Title: Perfect Match
Author: D.B. Thorne
Published: April 24th 2018
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Pages: 400
Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Crime, Psychological, Thriller
RRP: $29.99
Rating: 4 stars
Perfect Match is a dark psychological thriller about a serial killer hunting women through dating apps. It’s clever, brilliantly plotted and completely unputdownable.
When Solomon’s sister is found drugged and in a coma after an online date, Solomon can’t believe this was just a terrible accident. Determined to find out what happened to his sister, and with the police unwilling to help, Solomon begins to investigate on his own. He soon uncovers a rash of similar cases of women who have been found brutally murdered or assaulted after an online date.There is a predator out there working the streets of London, preying on young women. Solomon sets out to bring him to justice, putting him on a collision course with a deadly killer who is fiendishly clever and more twisted than anyone could possibly imagine…
My review:
Once you have read a few pages of this intelligent and pulse pounding crime thriller, you will think twice about online dating! Perfect Match centres on the crimes of a deranged killer, who seems to be targeting women via online dating applications. It is a scathing look at the influence of social media and the opportunities this presents to engage in such an awful crime.
Set in London in the present day, Perfect Match opens as a young woman is found drugged and almost drowned after embarking on an online date. Now in a coma, the young woman’s brother, Solomon, doesn’t believe this is an accident, he is sure something more sinister is at work. With the police unwilling to help solve his sister’s case, Solomon decides to do his own form of investigation. What he discovers is quite startling, there are a number of cases recently of women found brutally murdered, as well as physically assaulted following an online date. Solomon is sure the predator is still out there roaming the streets and foraging for more victims. But Solomon doesn’t realise just how clever this predator really is and calls in some extra help in an attempt to outsmart this killer – before he strikes again.
It’s a big thumbs up for me and Perfect Match. This is my first experience of the writing of D.B. Thorne and I thoroughly enjoyed my time with his brand new release, Perfect Match. I hope I can experience more of Thorne’s writing in the not too distant future. I have already ordered a copy of his previous book Troll, which is another crime thriller that strikes at the heart of social media and the fertile ground it offers to commit the perfect set of crimes. Perfect Match was a book that hooked me in from the very beginning and it didn’t cease its vice like grip until the closing moments of this engrossing crime thriller.
Thorne taps into very relevant and topical ground in his latest novel. It seems like online dating and dating apps are all the craze these days. Thorne taps into this current theme and exposes it for all its worth. He taps in to our fears, knowing that this scenario, a crazed killer preying on victims via the simple use of an app, could easily happen to anyone, anywhere and at any time. The realism and contemporary feel of the crime of this novel will chill you to the bone and make you suspicious of any kind of dating application!
What really makes this novel something great is the main character of Solomon. His deep resolve to get to the bottom of the reason for his sister’s condition is admirable and brave. Solomon is an interesting character in his own right. I was intrigued by his back story, the attack that left him disfigured and the reasons why he hasn’t left his home for over two years. Thorne does a good job of driving our sympathies towards Solomon and we hope that he is able to get to the very root cause of his sister’s crime.
I also appreciated the interplay between Solomon, his sister Tiffany and their brother Luke, who is a suspect character with criminal connections. These family dynamics added another layer to this tale, so Perfect Match becomes much more than a simple crime thriller. Adding to the mix is the ineptitude of the police, in particular investigator Fox. This aspect of the book will have any reader shaking their head in disbelief at the lack of effective police work. It is the quiet and surprising force of the ‘brain squad’, an underground group of figures Solomon communicates with online that helps to finally break this case.
The killer himself, a crazy and underhanded online predator is composed well by Thorne. The killer is astute, one step ahead of the police and Solomon. The moments involving the killer are full of the twists and the unknown. The reader feels a constant state of unease while reading Perfect Match, wondering when he is going to strike and what he will do. I’m sure this is Thorne’s intention, to make us feel the thrills and chills of a deranged killer on the loose, at the hands of an inept police investigation!
The pace really ramps up a notch towards the final chapters of this book. I stayed up way past my bedtime in an effort to finish this one. If real life didn’t get in the way, I would have easily read Perfect Match in one sitting, it is that kind of read!
Highly recommended for fans of the genre.
Perfect Match by D.B. Thorne was published on 24th April 2018 by Allen & Unwin. Details on how to purchase the book can be found here.
To learn more about the author of Perfect Match, D.B. Thorne visit here.
*I wish to thank Allen & Unwin for providing me with a free copy of this book for review purposes.
