I really enjoyed The Perfect Lie. I was gripped straight away, within the first few pages and at times I didn’t want to put it down.
It’s full of good characters with a few twists and I really liked how the past and present tied in together. It was hard to know who to trust and although I expected more courtroom drama towards the end I still thought the ending was good.

When Erin Kennedy woke up on a lazy mid-August morning with her cop husband Danny Ryan, she didn’t know that by breakfast, her life would have changed forever. When an unusually early knock on the door rouses Erin from her bed, she can’t imagine who would need to see her at that time of the morning. Behind the door is Danny’s partner … but rather than arriving to pick Danny up for work, he’s there to arrest him. Turning to her husband in disbelief, Erin watches helplessly as Danny jumps out of their fourth-floor window to his death in front of numerous witnesses. Now, one year later, Erin is on trial for murder. The victim? Her husband.

In The Perfect Lie, Jo Spain tells a compelling story of a woman who faces the confluence of all her worst nightmares: first, she is widowed through a suicide she could never have predicted, and then she is put on trial for the murder of her husband … even though it is impossible that she killed him, and there are witnesses to testify as such. The concept of this novel was one that immediately caught my interest, and I was rearing to get my teeth into what promised to be a twisty, punchy, mind-bending thriller.

Overall, Spain put together a good book. The characters were interesting, and the book was driven forward with a strong, compelling plot. I found the writing style easy to read, and the use of multiple timelines to follow a type of past vs present narrative ramped up the tension and stakes in the novel. The book was well-executed and a real page-turner, keeping me moving quickly through the book to see how the story played out. Unfortunately, I saw the twists coming and wasn’t that surprised by them, but I don’t think this was really the fault of the author. Perhaps because of the number of thrillers I read, predicting plot twists has become nearly second nature, but the experience of reading the book didn’t suffer greatly from the fact that I spotted the twist coming. That being said, the twist itself was a good one. It didn’t wander into the realm of the ridiculous as so many books tend to do, so it was a satisfying ending to a solid mystery.

Given that this was my first experience of Jo Spain’s writing, I was very pleasantly surprised. The book was easy to read and this made it easy to keep turning pages and thinking “maybe just one more page before bed”. Spain explored both the emotional aspects of losing a loved one while still keeping the mystery moving along smoothly. By the end of the book, I was satisfied that all the threads had been woven together in a way that made sense, while not feeling twee and overdone. The characters felt real, even if their circumstances made you wonder how much bad luck one person could possibly endure.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and would absolutely pick up more of Jo Spain’s books in the future. There’s something about the way that family drama and emotions intertwine in this book that is so satisfying and real, making the experience of reading the book a much more pleasurable one. Perfect for fans of Big Little Lies, this book will make you question who you can trust, and who will be there for you in your darkest hour.

Thanks to NetGalley and Quercus for the ARC in exchange for a review!

Don’t you just love when you come into a book with no expectations at all and it blows your mind away? That’s exactly what happened to me with The perfect lie. I’ve had some Jo Spain’s books sitting on my kindle for years but never got to them. This was my first and now I can say I’m a fan and need to read her previous work pronto!

The perfect lie takes off with a very shocking scene when Erin’s husband Danny jumps to his death from their 4th floor apartment in front of her when his police colleagues come knocking on their door one morning. But, if they all saw him jump why is she accused of her husband’s murder 18 months later?

Told in three different time lines, I guarantee that you will not be bored for a minute. It was absolutely unputdownable and it has “one sitting reading” written all over it, cause you’ll need to make sense of how both lines tie together. I won’t say much because of spoilers, just pay attention to the details. I did and I guessed some of the twists and oh, Ms. Spain…that was clever!

I loved the characters. Erin was quite likeable in her crusade against the police to find the truth. Karla, her lawyer, was such a pleasure to read and her courtroom scenes were some of my favorites.

The resolution may not have been as tight as I would have liked but, in books as in life, there are loose ends sometimes.

Terrific domestic noir with a fantastic premise developing into a story full of suspense and with some clever twists that will make you not want to stop reading until you’ve reached the end.

Thanks to NetGalley and Quercus Books for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

You can always count on J0 Spain to leave you in a state of bewilderment and her latest book The Perfect Lie is no different. This is a fast paced thriller that is told from multiple point of views in a now and then format. It bubbles with tension and had me questioning every element of the story through out. This is isn't a book to try and guess the ending because honestly your head will hurt if you even begin to start. A cleverly woven plot that I'm still not sure I got to the end of.

I really, really enjoyed this book! It had me gripped from the very beginning and kept me hooked until the very end! Fantastically written by Jo Spain! Would definitely recommend!

The beginning of the book is set 2 years ago and had me completely hooked.
Erin and her detective husband Danny live a happy life in along Island. Erin is therefore stunned when Danny, her husband of 2 years, commits suicide right in front of her. She is shunned by his police colleagues who won’t let her see his body and won’t talk to her. They do reveal Danny was being investigated but refuse to explain why. Why did Danny’s partner turn up at their door with bad news? What was so bad it prompted Danny to jump out of their 4th floor apartment window? Erin begins her quest to find out the truth.

We have a second storyline 2 years in the past where Lauren, an 18 year old student at Harvard, has been attacked but is reluctant to report the crime. She is eventually cajoled by Ally, her proctor, to report the attack. Ally’s boyfriend is a police officer and she tells Lauren he can be trusted. That was a big mistake

The third storyline running throughout the book is set in the present with Erin in court charged with murder.

I felt so sorry for Erin. Her family live in Ireland and she doesn’t have any friends to help her through this difficult time. When a stranger comes into her life in the form of the handsome and very rich Cal, she is unsure of his intent and whether he can be trusted. He has appeared in her life at just the right time to support her.

The storyline is quite complicated and there is a lot of going back and forth between timelines but what a satisfying ending!


⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ from me and a big thank you to Milly at Quercus Books for having me on the tour and for providing an e-ARC via NetGalley.

The most intriguing thing about this book is that it opens with the death of Erin's husband. (And I hadn't read the blurb so that came as a surprise to me but it IS in the blurb so this isn't a spoiler.) And then we leap forward in time and she's on trial for murdering her husband months AFTER he (very obviously) suicided.

The options are obvious aren't they? He faked his death for some reason... and we're given plenty. Or Erin moves on and married someone else quickly in the interim. Jo Spain sets The Perfect Lie up really well so I didn't expect the direction this book took. I mean, I'd considered the baddie could be the baddie but discounted it because, well... Spain convinced me otherwise.

The book unfolds in multiple timeframes and I did find it became a little confusing as the past(s) - yes there are two of them - catch up with the present. The narrative around Danny's death and 'what comes next' is told from Erin's point of view and she hovers between the months after and the present, when she's on trial. She also occasionally offers up memories into how the pair met and their whirlwind romance.

And then we meet Ally, a PhD candidate who also works as a Proctor at Harvard. She becomes embroiled in the aftermath of an attack on one of the students under her care. In retrospect I realise why Spain didn't offer a lot of detail about the attack, but at the time it felt as if we didn't get much context. Similarly, though threats are made against Ally she very abruptly drops the issue and disappears.

It's the gap in time in Ally's story that confused me a little but it ultimately brings us to the present. Ally's role is very much as observer of the past incident and I wondered if Spain should have dropped in and out on her life over the intervening couple of years. 

It ultimately doesn't matter however as Spain sets this up brilliantly so there's a tremendous surprise or three at the end. She also gives us several plausible versions of events along the way and even Erin has her doubts as to the truth. 

This is a great read by Jo Spain and I probably enjoyed it more than her popular 2018 release, The Confession.

I was completely hooked from the very first chapter.

The swapping between different timelines really kept up the pace and had me engaged the whole way through.

The element of mystery was carefully balanced with other elements of the storyline. Forgive the corny metaphor but the best way I can describe this story if that it was like an onion, revealing more and more layers time and time again. Revelation after revelation.

The characters were strong and I felt all the dialogue and situations were believable.

It’s a complicated and intricate storyline but the reveal is oh so satisfying with the most satisfying ending.

What a fascinating read! I loved this story and it is not so unique because this has all happened in real life.
How far would you go for your loved ones?
In Ruth's case, it was being a surrogate for her daughter who, after 7 miscarriages were told she will not be able to try again. The problem is Rush is 54; she doesn't have the best of relationships with Lauren and she knows her husband will not consent to this. How will this play out and will Ruth ultimately be able to give the baby to his rightful parents?
I found it heart-wrenching at times. A very well written story about love, loss, heartbreak and the ultimate sacrifice.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book was a gripping, twisty domestic thriller/courtroom drama with a bit of whodunnit chucked in for good measure!

Main character Erin is happily married to Danny as the story opens, but by the end of the first chapter her life is irrevocably changed when, as revealed in the tagline, her husband jumps to his death in front of witnesses. But by the end of the second chapter, she is in even deeper trouble as she is being charge with her husbands murder!

So after those two mind-melting opening chapters, the story unfolds as the prices are out together to find out what has gone on to lead to the two scenarios in the initial chapters. It follows two perspectives over two timelines. It is fairly easy to follow if you used to this kind of narrative, but you will need to concentrate a bit! I did find myself having to reread a few parts to just clarify what was going on, but that could have just been me!

With twists, turns and shocks aplenty, this was a cracking page turner of a read that I highly recommend.

Erin sees her husband leap through the window to his death and as she tries to delve into his past finds she really didn’t know him at all. Interesting characters and a fast paced storyline. Hard to put down

Today is my stop on the blog tour for this great thriller.

The beginning of this book was amazing. The story is told in three timelines. One in the present and two in the past.

The female characters were likeable but some of the male characters I really didn’t like.
This was a complete page turner with many twists and turns.

A great book.

This is my second book by Jo Spain and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The story starts off with a bang when Erin, the main character, opens the door to the police (which appear to be her husband's colleagues). David, Erin's husbands suddenly and unexpectedly jumps from their balcony to end his life.

The main question for the reader is why has David suddenly done this?

The book covers the present and also the past and I love reading about character's back stories.

If you like a good thrilling, whodunit read then this is great. In places I did feel that it lost my attention, but for me this is quite a long book.

Worth a read - a great mystery/thriller.

Thanks to NetGalley, Jo Spain and the publishers for an ARC in return for my honest review.

This is a very clever book that well and truly had me hooked.
The story begins with Erin seeing her husband throw himself off a balcony on the fourth floor after a knock at the door from Police colleagues.
Erin can’t begin to understand why he did it and Danny’s friend and colleague, Ben, is not being very forthcoming.
We then move into the present and Erin is being held in custody for her husbands murder....
It’s a bit confusing with the past and present chapters but it all comes together in the end.
I loved the way we are led one way and then it’s turned completely on its head.
There’s definitely a lot of secrets and lies to untangle in this book.
A brilliant read that is highly recommend.
Thanks to Quercus Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Jo Spain can do anything wrong in my eyes and this book is a rollercoaster of emotions, a gripping story that kept me on the edge till the last page.
I loved it a bit less because I found it a bit confusing at times but I kept turning pages. The last part is amazing and fast paced, full of twists and turns.
Ms Spain is a talented storyteller and she delivers a very good story. Great characters and atmosphere, unexpected turns and a growing suspense.
I can't wait to read the next story.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I’d like to thank Quercus Books and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Perfect Lie’ by Jo Spain in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Erin and her cop husband Danny are at home in their top floor apartment in Newport, Suffolk County. Danny’s getting ready for work when there’s a knock and Erin opens the door to his partner Ben and two police colleagues. Danny takes one look at them, walks out to the balcony and jumps to his death. Danny’s colleagues watch what happens so why won’t the police help Erin in her search for answers? And why, eighteen months later, is Erin in court charged with the murder of her husband?

‘The Perfect Lie’ has a fantastic beginning where we literally watch as Danny steps over to the balcony and jumps. I found the middle part of the book a bit slow with a lot of story but little action, and I couldn’t understand who Ally was or how Lauren came to be involved with Erin, but the final twist more than compensated for it. It’s a well-written novel with a clever plot that gets clearer towards the end and that took me completely by surprise as it was so unexpected. In my opinion it could have been a few pages shorter but it’s still a very entertaining novel and well worth spending time reading.

The Perfect Lie begins with Erin who is married to her perfect husband Danny, a responsible police officer. Why does he jump to his death? Why is Erin accused of murdering her husband one year later?

I really enjoyed this book and read it so quickly in just over 24 hours. I loved Spain's writing style, the plot was easy to follow and she built so much suspense throughout the last half of the book I didn't want to put it down. I found the plot to be so unexpected and Spain kept me constantly guessing throughout.

The plot is told from Erin's point of view. I did find her difficult to connect with at times but I think this may be deliberate as Spain had me guessing her intentions whilst reading.

I definitely recommend this book for anyone wanting to read an unpredictable, page turning thriller.

A huge thank you to Netgalley and Quercus Books for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest and unedited feedback.

Thanks NetGalley, Quercus Books and Jo Spain for an ARC to review.
This was a thriller as it should be, a true page turner.
Erin's day started normally, even perfectly only to suddenly change to the worst day of her entire life. Her loving kind caring husband jumps to his death in front of witnesses leaving her behind in a tangled web of lies, she can't know who to trust even herself. Was her husband the corrupt detective ? The suicidal depression patient who visits a clinic regularly ? Did he really die? Thousands of questions will spin around your mind all seems impossible, all could be possible!
A fast paced, intense page turner. I absolutely loved it.

Five years ago Erin moved to New York after a family tragedy. She is now happily married to Danny who is a police officer. One morning a knock comes to the door and it’s one of Danny’s police colleagues. Within minutes Danny has walked over to the window of their fourth floor apartment and jumped to his death. 18 months later Erin has been arrested for her husbands murder.

Oh my goodness I have just finished this book and I’m reeling from it all. This wasn’t a good read it was frigging awesome and when I finished it my head was literally in a spin. Amazing writing again from this immensely talented author Jo Spain. There were times when I was reading it I wanted to stop for a bit because I didn’t want the book to end as I was loving it so much. A tense and twisty story that had me totally gripped from the start.

“He jumped to his death in front of witnesses. Now his wife is charged with murder”.

A fast-paced, nerve-wrecking, heart-wrenching novel. ‘The Perfect Lie’ never took the foot of the accelerator. Jo Spain has presented her readers with one hell of a story with many twists and turns (I never saw them coming- the sign of a great thriller!)

The writing is so clever throughout, creating an intense experience for the reader; a thriller with so many plot twists that your head is left spinning. ‘The Perfect Lie’ truly is a unique page-turner.

The story follows a young Irish woman, Erin Kennedy, who is happily married to her American husband Danny, a detective based in Newport. Erin opens the door one morning to Danny’s partner and other colleagues and within a matter of minutes, Erin’s whole world is shattered as her husband jumps to his death from their fourth-floor apartment. Tragedy seems to follow Erin no matter where she goes. Eighteen months later, Erin is on trial for the murder of her husband. Danny isn’t who she thought he was- everyone around her appears to be harbouring a dark secret. All alone in a foreign country with no family, Erin must rely on the help of strangers to figure out the truth.

A hard-hitting, truly enjoyable read. Clear your schedule- you won’t be able to put ‘The Perfect Lie’ down! It will be published on the 13th May.

Trigger Warning: Sexual Assault/Rape

A huge thank you to NetGalley, Jo Spain and Quercus Books for giving me access to this ARC in return for my honest review.