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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
That said, despite the lack of connection with the characters, I was impressed with the intensity of the story line. I enjoyed the enjoy the edge of my seat quality and determining if it was suicide or murder. Following Ava and Luc’s story is emotional, it’s twisty, it’s well thought out. If you want a fast paced, thrilling ride of ups, downs, ins and outs, this is a 3.5 star read you don’t want to miss. I am looking forward to grabbing the other books in this series and see what Fields has in store for her fans with those ones.
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley, Avon Books UK and was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.*
Stephen Berry is a tormented soul who is trying to attempt suicide but has picked a very public place to do it. Unfortunately a large congregates and watches him with the police arriving and friendly soul who comes to talk to him. He starts having doubts and is eventually talked into coming back to safety and staying alive. A week later he is found dead at the castle and DCI Ava Turner is there to investigate.
Its an intriguing story and keeps you guessing without giving much away. This book is very cleverly written with some descriptive writing covering Edinburgh, the counselloring centre that tried to help the people trying to commit suicide and the police procedures. Lots going on to keep you interested in the book and I didn't want to put it down. I do enjoy this series.
What kinda scooby doo shit is that? Not to mention that, JUST when I was thinking these two were FINALLY making headway in their 4-book-long stagnant relationship, the author lobs in a contrivance worthy of a Netflix teen drama. I cringed so hard at the “love heals all” implication
Reading Helen Fields' Perfect series is like drinking a hot cup of tea after having walked miles in the rain. It's comforting, absorbing, and feels oh-so-good!
I would like to thank Sabah for inviting me to be part of this amazing blog tour!
Are you looking for a disturbing read?
I mean, really disturbing.
Really.
Upsetting even.
Awfully dark.
Terribly good.
It all starts with vulnerability. Someone ready to take their life, saved at the eleventh hour by a stranger who happens to be a prevention consellor. My heart broke within the first pages of the book. Helen Fields invades a man’s thoughts in such a spot-on way, describing his mental state, letting us in on his fears, his pain, to give the reader an idea of what can spur a person to think of ending their days. This is no easy subject. In fact, suicide is still a taboo, and its name bears strong stigmas. But when the author takes the matter in her hands, it is with respect and honesty. This is why it hurt so much. I could understand Stephen Berry’s heavy heart, I wished I could help him. I sighed with relief when he changed his mind…
Only to discover him dead a week later. Now here is the most amazing part of this book. Amazing and stunningly insane! I mean, dear Helen, you killed me with this plot… No joke intended!
One body. A suicidal man. Ava and Luc are called but everything points towards suicide. Except… Doubt isn’t enough to build a case on, and the team isn’t even sure of what they can make of their assumptions. Is there more than meets the eye?
Then another body is found. And another. The victims fit the profile of suicidal patients. Yet their deaths are orchestrated to perfection. Isn’t this scary? Everything looks painful, a bit too neat, but there is no proof someone else has been involved. Could those people have chosen the most difficult and painful ways to go? How many police officers would rule those deaths as suicide to be back in time to the station to have lunch? I was afraid. Yes, this is the right word. Afraid and feeling the injustice in those deaths. Thinking your life isn’t worth living is one thing. Planning the worst way to leave this world is another. But with no leads and only a few details which could be deemed normal to the eye of 99% of the population, crime professional or not, what can you do? I had a nagging feeling I couldn’t shake, and I applaud the author for giving away just the right amount of information to keep me wondering.
Helen Fields took me into the darkest days of people I didn’t know and they left carved images of sadness in my mind. A brilliantly cold accuracy froze my brain at each scene. I was dreading the next phone call that would announce another person had died. Wasn’t there more we could have done to prevent these events from happening? But hey, what was actually happening? As you can see, I was totally engrossed and absolutely lost!
With four bodies in four weeks, I was convinced we had a killer on the loose! Now, I must say that while the lines of the plot were absolutely flawless in their execution, I quickly realized there was only one possible suspect. The more pages I turned, the firmer I believed I was right. Was I? Yes!!! But there is so much going on that knowing who was behind it never prevented me from enjoying the book. That’s how good this series is!
On top of a possible serial killer playing God, Ava and Luc have other issues to deal with. You can run from your past, but Helen Fields reminds us it always catches up! Luc involuntarily finds himself tangled up in an investigation linked to his past and handled by his own team, leading to intense moments between him and Ava. I love their relationship and this new installment in the series takes things to another level… When your world is shaken, you turn to the closest person to you… But is it the best idea? My lips are sealed!
Perfect Crime is intense and wins the Crime Plot of the Month award! A subtle, precise writing I can’t get enough of, multi-layered characters with heavy backgrounds, and a pace that never lets up – Helen Fields has written another unputdownable thrilling book!
I reread for a second time and the ending was just as surprising. It was interesting having links throughout to mental ill health, within both the investigations. My only hope is that Ava and Luc reconcile
I really enjoyed the previous book in the series, Perfect Silence, however although I have yet to read the other 3. I feel it is pretty easy to follow the story without having read them.
I thought the storyline was interesting and not one I had come across before. I do find the will they/won’t they between Callanach and Turner a little tedious though, and that’s after only reading 2 of the books. This distracted from the case at times, although I am sure there are people who enjoy it.
Not my favourite of the series, but fans of the characters will enjoy it.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book.
As always, the mystery element of this book was wonderful. There were multiple elements to this one, and I was sucked in deep trying to work out how everything came together. Although I worked out how one thing came together, I did not manage to put the pieces of the other together until quite late in the book. I was convinced it was going to go a different way, and it made up for the fact I managed to work out how the bigger story played out.
As much as I enjoyed the mystery element of this one, I was disappointed by the development of the personal story between Luc and Ava. It’s something I’ve been really enjoying throughout the series, and with Perfect Crime things progress a lot. However, I wasn’t crazy about the way things developed. It didn’t quite have the emotional impact I’d expected, and I wasn’t invested in it the way I have been invested in other elements of their story. I guess I just expected more when I realised how much things progressed in this one. That’s just me, though.
Overall, Perfect Crime was another fabulous addition to the series, one that had me jumping right into book six.