When Ciara and her husband Gerry moved into the Irish village, they didn’t know how much of a splash they would create. Ciara is an Instagram star, an influencer who has an inbox filled with requests for brand collaborations and thousands of followers. She posts photos of her two adorable kids and the healthy meals she makes them, curating a perfect family life. But reality isn’t always how it appears on social media.
Neighbor Lauren and her partner Sean live simply with their three kids in the cottage that had belonged to Lauren’s gran. She had spent a lot of her childhood at her grandmother’s place, and she had inherited the cottage. Neither Lauren nor Sean work, so they are getting by on Lauren’s savings as they raise their kids. It was challenging for Lauren to move back to the small village where she grew up. Despite all the years that passed since she was in school. the town’s mean girls went right back to treating her badly, with their new leader Ciara stirring them up even more.
Mishti and her husband Parth have one daughter and a quiet life together. Parth had been working in Ireland already when he chose Mishti for his wife. Although she was reluctant to agree with the arranged marriage, she didn’t want to let her parents down, so she went along. Parth was successful and comfortably well-off, but Mishti has trouble fitting in with the village. Things get a little easier when she locates the Asian market and finds food that is she is familiar with. But still she feels cold a lot, it took her two years to learn to drive, and her husband treats her like a servant instead of a partner.
But when Ciara decides to make Mishti her friend, Mishti is thrilled and drinks up the attention. Lauren tries to befriend Mishti also, but at first Mishti is cautious. Lauren has made some comments on Ciara’s social media posts that Ciara has complained about. Mishti doesn’t want to get in the middle of that. But the more time she spends with Ciara, she wonders if Lauren isn’t right about some things.
And then one of these women ends up dead.
As the secrets are revealed about the marriages, motives become clear. There are a lot of people who could have wanted this woman dead. But what really happened to end her life?
Author Disha Bose has written a mischievous novel of domesticity as her debut thriller Dirty Laundry. The women’s relationships are the star of this book, and it’s their shenanigans that give this story it’s spine. It bounces back and forth in time a little, so it hooks you in early and then goes back and unfolds slowly, giving each woman a full backstory.
Dirty Laundry has a lot of unlikable characters, but it still has an intriguing story. There is a lot of drama, several secrets, some interesting twists, dirty dishes, charming kids, and of course, all kinds of dirty laundry. It’s a fun read, especially for fans of stories about a Queen Bee and her followers. I enjoyed this one. I did struggle some with one character’s hypocrisy, and that slowed down my reading, but overall I’m glad I read this one. I especially loved the international settings, both in Ireland and India, and I look forward to seeing where Bose takes me next.
Egalleys for Dirty Laundry were provided by Ballentine Books through NetGalley, with many thanks.
