Title: The Perfect Victim
Author: Corrie Jackson
Publisher: Bonnier Zaffre

[Synopsis]

Husband, friend, colleague . . . killer?

Charlie and Emily Swift are the Instagram-perfect couple: gorgeous, successful and in love. But then Charlie is named as the prime suspect in a gruesome murder and Emily’s world falls apart.

Desperate for answers, she turns to Charlie’s troubled best friend, London Herald journalist, Sophie Kent. Sophie knows police have the wrong man – she trusts Charlie with her life.

Then Charlie flees.

Sophie puts her reputation on the line to clear his name. But as she’s drawn deeper into Charlie and Emily’s unravelling marriage, she realises that there is nothing perfect about the Swifts.

As she begins to question Charlie’s innocence, something happens that blows the investigation – and their friendship – apart.

Now Sophie isn’t just fighting for justice, she’s fighting for her life.

For fans of Nicci French and Sophie Hannah, Corrie Jackson’s explosive new novel will leave you questioning how far you would go for friendship.

[My Review]

I think I’ve found a new favourite crime writer! I haven’t read Breaking Dead, the first in the Sophie Kent series, so I read The Perfect Victim as a standalone. Corrie Jackson has created not only a fantastic female protagonist but the perfect mix of convincing crime fiction combined with a touch of drama and plenty of mystery. Her writing is brilliant, with plenty of twists which take you by surprise just when you think you’ve got it all figured out.

As I mentioned, I feel that Sophie Kent is a fantastic main character. The fact that she’s not part of the police means she can take risks and, at times, cause trouble which she wouldn’t be able to as a police officer, but her job as a crime reporter means she gets enough information and is quick enough to pick up on clues, taking the reader along with her. She’s got her own demons but she’s incredibly fun to read about.

Similarly, I felt that Emma, the wife of the elusive Charlie (also close friends with Sophie) is a great character. She’s not necessarily likable or trustworthy BUT I found her hugely interesting to read about – a bit of a loose cannon, which always makes for fun reading! I also liked how so many of the characters were linked in some way – I don’t want to give too much away but the plot is cleverly worked so the reader finds themselves going “ahh that’s why…” or “I forgot about that!”; lots of seemingly unimportant things turn out to be more of a key issue than expected. I don’t want to say any more as I don’t want to ruin it for anyone else, but I would highly recommend The Perfect Victim to anyone looking for a great new crime series to dive into. I certainly intend on catching up with the first in the series.

[Rating: 5/5]

Thanks to Bonnier Zaffre for providing a copy of this novel on which I chose to write an honest and unbiased review.

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