The Perfect Betrayal was a tale of two halves for me. It had some really good elements to it, but I think on the whole I found it just skirting the edges of plausibility; though I will confess that the ending probably makes up for any shortcomings. I did enjoy it don't get me wrong, it was a good easy read, which does I think engage the reader. My main area of concern though is just how far Tess was willing to trust Shelley. I get that she is grief-stricken, that Shelley helps her. but the moments of distrust that Tess had about her would have surely stopped her in her tracks. I don't know, maybe that's what Lauren North was aiming for when she wrote it? See, it's just too tricky to call for me. I know that if I suspected anyone of some of the things Tess imagines she did, she or he wouldn't get anywhere close to my child. Anyway, I'm going to park that thought up there and witter on some more!
Despite my misgivings I did like Tess, and I thought that Lauren North managed to convey Tess's grief well, that feeling that somehow the world should have stopped when her husband died, and the reality that life does still go on for those still alive. I, perhaps naturally, didn't warm to Shelley in quite the same way; I did feel sorry for her with her own grief, but it was difficult to feel anything more than distrust with the way she is written. Similarly Tess's brother-in-law Ian, this question surrounding money he claims he is owed again makes it difficult to warm to him; even if he did bring her dinner one time. The insecurity and danger Tess feels in general makes for an engaging read; particularly the over-protectiveness of her son Jamie, and the mysterious person she keeps feeling is watching her - all combine to create this sense of foreboding that runs through the story.
But the ending. Wow.
I thank the publishers and NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an HONEST review. The Perfect Betrayal is published on 14th March 2019
