SYNOPSIS
It’s their daughter’s graduation and Rachel and Ed Hartley are expecting it to be one of their family’s happiest days. But when she stumbles and falls on stage during the ceremony, a beautiful moment turns to chaos: Gemma has been shot, and just like that, she’s fighting for her life.
PI Matthew Hill is one of the first on the scene. A cryptic message Gemma received earlier in the day suggests someone close to her was about to be exposed. But who? As Matthew starts to investigate, he finds more and more layers obscuring the truth. He even begins to suspect the Hartleys are hiding something big―from him and from each other.
While Gemma lies in hospital in a coma, her would-be killer is still out there. Can Matthew unravel the family’s secrets before the attacker strikes again?
Title: Her perfect family
Author: Teresa Driscoll
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Publication date: Novermber 1, 2021
REVIEW
RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
What should have been a really happy day for the Hartleys turns into a nightmare when Gemma is shot during her graduation in front of her parents, Rachel and Ed. Immediately chaos ensues and PI Matthew Hill finds himself in the midst of it. Alongside DI Melanie Sanders, they will soon uncover some family secrets that could be behind the shooter’s motivations.
The story takes off with a bang with some really tense first scenes and then takes the foot off the gas to go back and forth between past and present through several POVs to tell us about all the members of the Hartley family and their secrets. I liked both Gemma and Ed’s chapters but found Rachel’s chapters at the hospital a bit repetitive at times. Ed’s backstory was really surprising. I had never heard about that condition and thought it was quite terrifying!
It’s always a pleasure to meet back Matthew and Melanie. They make such a great duo and it’s always great seeing them in action.
The police investigation had several unexpected twists that helped to create suspense and cast some suspicion upon several characters. I guessed the who but not the why, and once it was revealed I found it pretty disturbing.
Her Perfect Family is a really good psychological thriller that makes a great addition to the series and that, in addition to being a fantastic whodunnit, it has a really interesting mother/daughter relationship at its core that adds a nice layer to the whole.
Thanks to the publisher for my gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.
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