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In Her Defence

The NEW Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick, February 2026. A dark and gripping courtroom drama for fans of Gillian Flynn and Ripley

By: Philippa Malicka

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Hardcover | 3 February 2026 | Edition Number 1

At a Glance

Format
Hardcover

Dimensions(cm)
24.0 x 15.62 x 1.85

Hardcover

RRP $55.00

$54.75

or 4 interest-free payments of $13.69 with

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'Smart, elegant and endlessly unsettling' ABIGAIL DEAN
'A brilliant mix of courtroom drama, psychological thriller and love story' JP DELANEY
'A stunning debut' ERIN KELLY
'I was completely hooked from the first page to the very last!' MEGAN MIRANDA
'Beautifully written and brilliantly addictive' VALERIE KEOGH
'Haunting and twisty' LIV CONSTANTINE
'I devoured it' DEBBIE HOWELLS
'A star-making debut' JULIA HEABERLIN

Everyone is watching . . .

Wealthy and famous, Anna Finbow stands in court, accusing therapist Jean Guest of brainwashing her daughter Mary to gain access to her trust fund.

Jean claims that the dark memories she's helped Mary uncover are real. That therapy has offered her a chance to finally heal from childhood trauma, and she would be better off away from her family's damaging influence.

I'll tell you now . . . you shouldn't believe either of them.

A fiercely intelligent psychological thriller of obsessive friendship, toxic families and the precarious nature of therapy, from an exceptional new talent.

READERS ARE RAVING ABOUT IN HER DEFENCE

'WHAT. A. BOOK. I just finished and I am totally shook'
'Twisty, thrilling and unputdownable. If I could give it more than five stars I would'
'This book is so suspenseful it practically feels like horror'
'Razor-sharp plotting and deeply believable characters'
'I LOVE a courtroom drama, but this was so much more!'

Industry Reviews

Smart, elegant, and endlessly unsettling. This is a novel full of delicious, vivid details: the ambiguous characters, the unforgettable settings, the unnerving psychology

What a beautifully written debut! Compulsively readable, a brilliant mix of courtroom drama, psychological thriller and love story, it pulls off the rare trick of being an unputdownable page-turner with real emotional depth. I can't wait to see what Malicka does next

A stunning debut that jumps deftly between courtroom thriller and a twisting, tender tale of lust, trust, friendship and betrayal

Philippa Malicka delivers both a twisting courtroom trial and a haunting character study in this wholly absorbing debut . . . I was completely hooked from the first page to the very last!

A haunting and twisty story of obsession, memory, and the blurred line between healing and harm. Part courtroom drama, part psychological love story, In Her Defence will stay with you long after you've turned the final page

In Her Defence is a brilliant, star-making debut - a potent courtroom drama packed with complex characters, deft psychological twists, and buttery prose. The narrator is not so much unreliable as a mystery even to herself, and you'll be reading way past midnight to solve the puzzle of who she is

A mesmerising, intricately plotted psychodrama you won't be able to put down (or forget). Beautifully written, this is as assured a debut as they come - I inhaled it

In Her Defence is a riveting, seductive novel about the exploitation of power and control, expertly crafted and not to be missed! Malicka delivers a masterful thriller with rich characters and tightly-plotted twists and turns. It kept me on the edge of my seat with every flip of the page. A brilliant debut!

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