The Perfect Lie by Jo Spain - #BookReview

 

The day your life changes can begin in the most ordinary way. Danny's arm is draped across my body and I wake to the feel of him stirring. His hand cups my face. I sense he's actually been awake a while; that he might, in fact, have been watching me.

'You had a nightmare,' he says.

I crawl into the space of his body and inhale him.

I had a nightmare, again.

I never have to pretend with Danny.

My husband knows my history, all the things that haunt me. The bad dreams are frequent, even after all this time...

***

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.

***

This book begins with one of the most intriguing storylines. Within the first few pages we observe Erin's husband commit suicide in front of other witnesses. How then, is she on trial for his murder? This most unlikely of beginnings leads the reader on an interesting journey before the truth is revealed.

I have previously read and enjoyed The Confession by this author so I was hoping that this book would be every bit as good as that. In fact, I think The Perfect Lie surpassed my expectations, keeping me turning the pages to discover how something so unlikely could be explained.

The main character, Erin, was utterly believable and likeable and the author clearly intended our sympathies to lie with her. There was also a collection of more minor characters which aided in carrying the plot along.

It is a pacey read that kept the story moving with a suitable mixture of dialogue, narration and description.

There is a dual storyline between Erin who has chapters entitled Then and Now, and also Lauren's story, set at Harvard. I initially struggled to reconise the connection between these two characters, but the author expertly weaves the two strands together in a way which took me by surprise.

This was an addictive read which will keep you turning the pages way past bedtime.

ISBN: 978 1529407273

Publisher:  Quercus

Formats:  e-book, audio, hardback and paperback

No. of Pages:  400 (paperback)

About the Author:

Jo Spain is the author of the bestselling Inspector Tom Reynolds series and several international No. 1 bestselling standalone novels. Her first book, With Our Blessing, was a finalist in the 2015 Richard and Judy Search for a Bestseller.

Jo, a graduate of Trinity College Dublin, writes TV screenplays full-time. Her first crime series was broadcast on RTE in 2018 and she's currently involved in a number of TV developments including adaptations of her own novels. In 2021, she co-wrote Harry Wild, starring Jane Seymour, with the Emmy award-winning David Logan (aired in 2022).

Jo lives in Dublin with her husband and four young children. In her spare time (she has four children, there is no spare time really) she likes to read. Her favourite authors include Pierre Lemaitre, Jo Nesbo, Liane Moriarty, Fred Vargas and Jodi Picoult. She also watches TV obsessively.

Jo thinks up her plots on long runs in the woods. Her husband sleeps with one eye open.

(book courtesy of NetGalley)

(author photo and bio. info. courtesy of Good Reads)