It was meant to be the perfect honeymoon.A five-star resort in paradise.White sands, a private villa and world-class cuisine.A chance for newlyweds Asha and Ollie Graveney to recover from a recent tragedy, and enjoy the holiday of their dreams.Except someone has other plans...And paradise has turned into a nightmare.
The Other Couple by Sarah J Naughton was published on 9 August 2018 in paperback by Trapeze, my thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review.
Sarah J Naughton draws her readers in with an intriguing and tension filled prologue, and then leaves them dangling as she moves on the the main story. I do love a prologue and this one was particularly well done, creating a sense of unease and anticipation that continues throughout the novel.
The reader meets Asha as she lays in a hospital bed in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. It's clear that something dreadful has happened, but what?
We are then taken back a couple of weeks as Asha and her new husband Ollie are waiting to board their flight to Vietnam, looking forward to a five star luxury honeymoon. The story then goes back and forth as it unfolds into a deliciously dark and atmospheric tale that really keeps the reader on their toes.
I particularly enjoyed the relationship between Asha and Ollie; two people from such very different backgrounds who have fallen in love. Despite the fact that Asha has never had wealth or status, she and Ollie seem like real soulmates and despite the doubters have survived the course and are now married. However, Asha knows that Ollie is troubled. He's acting strangely and she's becoming increasingly unhappy.
Sarah J Naughton really does create a most wonderful setting. The luxury five-star Vietnamese resort is expertly created, but there's this feeling of dread and impending doom that lurks in the background at all times.
When tragedy happens, Asha becomes increasingly frenetic. There were times that she did things that made me want to scream 'stop'! It was a bit like those 1980s slasher movies where the young girl goes out into the woods, wearing just a t-shirt and a pair of pants. You know that something awful is going to happen and there's nothing you can do to stop it. Yes, Asha, at times, acted just like that.
The supporting cast of characters are a mixed and very odd bunch, and each and every one of them come under suspicion at times. There's plenty of red herrings and twists and turns in this story and it's fast paced and very clever.
The Other Couple is imaginative, clever and lots of fun. Fans of psychological thrillers will love this.
Sarah J Naughton was born in 1975 and grew up in Dorset. She studied English Literature at UCL and has been in London ever since, spending ten years as a copywriter in an advertising agency before giving up to have children.
She was shortlisted for The Costa Children’s Book Award for her novel, The Hanged Man Rises, and now writes psychological fiction for adults.
She lives with her husband and two sons.
Twitter @SarahJNaughton
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