Blog Tour: The Perfect Friend by Barbara Copperthwaite
Today I am happy to join the blog tour for The Perfect Friend by Barbara Copperthwaite. This was my first book by the author, but it definitely won't be my last!
She’ll do anything for you… My name is Alex, and my world has been shattered. My husband has left me. My children won’t speak to me. My friend Carrie is the only person I have. She’s the only one I can trust to keep all my secrets. She’d never do anything to let me down. Would she? This dark, gripping psychological thriller will have you holding your breath until the very last page. Fans of Behind Closed Doors, Sometimes I Lie, and The Girl on the Train will be captivated.
My Review:
4****
The Perfect Friend by Barbara Copperthwaite is quite a clever mystery, and though it started a bit slower than I expected, the pace really picked up about halfway and I had a hard time putting it down then!
The story starts with Alex, a woman going through a rough time. She is not in good health and is trying to recover as she deals with some overwhelming personal issues. I don't want to give away too many details regarding the plot, because there were quite a few twists I wouldn't want to spoil for anyone. Alex meets Carrie, a young woman suffering from cancer, and they become fast friends. Something, however, is not quite right with Carrie and as Alex begins to investigate, she has to face and reveal some of her own secrets.
The strong point of this book, for me at least, was the way Alex developed as a character. I am such a character-based reader and found myself wanting to learn more about both Alex and Carrie. I have been reading so much crime fiction this summer, some of the stories are blurring together, but I think The Perfect Friend will be quite memorable because of the strong description of the characters. The plot is engaging, but I did guess quite a few of the twists before they came. I didn't really mind this, as I mention, my heavy fare of mysteries has possibly spoiled the unpredictability of many books these days. That being said, I was never bored. I did wish some of the figures in authority had respected Alex's concerns more and not dismissed her on account of her illness, but maybe it's not unrealistic.
Overall, I found The Perfect Friend to be a satisfying, solidly plotted and written mystery by an author I will happily read again in the future!
Thanks to Bookouture for supplying me with a copy of The Perfect Friend in exchange for an honest review.
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About the Barbara Copperthwaite:
Barbara is the Amazon and USA Today bestselling author of psychological thrillers INVISIBLE, FLOWERS FOR THE DEAD, THE DARKEST LIES, and HER LAST SECRET. Her latest book is THE PERFECT FRIEND. More importantly, she loves cakes, wildlife photography and, last but definitely not least, her two dogs, Scamp and Buddy (who force her to throw tennis balls for them for hours). Having spent over twenty years as a national newspaper and magazine journalist, Barbara has interviewed the real victims of crime - and also those who have carried those crimes out. She is fascinated by creating realistic, complex characters, and taking them apart before the readers' eyes in order to discover just how much it takes to push a person over a line. When not writing feverishly, she is often found hiding behind a camera, taking wildlife photographs.
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