Dirty Laundry is an intriguing domestic thriller (a genre I always enjoy) that delves into the intricacies of relationships, betrayal, and appearances. The novel’s characters are skillfully crafted, each with their own flaws and vulnerabilities – but most of them are rather unlikeable! Ciara has very few redeeming qualities – she’s in an unhappy marriage but seems to go out of her way to be awful to her husband – whilst Lauren, who Ciara seems to bully, is seen as the outsider but doesn’t always endear herself to other people (but then again, should she have to?). Mishti is the only character I felt sorry for – I wanted her to behave differently but also understood why she didn’t. The women’s husbands – two in particular – seem to be at best useless and at worst, awful people. Yet despite many of these self-absorbed, selfish characters, the story still drew me in. I tend to enjoy books with unlikeable characters so this was no surprise, but I felt that the animosity and bad behaviour added to the tension. At the start of the book, we find out that one of the characters has been murdered. We then switch backwards in time, in the lead-up to the murder, as we get to know them all better and start to see that various people might have reasons for wanting this particular person dead. But which one actually killed them? The story is definitely not about the murder; it’s about the characters and their relationships, friendships and interactions with their community. It’s a fairly slow burner of a novel so don’t expect anything too action-packed, but I really enjoyed it.

Three couples who couldn’t be more different live in a village near Cork, Ireland. There’s Gerry and ‘flawless’ Ciara Dunphy, an Instagram sensation featuring skincare routines and children! Her daughter Bella is, shall we say, challenging, and Ciara is being pushed to her limits so much so that she’s itching to pick a fight today. Maybe she’ll pick one with Gerry, there might be some justification in that but her target is much more likely to be Lauren Doyle. Lauren has been sleep deprived for years and she has her own issues with partner Sean but she thinks she’s way luckier than Ciara though she’s aware things have to change. Finally, there’s Misthti and Parth Guha and theirs is an arranged marriage and it’s fair to say that Parth treats Mishti like a servant. She is from Kolkata and is perpetually cold in the changeable Irish climate. Ciara and Mishti have been good friends but things are a tad cooler lately. The unfolding shebang is certainly dramatic and centres around Ciara which is just the way she likes it! Well, this lot need to get a boil wash on pronto as there’s plenty of dirty Irish linen on display for your delectation and delight! I love the way Disha Bose draws you into these peoples lives and makes it feel almost like viewing a fly in the wall television drama as we rarely know exactly what goes on behind closed doors. Desperate Housewives eat your heart out!! This is a fascinating insight into the dynamics of marriage and relationships, warts and all. You also are witness different styles of parenting or lack of. Despite the fact that’s there is friendship and marriage, there’s also loneliness in places you least expect it. The characterisation is very good, Mishti is my favourite character as bless her, she’s so out of her depth. Ciara is an acquired taste at the very least. Most of the characters are unlikeable and all of the men are worth diddly squat having their own very dirty laundry. Wash it yourselves chaps. The storyline builds and the doo doo definitely hits the fan in a really entertaining ending. Overall, this is an enjoyable and entertaining novel and it’s clear Disha Bose is talented. Can’t wait to read what shenanigans she imagines next!

dirty laundry took a while to get me invested but once it did, I was pretty hooked. I loved big little lies and this gives me similar vibes, the whole suburban close-knit environment and lifestyle is done really well. characters are fleshed out to a point where you pretty much dislike everyone (apart from mishti❤️), but I love an unloveable character!! there were points in the book that felt slightly irrelevant; going off tangent a bit for the sake of giving wider context but didn’t quite feel necessary. that being said, it all added to character development which helped a lot. overall my rating was 3.75 stars rounded up to 4 for ease ⭐️ thank you to netgalley and penguin for this digital copy to review.