Synopsis:

The perfect man.

The perfect life.

The corpse on the beach.

Investigative reporter Ellie has just given up her life in London to be with the man of her dreams in Sweden when she stumbles across a half decomposed skeleton on Midsummer’s eve.

She’s flung into a murder investigation in a country where she doesn’t speak the language and doesn’t know a soul.

Except Johan.

The love of her life.

Who she is beginning to suspect knows a lot more about the body than he is admitting.

Is he the perfect man, or has Ellie uncovered the perfect crime?

A psychological suspense thriller with a twist of Scandi noir – perfect for fans of The Girl on the Train, Gone Girl and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

I love this author’s writing style, she gives her characters distinctive personalities and in this case Ellie, the main character, manages to be hilarious and completely engaging in the midst of a dark and suspenseful crime thriller.

Ellie has taken the plunge and left her life in London as an investigative journalist to move to Sweden with her new boyfriend, who has a few dark secrets in his past that he’s neglected to mention. Ellie spends a lot of time rationalising all of Johan’s lies and flaws to try to convince herself that this hasn’t been a massive mistake, despite being an otherwise intelligent and no-nonsense human being. I found this aspect of her personality really humanising and well written by the author.

The ‘whodunnit’ plot was suspenseful and though I had strong suspicions halfway through, I really enjoyed the twists and turns along the way.

Duffy is one of my favourite crime thriller authors because I know her refreshingly funny approach to an otherwise dark genre will keep me hooked, all of her characters have the complexity that I look for in any kind of story.