Extract: The Perfect Victim by Corrie Jackson

The Perfect VictimA big welcome and hello to Corrie Jackson and the blog tour for her new novel, The Perfect Victim which was released by Zaffre on 16th November. 

Husband, friend, colleague . . . killer?

Charlie and Emily Swift are the Instagram-perfect couple: gorgeous, successful and in love. But then Charlie is named as the prime suspect in a gruesome murder and Emily’s world falls apart. Desperate for answers, she turns to Charlie’s troubled best friend, London Herald journalist, Sophie Kent. Sophie knows police have the wrong man – she trusts Charlie with her life.

Then Charlie flees. Sophie puts her reputation on the line to clear his name. But as she’s drawn deeper into Charlie and Emily’s unravelling marriage, she realises that there is nothing perfect about the Swifts. As she begins to question Charlie’s innocence, something happens that blows the investigation – and their friendship – apart.

Now Sophie isn’t just fighting for justice, she’s fighting for her life.

Corrie and Zaffre have kindly shared an extract from The Perfect Victim today. Enjoy!

 

CHAPTER 38

I wiped the rain from my eyes and lurched towards the hut nearest the forest. I ran my torch over the door; it was padlocked. I pressed my ear to the door but I couldn’t hear anything over the wind. I did a circuit of the building; no windows, no other way in except through the door. My fingers tightened around the rock; I’d have to bash open the padlock.

‘Kate!’ I raked the darkness with my torch but I couldn’t see her. My gaze fell on something on the ground and I crouched down for a closer look. Was that blood? I inched forwards, following the trail with my torch beam. It ran across the gravel, in the direction of the forest. I hesitated for a split-second then turned back towards the hut. As I did, my torch landed on a man, standing ten feet away from me, his hands jammed in the pockets of his waterproof.

‘What are you doing?’ The wind carried his gravelly voice towards me.

‘I – I’m looking for someone. A woman. I think she’s inside this hut.’

He edged towards me, on the tips of his toes. ‘That’s not possible, Miss. I’ve just been in that hut. Nothing but farming equipment in there.’

I tightened my grip round the rock and shone my torch in his face. I couldn’t see much; he was wearing a woolly hat, and his chin was buried in a scarf. ‘Then you won’t mind showing me.’

He cocked his head to one side. ‘And you are?’

I raised my voice, hoping Kate could hear me over the wind. ‘My name is Sophie Kent. I’m a reporter from The London Herald.’

He wiped his nose with the back of his hand. ‘You’d best to talk to Hector. No one is allowed on Christ Clan property without speaking to him first. If you want, I’ll take you to him.’ He took another step towards me and my light caught the trickle of blood running down his face.

A sense of unease swept through me. I edged backwards, scanning the darkness for Kate. ‘No need to trouble Hector. I’m going now. Not really the weather for it, anyway.’

As if to make the point, a violent gust of wind blew across the field, blowing a flurry of leaves at us. One snagged on the rim of his hat and, as he swiped it off, he nudged the hat backwards and the wind carried it off.

For a moment, I just stared at him.

 

Jackson, CorrieAbout Corrie: 

Corrie Jackson has been a journalist for fifteen years. During that time she has worked at Harper’s Bazaar, the Daily Mail, Grazia and Glamour.  Corrie now lives in Greenwich, Connecticut with her husband and two children. Breaking Dead, her debut novel, was the first in the journalist Sophie Kent series and was described by Glamour as ‘Gripping . . .  crime with a side order of chic’ and by the Sun as ‘Original, amazingly written and tense’.

 

The Perfect VictimMy verdict on The Perfect Victim…

The Perfect Victim is the second novel in the Sophie Kent series and my first introduction to Corrie Jackson. I’ve not read the first Sophie Kent novel, Breaking Dead and although reading it prior this one will give you an insight into the main character, you don’t have to have read it to enjoy this one.

One word to describe this novel would be gripping. Another would be amazing.

The plot and themes in this book are great. There are so many twists and turns I really couldn’t predict how it was going to end even though I tried many times. This book really had me guessing up to the last page. It really does throw in many curve balls.

I didn’t want to stop reading I know that. I missed out on sleep and nearly made myself late off breaks at work as I lost track of time reading The Perfect Victim.

Sophie Kent is a complicated and flawed character but she also has integrity and wants to get to the truth even if it puts her in danger.

I loved the fact that some of this novel was based in Bournemouth with it being my home town. I felt I could really lose myself in the setting; the descriptions of which are well-developed as well as the characters.

A Perfect Victim is perfect for people who like a great mystery thriller. It’s one of the best books I’ve read this year. I look forward to finding out what’s next for Sophie.

 

Perfect Victim_Blog Tour Banner_v1 (2)

 

 

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather
Laura
I’m Laura. I started Novel Kicks in 2009. I wanted a place to post my writing as well as give other writers like me the opportunity to do the same. There is also a monthly book club, a writing room which features writing prompts, book reviews, competitions, author interviews and guest posts.

I grew up by the sea (my favourite place in the world) and I currently live in Hampshire. I am married to Chris, have a cat named Buddy and I would love to be a writer. I’m trying to write the novel I’ve talked so much about writing if only I could stop pressing delete. I’ve loved writing since creative writing classes in primary school. I have always wanted to see my teacher Miss Sayers again and thank her for the encouragement. When not trying to write the novel or writing snippets of stories on anything I can get my hands on, I love reading, dancing like a loon and singing to myself very badly. My current obsession is Once Upon a Time and I would be happy to live with magic in the enchanted forest surrounded by all those wonderful stories provided that world also included Harry Potter. I love reading chick lit. contemporary fiction and novels with mystery.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Novel Kicks is a blog for story tellers and book lovers.

Book Club
Novel Kicks Book Club
Archives
Categories