Thank you to Jo Spain, Quercus and Netgalley for this ARC in return for my honest review.  I'm a massive fan of Jo Spain and this book definitely didn't disappoint. Kept me gripped and guessing up to the last page. Jo is a gifted storyteller and this is one that I'd definitely recommend.

Never read this authors work but wow kind blowing, page turner kept me on my toes. Cant wait to read some more by this author

As a fan of Jo, I was expecting to enjoy this book going into it, and I’m not surprised to say I wasn’t disappointed. This thriller kept me guessing right to the end, along the way Jo created really characters and a story that flowed naturally.

#ThePerfectLie #NetGalley
I love Jo Spain's books. Her plots always revolve around current day events and her characters are Irish, modern, relatively normal and believable. This one doesn't disappoint set in Long Island and taking in Harvard and the worlds of police and publishing. The author notes at the end that this was written at the start of the covid pandemic in a crowded household which was suddenly dealing with homeschooling and working from home. This is reflected in the book I feel. The story feels a bit rushed and the characters could have done with more development. Some of the plot contrivances are a bit unrealistic such as the psychiatrist and the Christmas present even the friendship doesn't ring true. Some of the characters seem to be simply in the book to push the story along. Tanya for instance seems only to exist to help Erin out.  However I did enjoy the book and was kept guessing....
Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the advance copy in return for an honest review

I initially thought I had worked out the plot to this clever, intense thriller - but it had me fooled right up until the end! From the fully fleshed out characters and the twisty-turny style of the story to the evocative descriptions of Long Island and its hidden secrets, this book was devoured in a few hours.

This is the first Jo Spain book I’d read and I’ll certainly be checking out her back catalogue!

Admittedly, I am a huge fan of Jo Spain and when I saw that this ARC was available, I applied immediately. The one catch with being a huge fan, is that you have such high expectations straight away and for the author to live upto those expectations is not easy. but Jo Spain surpasses all expectations with this classy, pacy thriller which catches you by the throat in the opening pages and holds you until the close. 
Absolutely epic.
In the opening pages, we are introduced to our protagonist Erin Kennedy, on the morning that her husband Danny Ryan commits suicide as his police colleagues arrive to arrest him for corruption. When his colleagues arrive, Danny jumps from the balcony of their fourth floor apartment in front of Erin. 
The story then jumps forward to seventeen months later, when Erin is on trial, but we are given little info on her supposed crime and the defence. 
At this point, the story divides into several timelines: the first concerns Erin and in told in "Then" referencing the day of Danny's suicide and subsequent events. And "Now" referring to her trial, when we are slowly dripfed information that fills in the blank about what lead to her arrest and being charged 5 months ago. There is also the storyline of Ally and Lauren that is set in 2016 in Harvard. Initially, there seems to be little to link our storylines, but Spain carefully drops in the clues and the reader begins to pierce together the truth. 
The storyline twists and turns, leading the reader to make several conclusions of their own, before the truth is finally revealed in dramatic fashion in the final chapter and this is no doubt an epic revelation, covering all of the elements of the story in such a brilliantly executed finale. 
It may only be January but this book is my book of the month and likely to be one of my books of the year,  Utterly brilliant, Thank you to Netgalley, Quercus and Jo Spain for the ARC.

A nice litle thriller to get stuck into.

Two seemingly different incidents, linked by one person.

Erin finds herself accused of her husband's murder even though he jumped off a balcony in full view of others (no spoliers here, it's on the blurb) - VERY clever twist here that you don't see coming.

Ally is trying to support Lauren, a student at Harvard university who ends up in a heart breaking situation.

Erin is trying to uncover what drove her husband literally over the edge that day and in doing so finds herself in over her head not knowing who to trust and as the reader you are right there with her, suspicious of everyone but hoping not everyone has a hidden agenda. She finds herself being manipulated by people taking advantage of things that happened in the past.

Ultimately you are definitely team Erin in this story and if only her husband and his cop partner had balls like Erin then the situation might not have got out of hand in the first place!

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book - this is my honest opinion.

Another fantastic book from this talented writer   I am a big fan if Jo's books & was so excited to read this.  I really enjoyed this book  Each character in this book is well written  you feel like they are real people,  such is the quality of her writing. The plot is really good & once you get into the story it's impossible to put down.

Loved this book - from the heartbreaking start right to the perfectly executed ending. This is the first of the author's books I've read and I will definitely read more.

In The Perfect Lie, Irish book editor Erin is happily married to Danny until tragedy unfolds. A shocking event leads Erin to second guess and question her relationships and friendships. 

We are also introduced to Ally, a postgraduate student at Harvard University who has taken on the role of proctor - caring for young undergraduates in her house of residence. Ally has a bright future in academia to look forward to until one of her students, Lauren, has to deal with a brutal crime.

This was the first novel by Jo Spain that I have read and I was hooked from start. The chapters switch time and viewpoint from Erin to Ally, making me keen to read on. Spain’s command of the various narratives is skilful and the pace and release of information is expertly controlled. The end of each chapter always left me wanting more and needing answers to my questions of the plot and characters. 

I found myself questioning the motives of many of the characters right until the end of the story as the main character Erin doubts the trust she has placed in her close relationships. A gripping and thrilling read that covers many modern themes (abuse of power, wealth, police corruption) and which ties up the dual narrative and loose ends in a satisfying conclusion after many unpredictable twists and turns. 

Now I need to go and read the rest of Jo Spain’s books!

It starts out as a normal day For Erin and her husband Danny, and ends with Danny jumping to his death in front of Erin and his colleagues. Months later Erin is on trial for the murder of her husband. It's up to Erin to uncover the truth, and she soon realizes that Danny kept dangerous secrets, secrets that she was never supposed to know.

I was very intrigued by the synopsis, and I really wanted to know how it went from being an obvious suicide to a murder investigation. I must admit at the beginning I was quite confused, as the author laid many breadcrumbs and I was struggling to piece it all together, but when it made sense it really MADE SENSE. I was planning on reading a few chapters before bed, but before I knew it I finished the whole book, because I was just dying to find out the truth. It started off slow but I really appreciated the build up as it definitely added to the suspense. I was a tiny bit disappointed at the ending, I expected more of a bang, or maybe another twist. I felt like it ended too suddenly and another chapter would have wrapped it up nicely. Overall I really enjoyed this, it kept me guessing and I was actually very suprised at what really happened but I wasn't left gasping in shock. 3.5 stars for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and Quercus Books for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am a huge Jo Spain fan and in particular the 'Inspector Tom Reynolds' series. The Perfect Lie is a stand alone book and I think that it is her best one yet!  It had me hooked from the first chapter. It is full of plot twists that keep you turning the pages over and over again.  

Very early in the book we learn that Erin's husband Danny dies under very unusual circumstances and at the time of his death he is the subject of an Internal Police Investigation. Erin lives in America but is Irish and carries her own family tragedy with her as she tries to come to terms with her husband's death. Who does she trust???? 

I would highly recommend this book!

Thank you to Netgalley and Quercus for the chance to read this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This is another wonderful book by Jo Spain and I couldn’t put it down once I started it so it was read in the one day, a page turner that’s for sure and it keeps you guessing right up to the end but I loved it and highly recommend it x

Another fantastic Jo Spain standalone edge of your seat thriller. Within the first few pages, we know that Erin's husband has died in mysterious circumstances, and that his police colleagues are investigating something suspicious. Erin is all alone in America, but makes some firm friends who help her through the traumatic tricky first months where police are still being cagey about what they know and what her husband was up to. 

A well written and captivating story, well worth a read

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read it.

A new standalone novel from author Jo Spain that certainly starts quickly.

Following a family tragedy five years ago, Erin Kennedy moved to New York for a fresh start where she now lives with her detective husband in the scenic seaside town of Newport, Long Island. One morning Erin answers the door to Danny’s police colleagues and everything appears to be no different to any other day. But behind her, Danny walks to the window of their fourth-floor apartment and jumps to his death. Eighteen months later, Erin is in court, charged with her husband’s murder. Over that year and a half, Erin has learned things about Danny she could never have imagined. She thought he was perfect. She thought their life was perfect, but it was built on a perfect lie.

I was gripped from the very start and eagerly looking forward to a great read but unfortunately for me I didn’t feel the book got any better and dragged. I still enjoyed it but felt let down after such a promising start.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Quercus for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

The Perfect Lie by Jo Spain.
I started this book and was immediately hooked. It’s a clever, intense thriller that kept me engrossed until I finished the last page. 
I always enjoy Jo Spain’s books but this may be her best yet! I would highly recommend this page-turner.

A gripping thriller that I simply couldn’t put down, finishing it in one go!

I enjoyed how the story switched between two timelines, which helped to develop the characters and added to the intrigue. There were lots of twists throughout; and I loved how the pieces started to fit together towards the second half of the book, which was satisfying.

I highly recommend The Perfect Lie for anyone looking for a suspenseful thriller that will keep them guessing.

I liked the idea of this story and it was written well, but for me I found the middle a little slow. The story is about Erin and her husband Danny, they live a happy and normal life together until one day he walks to the window in their apartment and jumps to his death. Why? We follow the story when a little later on, Erin is charged with his murder but was it her? She can't imagine why he would of done what he did so she goes on to find out why and what he was involved in. I liked the idea of the story and the beginning and ending was good and suspenseful.

I love Jo Spain.  This is another great thriller.  I was literally on the edge of my seat until the last page wondering what was going to happen.  I highly recommend this one.

An intriguing  tense novel which kept me hooked to the end.How could Erin be arrested  for her husbands murder when he jumped to his death off the balcony in front of witnesses. Good tense build up but I felt the ending was a bit rushed. I was looking forward to a good trial. Despite  that I would heartily recommend  it