My Perfect Wife by Clare Boyd
Published by Bookouture
Publication Date: 4th March 2020
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
My thanks to publisher Bookouture for the opportunity to read this ahead of publication and review as part of the blog tour.
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
My thanks to publisher Bookouture for the opportunity to read this ahead of publication and review as part of the blog tour.
Book Description:
I
finally have everything I ever wanted. A home with floor-to-ceiling windows, a
devoted husband who dazzles everyone he meets, and two angelic children I
adore. But as I watch my husband chatting with the girl next door, I wonder if
anyone can see the sadness in my pretty pink smile, or hear the scream behind
my straight white teeth?
I
know I’m crazy to think there’s a hint of desire in his eyes.
I
know it’s madness to see a flicker of fear in hers.
I
know all this, because I’ve been wrong before.
And
if I’m wrong again, he’ll try to take my children away.
The
party is my last chance to prove to my husband that I’m on the mend, that I can
handle something as simple as a drinks reception without snapping under the
pressure. It’s all going perfectly, until I see something in the swimming pool
that changes everything. But if I can’t trust myself to
believe it’s real, who will?
A totally unputdownable page-turner
about the darker side of love and what really goes on under the surface of
perfect-looking lives. Clever and unexpected, this book will have you gripped
from the very first page until the dramatic final twist. Fans of The
Wife Between Us and The
Mother-in-Law will be hooked.
My Thoughts:
This book is set at the mysterious Copper Lodge in Surrey, owned by prestigious couple Lucas and Elizabeth Huxley. Lucas inherited the land on which Copper Lodge is built from his parents when their previous home stood upon it. He went on to have the new structure built in impressive materials and design so that it stood out from its neighbours. Lucas is all about appearances and how people rate him in society. Behind closed doors, wife Elizabeth is a bundle of nerves, always having to live up to Lucas's exacting standards, but instead of letting people see this she makes out that she is a capable, strong woman and because of this comes across as being stern faced and impersonal.
Next door neighbours Gordon and Sally work in the grounds of Copper Lodge, keeping the gardens and property maintained to the highest standard while their own property gets neglected. They don't like extravagance and are strident supporters of the local soup kitchen, providing food and emotional support to the local homeless community. This belief that they should not over indulge has been drummed into their daughter Heather all her life so when she gets called back to her childhood home to support her father when Sally has to go away from home to support her sister in her last weeks, her sense of duty means she cannot say no.
With flashbacks to Heather's childhood throughout the book we get a glimpse into Lucas and Heather's younger years. Lucas certainly seems to have had a big influence in Heather's formative years but the extent of this shocked me. Lucas has a reputation to maintain in the world of international business and he pressures all his employees to make sure that everything is absolutely perfect for the garden party he is hosting to - hopefully - celebrate the union of his and international businessman Walt Seacart's companies. This will be a major coup, but only Elizabeth knows just how important it is to Lucas. Can she cope with the pressure?
"Smoke and mirrors" is the name of the game in Lucas's world and he needs to portray a certain lifestyle to the Seacarts in order to seal the deal. Luckily for him Elizabeth's brother can help him out here. But is he willing to? The more we find out about Lucas as the book goes along the more I disliked him. He stands for everything I dislike about the world of big business and the secrets that lurk under the surface. Heather has the scales torn from her eyes and is shocked to hear very unsavoury things about her parents' neighbour who has been such a big part of her life. She is torn between the evidence she has been shown and the man she thought she knew. But if this is all true then why have her parents shown him so much loyalty over the years?
There are shocks and revelations throughout and the impact of Lucas's actions send ripples across the lives of many. I switched allegiance between the characters as the different versions of the truth came out so I was definitely kept on my toes with the plot in this book. Clare Boyd is definitely a master of mystery writing.
About the Author:
Author Bio:
Clare
lives with her husband and their two daughters in Surrey, where her little
green shed at the bottom of the garden provides a haven for her writing life.
Before becoming a writer, she enjoyed a career in television, as a researcher
in documentaries and then as a script editor in drama at the BBC and Channel
Four, where her love of storytelling took hold.
Author Social Media
Links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/clareboydclark
FACEBOOK: clare.boyd.14
TWITTER: @ClareBoydClark
INSTAGRAM: claresboyd
TWITTER: @ClareBoydClark
INSTAGRAM: claresboyd
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