The Son-in-Law

On a sharp winter's morning, a man turns his back on prison. Joseph Scott has served his term. He's lost almost everything: his career as a teacher, his wife, the future he'd envisaged. All he has left are his three children but he is not allowed anywhere near them. This is the story of Joseph, who killed his wife, Zoe. Of their three children who witnessed the event. Of Zoe's parents, Hannah and Frederick, who are bringing up the children and can't forgive or understand Joseph. They slowly adjust to life without Zoe, until the day Joseph is released from prison...

Charity Norman is an ex-barrister who lives in Aotearoa New Zealand. She is the author of eight novels. After the Fall (2012) was a Richard and Judy Book Club choice and World Book Night title; Remember Me (2022) won the 2023 Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Novel. Previous novels include two BBC Radio 2 Book Club picks - bestseller The Secrets of Strangers (2020) and The New Woman (2015) - and have been shortlisted for both the Ngaio Marsh and Ned Kelly Awards.