I’ve been in the mood for a thriller and this was in my overdrive wishlist so it was a perfect fit!

In The Perfect Couple, Gemma comes home from a work trip to find that her husband Danny has vanished. Naturally, she reports this to the police. DCI Helena, on the other hand, is investigating a possible serial murder, where all the victims look alike. When Gemma comes in to report Danny’s disappearance, Helena can’t help but note that Danny fits the victim’s type. Even more concerning, not all of Gemma’s story is adding up.

As with any thrillers, this one contains a lot of twists and turns. But unlike most thrillers, I managed to see the main twist pretty early on because of the dual-structure narrative. You see, the two POV characters are Gemma and Helena, and if Gemma’s distress is real, then Helena’s suspicions don’t completely add up (and there are a limited number of ways the story can turn). I didn’t think this was a deal-breaker for me, because what I wanted was a story that was exciting and easy to read, but it was definitely frustrating to see Helena make what I considered to be a really bad decision because I also had Gemma’s point of view.

Turning to characters, I thought Gemma’s worries and fears were captured perfectly. I felt so much fear for her as I was reading her chapters and she was definitely the most sympathetic person in the book. Helena, on the other hand, didn’t come across so well, probably because with such two opposing POV characters, you have to pick a side and I ended up picking Gemma.

Overall, this was a quick, easy read that did what I hoped it would do – entertain me and give me time to consider what book I want to read next.

Featured Image: Photo from Canva