The Other Couple by Diane Jeffrey
Genre: Domestic thriller, Psychological thriller, Suspense
Read: 6th May 2023
Published: 14th June 2023
★★★★★ 5 stars
DESCRIPTION:
Two couples. A fatal accident. And a decision that changes everything…
Kirsten and Nick are enjoying a weekend away until, on their drive home, they accidentally run over and kill a man. They should call for help – but they have too much to lose, and no one can know the real reason they’re here. Instead, they make a split-second decision to conceal the accident.
Amy and Greg have just celebrated their tenth wedding anniversary. Amy is expecting a baby, and they couldn’t be happier. So when Greg fails to come home from a dog walk one weekend, Amy knows the police are wrong to believe he left of his own accord. Someone must be behind Greg’s disappearance, and Amy won’t give up until she gets justice – or revenge.
If you had nothing left to lose, how far would you go to find the truth?
MY THOUGHTS:
They ruined your life...it's time to get revenge...
Just wow! This has got to be the best Diane Jeffrey book I have read to date! Oh my gosh...the adrenaline was pumping from start to finish. You just know who the villain is so how will it all end? Even I had no clue as to its direction until just before the final twist. And what a splendid twist it was. They say that revenge is a dish best served cold but Diane Jeffrey has dished this one up piping hot!! Where to begin?
THE OTHER COUPLE is about two couples - Nick and Kirsten...and Amy and Greg. And to make this thriller even more twisted, Nick is married to Edie and Kirsten is married to Jamie. They met five years previously when Kirsten, a high end real estate agent, sold Nick and his wife their stunning house. And a celebratory dinner ended up being a five year long affair. Never mind that Kirsten had a hubby and 8 year old daughter Lily at home. No. These two are the most selfish narcissistic self obsessed people that they cannot (and will not) see beyond their own selfish needs and desires...and to hell with everyone else. Not least their spouses...but also Amy and Greg Wood.
Nick and Kirsten have just enjoyed a dirty weekend at a flat they've rented on the North Devon coast. Far away from their busy lives in London...and anyone who would know them. But as their weekend comes to an end and they must return to London, they round a bend in the pouring rain and hit someone walking their dog...who turns out to be the owner of the very flat they have just rented this past weekend - Greg Wood. Panic sets in and the couple decide they have far too much to lose and bundle the body into the car along with the dog. They return to London where Nick "takes care of things" and Kirsten goes back to her life with a dog now in tow.
Back in Devon, Amy Wood has a roast lamb ready for carving and awaiting Greg to return from walking Rusty, their dog. When an hour turns into two, three and four, she begins to realise something has happened. She calls his parents and friends and no one has seen him. When she finally does call the police, they begin to work on the assumption that Greg has left of his own volition. But Amy knows that not to be true. They just celebrated their tenth wedding anniversary the day before and were on the cusp of an exciting new chapter of their lives. Greg was excited. He did not leave her and take Rusty with him without a word.
But what happened to Greg? And if something did happen to him, then where is Rusty?
Told from the alternating perspectives of Amy and Kirsten, THE OTHER COUPLE begins as something of a domestic thriller but turns into something far twistier.
Kirsten is wealthy with a stunning home in an affluent neighbourhood, a loving husband and an 8 year old daughter - she has it all...and still she isn't satisfied. She wants more. She wants Nick. And he is nothing but an abusive controlling narcissistic sociopath. He controls her by ghosting her for days and weeks on end and then love bombing her when they reunite. I honestly don't know what she saw in him. Frankly they deserved each other.
Amy, on the hand, had all my sympathy. She had a loving husband that was taken away from her in an instant, lost her dreams and even her dog! This other couple took everything from her. My heart ached for her with the not knowing what happened to Greg. When the police fail to provide any results, Amy decides to do some digging of her own...and to find out the truth one way or another.
WOW! Despite knowing who was who and who did what, the tension in this book was so tight I thought I would snap from the sheer intensity of it all. I loved the letters peppered throughout the book that were tacked onto the end of selected chapters. They aren't signed and there is enough information for readers to glean that someone's in prison...but why? And how? And most of all, who? None of which become clear until just before the final reveal when everything begins to fall into perfect place. And oh what symmetry! That twist was just so delicious I just have to relish it, it's so perfect. I loved it!
Overall, THE OTHER COUPLE is an edge of your seat thriller that is addictive and compelling, despite knowing all the players and their roles, you still want to see how it all ends. It really is so good...too good to put down and I hated the times I had to because I just wanted to keep reading it! I loved it. A well deserved 5 stars!
I would like to thank #DianeJeffrey, #Netgalley and #HQStories for an ARC of #TheOtherCouple in exchange for an honest review.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
After obtaining a BA joint honours degree in French and German from the University of Nottingham, Diane then decided to become a teacher. Though she felt she wasn't fluent enough in French or German to teach either subject, she moved to France, where she became an English teacher.
Diane always wanted to be an author and started writing poems and short stories at about five years of age. After lots of rejection letters and emails over the years from agents and editors, her debut novel was published when she was 43.
Diane has written five psychological thrillers, all published by HQ, an imprint of HarperCollins, and all bestselling ebooks: Those Who Lie (2017), He Will Find You (2018), The Guilty Mother (2019), a USA Today bestseller, The Silent Friend (2020), A Karin Slaughter Killer Reads pick for ASDA, and The Couple at Causeway Cottage (2022). She is currently working on my sixth novel.
When she's not teaching or writing, she runs (a little) and swim (a lot). She devours chocolate, books and beer. She also love holidays and travelling. Above all, Diane enjoy spending time with my family and friends.
Diane now lives in Lyon with her husband and three children, black Labrador and cat.
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