THE 2020 BESTSELLER!
Perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty, Shari Lapena and Lisa Jewell
The perfect couple … or the perfect lie?
A devoted wife… 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 photos of the victims she is even more stunned…they all look just like Danny.
Who would you believe?
But the police are suspicious. Why has no one apart from Gemma heard from Danny in weeks? Why is there barely a trace of him in their flat? Is she telling them the truth, or is this marriage hiding some very dark secrets?
‘Keeps you guessing as you frantically turn the pages’ Sunday Times bestselling author C. L. Taylor
‘I couldn’t put it down!’ Alex Lake, bestselling author of Seven Days
‘There is no let-up in this twisty-turny thriller’ Kate Riordan, author of The Heatwave
What readers are saying about The Perfect Couple
‘This book kept me up all night. So many twists and turns. I just could not get enough’
‘Oh my word!! This book was absolutely brilliant!! I cannot even describe how brilliant the plot was and the twists and turns were just amazing!!’
‘The perfect read!’
‘Jackie Kabler -you have written a thriller beyond words!’
‘A page turning, knee trembling read!’
‘Suspense, thrills, police procedural, and a good old-fashioned creepy scare await you’
‘Amazing, twisty, ride. I was left with a jaw dropped open and asking myself why and how’
‘Oh My Gosh what a Head Spinning book!!!!. Kept me on my toes through every chapter’
more
too much going on but so familiar
When Gemma O’Connor comes home from a press trip, she can’t find her husband Danny anywhere. They only recently moved to a Bristol suburb from London. The house is clean but no shopping has been done. His clothes, passport and other stuff are also still present, only his bicycle and laptop are missing. She can’t get in touch with him by e-mail and friends or family know nothing.
DCI Helena Dickens has her work cut out for her. In the normally peaceful district, 2 murders on young single men have taken place. There’s no obvious connection between the victims, but the bodies have been found close to each other and they both was in their 30ies and died from head injuries. They also looked alike, like brothers or so. With no suspects, she hopes that there won’t be a third victim (and thus a serial killer).
But when Gemma comes in to report her husband Danny a missing person, she notices that he looks eerily similar to the 2 murder victims. It might well be a coincidence, but there are too many of those and she doesn’t like it a bit.
Something strange is going on with Danny’s disappearance, Gemma can’t find back any of the photo’s she made during the last weeks and there’s also no trace of Danny’s e-mails during that period. His workplace says that they did hire him initially, but that he declined a few weeks later. Both neighbours claim that they never saw him and assumed that Gemma lived there alone.
After finding out that Danny lied about his job and his whereabouts and seeing his profile on a dating app, Gemma starts to realise that they never were the perfect couple she thought they were and that she never knew her husband at all. Their marriage and relationship were built on nothing but lies.
However this book is marketed as a psychological thriller, and there are certainly mind games being played, I’d rather put it under police procedural, although one doesn’t exclude the other. The main question in this book is where is Danny and why did he tell all those lies to his wife. You’re also left in limbo for a long time before you find out whether Gemma has anything to do with her husband’s disappearance. She claims complete innocence, but as the story progresses, more and more circumstantial evidence points in her direction.
I found the ending a bit disappointing, it was cleverly thought up, but there’s no reason why Gemma should be the main suspect and not some other random person. Also, the actions of the killer in the final chapters seem illogical (I can’t point out exactly why as that would give away too many spoilers). If you’re willing to look over that, it’s an entertaining suspense novel.
I thank Netgalley and Harper Impulse and Killer Reads for a free ARC and this is my honest review of it.
Favorite Quotes:
In the hallway, a plaster statue of Jesus, arms outstretched, greeted visitors, while the rest of the house was dominated by paintings and figurines depicting the Madonna and Child, Saint Bernadette (‘patron saint of illness’, Danny had hissed, one eyebrow raised, as he’d given me the tour), Saint Jude (‘he’s for desperate causes’) and Saint Clare (‘eye diseases. And, weirdly, patron saint of laundry and television,’ he’d said). Wildly sceptical, I’d googled Saint Clare at the first available opportunity, only to find out he’d been absolutely right. Laundry? Why did laundry need a patron saint?
They’re complicated sometimes, family relationships, aren’t they? Love and hate, hate and love, so tightly entwined that they almost become one.
DS Clarke was looking at me with a new interest, the gentleness I’d seen in his eyes previously replaced with something more piercing, as if I was a fascinating exhibit in a museum.
Karma, I thought yet again. The number of times I’d been part of a press pack, staking out the home of a politician or a paedophile, desperate to get that shot, that interview. I’d barely given a thought to how awful it must be for those trapped inside their homes. Well, I knew now, didn’t I?
My Review:
This tale had me chewing on my lips and wanting to pull my own hair, it was cunning, deviously clever, and maddeningly paced. I devised numerous wild and far-fetched theories and while partly correct, I hadn’t worked it all out as this plot was so twisty I doubt anybody could have and dare anyone to claim they had. The little pea in my brain was scorched from the effort and during the big reveal I wanted to shout at the idiocy of the main character, but I’m not sure how I feel about the conclusion other than brain bruised and distressed. Several of these characters were chillingly abhorrent and I despised the nearsighted and mono-focus of the police. Oh the sheer guile and artifice of this crafty author, Jackie Kabler is a full-blown trickster who ruthlessly tipped her own special blend of itching powder into my gray matter.
Gemma and Danny are nearing their first wedding anniversary. Their courtship was amazing and marriage even better. Then Gemma returns home from a work trip to find Danny inexplicably gone, all his belongings there except what he’d have needed for work. When Gemma calls the police she learns no one but her has seen Danny in weeks. Someone’s lying, but who?
The Perfect Couple is an enjoyable, twisty mystery with one of those endings that makes you shudder.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC. The opinions in this review are honest and my own.
Gemma, a freelance journalist, and her husband of 18 months, Danny, is an IT Specialist. They have recently moved to a new home in Bristol. Gemma has just returned from an overnight business trip and is disappointed that Danny is not home. He had promised to be there with dinner fixed for them. When he does not show for several days, Gemma is so upset by now that she contacts the police.
Detectives Devon Clarke and Helena Dickens have a big case on their hands. Two young men in the same age group and looking very much alike, have been found murdered. They talk to Gemma, trying to calm her, and promise to look into Danny’s disappearance. They are shocked to find that he looks very much like the two men who have been murdered. They wonder if they could have a serial killer on their hands.
After much checking, the detectives learn that Danny never started his new job in Bristol and he could also be a part of a new online dating service as were the two murdered men. When other clues emerge, the detectives are convinced that Gemma murdered Danny. But did she? If so, where is his body?
There are so many events that make the detectives wonder if they truly are looking at the true suspect. The story perfectly fits the word “whodunit?” I enjoyed this book very much and my only complaint is that it could have been shortened. It’s frustrating to read a book that seems to be overstuffed with words and more words. Other than that, this is a good mystery and one that readers will not want to miss.
Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
This book had so much promise. The write-up was intriguing. It sucked me in from the beginning. The writing flowed and the storyline easy to follow. Unfortunately, there was no great mystery, everything was pretty evident as the story unfolded. I might have read too many detective books but I felt there were gaping holes in the research and the detectives looked like Keystone cops.
Good beach read or lazy Sunday read. Easy to pick up and put down.
Thanks to Ms. Kabler, Harper impulse and Killer Reads and NetGalley for this ARC. Opinion is mine alone.
What a ride! I’ve set up all night to finish it was so good. Danny and Gemma are the perfect couple, on the surface. Well, Gemma thinks so. They have recently moved but now Danny has gone missing. Two men matching his description have been found murdered. They are neither one him. Is there a serial killer targeting lookalike? I liked the characters. They played out like a movie in my head. The book kept me interested. I liked how it would go back and forth from chapter to chapter with Gemma and then the police working on the case. It was very organized. I wasn’t sure who was doing the killing or what happened to Danny. Did his wife kill him or was he alive somewhere living a double life? After all, his profile was on a dating app. What’s up with that? It’s so hard to write this review without giving anything away. Sometimes I would get aggravated at Gemma. But then I would start thinking she was an innocent victim. Then the police reveal that Danny never showed for the job he was taking after the move a month ago. And the bank account hadn’t been touched. No money had been being deposited or withdrawn. But Gemma states that’s impossible because he constantly bought stuff for her and always got takeout for them and paid when they were out. Where did he get the money he used? All her emails from him have disappeared. When it all comes together, it is so bizarre and will have you on pins and needles. In a way it all seemed far fetched, but I can see how it could happen. Some things I found not really correct, like the scene with all the blood. Blood won’t remain liquid after being saved 24 hours. Most of it would coagulate. Unless it was collected in tubes with anticoagulants. I’m thinking some of it had it in it but it would take more than what was drawn to do a big scene. But this was a minor thing and wasn’t written too bad. The book was really written very well. I can’t get over the author’s imagination. I could’ve never come up with this whole plot.
There were a few things that bothered me and why I gave it three stars is how every scene where new characters were introduced, there was always a comment about one of them being gay. Even the head cop was gay. The guy at the gym was a funny line. But still it was really overdone in the book. I’m not opposed to having it in a book. I’d rather not really have that detail about the personal lives in a book like this, but I almost felt like it was being pushed down my throat with the way it was written. If I’d known it was in there, I wouldn’t have read the book. If it was a romance, it wouldn’t have stuck out so much to me.
Another thing, even though this was an awesome book, I wish the ending would’ve been different. It got so far fetched. There were so many times during the book I was thinking the cops would’ve known better. It just wasn’t believable. Maybe it’s because my hubby was a cop so long. Some of the twists needed tweaking.
I liked this..a bit rushed at the end but that twist was awesome. A worthy thriller, worth the read. Thank you netgalley for an arc in exchange for his review
Thank you Netgallery for the free digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Book can be found under The Perfect Couple for those who use Good Reads and Amazon.
This is the first book I have read by Jackie Kabler and she did not disappoint me. A fast paced thriller that had me guessing (at least part if it) until twist at the end. Well developed characters and well written. I will have to add Kabler to my authers to follow.