The Perfect Couple By Jackie Kabler
Any book that sends my brain into overdrive trying to figure out what is going on always gets top marks for me.
I second guessed everything, and I loved it! I had 90 mins left last night at 2am and had to force myself to put the book away.
I could say I worked it out, but the final answers were among several theories I had, and even then I didn't have it quite right, so there were a few good surprises.
I felt drawn in and hooked from the beginning, and very much enjoyed this book.

A great book! Loved it and never saw what was coming at all! Quite a page turner and finished it in two sittings! Superb book and highly recommended!

The Perfect Couple overall was a 'good' book. The book had some twists and turns that weren't predictable, however, I predicted the ending from early on. There was one big twist at the end that the author did a great job with. The writing in this book wasn't particularly great, making the writing feel really halting or scattered (and didn't seem intentional).

A great book that I read in one sitting. First book of this authors that I have read and really liked her writing style, good storyline.

Gemma and Danny seem to be the perfect couple, recently married and moved to a new area in Bristol everything should be working out well for them, that is until Gemma returns home from a journalistic assignment to find that Danny has disappeared. With no clues as to Danny's whereabouts Gemma has no choice but to report her husband as a missing person, and that's when the story takes off in a whole new direction.

I must admit that this story had me hooked from the beginning and there are so many twists and turns that it's been great fun trying to keep up with where the story is heading to next. There are some interesting characters, who whilst not always very likeable, certainly make their presence felt throughout the story. Gemma was a bit of an enigma to me and I enjoyed trying to get into her mindset which the author controlled cleverly so that you never really knew whether to believe her version of events. Part psychological thriller and part police procedural the strands of the story reveal not only the complicated story of Danny's mysterious disappearance but also the police find that a recent spate of violent murders in the city all bear a striking resemblance to Danny, which makes the investigation all the more fascinating.

The Perfect Couple is a cleverly plotted psychological thriller which has more than enough pacy action to keep you guessing from beginning to end.

Oooh what can I say about the deliciousness that coursed through me when I read this story? Hooked to it I was from beginning to end. The words, the plot, and the wicked mind of author Jackie Kabler, all three made the best combination to rock my world and keep me cosseted in it too. The author was quite nimble in keeping me guessing throughout the story. I never would have guessed the different plot lines. (My guesses were a bit sci-fi, and they were all wrong.)

Husband Danny disappeared, wife Gemma was worried. She went to cops and tables turned when certain evidence forced the cops to charge her as the prime suspect in his ? disappearance ?murder.

Having read the earlier book by this author, I was most excited to get my newly sanitized hands on this beauty. The story pulled me in from the get-go, where my mind raged with brilliant theories. The author managed to shoot them all down with every chapter. Emotions coursed through me when the cops wore their blinkers, but that gave me a pause too. Was that possible? How exciting!! A few of my thoughts.

The story reached a zenith where the cup of woes overturned. The plot raced through like the galloping horses, pulling me with it. I barely held on. There were a few far fetched scenes, but that made the book more exciting. Go figure!

After the far fetched, never could have thought in my entire life, unbelievable world crisis, nothing in this book remained far fetched. My mind said it could be possible, and there it was. A big 5 star for transporting me to a different world for a couple of hours.

I heard parts of the story via the audiobook, and the narrator had done a great job with it. I am a slow listener, but with this I could hear half the book between 1-3 am.

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.

Gemma's husband goes missing. And there are several men that look just like him found dead. What is happening? Is Gemma involved or is she being set up? Ms. Kabler does an excellent job of keeping readers on their toes. The ending felt a bit force and convoluted, but at some level aren't they all? This was one of those books where even if you know the ending, you can still enjoy the ride!

This is a must read. I absolutely loved it. It has drama, tension and is well written. I particularly like the use of the first person voice for some chapters and then third person for other chapters. The plot is well thought out and the characters are three dimensional and very believable. I’m hooked on this genre and so pleased to discover a great author. A very well deserved five stars

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.

4 🌟🌟🌟🌟! Amazing story even though it was a little slow to start the story. I didn’t see the ending coming and the whole stort kept me guessing!

The Perfect Couple was an interesting thriller. I liked the twist, however, there were a couple of things that I didn't love. First I would have liked to have seen more of the relationship between Gemma and Danny. I also would have preferred that the POV remain with Gemma.
I liked the story and I liked Gemma as well. But I didn't connect as much as I should have.

'The Perfect Couple', is an authentic fusion of unreliable protagonist and police procedural. Gemma is an unreliable protagonist, but easy to empathise. Her point of view makes the story immersive, as you experience all her unfiltered emotions.

The police detectives have an authentic team dynamic, and their complex characters add depth to the story. The setting and job roles are realistic and make the plot scenarios believable. Psychological suspense has unexpected twists, and this story doesn't disappoint. The plot twists continue with underlying menace and building suspense as the story progresses to its adrenaline-fueled conclusion.

An intrinsic intelligence of journalism and crime investigation, make this story shine. Addictive and absorbing until the last sinister word.

I received a copy of this book from Harper Collins UK-One More Chapter in return for an honest review.

There is no time at all to get comfortable with this book - we are straight into the action! From the beginning, The Perfect Couple is a relentless rollercoaster ride of tension and I was really keen to get to the bottom of what was going on!

The chapters in The Perfect Couple alternate between the police officers investigating Danny's disappearance and Gemma, who is frantically worried about where he might be. Each chapter ends on a cliffhanger, and then we are transported to a different scene which means we must wait for answers and this gives the tension time to build as the story goes on.

As the novel reaches its ending, there are many twists and turns. Although I did guess some of the twists, they are perfectly worked, with lots of little details that seem inconsequential earlier in the book suddenly making sense. The Perfect Couple certainly offers a unique angle to the psychological thriller and I enjoyed it very much, racing through it in only two sittings!

I wasn’t sure if this was a police procedural with a psychological thriller element or a psychological thriller with a police procedural element. Either way, both genres were covered in the book (you could add domestic noir to the list too) and therefore made for an intriguing and enjoyable read.
I liked the characters in the story and the way the psychological element was told in the first person by Gemma and how she saw things first hand.
DCI Helena Dickens was a realistic and believable police officer and with the reader being privy to Helena and her wife Charlotte’s desire to have a baby made her personal story very interesting and entertaining. I also liked DS Devon Clarke and thought his and Helena’s working relationship was spot on.
I did have one issue though. I just didn’t buy into the conclusion/perpetrator and for me it spoilt the story. The logistics of it was totally unfeasible and just too unbelievable in my opinion. I have to admit the plot did have me guessing and it was the intrigue into this that I was the most invested in, so you can imagine my disappointment when everything came together. The final chapter was a surprise though and not something I saw coming at all.
“The Perfect Couple” is not the first novel by former tv presenter and news reporter Jackie Kabler. Her previous novels were cosy crimes and this her latest novel “The Perfect Couple” is much darker than I imagine her other stories to be. I do like Jackie’s writing and I thought her police procedural element was very well written and executed and leaves the door open for a follow up to the story or certainly the start of a series featuring Helena and Devon. I’d be exceedingly happy to see these characters again in the future and wish the author every success with this change in her normal genre.
3 stars knocked down from 4 only because my disappointment at the conclusion.

The not so perfect couple!! I absolutely enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone looking for an engrossing mystery/thriller. I could not put it down, I had to find out what happens. There are some unexpected twists in the story that caught me off guard. Gemma and Danny are happy married nearing their one year wedding anniversary and Danny disappears. There is also a serial killer on the loose in the neighborhood. Are the two stories connected? As the story progresses Gemma goes from a distraught wife to a prime suspect in Danny’s disappearance. Read the book to uncover the mystery.
Thank you Netgalley and One More Chapter for an advance copy of this fantastic crime thriller.

I started reading this book thinking - same old same old, thriller blahdy blah.... but the further I got into it the quicker I was turning the pages! It's sometimes not an easy read and I did guess the ending a bit earlier than I would usually, but overall a great book for a holiday (or lock down!) read.

Well written, interesting, captivating storyline with strong characters.

The kind of book that gets your attention from page one and doesn't let go.

Hoping to read more by this author soon.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Impulse and Killer Reads for the ARC of this book. This is my honest review. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this book. It kept me interested from start to finish with all of its twists and turns.
I will look out for more books by this author

This is the first book I’ve read by Jackie Kabler. Loved the story. A really interesting idea in that could someone hide in plain sight. The story builds and you really get to like Gemmas character. Although at times you can feel yourself shouting at her to get a grip.
A great ending that you don’t see coming. A very quick read with interesting characters. I’ve sure the two police officers could appear in future books.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the arc in return for an honest review.
#theperfectcouple #jackiekabler #netgalley