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A review by wilybooklover
The Perfect Crimes of Marian Hayes by Cat Sebastian
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
5.0
Ahhh, the Robin Hood references! I grew up about half an hour from Sherwood Forest and it’s always been one of my favourite legends, so I’m delighted to see the parallels in this story.
Rob’s blackmail letters to Marian soon turn into love letters, and his infatuation with her grows after she drugs him and ties him up only to ask for his help when she accidentally murders her husband. I just loved their dynamic; Rob’s laidback golden retriever nature versus Marian’s mean and prickly personality. He basically follows her around with heart eyes for the whole book (although briefly distracted by adorable kittens). Both Rob and Marian are bisexual disasters, and their interactions and relationship feel realistically queer.
There were some great nuanced conversations about ethics in this — about having money, about stealing money, about murder, about motherhood — but they didn’t feel intrusive or unnatural to the narrative. The dialogue is as witty and clever as it was in Kit Webb.
I will admit I was a bit weirded out at Rob being the half-brother of Marian’s daughter and the son of her deceased husband, especially since he kept that info from her for longer than he really should have. But it didn’t bother me enough to impact my enjoyment of the story!
Graphic: Gun violence, Blood, Murder, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, and Dementia
Moderate: Pregnancy and Confinement
Minor: Forced institutionalization, Rape, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Emotional abuse