'Seriously, amazingly, awesomely brilliant' CJ Tudor, author of The Chalk Man 'Chilling . . . compulsive and deeply thought-provoking' Cara Hunter, author of Close to Home ********** "There's something I have to explain, my love," he says, taking your hand in his. "That wasn't a dream. It was an upload." Abbie wakes in a hospital bed with no memory of how she got there. The man by her side explains that he's her husband. He's a titan of the tech world, the founder of one of Silicon Valley's most innovative startups. He ...
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'Seriously, amazingly, awesomely brilliant' CJ Tudor, author of The Chalk Man 'Chilling . . . compulsive and deeply thought-provoking' Cara Hunter, author of Close to Home ********** "There's something I have to explain, my love," he says, taking your hand in his. "That wasn't a dream. It was an upload." Abbie wakes in a hospital bed with no memory of how she got there. The man by her side explains that he's her husband. He's a titan of the tech world, the founder of one of Silicon Valley's most innovative startups. He tells Abbie she's a gifted artist, a doting mother to their young son, and the perfect wife. Five years ago, she suffered a terrible accident. Her return from the abyss is a miracle of science, a breakthrough in artificial intelligence that has taken him half a decade to achieve. But as Abbie pieces together memories of her marriage, she begins questioning her husband's motives - and his version of events. Can she trust him when he says he wants them to be together for ever? And what really happened to her, half a decade ago? A gripping psychological thriller, perfect for fans of The Woman in the Window and The Wife Between Us. ********** See what everyone is saying about JP Delaney, the hottest name in psychological thrillers: 'DAZZLING' - Lee Child 'ADDICTIVE' - Daily Express 'DEVASTATING' - Daily Mail 'INGENIOUS' - New York Times 'COMPULSIVE' - Glamour Magazine 'ELEGANT' - Peter James 'SEXY' - Mail on Sunday 'ENTHRALLING' - Woman and Home 'ORIGINAL' - The Times 'RIVETING' - Lisa Gardner 'CREEPY' - Heat 'SATISFYING' - Reader's Digest 'SUPERIOR' - The Bookseller 'MORE THAN A MATCH FOR PAULA HAWKINS' - Sunday Times And if you loved The Perfect Wife, you'll love JP Delaney's sensational new thriller, Playing Nice - out now in paperback.
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Seller's Description:
Dispatched, from the UK, within 48 hours of ordering. Though second-hand, the book is still in very good shape. Minimal signs of usage may include very minor creasing on the cover or on the spine. Grubby book may have mild dirt or some staining, mostly on the edges of pages.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Dispatched, from the UK, within 48 hours of ordering. Though second-hand, the book is still in very good shape. Minimal signs of usage may include very minor creasing on the cover or on the spine.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Dispatched, from the UK, within 48 hours of ordering. This book is in good condition but will show signs of previous ownership. Please expect some creasing to the spine and/or minor damage to the cover. Grubby book may have mild dirt or some staining, mostly on the edges of pages.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Dispatched, from the UK, within 48 hours of ordering. This book is in good condition but will show signs of previous ownership. Please expect some creasing to the spine and/or minor damage to the cover. Ex-library book with stamps on the first page, it is also likely to have a small shelf number sticker on the spine.
When Abbie wakes up with no idea who she is or what has happened to her, her husband Tim is more than happy to fill in the gaps. But what secrets are hiding within her past?
The blurb of The Perfect Wife is a little misleading; I had the impression that Abbie would have no idea what she was - a woman woken up from a traumatic accident and told bits about her life only to find something more sinister lurking beneath the surface. However, 3 pages in (so not a spoiler!) we are told Abbie is actually a very intelligent AI system, brought to life in the image of her maker's wife. She struggles with the idea of her existence as she tries to find out more about the life her maker and his wife had before she was created.
The book is split into two perspectives - the second person tense account of the robot Abbie and the third person of someone else retelling the past. The changes in narrative work really nicely together and the second tense chapters are done very well. We feel a lot of empathy for the Robot Abbie as she comes to terms with having a downloaded human personality and a synthetic body. The plot is very nicely paced and gives small pieces of information away in a trickle until we are racing towards an action-packed finale. I have read that a few people found the ending confusing and although it isn't quite what I expected to happen I personally didn't have a problem understanding it - it was an interesting twist!
I also really enjoyed the characterisations explored in the book - particularly Danny who has late onset autism. I found the chapters that included him to be very heart-warming and he felt very fleshed out and well-researched as a character. The asides to his treatment and behaviour therapy were also very interesting. Tim's colder and ambitious side was also well detailed and the fact we empathised with the robot version of Abbie shows real skill in J.P. Delaney's work. The writing in general was a joy to read - producing an easy to read book which kept me gripped throughout.
Overall, The Perfect Wife is well-written Sci-Fi with a thriller angle and I highly recommend it. Thank you to NetGalley & Quercus Books for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
