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A review by hdbblog
The Perfect Couple by Jackie Kabler
3.0
Where do I start? The Perfect Couple sums itself up pretty well with that cover. Jackie Kabler has no qualms with instantly placing the reader into the center of a perplexing mystery. Gemma arrives home to realize that Danny, her husband, is missing. No sign of foul play, no missing items, just…. gone. Even worse for her, the police start to suspect that she is the one behind his disappearance. After all, she’s the only one who has seen him in weeks. Who’s to say that she isn’t trying to cover up something nefarious? What follows is a slow burn chase, with Gemma trying desperately to figure out what on Earth is going on.
Now I have to say that I definitely enjoyed Gemma’s character. She, unsurprisingly, starts the story out in a whole heap of shock and feels unable to do much. However as the story progresses, I found myself wholeheartedly cheering her on. She was unwilling to rely on the police to solve things. Gemma was smart. Let me tell you. If I were in her position, I don’t think I would have had half the amount of tenacity and stubbornness that she did. Her determination was refreshing, and I loved how outside of the box her personal investigations were.
I also very much enjoyed the way that the plot was laid out. Don’t worry, I won’t spoil anything for all you potential readers out there. Still I feel that it’s safe to say that this book has a good handle on slowly laying out the clues and the facts, allowing the reader to feel like they are uncovering things right alongside Gemma. The pacing was pretty solid, and it was nice that there were other characters that made their way into Gemma’s story that felt like they fit in perfectly. If this book was a puzzle, it would have been a challenging one but also one that felt like all the pieces were meant to be there.
So, why the three star rating? My biggest hang up with this story was just that it felt too long for its own good. There were chapters that I ended up just skimming, because most of it was dialogue between the police that were on the case and none of it really seemed to add anything new to the case. This doesn’t change my earlier thought that the pacing was good. It was. There were just some portions that I think could have easily been shortened without losing the overarching mystery plotline. By the time I reached the ending I had actually figured out what was going on, mainly because the filler chapters gave me so much time to mull things around. I’m starting to see that, in most cases, shorter is better when it comes to mystery and thriller books.
All of that aside, this was an enjoyable way to while away a few hours. I kept picturing myself reading this next to a fireplace, snuggled under a comforter, with a cup of hot cocoa. That’s the vibe that it gives off. I hope that you’ll all enjoy it as well!
Now I have to say that I definitely enjoyed Gemma’s character. She, unsurprisingly, starts the story out in a whole heap of shock and feels unable to do much. However as the story progresses, I found myself wholeheartedly cheering her on. She was unwilling to rely on the police to solve things. Gemma was smart. Let me tell you. If I were in her position, I don’t think I would have had half the amount of tenacity and stubbornness that she did. Her determination was refreshing, and I loved how outside of the box her personal investigations were.
I also very much enjoyed the way that the plot was laid out. Don’t worry, I won’t spoil anything for all you potential readers out there. Still I feel that it’s safe to say that this book has a good handle on slowly laying out the clues and the facts, allowing the reader to feel like they are uncovering things right alongside Gemma. The pacing was pretty solid, and it was nice that there were other characters that made their way into Gemma’s story that felt like they fit in perfectly. If this book was a puzzle, it would have been a challenging one but also one that felt like all the pieces were meant to be there.
So, why the three star rating? My biggest hang up with this story was just that it felt too long for its own good. There were chapters that I ended up just skimming, because most of it was dialogue between the police that were on the case and none of it really seemed to add anything new to the case. This doesn’t change my earlier thought that the pacing was good. It was. There were just some portions that I think could have easily been shortened without losing the overarching mystery plotline. By the time I reached the ending I had actually figured out what was going on, mainly because the filler chapters gave me so much time to mull things around. I’m starting to see that, in most cases, shorter is better when it comes to mystery and thriller books.
All of that aside, this was an enjoyable way to while away a few hours. I kept picturing myself reading this next to a fireplace, snuggled under a comforter, with a cup of hot cocoa. That’s the vibe that it gives off. I hope that you’ll all enjoy it as well!