Having earned herself considerable acclaim with her debut novel My Sister’s Bones, and follow ups Day of the Accident and The House on the Lake, the latest release from Nuala Ellwood, The Perfect Life, should earn her a whole lot more. She’s long-since established herself as someone able to produce works that are gritty, clever, thrilling, deep, dark and have that ‘read this in one sitting’ kind of urgency to them – The Perfect Life is another such book.

The story centers on Vanessa, and switches between past and present day, highlighting who she was many years ago – ambitious and carefree – and who she is now – troubled in more ways than one. Vanessa is a dreamer – who isn’t? – but she’s also the kind whose dreams threaten her reality on a seemingly daily basis. Anyone currently house-hunting or who remembers both the joy and stress that can come with wanting to find the perfect place will likely identify, on some small level at least, with Vanessa, although I’ve yet to meet anyone as ‘obsessed’ with homes as she is and I hope I never do – read the book and you’ll understand why.

While Vanessa has her own personal struggles, her life as a whole is complicated; notably because of a man in her life, and I for one, disliked him pretty much from the off. I have no doubt when readers learn more about him, he’ll set alarm bells ringing in their heads pretty quickly; he certainly did in mine. What plays out as the story unfolds might not be easy for some people to read, but it’s written in a way will likely keep many turning the pages, both curious and anxious to find out what happens next.

Ellwood is brilliant at constructing deep, complex characters – Vanessa easily being one of her best – and combined with her ability to build suspense and get inside your head, The Perfect Life is a must-read for anyone who likes a psychological thriller with a good twist or two.