The Dead Friend Project by Joanna Wallace #NetGalley #TheDeadFriendProject @JoWallaceAuthor @ViperBooks

 

The Dead Friend Project by Joanna Wallace

Published by Viper Books

Publication Date: 11th July 2024

My thanks to the publisher for allowing me access to this book via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own and are unbiased.

Book Description:

Things haven't been going well for Beth. Her husband has left her for one of her friends. Her fellow school mums judge her for swearing too much and not shifting the baby weight. And now she's stuck in A&E after her son fell off the climbing wall on the first day of school. In fact, things haven't been going well for Beth since Charlotte died - her best friend, a favourite at the school pick-ups and the only person to ever run an interesting PTA meeting. But after being hit by a car while on an ill-timed evening jog, Charlotte is no longer there to help Beth pick up the pieces of her increasingly difficult life. That is, until Beth discovers that Charlotte left her toddler alone in the house during that fatal run. The Charlotte she knew would never do something so irresponsible, and suddenly Beth is questioning whether Charlotte's death was really an accident. 

With a newfound purpose and a glass of wine in hand, it's time for Beth to uncover what really happened to her best friend. And what better place to start than the circle of chatty school mums, who can't be as perfect as they pretend. But which of them is hiding something? Beth's determined to find out. Once she's put the kids to bed, of course... 

My Thoughts:

The characters in this book will be instantly recognisable to anyone who has ever run the gauntlet of the school run. It's hard to believe that the majority of schools across the land has the same mix and dynamic of playground politics and cliques of people involved. There's the PTA clan, those mums who are perfectly turned out every trip in all the right gear with their faultless hair and make up, and the sweary mum who feels like she will never make the grade or be accepted into any of the established groups.

Jo Wallace has captured the scenario perfectly and underscored within it a thread of humour which will have you laughing out loud throughout. Beth is desperately trying to hold her shattered life together without the two people she thought she would have beside her forever: her husband Rowan and her best friend Charlotte. With 3 kids and a loveable dog to contend with every day, she's rarely the priority. Then one day she overhears something which gets her mind working overtime and gives her a project to focus on. Who Killed Charlotte and Why? 

There are a workable number of characters in this book so I never felt overwhelmed by who was who, but there are enough suspects for Beth to weave into the mix and form motives for. By the end I think most people have been put under the microscope but will Beth be satisfied that she has solved the mystery?

This book drew me in and kept me amused. I don't recommend reading it in public though unless you want to attract attention to yourself because I promise you won't be able to hold those giggles in. 

About the Author:

Joanna Wallace studied law before working as a commercial litigation solicitor in London. She now runs a family business and lives in Buckinghamshire with her husband, four children, and two dogs. She was partly inspired to write You'd Look Better as a Ghost, her debut, following her father's diagnosis of early onset dementia.