Lisa Hall is simply brilliant at writing a tension-fuelled, pulse-raising, suspicion-filled bomb-of-a-book, and ‘The Perfect Couple’, Lisa’s latest book, was no different. With a threat behind every turn of the page and a suspect behind every friendly face, I didn’t know who to trust, who to dislike, and who to point my finger at. I like to think that by the middle of a story, I’ve usually managed to get a handle on the characters and have got them figured out, but this book kept its secrets hidden very well.
‘The Perfect Couple’ follows Emily Belrose who is sick and tired of being jobless, with no routine to her life, and no regular income leaving her with little to do with her days, except lounge on the sofa with Mags, eat rubbish and watch constant TV. Emily is ready for a change, and it can’t come soon enough. So, when she spots the job advert for the position of live-in housekeeper in an impressive house in Somerville, Fox House, she jumps at the opportunity to get out and start earning an income for herself, and at the opportunity to not be under Mags’s watchful eye.
After her successful interview with Rupert, man of the house and recently widowed, Emily begins work as his housekeeper right away. It’s clear from the first moment they meet that there’s a connection between Emily and Rupert, a fizzing chemistry immediately igniting between them. It isn’t long until the line between business and pleasure is officially crossed and Rupert and Emily aren’t just boss and employee, but partners, and even swifter, Rupert pops the question and Emily becomes his fiancé. As Emily settles in as Rupert’s wife, it quickly becomes apparent that, although his ex-wife has passed away, she is still very much present in the home she now shares with Rupert, and she tries her hardest to fit in and fill the space that Caro left behind, things take a sinister turn, and Emily begins to get the feeling someone is watching her, someone who isn’t very happy about her place in Rupert’s life.
Hall sets the tone for this book perfectly. It’s dark, it’s creepy, and there’s a sense of uncertainty throughout that definitely affected me and had me watching these characters intensely. When Emily starts picking up on the sense of being watched, followed and played with, I couldn’t help but to notice it, too. There’s an uneasiness about it, and it teases you throughout the progression of the story, leading you this way and that, bringing certain characters forward to your attention, then pushing them back, like a twisted merry-go-round of suspicion. Hall’s style is as sharp as it ever was, punchy and perfectly in-keeping with the speedy pacing of the plot, which surges forward with every new chapter. This is one of the reasons I enjoy Hall’s writing so much. The descriptions razor-sharp, the characters brilliantly put-together, the structure allowing no time for stopping. I always feel as though I’ve been on a rollercoaster after reading Lisa Hall’s books. You’re thrown all over the place and never given a chance to catch your breath.
The characters in ‘The Perfect Couple’ were all solid and certainly believable. Each of them with their unique flaws and motives, it really made it impossible for me to figure out who was behind the strange letters and phone calls and doorstep presents Emily became the receiver of. Rupert, although attentive and loving, was a workaholic, and he definitely infuriated me at times, always assuming that Emily was being dramatic, or looking into things too deeply. I can’t stand when a man does this, and despite everything, I couldn’t help wondering if perhaps he had anything to do with what Emily experiences. Emily finds it hard to slot into life as Rupert’s wife, especially surrounded by all of his friends and family, who were once so close to Caro, and all so incredibly fond of her. Emily takes the place of Caro and even inherits her friends and family. Sadie and Amanda are kind enough to Emily, but there are plenty of scenes within the book where they make remarks of a certain nature and you just can’t help wondering, is it one of them? The questions are endless, and I began looking at every character as if they were all guilty. There’s also the constant threat of Emily’s violent ex, as well, which only ramped up the tension in this book even more. Sure that he would one day track her down, it’s only expected that he would be someone Emily would assume could be responsible for the sinister goings-on. There’s also Mags, who Emily lives with before she takes the position at Rupert’s as housekeeper, who also seems a little odd and a little overprotective when it comes to Emily’s well-being and safety. There truly was motive everywhere, and I couldn’t wait to see how it would all play out in the final few scenes.
When everything began to come together, I felt a certain sense of relief on Emily’s part. She wasn’t going mad, she wasn’t seeing or imagining things, as Rupert and her new friends had so often tried to tell her. She was a clever character, and once she put her mind to it, she was able to figure out everything, the truth behind Caro’s passing included. There was lots to sink my teeth into in this book, lots of guessing and wondering and trying to figure it out before Emily.
Hall is an incredibly clever, devilish and dark writer. Her stories always hit that part of me that enjoys the creepy and the sinister perfectly. With so many secrets, twists and turns, this was a highly entertaining, thrilling and suspense-drive read, that I thoroughly enjoyed and has reminded me of why I love reading Lisa Hall’s books. You become swamped in a world that belongs to somebody else, and race through the pages, desperate to see how it will all end. Lisa Hall writes with skill and purpose, a purpose to unnerve her readers, and it works with me, every single time.
With thanks to the publisher for the advanced reading copy of this book. The Perfect Couple by Lisa Hall is receiving a rating of four out of five from The Book Babe today.
When Emily applies for a job as a housekeeper for widower Rupert, it’s a chance to start over – a steady job and regular money means she can work towards her own place, not sharing a grimy flat with old mate, Mags.
As Emily gets to know more about Rupert’s world – how he likes his supper when he comes in from work, who his friends are – she can make sure everything runs like clockwork for him.
Soon there’s a spark between them; Rupert likes Emily and invites her to stay. For good.
To the outside world, they really seem to be a perfect match. There’s just the small issue of what really happened to Rupert’s first wife…
You can pre-order/purchase your copy of The Perfect Couple by Lisa Hall here.
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