her first novel, she spent weeks deciding on the main character’s name and once she had it, she was off and running, writing the first novel, then a sequel then a third in quick succession. From the off Helen loved writing, making up stories and getting to know the characters who spring from her imagination. She feels like she actually knows these people, what makes then tick and what drives them. Helen is many years retired and although her family tell her to put her feet up, she can’t give up writing. Ever since that first book it’s become an obsession.
