This is the second book I have read by this author. From checking back on my review for the book ‘Am I Guilty?’ I remembered that the author wrote a great thriller with plenty of emotion tied in. This book was just the same! The storyline was interesting and based upon Gemma and her husband Danny. When Gemma returns home one day, she finds Danny missing, but all his belongings are still there. When the police become involved, they investigate Danny’s disappearance as possibly being part of a serial killer case where all the victims look the same. As the police look into Gemma and Danny’s relationship it becomes clear that all is not as it seems.

The storyline was well thought out and original with the case of the serial killer and Gemma and Danny’s relationship being entwined together. There are lots of books where one half of a relationship is lying, but to incorporate it into a serial killer case was very clever and gripping! Obviously, the investigation began to look at whether Gemma had killed Danny, and the storyline took a more sinister and chilling turn when it becomes clear that perhaps Danny wasn’t who Gemma thought he was! The characters were well written, and as I continued through the book, I found myself switching opinions on them, particularly Gemma! I wasn’t sure who to believe or why was lying!

Beginning with a slow, steady build up, the story is packed with lies, mistrust and deceit, coupled with the mystery and suspense from the investigation. It has plenty of twists and turns, dead ends and red herrings. An unusual pairing of a psychological thriller and a crime storyline, but one which really works! You may guess the ending, but it was great fun getting there to find out if you’re right. Would definitely recommend!

Gripping, twisty turny domestic thriller that I enjoyed a lot. Perfect for losing yourself in it and trying to guess.

Good writing and highly entertaining.

Thanks a lot to NG and the publisher for this copy.

Life has been perfect for Gemma and her husband Danny. The successful journalist and IT specialist have decided to flee busy London and settle in Bristol in a nice home where the quality of living is higher. When Gemma returns one Friday evening only three weeks after their move, she expects Danny to be at home waiting for her with dinner. However, their house is deserted, no sign that her partner has been at home after work. First, she is only slightly concerned, working overtime is not unusual in his job, but not getting hold of him makes her wonder. After changing his job, he hasn’t gotten a new mobile phone and thus, they only communicate via e-mail which he doesn’t answer. Gemma bravely waits two days, becoming increasingly frightened before she contacts the police for filing a missing persons’ report. What she learns then is that two men looking like Danny’s twins have been murdered in the area and soon she finds herself prime suspect in a serial killer case as strangely, there is not the least sign in her home of Danny ever having lived there with her. What is she actually hiding?

Jackie Kabler’s mystery novel starts quite typical for a thriller, you are immediately thrown into the plot and discover the vanishing of her husband together with Gemma. Thus, you get her growing concern first hand and can easily follow her thoughts. When the police’s side of the story is told, the author switches the point of view and leaves you quite quickly in the positing where you wonder if either you were fooled by Gemma who seemingly has set up some very good murder plot or if the woman suffers from some kind of serious mental troubles and even only imagined to have a husband whom strangely hardly anybody seems to have known. On the other hand, there is some creepy feeling that Danny might have taken advantage of Gemma for some scheme of his own, they haven’t been married that long and he proposed only weeks after they had gotten to know each other.

I totally adored the constant insecurity about whom to trust and what to believe; the more you learn about the characters and the further the events develop, you have to adapt your opinion and change sides more than once. Some unexpected twists and turns keep you hooked to the novel and make it hard to put it down. “The Perfect Couple” is a psychological thriller with an interestingly drawn protagonist and a surprising storyline which make a thrilling and gripping read.

Everything about this book seems like something I would love, but, I had a rough time with it. It took a while for me to get through the first 100 pages or so, it started off pretty slow, and then I found it to be extremely repetitive. Eventually, it started to pick up, but it read as if there was an unreliable narrator situation going on, which I'm not typically a fan of. Even though I had my doubts, I wanted to know what happens, so I flew through the last 2/3 of the book. In the end, I didn't actually enjoy it all that much, I found it to become fairly predictable, and the ending didn't seem to fit.

3,5 stars rounded up to 4

When Gemma returns home from a business trip, she finds that her husband, Danny is not at home. He doesn't come back. The local police are dealing with a potential serial killer. Had Danny been a victim? They had only been married a few months. They had just moved into their new home. But the neighbours thought Gemma had moved into the house alone. They had never seen Danny. With no activity on his bank account and no on hearing from him, just what had happened to Danny?

This story is told in alternating chapters between Gemma and the police. Although it is a little predictable and repetitive at times. I just had to keep reading to find out what had happened to Danny. Theres plenty of twists to keep you guessing. In parts, this is quite a chilling read. I like the authors writing style. I did prefer the first half of the book more than the second because of the repetition, but it's still a good read.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Harper Impulse and Killer Reads and the author Jackie Kabler for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This review is on the short side, but don’t think for a minute that it is a reflection of how I feel about the novel. It was just a hard review to write without giving away spoilers, and this book is so good, you won’t want any part of it spoiled.

What I Loved

What I loved most about The Perfect Couple is that it keeps you guessing from start to finish. When you think you have figured out the mystery, you will find out information that makes you question your conclusions. This uncertainty happens throughout the novel and makes it so hard to put down.

The story is very focused on the main character, Gemma O’Conner. A woman in love and very happy with her life until her husband, Danny, turns up missing. Through the ensuing investigation, we learn that Gemma hasn’t always been happy and content. She’s been through hard times that took their toll on her mental health and put into question her part in Danny’s disappearance. She is a character that is as well-developed as the plot will allow without giving anything away before its time. The cast of supporting characters is so far in the background most of the time that their development is never an issue or even a thought.

Mental health is an underlying theme in the novel, with consequences of childhood traumas explored and detailed. Also, the nurture versus nature debate comes into play as pertains to mental health. These are topics that I always find interesting and love hearing other people’s opinions, whether in fiction or reality.

To read or not to read.

For people who love a good psychological thriller, you won’t want to miss this page-turner.

This is a fantastic read! I absolutely love it!! Gripping right from the beginning, fast-paced and intriguing. I loved Gemma and found her to be so believable and sharply drawn, as a main character. Helena and Devon, who are leading the search, are great, too!!

After reading some thrillers that were not well-crafted, it was so nice to experience this story and feel like I was in the hands of a great author and storyteller.

Thank you NetGalley & HarperCollins for the ARC!! I will sing this books praises on social media this week!

Gemma’s return home finds husband Danny missing.

Oh my. I absolutely loved The Perfect Couple because it’s so cleverly written, totally compelling and brilliantly plotted being part police procedural and part psychological thriller. Throughout, I was simply unable to stop reading The Perfect Couple because I needed to know what would happen next and whether my theories and predictions would be proved correct. They weren’t. Jackie Kabler kept me guessing all the way through The Perfect Couple and entertained me flawlessly at the same time so that I finished the book feeling as if I’d had a smashing, all-consuming read.

I thoroughly enjoyed the structure of the book. The third person police sections were perfectly balance by Gemma’s first person accounts so that I was never sure how much of her part of the narrative was true. I found character actions and direct speech natural and convincing so that it felt as if this was an account of real people who held me in their thrall.

Whilst Gemma is obviously the central character and the one we find out most about, I thought all those featured had a human and engaging quality. I’d love to see the police team featured in future novels. What I found so interesting was the rationale for character actions as much as what those actions were. Jackie Kabler is exploring human nature extremely convincingly within the narrative.

I am unable to say too much about other themes as to do so might undermine or spoil The Perfect Couple for others, but the sense of justice, of the role of social media, the depth to which we really know those around us, loyalty and so on that echo throughout make for such a rounded book that I was incredibly impressed.

I was completely spellbound by The Perfect Couple. Having read and thoroughly enjoyed Jackie Kabler’s lighter writing I was expecting to be entertained, but The Perfect Couple exceeded all my expectations and I recommend it wholeheartedly. It’s a cracking story.

Full of secrets, deception and revelations, what's not to like? I loved the suspense of this book and always guessing what exactly was going on. I love a good suspense and this hit the spot.

As far as Gemma is concerned her relationship with husband Danny is just perfect. He is handsome, charming, kind, considerate: perfect. Newly married, newly relocated to Bristol from London, new flat where they can settle until they have the deposit for a house, beautiful courtyard garden leading on to a back alley – everything just perfect.

As she returns from a short business trip Gemma is excited to see Danny who has promised to have their home clean and tidy, and a take-away meal on the cards. Just one fly in the ointment – Danny isn’t home waiting: and he doesn’t return home from work that night, or Saturday, or Sunday. No text messages, no email. Obviously Gemma eventually goes to the police to report him missing.

Meanwhile elsewhere two bodies have been discovered in Bristol. Rather oddly they appear to look just like Danny and the police contemplate the likelihood of a serial killer and take an interest in Gemma’s missing person report.

So we are presented with a number of mysteries which in turn provides us with many questions, theories and guesses. Clearly the first is where is Danny? The second is are these police the most incompetent? The third is just how many times will Gemma blunder into the police station to make her situation worse?

Right no more plot revelations, just down to critique. I did enjoy this book, even whilst I troubled over Gemma – never thought she did it but that is probably because I thought the police were lousy at their job. Didn’t trust Gemma’s friend either – a reporter (clearly a bad ‘un). Wasn’t sure she was there to help Gemma. Couldn’t figure out what happened to Danny, mixed messages and all that. Dare not comment on what I thought at the end because of spoilers.

So all in all I thought this was an OK book – no, more than that. Not brilliant, but well-written, and if you have sat and read it all, worrying about what is happening, what could happen, what might happen – you are somewhat invested in it.

Have no hesitation in recommending this as it certainly entertained me and kept me guessing. Can’t ask much more than that, surely?

Thank you to the author, publishers and NetGalley for providing an ARC via my Kindle in return for an honest review.

As I have never read any of this author's work before I wasn't sure what to expect regarding what her writing style would be. There are many crime writers on the market and not all of them work for me, but my first observation of this book was how well thought out the plot is.

Gemma and Danny O'Connor have just relocated from London to Bristol in an exciting new chapter of their lives. Busy professionals, Gemma is looking forward to a quieter life in a smaller city as a freelance lifestyle journalist while IT whizz Danny will be moving in a week later as he has to finish up a work project before he can move lock, stock and barrel to the new house. However things don't go according to plan when Gemma returns home from a work related night away to find no sign of Danny. She tries not to jump to any conclusions however time moves on and he's still not come home.

Gemma eventually goes to the police to report Danny missing - and that's where things start to get interesting. The police somehow make a connection between Danny and 2 men who have been murdered in the area recently. They are concerned for Danny's safety but are reluctant to share information with Gemma. Their questioning of her gets more intense but their attitudes towards her are getting cooler by the day. Why aren't the police listening to the theories she is suggesting? And why are Danny's family not more concerned for his whereabouts?

The plotting and pace of this book are excellent, the characters are very real, down to earth, fallible people. My understanding is that this is a standalone novel however I think there is so much more this detective team could offer and I would be very interested to follow them into a series of books. I did unfortunately guess the twist quite early on but the storyline is so well written that I wasn't 100% sure I was right and with several alternative possibilities creeping in my attention was held right the way through to the end.

This review will be posted on my blog on 30th April as part of the blog tour.

The perfect couple … or the perfect lie?
A year and a half ago, Gemma met the love of her life, Danny. Since then, their relationship has been like something out of a dream. But one Friday evening, Gemma returns home to find Danny is nowhere to be seen.

After two days with no word from her 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 the photos of the victims she is even more stunned … they all look just like Danny.

But, the police aren’t convinced by Gemma’s story. Why has no one apart from Gemma seen or heard from Danny in weeks? Why is there barely a trace of him in their flat? Is she telling them the truth, or are there more secrets and lies in this marriage than meets the eye?
Perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty, Shari Lapena and Lisa Jewell.

I did not love this book, very slow in places and a bit repetitive. I did love the many twists and turns but even those were not enough to hold my interest and towards the end I found myself skipping pages.

I’ve sat on this book for quite awhile now. Something about it was holding me back. Maybe the mixed reviews? Finally, with some hesitation, I gave it a go and so glad I did! This is a gripping, twisted thriller that goes in surprising directions I would have never predicted.

When Gemma’s husband, Danny, goes missing, she is at a loss of what to do. Nobody has heard from him and he’s not answering his phone. The police become very interested when they discover Danny looks very similar to two men who were recently murdered. They also find it interesting that it seems there are many people who haven’t heard or seen from Danny since a few weeks prior to his disappearance, and Gemma’s new neighbors thought she lived alone even though she swears Danny was living with her in their new residence right up until his disappearance.

That is all I will say on the plot, but I was extremely impressed by author Jackie Kabler’s efforts, as this was the first book of hers I’ve read. She managed to keep me entertained from the get-go, and I was caught off guard plenty of times through the reading process. I highly recommend to mystery fans. One thing I will point out is that there is a lot of dialogue in the novel. This wasn’t a problem for me, but might be for others.

Thank you to Jackie Kabler, One More Chapter, and NetGalley for an ARC.

Thank you to Netgalley, Harper Inpulse, and Killer Reads for this ARC copy of THE PERFECT COUPLE by Jackie Kabler in exchange for my honest review.
Okay, this was a 4 star read for me. I really enjoyed it, even though I figured it out about half way through. Normally that would have me closing up the book and moving on. To DNF, but there was enough doubt that I needed to keep reading. Being split between Gemma and the cops perspective, was the perfect way to play this book. I mean seeing all the evidence pointing in one direction, but hearing Gemma recount it in another kept us guessing on who was actually at fault. The psychological thriller side is fantastic. I was shocked and surprised by the crimes at every turn. The writing is engaging, descriptive, and knowledgeable on the topic at hand. All in all I found this very enjoyable and would definitely recommend. Comes out April 17th!

Emma comes home from a business trip and her husband is nowhere to be found. When she contacts the cops about her missing husband she soon finds out there were two other murders of random men who look just like her husband, Danny. Is this a coincidence or is something bigger going on?

The search begins for Danny's possible body at this point but Gemma is convinced Danny is still alive and there is more to the story. Unfortunately, Gemmas disbelief also makes people look at her being guilty.

I really enjoyed read The Perfect Couple. I felt sorry for Gemma that nobody believed her. I would've went crazy myself because it seems they kept blowing her off.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

From start to finish, this book was superb.

My favorite part of this story was its consistency. From the beginning, and all the way through to the end, the author manages to drop in just enough of a hint or plot point to keep you engaged. There are no dragging moments where you're just in it for the end result.

Throughout the story line, I was second guessing my predictions and wondering if I was being led on in the wrong direction. Was I being told to look right when the story was going left? Is this person as sane as they think they are, or are we being given a normal narrative from an insane character? You never find out until the end.

The author did a fantastic job filling out each character without bogging you down with details. No character was too minor or insignificant. You could recall each person with familiarity, even if their role was small.

Jackie Kabler has written the epitome of a psychological thriller.

The perfect couple is a story of Gemma and Danny, living the perfect life, only to be turned upside- down.

I will start with the plotline and the writing style of the author. The entire theme and the plotline are well executed. I loved the author’s writing style. She can keep the reader hooked pages after pages with her writing. Jackie Kabler easily projected the feeling of dread and morose of Gemma.

I could figure out early in the book the concept and the culprit. It was predictable, but the motive of the crime and the writing kept me going.

The things that put me off were its characters. They were annoying. None of them was likeable characters. DS Devon was better than the rest of them. First, I will start with Gemma. She used to be a mainstream journalist who turned to lifestyle journalism. Mainstream journalism had put her on edge, that’s why she is now freelancing journalist. But when the situations become dire, her journalist’s instincts never really kick-in. She appears as weak and cannot bring herself to accept the situation.
The second was the DCI Helena Dickens. She was the most annoying detective I have ever read in a book. She could forego clues only to make the case look easy.

The ending also looked rushed, and it felt unsatisfactory.

The storyline had immense potential, but it died because of its characters. They could not carry the brilliant story.

Thank you Netgalley and Harper Impulse and Killer Reads for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

Really enjoyed this book...it was a very interesting fast paced thriller with lots of twists. Some I saw coming and some I did not at all. Once I started reading I couldn't put it down...just needed to see what had happened.
The writing is taut and it is extremely well written. Will definitely be reading more by this author. Whether you believed Gemma or not was finely balanced and I did spend alot of time going over whether Gemma was an unreliable narrator or not.

I very much enjoyed the reveals but I absolutely hated the last couple of chapters and the ending. Also for a supposedly intelligent woman..Gemma did ALOT of stupid things and the police were bumbling and incompetent to say the least.

Well worth a read as it is a taut fastly paced thriller and the best I have read of this kind for a while.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Perfect Couple was a very twisty and quick read that I read in an evening.

Gemma and her husband Danny have moved to Bristol for a new start. When Gemma returns home from a work trip and Danny is not there she is annoyed. After 2 days when he still hasn’t returned home she isn’t worried. The police get involved when it turns out that Danny is the spitting image of 2 men in the area who have been murdered recently. As they start looking into Danny and Gemma a lot of things do not add up. Mostly the story was enjoyable, but the ending really lost me. It was a bit over the top and too out there for me.

Thanks to Harper Impulse and Killer Reads and NetGalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased

I have mixed feelings about this book. I enjoyed the start, and then I thought I knew where it was going. It seemed predictable and like it was dragging on quite a bit.

However, it did end up surprising me with some twists I didn't see coming.

Overall it was an enjoyable quick read.