What if marriage was the law? Dare you disobey?

'Clever, compelling and terrifyingly plausible' – C. J. Tudor, author of A Sliver of Darkness

What if marriage was the law? Dare you disobey? Set in the same world as The One, now a Netflix Original Series, The Marriage Act is a dark, high-concept thriller from bestselling author John Marrs.

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

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 supervising 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 . . .

Shortlisted for the Goodreads Awards 2023.

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

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

'Brilliantly tricksy' – Liz Nugent, author of Strange Sally Diamond

'Dark, immersive speculative fiction at it’s very best!' – Sarah Pearse, author of The Retreat and The Sanatorium

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

"Skilfully evokes a future Britain . . . Marrs also excells when it comes to worldbuilding . . . a socially aware novel packed with thought-provoking questions" - SFX Magazine

"Original thriller with lots of surprises" - My Weekly

"Four couples navigate an increasingly claustrophobic world in this razor sharp and chillingly plausible tale from the masterful John Marrs" - Woman's Own