Speechless, fantastic opening chapter and it doesn't disappoint throughout the book, from beginning to end. It held my attention and I was kept guessing who did what and why until the very end. It was all frighteningly plausible.
NetGalley very kindly sent me a copy of this book for an honest review.
#ThePerfectLie #NetGalley

Wow just wow! Jo spain hasnt disappointed at all. With main characters Danny and Erin all loved up and seemingly not a care in the world. When Danny suddenly dies in shocking circumstances. His secret life unravels quickly. Did she know her husband?. Then Cal comes on the scene. Is he who he says he is?

The Perfect Lie by Jo Spain is a real puzzler of a book. I was totally hooked!!

Erin Kennedy has settled in beautiful Long Island after fleeing from a family tragedy in Ireland and is blissfully married to Danny until Danny's partner Ben shows up. Now Erin is on trial for murder...

This is a tense thriller with a cast of interesting characters, set in an amazing location and has a few unexpected twists.

A great read and highly recommended. Told in two timelines of the present and eighteen months before it starts with Erin’s husband Danny jumping to his death in front of her. This hooked me from page one and couldn’t wait to get to the end.
Thanks to Quercus books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
#ThePerfectLie #NetGalley

I downloaded the ARC of this novel from NetGalley, having been intrigued by its premise.

I expected it to be a quick read and full of suspense. However, in the event it dragged a little - the narrative order made it too obvious what had happened and who the true criminal was. I also didn’t take to any of the main characters, and especially not the narrator, whom I found tedious in the extreme.

If you find the narrator more appealing, I think this would be a much more exciting read, as you would care whether or not she was acquitted of the crime of which she’s accused and whether or not she got away with the crime she actually does commit. I just didn’t care either way. Sorry.

That said, it was a well-written novel - hence the three stars, which in my grade scale means a book did what it set out to do but just didn’t captivate me. I would recommend it if you’re looking for a beach read - maybe just read the first few pages before committing yourself in case you don’t like the protagonist, as she really makes or breaks the reader’s connection with this novel, in my opinion

The Perfect Lie is a complex mystery involving a number of time lines. It includes a story within a story that takes you almost to the end of the book to discover how they are intertwined. Erin marries Danny, which helps her stay in this country after her Visa expires. But who is Danny and why did he do the things he did? Erin is on trial for killing her husband. But the book begins with Danny committing suicide by jumping off the balcony of their apartment. Did Erin really know Danny even though she loves him? Erin is a very likable character, but she has difficulty determining who to believe. She is recently recovering from the trauma of her sister's death, when she becomes involved in a very similar situation.
While I was sometimes confused on who had the "Perfect Lie", the author ties everything up nicely at the end. You want to keep on reading to discover the truth and to find out how all the puzzle pieces fit together. I would recommend this book if you like mysteries

Oh my goodness! This is a roller coaster of a read! Opening with an Irish girl in New York being accused of her husband's murder, but we know that she saw him jumping to his death from their apartment balcony, with police witnesses. What is going on? The backstory and the present are presented to us bit by bit as Erin fights to work out for herself what her husband Danny was involved with and who she can trust.
Well told but at times confusing as the story jumps back and forth

This book is the perfect mix of thriller, police and court room drama.
I liked Erin from the very first chapter. There are multiple red herrings, twists and turns - there aren’t many books that keep me guessing but The Perfect Lie did just that.
Erin is a witness to her Detective husband Danny, jumping to his death from their fourth floor apartment.
Erin goes from thinking she has the perfect husband and life to being on trial for Danny’s murder. She thought she knew her husband - She was wrong.
This is the first book I have read by Jo Spain. Her writing style really drags you in to the story and I will definitely be keeping my eyes open for more by this author.
Thank you to NetGalley the publisher and the author for gifting me an ARC in exchange for my honest review

This is a book that has completely pulled me in, stolen my attention and made me complete unwilling to put this down. This is one of those books that I have devoured in just one sitting.

I have loved Erin as a character, she has been likeable and realistic. I have been rooting for her throughout this novel despite her being trusting towards others within the novel who have made me feel uncomfortable.

This is laced with tension and suspense. Spain writes her characters in a way that you cannot help but question who is trustworthy. There are twists and turns planted throughout this book and I definitely haven't been able to predict where this book was going.

This is completely unique to anything I've read previously and I have adored every moment reading this book. This definitely shows that often we don't know the people we think we know.

I have devoured this book and I have no regrets. This is a superb read which I have been unwilling to put down. A definite five star read and one I highly recommend.

Hooked on this book after the first chapter, what a way to start. Erin's husband Danny jumps to his death when his detective colleagues arrive at their door to arrest him, but 18 months later Erin is on trial for murder.
This was a great read, courtroom dramas, police drama and a slight psychological thriller.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Quercus Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. The opinions are my own
Released 13th May 2021

A fantastic premise enticed me to order this from NetGalley for my first foray into the world of Jo Spain, which I was assured was a twisty-turny world of excellent crime writing. I have to admit the start of this book was excellent, with the death of Erin's husband Danny setting a scene I wanted to continue to inhabit. I did feel the fact that the book jumped from first-person perspective to third as well as back and forwards in time was a little confusing and could have been responsible for the fact that I kept putting the book down. I felt the lead character wasn't as compelling as some of the others and I personally found it hard to root for her. I loved the plot and the writing was excellent, and although I guessed as to the plot twist I found it well done and satisfying enough.

Loved this one! So easy to read and lots of twists and turns along the way. Definitely a quick read and one I recommend.

Excellent read - would recommend to a friend. Based in the USA - murder/ mystery with lots of twists. Compelling page turning to find out the story regarding the husband's death.

The Perfect Lie is SO captivating! This flew by for me, and it was the book that got me out of my reading slump. A gripping, compelling, masterfully written story. It's best to go into this one blind - the blurb has all you need to know. This was my first foray into the world of Jo Spain, and I can't wait to make my way through the rest of her titles.

I really enjoyed this – a fantastic read! Erin Kennedy, an Irish woman living in Long Island and married to police detective Danny. Erin and Danny are more or less newlyweds and have a fantastic relationship. One morning, Danny's work partner, Ben, arrives with two other officers. When Danny sees them, he walks to their apartment balcony and jumps to his death. Erin is obviously shocked and devastated as she asked what had made him do this! The rest of the book is devoted to Erin trying to piece together what happened to Danny in the weeks / months and even years before his suicide. While this is going on the reader is also being drip fed another story which happened years ago of an attack on a young Harvard Student. We know its related, but we are not sure how. Loved the characters Karla the lawyer and Bud the barman!

Nail-bitingly good, this had me turning the pages to find out what happened. I have to admit there were times I was frustrated that the story wasn’t moving quickly enough and there was too much information being held back. I often guess the ending of books, but honestly this one had me guessing right to the end.

Thanks to NetGalley, Quercus Books and Jo Spain for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Jo Spain certainly knows how to keep you gripped and wanting more
And this book does not let you down
It's a well written book with a great plot and an unguessable ending

Thank you netgalley, Jo Spain and Quercus for allowing me to read and review this book

A new author for me and I’ll definitely return to her! I enjoyed Jo Spain’s style of writing and the past and present sense style of the chapters! It took me about 20% to get into it but then it started coming together and really had me guessing. Some great characters with a really enjoyable story line.

Reviewing an Advance Reader Copy from NetGalley.
A real page turner with very likeable characters. All the ingredients for a good thriller are here, I enjoyed the twists, not all are predictable!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3877099756

Jo Spain’s latest standalone novel is an absolutely terrific read - I enjoyed this so much.

The story opens with a devastating scene in which Erin’s husband, Danny, completely out of the blue, jumps to his death from the balcony of their Long Island apartment - in front of witnesses including Erin herself and Danny’s fellow police officers. We then move forward eighteen months to courtroom scenes in which Erin is on trial for the murder of her husband...

Interspersed with Erin’s narrative are scenes from a couple of years earlier concerning the assault of a Harvard student - apparently unrelated to the main story, though of course that’s not the case.

Jo Spain has delivered a cracking read as Erin - an Irish woman living in the US - deals with Danny’s shocking death and gradually learns she didn’t know as much about her American husband as she thought. The courtroom scenes are mindbendingly intriguing as we struggle to work out what the heck is going on. Why did Danny kill himself and why exactly is Erin now on trial? (The trial scenes take place in December 2020, but there’s no mention of either Covid or the US election, which is probably for the best.) There’s a bit of the narrative tying itself up in knots to avoid revealing certain things before time, but that’s unavoidable in the circumstances.

I liked Erin’s character a lot, and there were some great side characters too, particularly her lawyer Karla.

The only real criticism I have is that the title surely has to be one of the world’s least original (a quick search on Goodreads threw up at least a dozen and that was just at first glance).

An excellent read, one of Jo Spain’s best.

This book is brilliant! It’s incredibly well written, kept me guessing throughout. The characters were great and very relatable, well worth a read!