From John Marrs, the bestselling author of The One. Set in the same world, The Marriage Act is a dark, high-concept thriller.

‘One of the most exciting original thriller writers’ - Simon Kernick, author of Good Cop Bad Cop

What if marriage was the law? Dare you disobey?

Britain. The near-future. A right-wing government believes it has the answer to society’s ills – the Sanctity of Marriage Act, which actively encourages marriage as the norm, punishing those who choose to remain single.

But four couples are about to discover just how impossible relationships can be when the government is monitoring every aspect of our personal lives, monitoring every word, every minor disagreement . . . and will use every tool in its arsenal to ensure everyone will love, honour and obey.

Black Mirror meets thriller with a dash of Naomi Alderman’s The Power.

Praise for John Marrs:

'A page-turning and thought-provoking read' - Daily Mirror

'A socially aware novel packed with thought-provoking questions' - SFX Magazine

'Original thriller with lots of surprises' -My Weekly

'Clever, compelling and terrifyingly plausible. A near future nightmare that grips from the first page and never let’s go.The Marriage Act is a brilliant examination of relationships and the power we let others have over us. And talk about a page-turner. This one will leave you with paper cuts! C. J. Tudor, bestselling author of The Chalk Man

“A smart, gripping and scarily believable story from the master of the speculative thriller.”―TM Logan, author of The Curfew and The Holiday

'John’s creative, high-concept thrillers never fail to keep me furiously turning the pages and The Marriage Act is no exception. Pacy and packed full of tension, the book kept me constantly guessing as the thought-provoking plot about marriage and everything that comes with it unfolded in the most sinister of ways . . . dark, immersive speculative fiction at it’s very best!' Sarah Pearse, author of The Retreat and The Sanatorium

'A scarily plausible alternative future with a truly twisted narrative. Tensely plotted and terrifyingly imagined! - Harriet Tyce, author of Blood Orange