Ottessa Moshfegh meets The Talented Mister Ripley in this literary debut about a fractured wealthy family told through the eyes of their hired help.

IN HER DEFENSE
by Philippa Malicka
Hodder, July 2024
(via Mushens Entertainment)

IN HER DEFENSE follows the libel trial of TV personality, household name and ceramics entrepreneur, Anna Finbow, whose daughter Mary has cut off all contact with the family. After Anna accuses her daughter’s therapist of being behind the split in her newspaper column, the publicity is overwhelming, and a legal summons swiftly follows.
Mary is adamant that her childhood was abusive, whereas Anna believes the therapist is a charlatan preying on her daughter’s trust fund. Watching it all is young sculptor Augusta (Gus), Anna’s dogwalker – who has her own reasons for inveigling her way into Anna’s life…

Philippa Malicka was born in Essex and works in publishing. She is an alumnus of the Prose Fiction MA at the University of East Anglia. Her non-fiction has appeared in The Sunday Times, The Sunday Telegraph and Grazia. IN HER DEFENSE is her first novel and was longlisted for the Bridport First Novel Award.