avidreader24's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Awful. Bad writing. Badly written dialogue. Predictable plot twists. I only read to the end because I dislike not finishing books.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Murder
Minor: Infidelity
diaryofthebookdragon's review against another edition
4.0
Mystery is a genre that I have just recently started reading, and Domestic Suspense is my favorite subgenre. I guess I just like the feeling when my husband asks me what am I reading about and I nonchalantly answer.
"Oh, just about a wife killing her husband."
(I gotta keep him on his toes lol)
Anyway, The Perfect Couple is not about a wife murdering her husband but about a wife whose husband disappeared. Or is it?
[insert Twilight Zone music]
The story had nice pacing. I loved how Jackie Kabler switches points of view between a wife and police detectives and how they had a different interpretation of events. To whom to believe? What is happening?
For me, the mark of a good mystery novel is when the story keeps me guessing until the end and that was the case here.
Recommended.
"Oh, just about a wife killing her husband."
(I gotta keep him on his toes lol)
Anyway, The Perfect Couple is not about a wife murdering her husband but about a wife whose husband disappeared. Or is it?
[insert Twilight Zone music]
The story had nice pacing. I loved how Jackie Kabler switches points of view between a wife and police detectives and how they had a different interpretation of events. To whom to believe? What is happening?
For me, the mark of a good mystery novel is when the story keeps me guessing until the end and that was the case here.
Recommended.
minaahlaw's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
the_coycaterpillar_reads's review against another edition
2.0
The Perfect Couple – always beware any book title that has perfect in it. Nine times out of ten it is anything but perfect. Gemma and Danny have the perfect life, the perfect jobs, and the perfect friends. Nothing and no-one are perfect, and Danny and Gemma are no exception. Gemma is a freelance journalist and Danny works in IT. Life is sweet, that is until Gemma goes on a business trip and comes home to no chilled prosecco, no dinner cooking, and no Danny. Initially Gemma thinks he’s been held late at work but the hours tick by and still there’s no Danny. She is finally forced to report him missing.
The synopsis initially got me overly excited at the prospect of reading The Perfect Couple. A twisty domestic thriller usually gets my pulse rocketing but no such luck with this tale. It’s not all negative and there were genuinely parts that had me intrigued enough to keep reading, and my favourite red herring trope had me questioning everything but by the midpoint of the book was becoming increasingly frustrated at the pacing and the direction that the author was taking the story in.
Although the premise of The Perfect Couple had serious potential to keep me hooked it just wasn’t a good fit for me. The pacing from the very beginning was slow (considering how it started, it didn’t sit well with me.) As it progressed, I really had considered DNF’ing it, but I wanted to see if I was right in my assumptions. By the mid-point it felt like we weren’t any further forward in working out what exactly had happened to Danny – although I’m sure every reader at this point knew what happened to him.
The Perfect Couple’s main character, Gemma just grated on my very last nerve. As a character she was mind numbingly dull and seemed to lack any substance whatsoever. She didn’t stand out (maybe that was the author’s intention) and for someone that had been a crime investigative journalist she was incredibly naïve bordering on stupid when dealing with different lines of investigation. The investigating detectives also seemed blind. It made me wonder what kind of cases they were used to dealing with in Bristol because there were facts that were staring at them in the face and they still couldn’t see it. Didn’t see the wood for the trees!
As a well-seasoned suspense reader, it just didn’t work well for me, there were more holes in the plot than a colander.
The synopsis initially got me overly excited at the prospect of reading The Perfect Couple. A twisty domestic thriller usually gets my pulse rocketing but no such luck with this tale. It’s not all negative and there were genuinely parts that had me intrigued enough to keep reading, and my favourite red herring trope had me questioning everything but by the midpoint of the book was becoming increasingly frustrated at the pacing and the direction that the author was taking the story in.
Although the premise of The Perfect Couple had serious potential to keep me hooked it just wasn’t a good fit for me. The pacing from the very beginning was slow (considering how it started, it didn’t sit well with me.) As it progressed, I really had considered DNF’ing it, but I wanted to see if I was right in my assumptions. By the mid-point it felt like we weren’t any further forward in working out what exactly had happened to Danny – although I’m sure every reader at this point knew what happened to him.
The Perfect Couple’s main character, Gemma just grated on my very last nerve. As a character she was mind numbingly dull and seemed to lack any substance whatsoever. She didn’t stand out (maybe that was the author’s intention) and for someone that had been a crime investigative journalist she was incredibly naïve bordering on stupid when dealing with different lines of investigation. The investigating detectives also seemed blind. It made me wonder what kind of cases they were used to dealing with in Bristol because there were facts that were staring at them in the face and they still couldn’t see it. Didn’t see the wood for the trees!
As a well-seasoned suspense reader, it just didn’t work well for me, there were more holes in the plot than a colander.
hlwilkins's review against another edition
1.0
Awful. A GCSE English student could have written better than this. The dialogue was so immature, the plot was so contrived and the characters were dumb AF.
Gemma's husband goes missing, and she reports it to the police. They have just moved from London to Bristol. The police are investigating 2 murders in Bristol and when they see a picture of Danny (the husband) they instantly link the murders as they all look the same and have been registered to some dating app. Then quickly they assume that Gemma is responsible for his disappearance as nobody has seen him since they moved to Bristol.
There's a few ridiculous red herrings (wtf was the old homeless guy plot point for) and then the police find Danny who's been hiding out. He goes on the run, finds Gemma, and admits to murdering all these people that look like him because they look like his abusive father! Utterly ridiculous. The police were made to be so stupid, following ridiculous leads and not doing any investigative work. They had mini side stories which I assume was supposed to build their back story but it added nothing and I lost track of who everyone was.
This was some of the most amateur writing I've read in a long time.
Gemma's husband goes missing, and she reports it to the police. They have just moved from London to Bristol. The police are investigating 2 murders in Bristol and when they see a picture of Danny (the husband) they instantly link the murders as they all look the same and have been registered to some dating app. Then quickly they assume that Gemma is responsible for his disappearance as nobody has seen him since they moved to Bristol.
There's a few ridiculous red herrings (wtf was the old homeless guy plot point for) and then the police find Danny who's been hiding out. He goes on the run, finds Gemma, and admits to murdering all these people that look like him because they look like his abusive father! Utterly ridiculous. The police were made to be so stupid, following ridiculous leads and not doing any investigative work. They had mini side stories which I assume was supposed to build their back story but it added nothing and I lost track of who everyone was.
This was some of the most amateur writing I've read in a long time.
breathing_pages's review against another edition
2.0
The Perfect Couple is a tale of mystery and crime. The premise is good but not enough.
.
PLOT:
The story is set in Bristol and London. It is about a couple, Gemma and Danny. Seemingly, they are a very happy newly married couple with a perfect life. However, when Gemma comes home from a short business trip, Danny is nowhere. She tries to find him in any way possible, but, in the end, she has to contact the police. Thus, the mystery begins, and it includes crimes, lies, and frustration.
.
THOUGHTS:
As I said the premise is good, and it starts quite well. But, as the story unfolds, it gets super frustrating. There are multiple perspectives, I would say. We read the story from Gemma’s point of view, but also, from the point of view of Helena who is the Chief Inspector, and Devon, the detective sergeant.
.
I would say that the story is quite good until the first half. Then, it starts getting repetitive. The characters could be more well-written to be honest, and at many points, I thought that the way they acted didn’t make much sense. And, the ending could definitely have been written better. It was too easy and too predictable, I would say.
.
On the whole, it was a quick read for me and I expected more to be honest. It starts strong, but loses focus as the story continues.
.
PLOT:
The story is set in Bristol and London. It is about a couple, Gemma and Danny. Seemingly, they are a very happy newly married couple with a perfect life. However, when Gemma comes home from a short business trip, Danny is nowhere. She tries to find him in any way possible, but, in the end, she has to contact the police. Thus, the mystery begins, and it includes crimes, lies, and frustration.
.
THOUGHTS:
As I said the premise is good, and it starts quite well. But, as the story unfolds, it gets super frustrating. There are multiple perspectives, I would say. We read the story from Gemma’s point of view, but also, from the point of view of Helena who is the Chief Inspector, and Devon, the detective sergeant.
.
I would say that the story is quite good until the first half. Then, it starts getting repetitive. The characters could be more well-written to be honest, and at many points, I thought that the way they acted didn’t make much sense. And, the ending could definitely have been written better. It was too easy and too predictable, I would say.
.
On the whole, it was a quick read for me and I expected more to be honest. It starts strong, but loses focus as the story continues.
molliew26's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
creaseinthespinebooks's review against another edition
4.0
The Perfect Couple was a page turning remarkable thriller which I couldn't put down.It hooked me in from the beginning .
The characters are well-written and believable as i felt like i was in the story with Gemma.It is told in alternating narratives between Gemma and the detectives and it worked really well with these two narratives. I also don't really like police procedural but with all the twists and turns it was more of a thriller than a police procedural.
If you are looking for a psychological / Domestic thriller that has plenty of secrets, lies and lots of twists that will most definitely keep you guessing. I completely recommend this book
The characters are well-written and believable as i felt like i was in the story with Gemma.It is told in alternating narratives between Gemma and the detectives and it worked really well with these two narratives. I also don't really like police procedural but with all the twists and turns it was more of a thriller than a police procedural.
If you are looking for a psychological / Domestic thriller that has plenty of secrets, lies and lots of twists that will most definitely keep you guessing. I completely recommend this book
proudlocks's review against another edition
3.0
Meh. The ending ruined it for me - rambled on, very slow then a let down finish. I was intrigued until it became obvious where the story was leading.
aneemithu's review against another edition
1.0
Slight spoilers… but if you’ve read the blurb and are a fan of Criminal Minds, you’ll figure out the plot as quickly as I did. Took me a month to finish this book. That’s how much I hated it. I figured out the ending after the first chapters to be honest. It really wasn’t that hard at all. The whole book is like an episode of Criminal Minds, but a VERY bad episode of it 🙃
It’s so obvious when someone tries to write about a profession that they know absolutely nothing about at all. The author literally just wrote a whole book to show how inept police officers are. I don’t know if she has been wronged by them in the past or what but the WHOLE time the police in this book just do absolutely nothing. No actual police work. Just have massive amounts of teas and pastries.
They do nothing to help Gemma. They ignore her. Interrogate her, even though they have zero evidence. Ignore the fact that she’s being threatened. Basically they do everything in their power to pin it on her. No joke. They don’t even CONSIDER that someone else could’ve been murdering these people because according to the police, oh some random cousin of Danny’s wouldn’t CONVENIENTLY come forward with “EVIDENCE” to frame Gemma, since that would just put the cousin on the polices raider himself!? No one’s that stupid 🙃🤦🏻♀️ IGNORING THE FACT THAT GEMMA WENT TO THE POLICE TO REPORT HER HUSBAND IS MISSING IN THE FIRST FUCKING PLACE! WHY WOULD SHE GO TO THE POLICE IF SHE KILLED HIM? HUH!? 🤦🏻♀️ AND WHY WOULD SHE OFFER THEORIES AND SHOW THEM CCTV IF SHE KILLED HIM!!!!!!! 🤯😤
No actual police work is done. Everything is just circumstantial. Helena, the leader of the idiotic police force portrayed in this, keeps going on about her bad back, having a baby and her horrible wife who keeps making her eat healthy food 🙄 oh yeah. What a bitch. Trying to look after you and shit.
At one point they literally read ONLINE about an attack that happened when Gemma happened to also be in London and from that they are absolutely CONVINCED it’s her. And they FUCKING CLAP 🤣🤣 that killed me. I’m not a police officer but I’m sure that’s not what would happen. They had NO evidence it was her. It was ALL assumption! And they clapped because they think they’ve got her.
Gemma also does nothing. She does a little investigating but just nothing major. She just whines and cleans her house a lot… like a weird amount and then cries about how much she loves Danny 🙄 despite finding out that he might be cheating? 🙃 Such a wet wipe. She, like the police, just comes up with random theories. That made no sense. Not even remotely. All the things she knew about Danny’s background and yet she couldn’t figure out what happened. And she was meant to be a journalist? On what planet I don’t know. Certainly not earth! 🙄
The whole book, now that I look back was just problematic. It’s so obvious what was going to happen in the end. All the technical issues they were having, evidence being deleted from computers. Servers being down. And a certain person just HAPPENS to be a tech 🙄😒 like COME ON! Who is this dumb! The police are apparently because no one for some reason didn’t find any of it odd!?
Don’t know how I managed to finish it…
It’s so obvious when someone tries to write about a profession that they know absolutely nothing about at all. The author literally just wrote a whole book to show how inept police officers are. I don’t know if she has been wronged by them in the past or what but the WHOLE time the police in this book just do absolutely nothing. No actual police work. Just have massive amounts of teas and pastries.
They do nothing to help Gemma. They ignore her. Interrogate her, even though they have zero evidence. Ignore the fact that she’s being threatened. Basically they do everything in their power to pin it on her. No joke. They don’t even CONSIDER that someone else could’ve been murdering these people because according to the police, oh some random cousin of Danny’s wouldn’t CONVENIENTLY come forward with “EVIDENCE” to frame Gemma, since that would just put the cousin on the polices raider himself!? No one’s that stupid 🙃🤦🏻♀️ IGNORING THE FACT THAT GEMMA WENT TO THE POLICE TO REPORT HER HUSBAND IS MISSING IN THE FIRST FUCKING PLACE! WHY WOULD SHE GO TO THE POLICE IF SHE KILLED HIM? HUH!? 🤦🏻♀️ AND WHY WOULD SHE OFFER THEORIES AND SHOW THEM CCTV IF SHE KILLED HIM!!!!!!! 🤯😤
No actual police work is done. Everything is just circumstantial. Helena, the leader of the idiotic police force portrayed in this, keeps going on about her bad back, having a baby and her horrible wife who keeps making her eat healthy food 🙄 oh yeah. What a bitch. Trying to look after you and shit.
At one point they literally read ONLINE about an attack that happened when Gemma happened to also be in London and from that they are absolutely CONVINCED it’s her. And they FUCKING CLAP 🤣🤣 that killed me. I’m not a police officer but I’m sure that’s not what would happen. They had NO evidence it was her. It was ALL assumption! And they clapped because they think they’ve got her.
Gemma also does nothing. She does a little investigating but just nothing major. She just whines and cleans her house a lot… like a weird amount and then cries about how much she loves Danny 🙄 despite finding out that he might be cheating? 🙃 Such a wet wipe. She, like the police, just comes up with random theories. That made no sense. Not even remotely. All the things she knew about Danny’s background and yet she couldn’t figure out what happened. And she was meant to be a journalist? On what planet I don’t know. Certainly not earth! 🙄
The whole book, now that I look back was just problematic. It’s so obvious what was going to happen in the end. All the technical issues they were having, evidence being deleted from computers. Servers being down. And a certain person just HAPPENS to be a tech 🙄😒 like COME ON! Who is this dumb! The police are apparently because no one for some reason didn’t find any of it odd!?
Don’t know how I managed to finish it…