Jake doesn’t know the half of what Marisa has created-and what she stands to lose.įor fans of Gone Girl and The Perfect Nanny, Magpie is a tense and twisting novel about mothers and children, envy and possession, and the dangers of getting everything you’ve ever dreamed of.

In her quest to find out who Kate really is, Marisa might destroy everything she’s worked so hard to create-her perfect romance, her perfect family, and her perfect self. Who is this woman? Why does she seem to know everything about Marisa and Jake? Elizabeth Day has written that rare book I always go hunting for, something that will keep me breathless with suspense but also buoyant with good energy. To make matters worse, Kate’s boundary-pushing turns into an all-out obsession-with Jake, with Marisa, and with their future child. Publishers Weekly Magpie is a gorgeous thriller-cum-manifesto that I am going to recommend to every single person I know.

But Marisa doesn’t let it concern her, knowing that soon Kate will be gone, and it will just be her, Jake, and their future baby.Ĭonceiving a baby is easier said than done, though, and Jake and Marisa’s perfect relationship is put to the test through months of fertility treatments and false starts. Sure, Kate doesn’t seem to care much about personal boundaries and can occasionally seem overly-familiar with Jake. And Kate, their new lodger, is the perfect roommate-and not just because her rent payments will give them the income they need to start trying for the baby of their dreams.Įxcept-no one is truly perfect. “Great, plain and simple” (Stanley Tucci). Parrish comes a twisty psychological suspense about motherhood, obsession, and just how far some will go for the perfect family.

Magpie by elizabeth day review