REVIEW: One Perfect Morning by Pamela Crane

I'm pleased to share my review of the latest psychological thriller by US author Pamela Crane. A genius twist but too much drama and too many unlikable characters in my opinion.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Avon Books UK for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

Published: 20 August 2020

The blurb 

She’s made her bed, and now he’s lying dead in it…

Mackenzie, Robin and Lily have been inseparable since college. Twenty years on, they all live in the same neighbourhood with their perfect homes, perfect families, perfect lives.

But in their idyllic suburban town, no one truly knows what goes on behind closed doors. For each of these women is crumbling under the weight of a secret, a betrayal, a lie.

And when the worst happens, will the unbreakable bond of their friendship survive, though it’s started to fray at the edges?

One dead husband. Three women with motives. And they’re all best friends who have each other’s backs – or do they…?

The review

This had a bit of a 'Desperate Housewives' feel to it....three women all with glossy exteriors but hiding inner secrets, friends on the surface but loyal only to themselves. It starts with one of the women murdering their husband as he sleeps but we don't find out the identity of either. The book then sets revisits the preceding days establishing that they all have reasons to want somebody else dead - so literally anyone could be the victim and anyone the murderer. The action is also interspersed with flashbacks to the 1990s when the women met and where one particular event was kept secret until today.

And that's part of the problem with everyone having motives and secrets in the past and present there's just too much going on at times. Also what does go on is all fairly heavy covering rape, underage sex, domestic abuse, drug addiction and of course murder. None of it is particularly graphic or upsetting but it's just continuous.

It's hard to believe that one group of friends can have that much drama. And, also that after so much drama and betrayal, the characters are seemingly unaffected and forgive and forget a liitle too easily.

The other problem is that it's full of unlikable characters, not just because nobody in this story can be trusted but also because they are truly toxic particularly to each other. I would not want to be friends with any of these women.

I did absolutely love the clever twist though whereby the 'murderer' didn't actually kill the victim at all. Genius. Overall though a 3.5 rating, sadly rounded down to 3 stars. 

The author

Pamela Crane is a North Carolinian writer of psychological thriller, and wannabe psychologist. Follow @MentalMommyPam on Twitter or find out more at www.pamelacrane.com