The Perfect Couple by Jackie Kabler

 THE PERFECT COUPLE

"...Or The Perfect Lie?"

Author: Jackie Kabler

Release date: April 17th, 2020

Number of pages: 422

I saw this book while browsing a local book store, and the striking front cover is what drew me to it initially. The striking red symbolised the O'Connor's front door, but could it also be trying to point out something much darker going on behind the closed door? Blood, rage, romance...essentially I got the feeling the titled perfect couple weren't as they seem and that something was going to happen to them and we had to figure out what is going on, so count me in.

Plot details

Danny & Gemma O'Connor seem to be living the normal, happy life, having recently moved to their dream home in Bristol, England. All was well, until one night Gemma returns home and Danny is nowhere to be seen. No calls, no texts, no emails, nothing. Once she calls the police get involved, Gemma discovers something horrifying: there's a serial killer on the loose, and all. the victims look exactly like her husband. The story takes place from the perspectives of Gemma and the Police Chief who is in charge of the serial killer case, Helena Dickens. Gemma quickly becomes the prime suspect in her husbands disappearance, as a few things aren't adding up. Why is there zero trace of Danny in the house? Why has no-one except Gemma heard from him in the weeks leading up to his disappearance? And what on earth is going on at their old house? 

Can Gemma explain what's been happening over the past few weeks with Danny before Helena throws the book at her? Or is there something darker going on with the seemingly perfect couple that no-one can quite prepare for?

My thoughts

What a ride this one was! I love that the book throws you in the deep end immediately within the first chapter. Something isn't right, we don't get to see Danny and Gemma have any form of conversation. The story begins with the disappearance and never slows down. The suspense, the questions, the revelations, the book really makes you question what kind of woman Gemma O'Connor is. Is she actually capable of something like this or is she another innocent victim in all of this. Kabler's writing really makes the reader constantly questions themselves as much as they're questioning the O'Connor's. The dual character perspectives of Gemma and Helena work really well, seeing Gemma and Helena both try to fit the puzzle pieces together, but both hoping to get different outcomes. By the time the ending comes, the puzzle you thought you were building in your head gets destroyed with an almighty crash. The story is fast paced and, while a little on the long side, doesn't ever drag on and leave you waning to just skim through the pages to get to a good part. 

Finding out what is going on with The O'Connor's should be a high priority for anyone looking for something new to read this Autumn.

Who knows what you'll find going on behind closed doors.

4/5