I thought I’d found the one… But then I found him dead.
The last time I saw Harry, he was smiling at me over a candlelit table. It felt like I’d known him forever. I sipped my wine, and let myself hope for a second perfect date.
But this morning, out on a bright sunny walk, my rescue dog starts barking. I follow to see what he’s found. That’s when I see Harry’s body. His handsome face is cold and still. I back away, trembling.
It should be the worst thing that has ever happened to me. But it’s happened to me before.
The last two men I dated are dead.
I can’t tell the police I knew them both. I’d be their number one suspect.
But I need answers. Am I going mad, or is this my fault? And if I don’t find out who is doing this, will I be next?
A totally unputdownable psychological thriller that will keep you gripped and gasping till the very last page. Perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell, Paula Hawkins and Gillian Flynn.
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The Perfect Date by Julia Crouch was published by Bookouture on 06 October 2023. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review as part of this Blog Tour.
I also have one copy to give away today. Entry is simple. Just fill out the competition widget in this blog post. UK entries only please.
I have been reading Julia Crouch's books for many years, and have always looked forward to getting my hands on her latest offering.
The Perfect Date is another twisty tale of mystery and tension. Quite often, in novels, the characters that I like to read about most are the characters that I don't actually like very much. Caz is the lead player in this story, and to be honest, I didn't really like her. I wanted to like her, but some of her choices were so off the scale that she annoyed me at times. Apart from Caz's Mum, and her friend Damien, the same can be said for the rest of the characters. They are incredibly well created, but they are not very nice.
This does not mean that I didn't like this book! I really really enjoyed it. Despite my misgivings about Caz, and some of the actions she took, I was totally invested in her story. It gets more curious by the chapter, culminating in a tense, almost heart-stopping conclusion that is very satisfying.
Caz has returned home to her home town. She quit her London teaching job and is now dog-walking for a living, whilst caring for her fragile mother. The care of her mother is her excuse, what she really tried to leave behind was memories of the 'incident', an awful experience that have left scars. However, it seems that she cannot get away from it and another dreadful incident has just happened.
'Dog walker discovers body' - we've all seen the headline. Caz has been that dog walker, not once, but now twice and the twist in her story is that she knew both of the victims ..... intimately.
Whilst house sitting for an old friend, Caz begins to receive strange envelopes, filled with obscure messages, and things that are terrifying.
What follows is a story that takes the reader down some very bumpy roads. Caz begins to suspect everyone she knows, as did I. Her fear and anxiety are depicted so very well and whilst I did begin to have suspicions about one character, I just couldn't bet my life on being correct.
An addictive story that kept me on my toes. I love Julia Crouch's distinctive writing style and her ability to create characters that intrigue me, yet often repel me at the same time.
I'd recommend this as a chilling, all-consuming tale that will keep the reader guessing right up to the end.
One copy of The Perfect Date by Julia Crouch
she swerved into graphic design. After writing and illustrating two children’s books for an MA, she discovered that her great love was writing prose. The picture books were deemed too dark for publication, so, to save the children, she turned instead to writing for adults. Her first book, Cuckoo, was published in 2011, and she has been writing what she calls her Domestic Noir novels ever since. She also writes for TV and teaches on the Crime Writing MA at the University of East Anglia. She has three grown up children and lives in Brighton with her husband and two cats, Keith and Sandra.
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