The Exes: First Comes Love, Then Comes Murder.A Razor-Sharp Debut for Fans of Yellowface and Don’t Let Him In

Unbearably tense and unmissably twisty, this is the outstanding debut suspense novel from the most exciting new voice in thriller writing, Leodora Darlington

💔 'Outstandingly clever... I was dazzled and enthralled' ELLY GRIFFITHS
💔 'Set to be a breakout thriller big name with plot that constantly wrong-foots you’ STYLIST
💔 'So f***ing good!' KATY BRENT
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Natalie chose James carefully, because he's different from all the men she'd loved before. Calm. Competent. Kind.

And there are three very good reasons she needs to be so careful. Their names are Marc, Luca and George.

Natalie prefers not to think about what they did to her. Let alone what she had to do to them.

Except now, on a night they are meant to be celebrating how happy they are together, Natalie and James are lying in separate bedrooms. She is asking herself how she could have been foolish enough to let yet another man hurt her like this.

Slowly, Natalie realises she’s already holding a knife.

But she's not going to do anything with it. She’s not.

Not again.

5 STAR READER REVIEWS

'I have read so many thrillers and I have never ever read anything like this. Leodora isn’t just entering the thriller arena – she’s kicking the door clean off its hinges. Thriller royalty, take note: she’s coming for the crown.'

'There's hotness and mess but also nuance and sensitivity. Plus a cracking, layered plot. 2026 is going to be Ex-Obsessed'

'The twists, oh my god, the twists'

'Consider my flabbergasted. I cannot believe this is a debut novel…I absolutely devoured this book in one session'

'A mystery which reveals itself page by page in the most unexpected of ways'

'I raced through this book. It gripped me from the very first page and I couldn’t stop reading! … Loved it. The writing is razor sharp, the characters are brilliantly crafted and the story is propulsive and pacy. More from this writer please!'

'This is the easiest 5-star review I think I’ve ever written'

'This new author has become an automatic one-click favourite for me! It was a phenomenal debut novel and I can’t wait to read more!'

Leodora Darlington is a writer from London with Ghanaian heritage. She received a distinction for her Masters in Creative Writing from Brunel University, where she studied under authors like Benjamin Zepheniah and Will Self. A Bookseller Rising Star in 2021, Leodora is also an editor and has published a range of bestselling fiction. The Exes is her debut novel.