It doesn’t take long for the perfect break-up to unravel in Rona Halsall’s latest novel, which is set in Peel.

‘The Wife Next Door’ is described as a ‘completely unputdownable, jaw-on-the-floor psychological thriller for fans of “Girl on the Train”, “Gone Girl” and “The Couple at No.9”.

Rona’s ninth release was published yesterday (Wednesday) and she said it was the trickiest of them all to write.

The plot is about a couple who are separating amicably, both with new partners, and end up buying houses next door to each other so they can be a blended family with the various children involved.

Sounds too good to be true? It doesn’t take long for things to unravel.

The book cover blurb explains: ‘Someone doesn’t like what’s happening under these two neighbouring roofs.

‘What they don’t know is that they’re messing with the wrong person.

‘And that hell hath no fury like the wife next door...’

Rona told Island Life: ‘I chose Peel as a setting because I felt the new estate was the perfect place for my couples to buy properties together and it just fit the story perfectly.

‘It’s also easier to write about somewhere you know so well and lots of people don’t even know where the Isle of Man is, so it encourages people to look it up and hopefully come and visit one day.

‘Another part of the setting is Archallagan, because that gives us a wonderful creep factor!’

She added: ‘I love setting my books on the island because it’s a bit of a treat for my little army of local readers who have told me how much they enjoy reading about places they know.’

Rona said it was the most difficult of her books to write because of the interplay between the two couples and keeping a balance between domestic drama and psychological thriller. ‘It was a lot of fun though, trying to work out how to put my main character Jess through such a difficult time without revealing the identity of the perpetrator,’ she said.

‘I love throwing in the red herrings during the writing process and there are plenty of those in the book.’

She said: ‘I’m really happy with the way the story turned out, and as I seem to say with every book I write, this is my current favourite.

‘It feels quite an achievement to be publishing it, not least because it’s my ninth book, and I never imagined when I first started writing that I’d get that many books published, but because this last year has been very difficult on a personal level.

‘My husband has been very poorly with cancer and it’s been hard to balance writing with my role as his carer.’

‘The Wife Next Door’ is published by Bookouture and it is available on Amazon, Kindle Unlimited and Audible as well as being published in paperback.

She has a contract to write two more books with Bookouture.

Book number 10 is already started and is due to be published in June 2023.