The Perfect Escape by Leah Konen

Today Mandie is sharing her thoughts on the brand new novel from Leah Konen, The Perfect Escape. Thanks to publisher Penguin for the advance copy of the book. Here’s what it’s all about:

About the Book

When her husband Harry walks out after just six months, a girls’ weekend away with two friends seems like just what Sam needs.

But they aren’t even halfway to their destination when things start to go wrong: car trouble that just happens to leave them stranded in the town where Harry lives.

And that’s only the beginning.

Because there are three things Sam doesn’t yet know:

One of her friends is lying about what happened.
One is lying about who she is.
And one of them will never make it home . . .

Mandie’s Thoughts

When Sam, Margaret and Diana plan a getaway to escape their failing relationships, they believe it is just what they need to recharge and reset their lives. When they take a break on their way to their final destination, they lose the keys to their hire care and find themselves temporarily stranded in Catskill, which just happens to be where Sam’s soon to be ex-husband now lives and you just know that this relaxing break is going to be anything but relaxing. When Diana goes missing and Sam’s ex Harry is found dead close to the bar they had all visited it soon becomes evident that the three women didn’t know each other as well as they thought they did and each one of them is hiding a pretty big secret.

I am not going to lie there was something about these three women that I just couldn’t take to, and I wouldn’t be rushing to become friends with any of them. They were three people drawn together more by their shared failed relationships than actually having anything in common. This becomes more and more evident the further into the book you get as they still can’t confide in each other when things go from bad to worse. That being said I really enjoyed this book. It was predominantly told through the eyes of Sam and Margaret in alternating chapters that gives the reader differing views of events.

As the lives of Sam and Margaret are revealed, I did feel a little bit sorry for Margaret and the reasons why her life had spiralled out of control but with Sam there was a bit of me that felt she had brought her predicament on herself. Not that I am saying that I would want her to be in any danger or a suspect for murder. There are plenty of twists and turns and you are quite often left wondering what really did happen.

The pacing of the book never lets up and adds to the tension that is mounting throughout. The one thing you are sure of is that the mysteriously missing Diana has something to do with it all. You just don’t know what or why right up until the end and when you do find out it will certainly be a bit of a surprise. All I know is that I’m only ever going away with people I know 100%

About the Author

Leah Konen is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she studied journalism and English literature. She’s the author of several young adult novels, including Love and Other Train Wrecks and The Romantics.

She lives in Brooklyn and Saugerties, NY, with her husband, their daughter, Eleanor, and their dog, Farley. One White Lie is her first thriller.