The Perfect Lie Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Jo Spain (Author), Sophie Jo Wasson (Narrator), Quercus (Publisher)

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The latest psychological thriller from the international best-selling author of The Confession

He jumped to his death in front of witnesses. Now his wife is charged with murder.

Five years ago, Erin Kennedy moved to New York following a family tragedy. She now lives happily with her detective husband in the scenic seaside town of Newport, Long Island. When Erin answers the door to Danny's police colleagues one morning, it's the start of an ordinary day. But behind her, Danny walks to the window of their fourth-floor apartment and jumps to his death.

Eighteen months later, Erin is in court, charged with her husband's murder. Over that year and a half, Erin has learned things about Danny she could never have imagined. She thought he was perfect. She thought their life was perfect.

But it was all built on the perfect lie.

Discover DI Tom Reynolds in the first instalment of Jo Spain's acclaimed detective series, With Our Blessing.

For even more Jo Spain, check out her most exciting and gripping thriller yet, Six Wicked Reasons.

Listening Length

9 hours and 42 minutes
Author

Jo Spain
Narrator

Sophie Jo Wasson
Audible release date

13 May 2021
Language

English
Publisher

Quercus
ASIN

B08MB9FQL3
Version

Unabridged
Program Type

Audiobook
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Product details

Listening Length	9 hours and 42 minutes
Author	Jo Spain
Narrator	Sophie Jo Wasson
Whispersync for Voice	Ready
Audible.com.au Release Date	13 May 2021
Publisher	Quercus
Program Type	Audiobook
Version	Unabridged
Language	English
ASIN	B08MB9FQL3
Best Sellers Rank	235 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals) 3 in Women Sleuth Mysteries (Audible Books & Originals) 4 in Domestic Thrillers 9 in Psychological Thrillers (Audible Books & Originals)

Customer reviews

5 star		44%
4 star		35%
3 star		15%
2 star		4%
1 star		2%

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Top reviews from Australia

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MOliver165

Great plot twists and turns.

Reviewed in Australia on 26 August 2021

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The Perfect Lie was a page turner that kept me guessing right until the end.

Helpful

I'm becoming a huge Jo Spain fan

Reviewed in Australia on 21 August 2021

This is the second Spain book I’ve read and I must admit I’ve become a bit of an instant fan.

The Perfect Lie opens with Danny jumping to his death in what everyone assumes is a suicide. Spain then flashes forward to a ‘now’ scene where Erin is in court, on trial for the murder of her husband. This opening is very effective and leads the reader to come up with all sorts of explanations including whether or not Danny is truly dead after the jump, given that Erin wasn’t allowed to view his body.

Obviously Spain keeps switching between the timelines, drip feeding us the details, until they link up and the twists are revealed. I said with the other Spain book that she displayed impeccable timing when it came to switching from the past to present and I believe she again managed to do this really well. There were no awkward transitions and she keeps the mystery plot ticking along nicely before tying all the strings together seamlessly in the end.

The setting is an upmarket beach area on Long Island, New York. There’s also a back story set at Harvard College. I enjoyed the US setting even though I thought it was an odd choice at first (as I read on I discovered there were several plot points which relied on the overseas setting, however). Spain didn’t disappoint me with the Irish connection completely though, with Erin and her family heralding from there and one of her regular haunts being an Irish pub (albeit one without too much authenticity).

Spain’s style flows easily and this was a quick read. Usually I say books of this size (just over 400 pages long) often need editing and their word count cut as they seem to drag in places but I never felt this way with The Perfect Lie.

With the hefty word count comes an obvious hefty cast of characters with many likely suspects and red herrings and potential victims but Spain’s characterisation was good enough to cause no confusion with who was who. Erin was a likeable leading lady and I couldn’t help but cheer her on. Karla, her lawyer, was a standout from the supporting characters and I wouldn’t be surprised if she turned up in another of Spain’s books one day.

If there was a hiccup or critique, it was that most of the story is told from Erin’s first person point of view except for a few chapters which are told from the point of view of another female character, Ally. Ally’s boyfriend’s identity needs to be kept secret from the reader for quite a while so as not to give too much away leading to Ally constantly referring to ‘my boyfriend’ ending up a little clunky. Maybe Spain could have simply said ‘he’ now and then to break up the weirdness of this part.

For the most, however, Spain’s writing is really good and I’m looking forward to exploring more of her titles. 4 ½ out of 5

*Thanks to Netgalley and Quercus for my copy. This did not influence my opinion in any way.

Helpful

How well do you really know your spouse?

Reviewed in Australia on 31 May 2021

Jo Spain knows how to write a twisty mystery, so I was very excited to read her latest novel THE PERFECT LIE. Inspired by the challenges of facing adversity and tragedy whilst living abroad, Spain casts her main character Erin as an Irish woman who has escaped a painful past by moving to the US and marrying an American detective. They are now happily living in New York, far from Erin’s parents and the family dynamics that have split them apart. But one morning, her husband Danny commits suicide by jumping from the balcony of their fourth floor apartment, leaving behind a legacy of questions no one wants to answer. What prompted her easygoing husband to take his own life in front of her?

The story unfolds in an unusual format: after the shocking opening scenes, here we have the POV of Erin in the present as she is awaiting trial for the murder of her husband. Murder???? But didn’t she say that he jumped and took his own life?

The second POV is also Erin’s as she is recounting the time leading up to Danny’s death. And the third POV introduces two other characters who are seemingly unconnected to the main story. Where is this all going to lead?

I spent a large percentage of the book in wonderment, puzzling how all these timelines could possibly connect in the end and why Erin was in court accused of murder. It wasn’t until very close to the end that the AHA! Moment finally came as more pieces of the puzzle fell into place. Spain knows how to construct a multi-layered mystery, and I thought she did a great job in keeping me in the dark. I love it when a story takes me totally by surprise!

Whilst I was mostly gripped by Erin’s predicament, I did feel that the book could have benefitted from a bit more editing of the other timeline, which contained a lot of information that slowed the main part of the story down but wasn’t all relevant to the central mystery. Instead, I would have liked to see a bit more background about Erin and Danny’s relationship, as I wasn’t totally convinced by their great love story. But these are minor quibbles because the story gripped me pretty much right from its explosive and shocking opening chapter and kept me guessing to the very end.

How well do you know your spouse? This really forms the central question to Spain’s new mystery, and it’s something you will ask many times as the story unfolds from it’s jaw-dropping opening chapter to the final tying up of threads. If you are looking for a domestic thriller that stands apart from others in the genre by clever layering of multiple elements and by withholding just the right details to keep you guessing, then give this book a go!

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Top reviews from other countries

Malcolm R

Nicely complicated but curiously tension free

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 17 July 2021

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Almost Ireland’s answer to Harlan Coben in that the plot grips you straight away and the author is adept at various plots including a stock police (or private eye) procedural. The story is complex with three timelines -which is a bit clunky - and throws up lots of what ifs and leaves some strands unresolved - what did happen to the money, did she get an annulment? - but it is a bit slack and, for me lost it’s grip in several places so I was on the verge of boredom. There is no big reveal or feeling of “I did not see that coming” and it peters out with a feeling of mistrust rather than resolution. It is an enjoyable read but in the end I was just not very interested or involved in her (I have forgotten her name already) story.

6 people found this helpful

Col

Another twisty un-put-down-able book by Jo Spain.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 7 June 2021

Verified Purchase

I have read all of Jo's books and this latest one doesn't dissapoint. The plot is twisty as are all of her books and as usual I had it read in a couple of nights which is problematic as you're waiting a year for the next book :)
As you read you realise there are twists that you're not aware of and only when you get to the last 3/4 of the book do you find yourself going "oooooh hang on" as you flick back and think "I've missed something". A fantastic writer whose books are an utter joy to read. Very much looking forward to her new TV series too - I think it's called "Harry Wilde" with Jane Seymour. Buy all of her books, you won't regret it. And you won't fine grammar and spelling errors here!!! JOY.

5 people found this helpful

Paul Allen

Enjoyable But A Slow Burner

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 5 September 2021

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I enjoyed the book, so four stars, BUT the current vogue of writing in multiple time frames doesn't always sit easy with me and this book is a typical example. For me, the book only started to come to life about halfway through. My biggest 'don't like' was right at the end where the reveal lasted only four or five pages, when the events behind it were clearly worthy of much greater detail. So more action, more continuity and less angst would have been good,

3 people found this helpful

Kaffmatt

Recommended—a good read- three and a half stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 10 August 2021

Verified Purchase

Jo Spain writes solid thrillers and this is no exception. She also manages to throw in some original ‘curveball’ twists, which I find clever. They actually lift the storyline. Now….. many reviewers have given a full synopsis of the storyline so I’ll be brief with that-
Erin has relocated from Ireland to USA following the tragic death of her sister. She becomes friendly with Danny, a police officer. During their friendship Erin has recurring visa applications so Danny offers to marry her. This coupling turns to love and Erin has it all. That is until Danny’s partner Ben arrives at their apartment with colleagues. Danny then kills himself. Erin has to find out what drove Danny to this awful decision.
This is the point where the twists begin. Have to say that at one reveal I wondered if I’d missed something earlier.( No spoiler)
What disappointed me was the ending- other reviewers have mentioned loose ends and I agree. That said, the book whilst not outstanding is certainly better than many in this genre.

One person found this helpful

CathyR

Another winner from Jo Spain

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 17 August 2021

Verified Purchase

Opening with an intense and dramatic scene, The Perfect Lie tells the story of Erin Kennedy who moved to New York from her home in Ireland after a devastating family tragedy. She met and married homicide detective Danny Ryan two years previously.

The day that changed everything and turned Erin’s life upside down began as normal…until the knock on the door. Erin saw it was Danny’s partner, Ben Mitchell, claiming he was bringing bad news. An utterly defeated look appeared on Danny’s face, he walked to the balcony outside the French windows, climbed over the rail and disappeared before Erin realised what was happening. Their apartment was on the fourth floor.

The narrative is told in three timelines – Erin then as she deals with life after Danny’s suicide. Harvard, with two women coping with the aftermath of an attack on one of them, and Erin now, as she is being tried for the murder of her husband. The plot initially is slightly confusing. I didn’t see where the Harvard timeline fitted in and honestly felt that could have been condensed somewhat, but it does all tie together as the story progresses and information is drip fed slowly.

The more Erin digs, the more she realised the Danny she thought she knew didn’t really exist. He had so many secrets and also, it seems, demons. Swamped by confusion and intense sadness, Erin was determined to find out the truth even as it lead her down paths she didn’t want to travel, throwing up things about Danny she could hardly credit. She didn’t know who to trust or what to believe, finding herself blocked at every turn.

I always look forward to a new Jo Spain novel and this one didn’t disappoint. It’s quite a study in how people present themselves, the face they put on for others. The Perfect Lie is plot driven, complex and multi layered, as are the great cast of characters whether you love them or not, sending the reader in one and then another direction, only to find they lead nowhere. The plot and writing are wonderful as always. It’s an unpredictable and intriguing guessing game with some unexpected reveals as things unfold, which fleshed out the characters and brought emotions to the surface—anger, guilt and revenge among others. A very enjoyable read.

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The Perfect Lie Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

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