The mesmerised narrator wonders aloud about the impact of these women, raising issues not too detached from ones we might ask about our own, real-life dictators’ wives. Why does the media fawn over their closets and philanthropic habits? And does the fixation on the glamour help disguise the darkness of their husbands’ deeds? It’s definitely a book that requires concentration, but the characters and atmosphere of the book is tremendously written which makes it addictive reading. A fascinating exploration of absolute power, female agency and the complexities of complicity. Atmospheric, claustrophobic and so elegantly written'-- ELLERY LLOYD

As is true with most families, her parents do what they think is best, and try to protect Laura, but in doing so they push her away and their whole family unit crumbles. It makes sense, therefore, that Laura would seek mother and father figures elsewhere. A captivating story of women's power, love and secrets. As timely and profound as it is unforgettable. The ending left me breathless'-- LARA PRESCOTT, New York Times bestselling author of The Secrets We Kept The Dictator’s Wife is published by Headline Review, and is available on Book Depository from 17 February.The Dictator’s Wife, Marija Popa, faces the death penalty for the crimes of her husband, who can’t stand trial himself, as he was brutally murdered. Set in the fictional country Yanussia, Marija hires defence lawyers from London to help her fight her case. In comes Laura - who is a Yanussia born lawyer along with her boss to try and save Marija from the noose. I loved the idea behind the book, however, I didn’t love its execution. I found the two main characters (especially Marija) very detached from everything and everyone. Marija exploited Laura’s weaknesses to her own advantage. Laura, on the other hand, was gullible and I found her actions very irksome, particularly when concerning her mother. Elena Ceausescu receiving a honorary doctorate from the University of Buenos Aires in 1974. Source: Online Photo Library of Romanian Communism

What unfolds is more about the cult of personality that has been carefully crafted and controlled over the years by Marija. This doesn't necessarily mean she is guilty of any of the crimes she has been charged with, as finding proof of any crime is near on impossible. What a surprise. But Laura knows the shiny glib surface hides many many secrets, and she is determined to find out what tragedy or horror happened to her parents, particularly her mother that changed the essence of her small family. So this story is primarily about Laura, her motivations, her actions, her interactions with Marija. Much about Marija unfolds during the course of the story, but she is not the primary focus.Eventually, Elena became the head of Romania's Institute for Chemistry. But that was not enough: Elena wanted every chemical institute in the country to come under one central institute in Bucharest, with herself at the helm. She wanted to be called Professor Doctor Engineer, and she found no opposition at the Romanian Academy, since resistance was both futile and dangerous. Yanussia itself, while fabricated and imagined by Berry, could easily be referencing so many real countries. And there is an interesting dynamic in the general society there. Amidst the protests, surveys are conducted that reveal that the people in Yanussia don't feel things have improved since the overthrowing of Popa's regime. The tension is palpable throughout, and the pacing of the story is well executed. Laura is afraid, but it seems she isn't even sure what she is/should be afraid of, other than the obvious of losing the trial.

Donald and Melania Trump at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on 20 January 2021. Photograph: Stefani Reynolds/EPA The book combined real world law terminology (and British law firms) to deliver an accurate and thought-provoking look into who society deems monsters and who we give free passes to. How we define history and how we allow it to shape our present and our future. How money and status enables access to creating an illusion of innocence. Are any of us innocent? How do we truly define innocence? Laura Lăzărescu is a lawyer, a junior associate in a law firm that embarks on the biggest case of the century: defending infamous Marija Popa, the wife of the Yanussian dictator, Constantin Popa, accused of many crimes. All is not what it seems, danger lurks everywhere, webs of lies and deceit unfold, information leaks, murder happens in the most unlikely places, a puppeteer holds all the strings but to what end and just how guilty is the wife of a Dictator?

Review

Berry perfectly captures the role of the press and the tabloids in relation to figureheads and celebrities, and how the media can whip people up into a frenzy, regardless of whether what they print is true. At times the book was claustrophobic and gave the reader a truly dark restricted atmosphere that really added an extra layer of slightly experiencing the opression and horror of a dictator regime. It was both completely terrifying and captivating in equal measure As the novel’s cover suggests, this is a boldly visual novel. I won’t be surprised to see it turned into a film or Netflix series. I, for one, can easily imagine Cate Blanchett as the Dictator’s Wife. The book follows Laura, a young lawyer, who is part of a team who go to the country of her exiled parents, to defend the wife of the dead former leader, accused of being complicit in his crimes. As her parents escaped the country, and do not want their daughter to go to defend Marija Popa, this leads to a fracture in their already fragile relationship, damaged by a lifetime of secrets. I know the phrase “will have you reading long into the night” gets thrown about an awful lot, but it is completely true for this book.