Author: Tasmina Perry
ISBN: 978-0-7553-5849-6
RRP: $29.99
Tasmina Perry’s latest novel is a gripping page turner that held me in thrall start to finish. There is something for everyone with elements of crime, suspense, romance and travel.
In an ideal world this is one book that I would have devoured in a single sitting, I found it extremely difficult to put down and was always itching to get back into it. In part I can attribute this to the various strands of storyline playing out simultaneously, the chapters focus on different characters so at the end of every chapter you want to continue until you can get back to those characters to see what they’re up to.
The story is told in the third person which keeps the story flowing fluidly through chapters as it focuses on different characters. There are straightforward links between some of the characters from the beginning so you know how they fit together. As the story progresses the twists begin and we start to see that often things are not what they seem.
Yet again Tasmina Perry has set her story in the midst of the wealthy, leading lives of privilege. Gorgeous houses, everything money can buy and shallow characters concerned more about bank balances and appearances than actual people.
Sophie Ellis is a spoilt, materialistic young lady drifting through life on Daddy’s bank balance until he loses all the family money in a Ponzi scheme, and then 12 months later passes away from a heart attack. Chapter One opens with Sophie at her father’s funeral trying not to let the other attendees see how much she’s hurting. After the family lost all their money it seems they lost most of their friends as well. She is forced to reassess her life and start standing on her own two feet, which is how she ends up working in a gym and then starting her own personal training business.
Before long Sophie is house-sitting for a client, which is how she meets Nick Cooper and quickly becomes involved with him. Within a week Nick is murdered in his hotel suite and Sophie is a suspect. From this point Sophie’s life rapidly spirals out of control, it is also where our other leading lady and gents enter the picture.
Ruth Boden is a committed newspaper journalist out to catch a story big enough to land her the promotion she is desperate for, which lands her in Nick’s hotel suite ready to give her all in the pursuit of this story.
Inspector Fox is a detective on the Nick Cooper case chasing every lead he can get his hands on to track down Nick’s killer.
And then there’s Josh, an apparent friend of Nick’s and the only person Sophie could think to contact trying to find answers of her own.
Tasmina Perry doesn’t just write her characters, she creates them, and these ones are very 3-dimensional and in focus. There is not a great deal of background on Inspector Fox because we only really see him when he is totally immersed in the case and he is on duty almost 24/7 so even though we only see Inspector Fox and not the man he is off duty it still seems like a complete picture because he seems to live and breathe the job.
Josh is another character who remains shrouded in mystery throughout the novel and I think this works well because we need that slight sense of vagueness to keep us guessing.
Ruth Boden is a character we do get to know inside and out, on duty and off. She is a cut-throat journalist willing to do pretty much anything to get her story. Yes, over the years she has learned to play the game so to speak and her integrity isn’t neccessarily what it once was and she is a journalist who is always on duty but we still see Ruth Boden the woman as well as the journalist.
Sophie, well Sophie is on a roller coaster ride of discovery, much of it self discovery and that brings us closer to her as the pages turn. A young woman who started the book a spoilt little princess grows into a strong and assertive character who is more than capable of standing up for herself.
I loved this book. I love the characters, I love Perry’s writing style and I love the never-ending twists. Looking back I can see that there were clues to head us in the right direction but never enough to completely join the dots because things are often not what they seem and this plot is layered much more intricately than I was expecting.
I can’t wait to hear what our book club readers have to say about it.
I devour books, vampires and supernatural creatures are my genre of choice but over the past couple of years, I have broadened my horizons considerably. In a nutshell – I love to write! I love interacting with a diverse range of artists to bring you interviews. Perhaps we were perfect before – I LOVE WORDS!
Tasmina Perry’s “Perfect Strangers”, whilst an enjoyable story, is somewhat hollow. Although adopting the multi-layered, parallel lives intertwining of international best-selling authors of the Harold Robbins ilk, this 400 page offering is lacking depth. In short, it is the “baby chino” of such an epic style, and as such, I found it rather disappointing.
In trying to cram so much into a manageable sized novel, the novelist has had to sacrifice much: the characters are not given sufficient background detail and are very cliched portrayals of stereotypes (the spoilt rich girl who falls on hard times, the con man, the hardnosed journalist struggling for a fair deal in a man’s world). Perhaps the biggest disappointment for me was that many of the twists and turns in the plot were too predictable. Normally, a novel in this style is something I find hard to put down. However, I had no trouble putting this one aside when I needed to.
As a lightweight, interesting story, it is good, and I am sure would be enjoyed by many. Just don’t expect to be held spellbound.
I have read hundreds of novels, and can’t believe this is my first experience with Tasmina Perry.
I could not put this book down!
With enough twists and turns to keep the reader wondering, this has something for everyone.
I really enjoyed getting to know both Ruth and Sophie. I would have liked to have known a bit more about Josh, as a lot was alluded to, but not really explained fully.
All in all, a great Summer read that I would definitely recommend.
Perfect Strangers is a bit of a page turner! Twists and turns, a plot that had characters and events that seemed so predictable, but not so. Loved the authors style of writing and really enjoyed that I was kept guessing until the very end. I still hadn’t pieced together the ending until the very last few pages, happy that this novel wasn’t transparent like a lot of other murder mysteries. Overall, this was a good read and I would highly recommend it.
WOW – what an AMAZING book… I was kept on the edge of my seat and wanting more with the turn of each page.
This book is a constant reminder that even if your close to a person you don’t always really know someone, and the more you do more can prove to be a little bit speculative.
The characters and plot line were well developed and even with the mystery it was easy for me to follow.
I loved the detail of the story and felt an intimate connection with the characters through the author.
Great work Tasmina I would recommend to all my book lover friends!
This is my first introduction to Tasmina Perry’s works. Am most impressed and eagerly await all forthcoming novels plus seeking out any previous works.
Perfect Strangers was unexpected, suspenseful and satisfyingly enjoyable. From the first pages the reader is thrust into and immersed in this intruiging puzzle. Murder, robbery, car chases, this novel has it all; through several countries leading the reader ever onward into more dangerous situations.
Sophie the main character is the unwitting pawn whom everyone assumes knows all the answers, and so is in the uneviable position of being the one who is being pursued by all including the law. There is of course time for a little romance, and there are
other interesting characters in the novel.
In all, I enjoyed it immensely and can recommend it highly.
Thank you Beauty and Lace for the opportunity to review this; it was a pleasure. I hope to be considered for another review soon.
Having not been an avid reader in the past, I have recently delved into the world of books, and with my first time reading from author Tasmina Perry, Perfect Strangers, I was not disappointed. Although I found it a little frustrating, trying to keep up with what the main characters, only to find I was back and forth between Ruth and Sophie, I found it hard to put it down. Wanting to continue on through the next chapter to find what would happen next, having been left on the edge of my seat by the previous chapter. The ongoing threads of information challenging the reader to figure out the ending, what was to happen to Sophie, would Ruth get her story, who did kill Nick and where was the money from the Ponzi scheme? Perry gave only sufficient information to keep you there, never quite knowing where the story would go next. A thriller, romance, crime story, with that touching end you expect from a feel-good-movie all rolled into one. I look forward to Perry’s next novels and thank Beauty and Lace for opening my eyes to one amazing author!
Thankyou for the opportunity to review this book. I have never read a Tasmina Perry book before so it was a new read. I found it took a a few chapters for me to really get into this book. It was a good read with a lot of twists and turns. I did’nt find it a gripping read though. I did enjoy it when reading it though. The sex scenes did seem a bit out of sync with the rest of the book though. the character, Sophie seems to fall in love very easily, bit unrealistic but the book itself is extremely unrealistic. As much as I enjoyed reading it, I don’t think I would ever reread it or seek out any other books written by this author.
Perfect Strangers – Tasmina Perry.
Sophie Ellis morphs from a “little rich girl” who has been left with little money after a disastrous investment by her father into a self sufficent, controlled young woman, capable of standing on her own feet, at peace with herself and the world.
The story begins in a jail and by the end of the first chapter “The Man Who Has Everything” is dead, murdered in the jail. It doesn’t become obvious who this person is or what part he plays for some time only that he was once extremely rch.
Sophie needs to earn a living after her father, who she adored, dies, shortly after losing the family fortune when investments go seriously wrong. Sophie and her Mum have to come to terms with having almost no money. Sophie is so used to living as part of “The Chelsea Set” that finding work won’t be easy. Sophie begins work at The Red Heart Gym where the owner has offered her free membership in return for Sophie helping out behind the reception desk once a week. It is here that Sophie meets Lana, an immaculate and glamorous brunette. “She was the stereotypical Chelsea housewife, except there was something exotic about her, an accent that Sophie couldn’t quite place.”
Lana asks Sophie to be her personal trainer, something that comes easily to Sophie and pays extremely well. She also invites Sophie to house-sit her Knightsbridge townhouse, something that appears to be the offer of a lifetime. Lana has given Sophie complete freedom and Sophie and her best friend decide to take advantage of one of the party invitations Lana has left. Availing themselves of Lana’s beautiful clothes and shoes they attend a function where Sophie meets Nick Cooper, a wealthy American businessman.
Sophie and Nick have a brief, passionate affair. Sophie leaves Nick’s suite to keep an appointment, returning not long after when she realises she has left her mobile phone. She finds Nick dead and immediately becomes the chief suspect in his murder.
So begins the incredibly intricate series of events with Sophie setting out to clear her name. It soon becomes obvious that Nick is most definitely not the person he appeared to be. Sophie seeks out the only person she knows who knew Nick. Josh McCormack had been at the same function and Nick had introduced them.
Sophie arranges to meet Josh at his houseboat. As they are leaving the houseboat, planning on meeting Inspector Fox, who is in charge of the case, they are shot at and barely escape with their lives. Josh stays with Sophie who has no idea who would want to harm her, assisting and protecting her as they try to piece things together. Eventually it becomes clear that the people after her believe she has knowledge of where the money her father was involved in is hidden.
I have no intention of spoiling the story with more details. It is a brilliant book, fast paced and flowing but never losing the thread. The characters are beautifully written, becoming real people. The way Sophie grows as a person in the short, terrifying time that she is running for her life is handled so well, without sacrificing any details and without dwelling on anything unnecessary.
Every character is well drawn and you do feel that you know each of them personally. The story is told over a fairly short time span but it isn’t rushed. It is beautifully rounded with conclusions so that you feel very satisfied but at the same time there is never a hint of conclusion just for the sake of conclusion.
I just loved the book, from beginning to end. For me, there wasn’t one weak link. This is my first Tasmina Perry, it won’t be my last.
Thank you so much, Beauty and Lace and Headline for the opportunity to read and review this excellent book. It is, without doubt, a brilliant read.
First up I must thank Beauty and Lace for this fantastic opportunity to review this book.This is my first taste of Tasmina Perrys work and I love it! An amazing page turning novel that gives a taste of wealth,love,adventure,travel and mystery.When Sophie Ellis is asked to house-sit at a luxurious townhouse, it seems to be the offer of a lifetime. Sophie becomes drawn into the popular circle of the home’s owner, she meets wealthy American businessman Nick Cooper only to be swept up into a thrilling and passionate affair. When Nick is found dead in his hotel suite, Sophie becomes prime suspect for his murder, and soon realises he wasn’t the man he had appeared to be. In order to discover the truth and clear her name, Sophie elude not only the authorities as well as a group of dangerous men who seem to think she has something that they want …..This is a book to escape with – moving from London to New York to exotic countries, and into a world where mistaken identity unravels a the deceit and conspiracy.
Thanks for the opportunity to read Perfect Strangers. The first sex scene did put me off. I thought “Ohno not another Shades Of Grey look a like! But I kept reading and was held captive, the story moved well, always one step ahead of me. Sophie and Ruth grew in strenght as the story progressed. I found it difficult to beleive that Sophie could fall in love so quickly and that Ruth seemed to want ‘a man’ at any cost. This part of the book lacked integrity. However the storyline moved well, building and becoming more entangled with the characters. I will look for more books by Tasmina