Housewife in Trouble: Housewife 5

Helen has done the one thing she swore she never would: remarry. A few weeks after the drive-thru ceremony, the reality of it comes over her like a python dropping out of a tree - that she would henceforth wake up every morning next to snoring rhinoceros Rick, a man with all the subtleties of a brick coming through your living room window. Under the questionable tutelage of crazy Leoni, Helen vows to reinvent herself as a guilt-free, modern Superwife, and determines to master the innocent art of womanly deception.

Meanwhile, big sister Julia, 43, suffers a major crash-and-burn after the miraculous arrival of her new baby. Desperate to help her navigate a severe case of post-natal depression, Helen suddenly finds herself knee-deep in subterfuge . . . And that, possibly, is what distracts her when Helga, the Russian cleaning lady, attacks Rick with a chair . . . So there we have it. An Elvis wedding in Vegas. A panic-stricken newlywed wife. A severely concussed husband who cannot keep a secret. What could possibly go wrong? Bags open. Cats everywhere. As Elvis said, 'If you're looking for trouble, you've come to the right place' . . .

PRAISE FOR ALISON PENTON HARPER

"Laugh-a-minute, frothy fun" Sunday Express