Dynamic!
Thriller lovers will really enjoy this twisted tale of deceit, backstabbing, underhanded murder and female friendship. Once I started reading this I did not put it down, I read it straight through without stopping. The pace is fast, the tone was dark, and there were too many twists to put it down!
Antonia and Rose worked in the same classified plotting department during the war. A few years later they meet up on a London street, and discover over drinks that Antonia married a Czech business man and Rose to an uncaring brute. A little tipsy, Antonia suggests they would be better off without the men - the husbands could have an unfortunate 'accident'. We have heard this storyline before, notably in Patricia Highsmith's Strangers On A Train, but when Rose discovers her husband has been supporting another woman who had his child, the plan is kicked into gear. Rose is now free, thanks to Antonia, but discovers she cannot return the favour. Will Antonia commit another murder? She is an unforgettable character, a sociopathic narcissist so focused on her own desires that there are several options open to her - kill her husband herself or trick Rose into unknowingly doing it. Another plan is to convince her husband to kill off Rose for her personal gain. That these plans are all acted on at the same time keeps the story devilishly twisted, super enjoyable for those who love a heavy dose of black humour and an unforgettable psychotic bitch. All of this is capped with an ambiguous ending I found just right.
Peter Lovesey is the author of the Peter Diamond detective series. I started with this stand-alone novel but will absolutely seek out his other books. It's rare I really hate a book, but also rare to get a surprise like this inventive, juicy, black and demented storyline. I really had no idea where the ladies were going, the pages flew by. I am recommending it for those who want to stay up reading past bed time. This was made into a PBS TV drama titled Dead Gorgeous, which book lovers will understand I have no interest in seeing - nothing can match the fun of reading it.
1989 / Tradeback / 204 pages
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