the othello club

11/11/25
PRE-ORDER NOW

the othello club

Nobody was supposed to get hurt. They all swore agreement. But one of them has broken their pact and redrawn that line in blood.

Emily had the perfect life – the perfect job, the perfect house, the perfect husband – before she was blindsided and betrayed and lost it all. Now she's sitting in a divorce counselling group wondering how she’ll ever feel okay again. What she wants is her old life back, and these group sessions seem to be the only way she'll be able to move on – past the jealousy, the hurt, and the daydreams of getting revenge.

And it seems everyone in the group is in the same boat: jilted by an ex-partner and struggling to cope. So over post-therapy drinks, the six divorcées come up with the brilliant idea to get a little payback of their own – Strangers-on-a-Train style, with each getting even on another's behalf. Nothing serious – just enough to disrupt their former partner's picture-perfect lives.

Emily is hesitant at first, but the more her old life spins away from her, the less she worries about her morals – plus, they agreed no one would get hurt.

But just when the group think they've pulled off the perfect petty crimes, one of the exes is found dead… and then another… and another…

With DI Rosa Hawkes on their case and the plan spiralling out of control, Emily doesn't know who she can trust, and if divorce taught her anything, it’s that you can’t trust anyone, even the people you love. Especially the people you love. Let alone perfect strangers like these.

About john

J.D. Pennington is an award-winning creative director and copywriter with over twenty years of experience in film and television advertising, creating campaigns for major studios and leading independents. Through his cinematic eye for image and story, John has developed his passion for writing, including a short film for NBCUniversal. 

A native of Merseyside, he lives in Hertfordshire with his wife, two children and a mischievous Patterjack terrier. The Othello Club is his first novel. It has been optioned for television and is currently in development.