Her Perfect Family

Written by Teresa Driscoll

Narrated by Elizabeth Knowelden and Steve West

A gripping psychological thriller from the bestselling author of I Am Watching You. The perfect family? Or the perfect lie?

It’s their daughter’s graduation and Rachel and Ed Hartley are expecting it to be one of their family’s happiest days. But when she stumbles and falls on stage during the ceremony, a beautiful moment turns to chaos: Gemma has been shot, and just like that, she’s fighting for her life.

PI Matthew Hill is one of the first on the scene. A cryptic message Gemma received earlier in the day suggests someone close to her was about to be exposed. But who? As Matthew starts to investigate, he finds more and more layers obscuring the truth. He even begins to suspect the Hartleys are hiding something big—from him and from each other.

While Gemma lies in hospital in a coma, her would-be killer is still out there. Can Matthew unravel the family’s secrets before the attacker strikes again?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: Nov 1, 2021
• ISBN: 9781713592563

Teresa Driscoll

For more than twenty-five years as a journalist—including fifteen years as a BBC TV news presenter—Teresa Driscoll followed stories into the shadows of life. Covering crime for so long, she watched and was deeply moved by all the ripples each case caused, and the haunting impact on the families, friends and witnesses involved. It is those ripples that she explores in her darker fiction. Teresa lives in beautiful Devon with her husband and two sons. She writes women’s fiction as well as thrillers, and her novels have been published in six languages. You can find out more about her books on her website (www.teresadriscoll.com) or by following her on Twitter (@TeresaDriscoll) or Facebook (www.facebook.com/teresadriscollauthor).

Reviews for Her Perfect Family

[Zoe Leyh · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Best audiobook, I’ve listened to in a long time! I did not predict the ending. Would highly recommend!!

[Grace L · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I may have been too distracted, but I couldn't really get into the story.

[Gen Farr · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Great listen definitely recommend this second book in the series , narrators interesting and great at creating characters

[Joyce · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book was great! I was so pleasantly surprised. Will be reading more of this author

[Megan Froman · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Too many loose ends that didn’t tie together. Still wondering so many things.

[Robin Barrett · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this book. I liked all the different characters and the nice twist at the end.

[Kandace Simpson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was a great read. I feel everything was wrapped up and explained well. Definitely a page turner towards the end. Narrator very well.

[kbm · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I found it unexceptional. I felt it was unnecessarily complicated and the characters were not endearing or relatable. I did enjoy the narration.

[paulagalvan-323293 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book was a fair whodunnit featuring a cheating husband, a crazy ex-wife, and a drugged-up, spurned lover. The plot was plausible. However, the characters failed to pull me in emotionally. There was a twist at the end that was a surprise. All-in-all, Her Perfect Family was entertaining, if not memorable.

[jenniferrobb · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I believe this was an Amazon First Reads pick. I don't recall reading this author before.There were a lot of suspects that had good motives. I didn't guess who was behind it until the author revealed it (but that is my norm so your experience may vary). There were a couple facts that didn't get revealed until the epilogue that might have made me suspect the perpetrator if I'd known them--one of which could have been revealed earlier in the book without giving away too much too early.Somewhere along the way I'd either forgotten or didn't realize that Gemma's leg was amputated, so it was a bit of a surprise when it came up again in the story.I was a bit surprised that the perpetrator didn't use her leverage against Sam at some point--especially considering he led her on then ended up getting remarried to someone else.I think Rachel should have told the police about finding the diary on Gemma's laptop. Had the police known to start looking for diary entries in files, the case might have been solved much sooner.I'd never heard of the medical issue that Laura had. It sounds scary, especially to those close to you. I wonder why she thought Ed wasn't who he said he was, but not so with her parents--even when she started questioning whether their long-time home was her home, she still never seemed to question that her parents were her parents.

[n.w.moors-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Gemma Hartley is shot in front of her parents just as she receives her diploma. The cathedral is crowded with people and PI Matthew Hill is one of the first on the scene. The police are baffled at first as there seems to be no reason for the attack. Gemma is in a coma and can't help, and the parents are keeping secrets, though they mostly seem innocuous.The story is told in various POVs that move it along while leading the reader to suspect various people and never quite eliminating them. I never knew until the end where the book was going which is my hallmark of a good thriller/mystery. Her Perfect Family is a thoroughly enjoyable read.

[nicx27 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

What if your perfect family isn't so perfect after all? It's the day of Gemma Hartley's graduation with the ceremony taking place in a cathedral. Rachel and Ed, Gemma's parents, are there, unexpectedly in VIP seats, so they have a very good view of the moment when she is shot. Yes, as she walks across to accept her certificate somebody shoots her. This shocking opener then leads to more revelations as the story progresses.The chapters are told from the viewpoints of Gemma, Rachel and Ed, and also Matthew Hill, a private investigator I came across in one of Teresa Driscoll's previous books. It was good to catch up with him again. There's also an unknown viewpoint, a rather unnerving one, in fact. I really liked the way the story used different perspectives to bring the story together and also the red herrings that the author threw my way with regard to the identity of the shooter.This is a fast-paced read that kept me reading. There's some good old-fashioned detective work which takes the investigation forward until the finale which, whilst not wholly a surprise, was one of several possibilities that I was considering. The author did a good job of dropping hints and clues (when I reflected back on the book) without making it obvious.Her Perfect Family is a great example of a psychological thriller/police procedural. It kept me guessing and kept me interested. I enjoyed reading it.