April 25th, 2020

I loved this read! Just like any great mystery or thriller I’ve read, it started off with a bang, and it ended with a couple of strong and shocking twists that I didn’t see in coming.

The character of Gemma was created so well that you think that she may be crazy or guilty, but you hope so badly that she’s not. This is exactly the way I want to feel about unreliable narrators! This is why I love them so much!

This switches POV a bit, but it’s done in such a skillful and deft way that it serves the story and doesn’t feel forced, cheap or contrived, the way a fair number of thrillers with multiple POVs do these days. (I know some people love multiple POVs, and I do, too, if it’s done well. If it’s not done well, I kind of hate it).

This felt like such an easy read to me, and by saying that, I don’t at all mean that it is in any way simplistic or lacks depth. I’ve just read some thrillers lately that really could have used more editing. While reading this, I didn’t see any gimmicks. Nothing seemed contrived. My mind didn’t start musing about how I might fix things here or there. 

No, this is just some good, old-fashioned clean writing by @jackiekabler. Clear, well-defined characters. Motivations that made sense. Thought out psychological underpinnings. Excellent pacing. Solid dialogue and descriptions. And even though the circumstances were pretty ‘out there,’ it all still seemed so believable. (But hey, in the middle of a global pandemic, does anything seem too ‘out there?’)

If you like mysteries or thrillers or shocking endings or things that take your mind — every so slightly — off of a terrible global pandemic, I highly recommend this fun book!

Thank you #NetGalley for the ARC of  #ThePerfectCouple!

Book description: 

A year and a half ago, Gemma met the love of her life, Danny. Since then, their relationship has been like something out of a dream. But one Friday evening, Gemma returns home to find Danny is nowhere to be seen.

After two days with no word from her husband, Gemma turns to the police. She is horrified by what she discovers – a serial killer is on the loose in Bristol. When she sees the photos of the victims she is even more stunned … they all look just like Danny.

But the police aren’t convinced by Gemma’s story. Why has no one apart from Gemma seen or heard from Danny in weeks? Why is there barely a trace of him in their flat? Is she telling them the truth, or are there more secrets and lies in this marriage than meets the eye?