Monday, April 13, 2020

The Perfect Man Might Be Too Good to be True


Nina and the children are devastated when Glenn’s boat is found by a fisherman floating in the river with only the dog, Daisy, aboard. Glenn’s body is never found, and Maggie knows the family must move beyond the tragedy, but as she finds more about Glenn’s behavior before he disappeared she wonders if she was deceived all along.

Simon, a high school teacher, returns Daisy, who has apparently walked out the open front door. He’s a widower mourning the suicide of his wife. He and Nina hit it off immediately. He’s kind, supportive, and after Glenn’s disappearance everything Nina wants. Connor, her son, agrees. Here’s a man who spends time with him. Maggie, Nina’s daughter, isn’t so sure. She resents Simon and does all she can to get him out of their lives.

This is a psychological thriller that will keep you guessing. It starts slowly building the picture of the family right after Glenn’s disappearance. Then the pace picks up and slowly the picture changes. The story is told through two view points, Nina’s and Maggie’s. I thought it was very effective. Nina sees the relationship she wants and tries to convince herself of the rightness of it. Maggie distrusts Simon. She’s very bright and going through some typical teenage relationship problems, but it doesn’t keep her from having a view of Simon that may be more correct than her mother’s.

This is a well written psychological thriller. You can see the disaster unfolding, but it’s so riveting you just keep watching. In this regard, I thought Nina’s scenes with her therapist were some of the best in the book. Nina sees what’s happening, but doesn’t want to.

I received this book from St. Martin’s Press for this review.

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