I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Perfect Lie by Jo SpainPublished by Quercus on May 13, 2021
ISBN: 9781529407242
Genres: Psychological Thriller
Pages: 400
Format: ARC, eBook
Source: NetGalley, Publisher
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'A fabulous page-turner that will keep you guessing and guessing' CARA HUNTER
'Intense, clever writing and packed with twists and turns' DERVLA MCTIERNAN
'Another twisty and intense thriller from the great Jo Spain' ADRIAN MCKINTY
He jumped to his death in front of witnesses. Now his wife is charged with murder.
Five years ago, Erin Kennedy moved to New York following a family tragedy. She now lives happily with her detective husband in the scenic seaside town of Newport, Long Island. When Erin answers the door to Danny's police colleagues one morning, it's the start of an ordinary day. But behind her, Danny walks to the window of their fourth-floor apartment and jumps to his death.
Eighteen months later, Erin is in court, charged with her husband's murder. Over that year and a half, Erin has learned things about Danny she could never have imagined. She thought he was perfect. She thought their life was perfect.
But it was all built on the perfect lie.
The Perfect Lie started off with a bang. Holy hell, I quite frankly had to put my kindle down for about ten minutes so I could catch my breath. Its been a long time since an opening chapter has absolutely blew my mind. I love impactful openings, and this really did kick it up a notch. Erin moved to the US from Ireland after the death of her sister. She didn’t expect to fall in love with her perfect match, Danny. They marry and everything is fairytale perfect until that fateful day that she won’t ever forget.
Danny is a detective in Homicide in New York City. He’s been working extra hard lately and both he and Erin are looking forward to getting away for a while. A knock on their door changes both their lives forever. His partner, Ben Mitchell arrives with some bad news. There’s no discussion and no explanations. Danny walks straight over to their balcony and jumps straight off it. The shock wasn’t just reserved for Erin – I was completely gob smacked. Jo Spain has a talent hitting her readers over the head…making them sit up and pay attention. I felt Erin’s hurt and shock…Never have I wanted to reach in and give a character a hug.
So how on earth is Erin in court for murdering her husband?
The Perfect Lie is told in three different POV’s. Erin Now, Erin Then and Harvard. Now this is where my thoughts on this novel start becoming a little conflicted. The Harvard chapters don’t really feel necessary, and they are just clunky and take up too many pages. I don’t feel that it really added any insight or understanding to the overall narrative. The story moved along fine without it.
Erin thought she knew everything about her husband and their life together, but it was The Perfect Lie. I was really looking forward to reading this one, but it fell a little short. It dragged a lot in the middle and I ended up skim reading a lot of it. I was still intrigued with how it would all end. It was still a good book with excellent writing, but it was definitely a 5-star book at the start then slowly kept dropping as I progressed through. Thank you to Quercus and Netgalley for the opportunity to review.
ABOUT JO SPAIN
Jo Spain is the author of seven bestselling novels including the DCI Tom Reynolds series and her standalone thrillers Dirty Little Secrets and No. 1 bestseller The Confession (Quercus London). Shortlisted in the first Richard & Judy Search for a Bestseller, Jo’s books are now published in 15 territories and have received starred reviews in Publisher’s Weekly, Kirkus Review, The Sunday Times, the Independent and The Guardian.
Jo created and co-wrote the critically acclaimed, groundbreaking Irish hit drama Taken Down and is currently attached to several European dramas.
A politics graduate of Trinity College Dublin, Jo formerly worked as a parliamentary advisor on the economy and as vice-chair of the business body Intertrade Ireland. She resides in Dublin with her husband and four children.
