Published by Quercus Books
Publication Date: 11th May 2023
Book Description:
For one week, everything in Luke Miller's life is perfect. Surprised with a belated honeymoon by his wife, Rose, he's had seven days with her in a Caribbean paradise. It's more than he ever thought he'd deserve.
But as they pack their bags, Rose breaks down, confessing that on the day they left London, a violent man from her past tracked her down and broke into their home. He wasn't expecting her to fight back. And, in her terror, Rose killed him. Now there's a dead body in Luke's apartment, and only one person he can think to turn to.
Mickey Sheils never expected to hear from Luke again, not after he disappeared the first time. Luke knows Mickey can't deny a woman who needs help, so she promises she'll deal with things - she'll make sure Rose doesn't have to keep running.
But it turns out, some lies are too big to run from.
My Thoughts:
This is only the second of Jo Spain's novels I've read - the first one made a massive impression on me with its opening lines, so much so that I have almost her entire backlist on my shelf waiting until I can commit a good chunk of reading time to consume them. This one opens only very slightly less dramatically, in that the first few paragraphs lull you into a sense of relaxation on a Caribbean island, waves at the feet of one of our main characters as he sips at his beer. Pure bliss - until he returns to the villa where they've been staying for the last week and his wife drops the bombshell that the real reason they are here is not as he thought, an impromptu late honeymoon, but because she left a dead body in their apartment back in London and had to get the two of them out of there quickly. **cue the sound of a needle skittering across a vinyl record rather abruptly**
Luckily for Luke and his wife Rose there are people back in London who can assist in tidying up this mess. But only if the information they are given is accurate. It quickly becomes obvious that Rose has not been entirely honest with Luke, however he seems very twitchy too and seems to be holding something back from Rose. But whose lies are the most dangerous?
Jo Spain works her magic brilliantly in planting seeds of doubt in the reader's mind about who is telling the truth, what secrets they hide, who is blameless in the whole situation, whether any of them can escape the island of Saint-Therese in one piece; these and oh, so many more questions flood this novel but never to the point of losing the thread of the story.
I love the characters of Mickey, Elliot and especially the policeman from Saint-Therese, Inspector Alleyne, who become entangled in the whole situation. They are so well drawn I could see pictures in my mind of each of them as I read. My opinions of Luke and Rose changed dramatically as the book progressed and did a couple of pendulum swings as the facts were drip-fed in. Do they deserve each other? Quite possibly, in my opinion.
I would recommend this as a great book to take on your summer break, ideal for curling up on your sunbed and losing yourself in for hours at a time. Because you will get so immersed in trying to figure out the truth of the situation, the time will fly. Just remember to put your sunscreen on before you start!
About the Author:
Jo Spain is the author of the bestselling Tom Reynolds detective series and several No.1 bestselling standalone thrillers. She began writing full-time when her first book, top ten bestseller With Our Blessing, was chosen as one of 7 finalists in the Richard and Judy Search for a Bestseller competition.
Jo is a full-time screenwriter. Her first show, critically-acclaimed crime series 'Taken Down', aired in 2018. In 2021, she co-wrote Harry Wild, starring Jane Seymour, with its creator, Emmy-award winning David Logan (to air 2022). She is currently working on several international productions, including adaptations of her own novels.
A graduate of Trinity College, Jo lives in Dublin with her husband and four children.
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