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Perfect Match
When Solomon's sister is found drugged and in a coma after an online date, Solomon can't believe this was just a terrible accident. Determined to find out what happened to his sister, and with the police unwilling to help, Solomon begins to investigate on his own. He soon uncovers a rash of similar cases of women who have been found brutally murdered or assaulted after an online date.
There is a predator out there working the streets of London, preying on young women. Solomon sets out to bring him to justice, putting him on a collision course with a deadly killer who is fiendishly clever and more twisted than anyone could possibly imagine...
There is a predator out there working the streets of London, preying on young women. Solomon sets out to bring him to justice, putting him on a collision course with a deadly killer who is fiendishly clever and more twisted than anyone could possibly imagine...
400 pages, Paperback
First published April 5, 2018
6 people are currently reading
139 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews
March 30, 2018
There are bad dates, and there are killer dates.......'
I was really looking forward to reading the "Perfect Match" by D.B. Thorne, as I thoroughly enjoyed his previous book "Troll" and I'm very pleased that I wasn't disappointed - in fact I think I enjoyed it even more and found it utterly addictive.
When Solomon's sister is found drugged and in a coma after an online date, Solomon can't believe this was just a terrible accident. Determined to find out what happened and with no help from the police, Solomon begins to investigate on his own. He soon uncovers similar cases of women who have been found brutally murdered or assaulted after an online date. There is a predator out there working the streets of London, preying on young women. Solomon sets out to bring him to justice, putting him on a collision course with a deadly killer who is fiendishly clever and more twisted than anyone could possibly imagine...
This was a fabulous book, pacy and entertaining, my ideal type of story with an intelligent plot, a scary killer and a very likeable hero out to solve the crimes using very unusual methods. On occasions I was chilled to the bone and for the first time in a very long time, I felt tense and actually scared! Well done to the author for quickening my heart, it really added to the atmosphere and enjoyment of the book.
Solomon was just fabulous and I was intensely curious as to why he hadn't left his flat in two years and was shocked when I discovered why and thought it was an ingenious idea to incorporate that reason into the story as it made the character more intriguing and very easy to engage with.
Over all, I loved "Perfect Match", I'm missing Solomon already and do hope he will reappear in another book, I can truly see this being a highly successful series should he return and I'd happily recommend this story to young and old readers alike. It's modern, fun and enjoyable to read whilst being scarily intense, intelligent and very well written and plotted. D.B. Thorne, in my opinion, is a fabulous story writer and a breath of fresh air in the crime genre pool and I will be without doubt seeking out future books by him.
I have never used dating apps and probably never will, but for those who do - be very, very careful who you meet..........
A fab 5 stars!
I was really looking forward to reading the "Perfect Match" by D.B. Thorne, as I thoroughly enjoyed his previous book "Troll" and I'm very pleased that I wasn't disappointed - in fact I think I enjoyed it even more and found it utterly addictive.
When Solomon's sister is found drugged and in a coma after an online date, Solomon can't believe this was just a terrible accident. Determined to find out what happened and with no help from the police, Solomon begins to investigate on his own. He soon uncovers similar cases of women who have been found brutally murdered or assaulted after an online date. There is a predator out there working the streets of London, preying on young women. Solomon sets out to bring him to justice, putting him on a collision course with a deadly killer who is fiendishly clever and more twisted than anyone could possibly imagine...
This was a fabulous book, pacy and entertaining, my ideal type of story with an intelligent plot, a scary killer and a very likeable hero out to solve the crimes using very unusual methods. On occasions I was chilled to the bone and for the first time in a very long time, I felt tense and actually scared! Well done to the author for quickening my heart, it really added to the atmosphere and enjoyment of the book.
Solomon was just fabulous and I was intensely curious as to why he hadn't left his flat in two years and was shocked when I discovered why and thought it was an ingenious idea to incorporate that reason into the story as it made the character more intriguing and very easy to engage with.
Over all, I loved "Perfect Match", I'm missing Solomon already and do hope he will reappear in another book, I can truly see this being a highly successful series should he return and I'd happily recommend this story to young and old readers alike. It's modern, fun and enjoyable to read whilst being scarily intense, intelligent and very well written and plotted. D.B. Thorne, in my opinion, is a fabulous story writer and a breath of fresh air in the crime genre pool and I will be without doubt seeking out future books by him.
I have never used dating apps and probably never will, but for those who do - be very, very careful who you meet..........
A fab 5 stars!
April 10, 2018
4☆ A Crime Thriller with a Literature Twist
Perfect Match is a literary thriller that weaves two stories together in the race to catch a serial killer.
When Tiffany decides to try out online dating she meets up with Tobes but things quickly take a dramatic turn when she is found drowning with a broken arm and teeth missing. The hospital put her in a coma to try and restore her health.
Brothers Solomon and Luke are by their sisters bedside demanding to know what happened to their sister.
Inspector Fox is assigned the case in finding out what happened. But she couldn't care less all she wanted was Luke. Luke is a criminal and he is up to no good and she's determined to find out what it is.
I despised Fox! In fact she grated on me so much. She's ruthless, in professional, has no interest in Solomon and his theories and she makes this know by her sarcastic demeaning comments. She basically thinks that because Tiffany is a burlesque dancer her lifestyle caused her accident.
Does she get better nope!
Solomon was my favourite character. He hasn't left his home in 22months. So going to the hospital was a huge deal for him.
I wanted to hug him for being incredibly brave and conquering his fears. He is loyal, extremely clever, he is kind but pushes people away due to his accident.
The Brain Pool is Solomon's only social interaction the only friends he had in the world and he remains invisable to them. That is until Kay from the Brain Pool Group takes an interest in the man of mystery.
Solomon is literally the glue that holds his family together.
Unlike his older brother Luke who is hot headed, impulsive and lives in the criminal fast lane.
I can't go into much detail as there are soo many sides and twists to this story that you need to read them to see how they play out.
My only gripe was that we didn't get to know much about the killer. We know some bits bit I would of like more of an insider view into his past etc..
For me I think the story dragged a little in places and rushed in some.
I also didn't like the inspector and how they dismissed a case due to having bigger fish to fry. It really frustrated me. I'm not an expert and it probably happens alot in the force but another officer was keen to investigate the case and Fox should of done the professional thing and passed it on. Sorry that's just my gripe.
But I did enjoy the cryptic clues, the twists, the indifferent characters, the criminal side, the Brain Pool Group, the dash of romantic interest, I like how Thorne kept things current like acid attacks, online dating it made the story feel more sinister.
Overall this is a crime thriller with a literature twist that I read in one night.
I would definitely recommend this book as it does have great potential. It is different but I liked that.
Thank you to Random Things Through My Letterbox for this copy which I reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
My Review is also on my blog website:
https://dashfan81.blogspot.com/2018/0...
Perfect Match is a literary thriller that weaves two stories together in the race to catch a serial killer.
When Tiffany decides to try out online dating she meets up with Tobes but things quickly take a dramatic turn when she is found drowning with a broken arm and teeth missing. The hospital put her in a coma to try and restore her health.
Brothers Solomon and Luke are by their sisters bedside demanding to know what happened to their sister.
Inspector Fox is assigned the case in finding out what happened. But she couldn't care less all she wanted was Luke. Luke is a criminal and he is up to no good and she's determined to find out what it is.
I despised Fox! In fact she grated on me so much. She's ruthless, in professional, has no interest in Solomon and his theories and she makes this know by her sarcastic demeaning comments. She basically thinks that because Tiffany is a burlesque dancer her lifestyle caused her accident.
Does she get better nope!
Solomon was my favourite character. He hasn't left his home in 22months. So going to the hospital was a huge deal for him.
I wanted to hug him for being incredibly brave and conquering his fears. He is loyal, extremely clever, he is kind but pushes people away due to his accident.
The Brain Pool is Solomon's only social interaction the only friends he had in the world and he remains invisable to them. That is until Kay from the Brain Pool Group takes an interest in the man of mystery.
Solomon is literally the glue that holds his family together.
Unlike his older brother Luke who is hot headed, impulsive and lives in the criminal fast lane.
I can't go into much detail as there are soo many sides and twists to this story that you need to read them to see how they play out.
My only gripe was that we didn't get to know much about the killer. We know some bits bit I would of like more of an insider view into his past etc..
For me I think the story dragged a little in places and rushed in some.
I also didn't like the inspector and how they dismissed a case due to having bigger fish to fry. It really frustrated me. I'm not an expert and it probably happens alot in the force but another officer was keen to investigate the case and Fox should of done the professional thing and passed it on. Sorry that's just my gripe.
But I did enjoy the cryptic clues, the twists, the indifferent characters, the criminal side, the Brain Pool Group, the dash of romantic interest, I like how Thorne kept things current like acid attacks, online dating it made the story feel more sinister.
Overall this is a crime thriller with a literature twist that I read in one night.
I would definitely recommend this book as it does have great potential. It is different but I liked that.
Thank you to Random Things Through My Letterbox for this copy which I reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
My Review is also on my blog website:
https://dashfan81.blogspot.com/2018/0...
March 29, 2018
Billed as a dark psychological thriller, Perfect Match is more comical farce with a huge suspension of disbelief and a phenomenal amount of head-hopping. The result reads like a mash-up of ‘Only Connect’, ‘Keystone Cops’ via ‘The Undateables’ and makes for a pretty unimpressive reading experience. Suspend disbelief, prepare for some eye-rolling and do not expect one jot of plausible police work in a novel that is less dark and gripping, more comedy crime caper and rather lightweight escapism set in the hipster neighbourhood of Shoreditch. Firstly, my overriding gripe is the frequent head-hopping employed, with author D.B. Thorne switching between viewpoints seemingly at will and on multiple occasions within a single chapter which is neither conducive to fluid reading or satisfying, with the shifting points of view not limited to several main players but including bit part characters who make fleeting appearances.
The premise of Perfect Match is centred around twenty-one-year-old burlesque dancer and stripper, Tiffany Mullan, venturing out on an online date after finally getting rid of her on-off controlling ex-boyfriend, Robbie White. So when her brother and next-of-kin twenty-three-year-old Solomon is awakened in the middle of the night by the news that she has nearly drowned in a canal after ingesting a quantity of barbiturates and has been placed in an induced coma, he suspects that Robbie is behind her fate. For facially disfigured and borderline genius Solomon, who has lived his life in the ‘virtual space’ of the online world and not left his flat for twenty-two months, getting to Tiffany’s bedside is his first test. Flooded with anxiety and entirely out of his comfort zone the second comes in the form of ‘managing’ his older brother, career criminal Luke who is keen to dispense his own brand of justice. When Solomon takes his questions about Tiffany’s assault to DI Helen Fox her lack of interest smacks of conducting an investigation into his sister’s reputation as she passes Tiffany’s assault off as an accident with her prime concern the police record of twenty-seven-year-old Luke and his links to organised crime. Orphaned from teenagers the Mullan family have always believed that blood is thicker than water and from the measly information that Tiffany was on an online date and a glance at the oddly composed text message exchange, DI Fox gives Solomon the starting point for his own investigation...
Solomon’s world is one of familiarity, order and predictability and if DI Fox isn’t willing to perform a cursory investigation then Solomon is more than happy to do the thinking on her behalf. As he pieces together the start of a pattern of brutal assaults or murders on young woman after going on online dates through his prowess in data mining the internet he finds his analysis is limited by his reluctance to gather evidence on a face to face basis and speak to those who knew the victim’s best. However when he shares his tentative theory with scientist and laboratory worker, Kay, a fellow member of a group of idiosyncratic quiz setters called ‘Brain Pool’, he finds an unexpected ally... but in the process attracts the attentions of a deviously clever predator whose elaborate staging is more than a match for the combined acuity and cerebral talents of both Solomon and Kay.
Unfortunately there is a blatant lack of any manner of investigation with DI Fox being hostile, incompetent, unethical and lacking in any moral compunction and there is no attempt at adhering to plausible police protocols with a hefty chunk of creative licence employed throughout. Detective Inspector Fox is a pantomime villain with her offensive treatment of the public and fellow officers ridiculous. Not only is she abusive, calling Solomon a “solitary fantasist” on several occasions but just pages later she agrees to his ill-considered undercover operation with guns and thermal imaging! Conveniently she doesn’t appear to need any sign off for this extremely uncalculated mission adding to the whole amateur feel which makes it hard to generate any credible tension. Sadly very few loose ends are tied up, from the identity of Robbie’s murderer to Solomon and Luke escaping the clutches of an inept police force despite evidence of criminal behaviour on both their parts. Likewise complete elements of the plot are introduced and then not mentioned for chapters on end only to be picked up randomly later, and when these elements include the matter of laundering the not insubstantial amount of £20k in a week, the flimsy attention to plotting is evident.
As a lead character I found Solomon’s quirky originality soon lost its novelty with the size of his head increasing exponentially throughout the novel, albeit for a short moment of doubt and a modicum of romantic suspense. Solomon makes things inordinately more complicated than they are with his convoluted planning of a very basic strategy seemingly requiring critical path analysis and flow charts with reasonable probabilities factored in. Thorne attempts to ratchet up tension by highlighting Solomon’s inability to interpret feelings, the motivations of others and likely responses which I presume is a veiled reference to some form of autism or Asperger’s. However hid behaviour throughout does not support this diagnosis, being highly diplomatic and interpreting others behaviour admirably well, from quickly sussing out that DI Fox has no interest in Tiffany’s assault and that Kay is after more than his brains. I must admit that I found it hard to ignore his double standards with Solomon seeming to view his and Luke’s criminal practices as permissible.
The two stars is purely for the comedy aspect induced by reading but with a jumpy narrative, zero authentic police work and a host of loose ends, I would neither recommend this book or want to read more by the author. All in all I found it difficult to care about either the characters or the outcome.
With thanks to Readers First who provided me with a free copy of this novel in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.
The premise of Perfect Match is centred around twenty-one-year-old burlesque dancer and stripper, Tiffany Mullan, venturing out on an online date after finally getting rid of her on-off controlling ex-boyfriend, Robbie White. So when her brother and next-of-kin twenty-three-year-old Solomon is awakened in the middle of the night by the news that she has nearly drowned in a canal after ingesting a quantity of barbiturates and has been placed in an induced coma, he suspects that Robbie is behind her fate. For facially disfigured and borderline genius Solomon, who has lived his life in the ‘virtual space’ of the online world and not left his flat for twenty-two months, getting to Tiffany’s bedside is his first test. Flooded with anxiety and entirely out of his comfort zone the second comes in the form of ‘managing’ his older brother, career criminal Luke who is keen to dispense his own brand of justice. When Solomon takes his questions about Tiffany’s assault to DI Helen Fox her lack of interest smacks of conducting an investigation into his sister’s reputation as she passes Tiffany’s assault off as an accident with her prime concern the police record of twenty-seven-year-old Luke and his links to organised crime. Orphaned from teenagers the Mullan family have always believed that blood is thicker than water and from the measly information that Tiffany was on an online date and a glance at the oddly composed text message exchange, DI Fox gives Solomon the starting point for his own investigation...
Solomon’s world is one of familiarity, order and predictability and if DI Fox isn’t willing to perform a cursory investigation then Solomon is more than happy to do the thinking on her behalf. As he pieces together the start of a pattern of brutal assaults or murders on young woman after going on online dates through his prowess in data mining the internet he finds his analysis is limited by his reluctance to gather evidence on a face to face basis and speak to those who knew the victim’s best. However when he shares his tentative theory with scientist and laboratory worker, Kay, a fellow member of a group of idiosyncratic quiz setters called ‘Brain Pool’, he finds an unexpected ally... but in the process attracts the attentions of a deviously clever predator whose elaborate staging is more than a match for the combined acuity and cerebral talents of both Solomon and Kay.
Unfortunately there is a blatant lack of any manner of investigation with DI Fox being hostile, incompetent, unethical and lacking in any moral compunction and there is no attempt at adhering to plausible police protocols with a hefty chunk of creative licence employed throughout. Detective Inspector Fox is a pantomime villain with her offensive treatment of the public and fellow officers ridiculous. Not only is she abusive, calling Solomon a “solitary fantasist” on several occasions but just pages later she agrees to his ill-considered undercover operation with guns and thermal imaging! Conveniently she doesn’t appear to need any sign off for this extremely uncalculated mission adding to the whole amateur feel which makes it hard to generate any credible tension. Sadly very few loose ends are tied up, from the identity of Robbie’s murderer to Solomon and Luke escaping the clutches of an inept police force despite evidence of criminal behaviour on both their parts. Likewise complete elements of the plot are introduced and then not mentioned for chapters on end only to be picked up randomly later, and when these elements include the matter of laundering the not insubstantial amount of £20k in a week, the flimsy attention to plotting is evident.
As a lead character I found Solomon’s quirky originality soon lost its novelty with the size of his head increasing exponentially throughout the novel, albeit for a short moment of doubt and a modicum of romantic suspense. Solomon makes things inordinately more complicated than they are with his convoluted planning of a very basic strategy seemingly requiring critical path analysis and flow charts with reasonable probabilities factored in. Thorne attempts to ratchet up tension by highlighting Solomon’s inability to interpret feelings, the motivations of others and likely responses which I presume is a veiled reference to some form of autism or Asperger’s. However hid behaviour throughout does not support this diagnosis, being highly diplomatic and interpreting others behaviour admirably well, from quickly sussing out that DI Fox has no interest in Tiffany’s assault and that Kay is after more than his brains. I must admit that I found it hard to ignore his double standards with Solomon seeming to view his and Luke’s criminal practices as permissible.
The two stars is purely for the comedy aspect induced by reading but with a jumpy narrative, zero authentic police work and a host of loose ends, I would neither recommend this book or want to read more by the author. All in all I found it difficult to care about either the characters or the outcome.
With thanks to Readers First who provided me with a free copy of this novel in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.
April 21, 2018
Oh this book. Where do I even begin? A clever crime thriller where the heart of the story is not with the PI/Detective/Investigator, but rather with our protagonist, Solomon Mullan. Oh Solomon, how I love thee so. Flawed, brilliant, self-conscious, big hearted and you just FEEL for him. Coming from a bit of a rough family... his brother, Luke, is in the crime business and after a horrible acid attack that was destined for Luke but ended up on Solomon's face, he's been holed up and away from the pity and horror in the eyes who see him. Instead, he finds solace in an online group, the Brain Pool. Where he gets to exercise his brain and stay behind the screen... no longer at the scrutiny of the public. Then he finds out his sister, a stripper/burlesque dancer who isn't known to make the most respectable decisions, has been found drugged and now in a coma in the hospital. Seems Solomon's luck just isn't meant to be good. Fox, the detective in charge of the case is of no help whatsoever so Solomon takes it into his own hands to find out what happened to his sister. Family is family, after all. This Fox character is deplorable and good lord did I despise her!
In this digital age where online dating has become the norm, Thorne takes us into the worst side of it. I'm not a fan of online dating and this book certainly makes me want to steer clear of it even more. YOWZA! But wow - the antagonist... I wasn't expecting it to go in this direction. I love the cryptic messages, the puzzle pieces they needed to put together and how this psychotic, but brilliant, mind build each abduction into something more and more sinister.
Cleverly pieced together like a good puzzle ought to be, Thorne takes us on a wild ride. Even in the most flawed family dynamic, there is that undercurrent of loyalty that cannot be broken. Solomon, while in the depths of his own self loathing, brings us on an emotional and compassionate ride. Get to know him; you won't be sorry.
Thank you to Corvus for this copy! I'll be looking out for more of Thorne's work!
In this digital age where online dating has become the norm, Thorne takes us into the worst side of it. I'm not a fan of online dating and this book certainly makes me want to steer clear of it even more. YOWZA! But wow - the antagonist... I wasn't expecting it to go in this direction. I love the cryptic messages, the puzzle pieces they needed to put together and how this psychotic, but brilliant, mind build each abduction into something more and more sinister.
Cleverly pieced together like a good puzzle ought to be, Thorne takes us on a wild ride. Even in the most flawed family dynamic, there is that undercurrent of loyalty that cannot be broken. Solomon, while in the depths of his own self loathing, brings us on an emotional and compassionate ride. Get to know him; you won't be sorry.
Thank you to Corvus for this copy! I'll be looking out for more of Thorne's work!
February 2, 2019
I won Perfect Match in a Twitter giveaway last year and on picking it up to read today, I was both scared and puzzled by how the story-line actually turned out. Main character Solomon was the victim of an acid attack and doesn't go outside a lot. When he learns about his sister Tiffany being drugged and left in a coma after an online date gone wrong, he plots out a way to find out the truth about the events behind his sister's attacker. He connects with an investigator called Fox but soon becomes clear that she doesn't want to help, Solomon's brother Luke is brushing in and out of trouble with the law and soon again, he's a wanted man. With the help of friend Kay, Solomon soon learns about other cases similar to Tiffany's and tries to piece together the connections, knowing that he himself may land in serious danger.
It was a creepy story, Solomon as a character knew a lot of knowledge regarding these connections towards the different victims and it was frustrating to see him not being listened to by the authorities. The pacing was a little slow for me, I personally prefer fast-paced thrillers. There were chapters I found really exciting and others a little boring. Overall, it was a great premise but missing a little something extra for me!
It was a creepy story, Solomon as a character knew a lot of knowledge regarding these connections towards the different victims and it was frustrating to see him not being listened to by the authorities. The pacing was a little slow for me, I personally prefer fast-paced thrillers. There were chapters I found really exciting and others a little boring. Overall, it was a great premise but missing a little something extra for me!
June 9, 2018
Outstanding. I wish I could have given it more than 5 stars, I couldn’t stop listening from beginning to end.
What a lovely, genuine and incredibly clever man Solomon is, he’s the type of man I’d be happy for my daughters to bring home. I fell in love with him from the start, and his love with Kay was so cute and I willed them on!!
The police officer, inspector Fox, drove me mad. What a horrible, uninterested and awful police officer she was. From the start she was only interested in protecting herself from every angle. She wanted the fame, the title and the money without actually doing any work. I really disliked her.
Fantastic book, I’ve already reserved DB Thornes other book, Troll, and I can’t wait to start reading that.
What a lovely, genuine and incredibly clever man Solomon is, he’s the type of man I’d be happy for my daughters to bring home. I fell in love with him from the start, and his love with Kay was so cute and I willed them on!!
The police officer, inspector Fox, drove me mad. What a horrible, uninterested and awful police officer she was. From the start she was only interested in protecting herself from every angle. She wanted the fame, the title and the money without actually doing any work. I really disliked her.
Fantastic book, I’ve already reserved DB Thornes other book, Troll, and I can’t wait to start reading that.
June 17, 2018
*https://mrsbbookreviews.wordpress.com
Once you have read a few pages of this intelligent and pulse pounding crime thriller, you will think twice about online dating! Perfect Match centres on the crimes of a deranged killer, who seems to be targeting women via online dating applications. It is a scathing look at the influence of social media and the opportunities this presents to engage in such an awful crime.
Set in London in the present day, Perfect Match opens as a young woman is found drugged and almost drowned after embarking on an online date. Now in a coma, the young woman’s brother, Solomon, doesn’t believe this is an accident, he is sure something more sinister is at work. With the police unwilling to help solve his sister’s case, Solomon decides to do his own form of investigation. What he discovers is quite startling, there are a number of cases recently of women found brutally murdered, as well as physically assaulted following an online date. Solomon is sure the predator is still out there roaming the streets and foraging for more victims. But Solomon doesn’t realise just how clever this predator really is and calls in some extra help in an attempt to outsmart this killer – before he strikes again.
It’s a big thumbs up for me and Perfect Match. This is my first experience of the writing of D.B. Thorne and I thoroughly enjoyed my time with his brand new release, Perfect Match. I hope I can experience more of Thorne’s writing in the not too distant future. I have already ordered a copy of his previous book Troll, which is another crime thriller that strikes at the heart of social media and the fertile ground it offers to commit the perfect set of crimes. Perfect Match was a book that hooked me in from the very beginning and it didn’t cease its vice like grip until the closing moments of this engrossing crime thriller.
Thorne taps into very relevant and topical ground in his latest novel. It seems like online dating and dating apps are all the craze these days. Thorne taps into this current theme and exposes it for all its worth. He taps in to our fears, knowing that this scenario, a crazed killer preying on victims via the simple use of an app, could easily happen to anyone, anywhere and at any time. The realism and contemporary feel of the crime of this novel will chill you to the bone and make you suspicious of any kind of dating application!
What really makes this novel something great is the main character of Solomon. His deep resolve to get to the bottom of the reason for his sister’s condition is admirable and brave. Solomon is an interesting character in his own right. I was intrigued by his back story, the attack that left him disfigured and the reasons why he hasn’t left his home for over two years. Thorne does a good job of driving our sympathies towards Solomon and we hope that he is able to get to the very root cause of his sister’s crime.
I also appreciated the interplay between Solomon, his sister Tiffany and their brother Luke, who is a suspect character with criminal connections. These family dynamics added another layer to this tale, so Perfect Match becomes much more than a simple crime thriller. Adding to the mix is the ineptitude of the police, in particular investigator Fox. This aspect of the book will have any reader shaking their head in disbelief at the lack of effective police work. It is the quiet and surprising force of the ‘brain squad’, an underground group of figures Solomon communicates with online that helps to finally break this case.
The killer himself, a crazy and underhanded online predator is composed well by Thorne. The killer is astute, one step ahead of the police and Solomon. The moments involving the killer are full of the twists and the unknown. The reader feels a constant state of unease while reading Perfect Match, wondering when he is going to strike and what he will do. I’m sure this is Thorne’s intention, to make us feel the thrills and chills of a deranged killer on the loose, at the hands of an inept police investigation!
The pace really ramps up a notch towards the final chapters of this book. I stayed up way past my bedtime in an effort to finish this one. If real life didn’t get in the way, I would have easily read Perfect Match in one sitting, it is that kind of read!
Highly recommended for fans of the genre.
*I wish to thank Allen & Unwin for providing me with a free copy of this book for review purposes.
Once you have read a few pages of this intelligent and pulse pounding crime thriller, you will think twice about online dating! Perfect Match centres on the crimes of a deranged killer, who seems to be targeting women via online dating applications. It is a scathing look at the influence of social media and the opportunities this presents to engage in such an awful crime.
Set in London in the present day, Perfect Match opens as a young woman is found drugged and almost drowned after embarking on an online date. Now in a coma, the young woman’s brother, Solomon, doesn’t believe this is an accident, he is sure something more sinister is at work. With the police unwilling to help solve his sister’s case, Solomon decides to do his own form of investigation. What he discovers is quite startling, there are a number of cases recently of women found brutally murdered, as well as physically assaulted following an online date. Solomon is sure the predator is still out there roaming the streets and foraging for more victims. But Solomon doesn’t realise just how clever this predator really is and calls in some extra help in an attempt to outsmart this killer – before he strikes again.
It’s a big thumbs up for me and Perfect Match. This is my first experience of the writing of D.B. Thorne and I thoroughly enjoyed my time with his brand new release, Perfect Match. I hope I can experience more of Thorne’s writing in the not too distant future. I have already ordered a copy of his previous book Troll, which is another crime thriller that strikes at the heart of social media and the fertile ground it offers to commit the perfect set of crimes. Perfect Match was a book that hooked me in from the very beginning and it didn’t cease its vice like grip until the closing moments of this engrossing crime thriller.
Thorne taps into very relevant and topical ground in his latest novel. It seems like online dating and dating apps are all the craze these days. Thorne taps into this current theme and exposes it for all its worth. He taps in to our fears, knowing that this scenario, a crazed killer preying on victims via the simple use of an app, could easily happen to anyone, anywhere and at any time. The realism and contemporary feel of the crime of this novel will chill you to the bone and make you suspicious of any kind of dating application!
What really makes this novel something great is the main character of Solomon. His deep resolve to get to the bottom of the reason for his sister’s condition is admirable and brave. Solomon is an interesting character in his own right. I was intrigued by his back story, the attack that left him disfigured and the reasons why he hasn’t left his home for over two years. Thorne does a good job of driving our sympathies towards Solomon and we hope that he is able to get to the very root cause of his sister’s crime.
I also appreciated the interplay between Solomon, his sister Tiffany and their brother Luke, who is a suspect character with criminal connections. These family dynamics added another layer to this tale, so Perfect Match becomes much more than a simple crime thriller. Adding to the mix is the ineptitude of the police, in particular investigator Fox. This aspect of the book will have any reader shaking their head in disbelief at the lack of effective police work. It is the quiet and surprising force of the ‘brain squad’, an underground group of figures Solomon communicates with online that helps to finally break this case.
The killer himself, a crazy and underhanded online predator is composed well by Thorne. The killer is astute, one step ahead of the police and Solomon. The moments involving the killer are full of the twists and the unknown. The reader feels a constant state of unease while reading Perfect Match, wondering when he is going to strike and what he will do. I’m sure this is Thorne’s intention, to make us feel the thrills and chills of a deranged killer on the loose, at the hands of an inept police investigation!
The pace really ramps up a notch towards the final chapters of this book. I stayed up way past my bedtime in an effort to finish this one. If real life didn’t get in the way, I would have easily read Perfect Match in one sitting, it is that kind of read!
Highly recommended for fans of the genre.
*I wish to thank Allen & Unwin for providing me with a free copy of this book for review purposes.
June 19, 2018
Finally finished this .. felt like it went forever. didnt really grab me the way I had hoped. A good story but just not sure about it.
April 3, 2018
Loved this – Perfect Match from D B Thorne has a brilliant main protagonist in Solomon who I engaged with entirely. Pacy and addictive.
Sometimes a book lives and dies on it’s characters, Solomon is the one who kept me reading this twisted page turner as he is determined to find out what happened to his sister and whilst doing so uncovers a dastardly and so far unheard of killer. Interspersed with that we have Inspector Helen Fox who is supposedly investigating but far more interested in Solomon and Tiffany’s brother Luke and how she might advance her career by using his criminal connections.
The writing is witty and absorbing, the killer is intriguing in his methods and overall Perfect Match is a barnstormer of a story that will keep you up way into the early hours to see how it all pans out. I was fascinated and entertained by the familial relationship between the three siblings, the detective was world weary in a compelling way and there are plenty of unexpected moments to keep you on edge.
Perfect Match was a perfect storm of a novel – captivating, dark, often very funny and I hope actually that we meet Solomon again. A one sitting read and an excellent one at that.
Highly Recommended.
Sometimes a book lives and dies on it’s characters, Solomon is the one who kept me reading this twisted page turner as he is determined to find out what happened to his sister and whilst doing so uncovers a dastardly and so far unheard of killer. Interspersed with that we have Inspector Helen Fox who is supposedly investigating but far more interested in Solomon and Tiffany’s brother Luke and how she might advance her career by using his criminal connections.
The writing is witty and absorbing, the killer is intriguing in his methods and overall Perfect Match is a barnstormer of a story that will keep you up way into the early hours to see how it all pans out. I was fascinated and entertained by the familial relationship between the three siblings, the detective was world weary in a compelling way and there are plenty of unexpected moments to keep you on edge.
Perfect Match was a perfect storm of a novel – captivating, dark, often very funny and I hope actually that we meet Solomon again. A one sitting read and an excellent one at that.
Highly Recommended.
May 2, 2018
my mind and kept me guessing what would happen next. This is why I decided to read Perfect Match. Tiffany is admitted to hospital after being found nearly drowned. She is in a bad way in a coma after being drugged after an online date. Solomon Mullan wants the police to say exactly how this happened to sister Tiffany. Solomon is even more shocked when the police wants to talk Solomons brother Luke who is a family member of interest. What I didn't believe in Perfect Match is that the police didn't really want to find out what happened to Tiffany with Solomon who starts to make his own investigation to find out what really happened to Tiffany. In the real world police would do a thorough investigation there for I found Solomon doing his own investigation unbelievable. I didn't enjoy Perfect Match as much as did Troll but this story line does have some good points that I was interested in. I do recommend reading Perfect Match as there are quite a few mixed reviews.
April 9, 2018
With thanks to the publisher for the copy received.
When Solomon’s sister ends up in hospital after a night out he is understandably annoyed and upset that the police are not interested in investigating it. He rightly, thinks that it’s because his sister doesn’t matter because of her family. He, along with a group of friends decide to investigate themselves and they pick up links that others may miss. His friends are all ‘geeks’ who compile questions for quiz shows. Solomon is a recluse, he has never met any of them and all contact is via the web with no cameras switched on.
I have never met anybody like Solomon before. He struggles to cope with the way he looks, doesn’t always come across as the nicest person but he is devoted to his family who have never had it easy. Out of all of them he has made the best of his life. He definitely manages to get on the wrong side of the officer he has contact with, Fox. But she has under estimated him and he soon manages to outwit and manipulate her.
Fox is an officer who would be easy to get on the wrong side of. I disliked her intensely at first but when I read more and met her superior officer I did have some empathy. Just. What the author has demonstrated very well is how stretched the police are, and how some cases are disregarded because of another that is classed more important. He has also shown a side that I hope doesn’t exist, that those of a higher rank disregard the lower ranked officers.
I thought that this novel would be similar to many others that are on the market but found it to be original. Full of surprises, I was wrong footed most of the time.It’s clever, with the storyline and the intellect. It made me look online for clarification often. It’s slightly Fargoesque at times with its random violence and offbeat humour. I will be interested in seeing what the author does next. Recommended.
When Solomon’s sister ends up in hospital after a night out he is understandably annoyed and upset that the police are not interested in investigating it. He rightly, thinks that it’s because his sister doesn’t matter because of her family. He, along with a group of friends decide to investigate themselves and they pick up links that others may miss. His friends are all ‘geeks’ who compile questions for quiz shows. Solomon is a recluse, he has never met any of them and all contact is via the web with no cameras switched on.
I have never met anybody like Solomon before. He struggles to cope with the way he looks, doesn’t always come across as the nicest person but he is devoted to his family who have never had it easy. Out of all of them he has made the best of his life. He definitely manages to get on the wrong side of the officer he has contact with, Fox. But she has under estimated him and he soon manages to outwit and manipulate her.
Fox is an officer who would be easy to get on the wrong side of. I disliked her intensely at first but when I read more and met her superior officer I did have some empathy. Just. What the author has demonstrated very well is how stretched the police are, and how some cases are disregarded because of another that is classed more important. He has also shown a side that I hope doesn’t exist, that those of a higher rank disregard the lower ranked officers.
I thought that this novel would be similar to many others that are on the market but found it to be original. Full of surprises, I was wrong footed most of the time.It’s clever, with the storyline and the intellect. It made me look online for clarification often. It’s slightly Fargoesque at times with its random violence and offbeat humour. I will be interested in seeing what the author does next. Recommended.
April 12, 2018
With the world of technology and social media ever evolving it’s only fair to bring the serial killer theme up to date with it too. The story opens with Tiffany (Solomon’s sister) being watched by her on/off boyfriend Robbie White. He is a controlling and domineering man, occasionally violent too. As Solomon sits at his sister’s hospital bedside, she has a broken arm and missing teeth. Somebody subjected Tiffany to a brutal beating. It should be an open and shut case for the police, but it’s not.
Inspector Helen Fox is the police officer tasked with solving the obvious case of assault. Fox has little interest in the case and effectively blames the victim for her own beating. Tiffany is a stripper, which Fox equates to “prostitute” and the fact that Tiffany was found to have drugs in her system equates to being an addict. Fox is happy to list the case as an accident/suicide attempt gone wrong. Angry and incensed, Soloman decides to take the investigation into his own hands. He soon uncovers similar cases of women who have been found brutally murdered or assaulted after an online date. There is a predator out there working the streets of London, preying on young women and Solomon’s desire for justice puts him on a collision course with a deadly killer
Perfect Match is fast paced thriller with short, punchy chapters that draw you in right from the word go. With dark undercurrents flowing and a strong sense of foreboding throughout, it’s not an easy read. The book touches on quite thought-provoking issues regarding the circumstances that affect a police investigation and the assumptions that are made regarding the victim. I’d like to think in an ideal world what a person does for a living or how they choose to live their life shouldn’t alter how the police conduct an investigation but unfortunately I think it is true.
As a lead character, I really liked Solomon. He cared so deeply about his sister and he didn’t want her to become just another statistic. His personality was by far the strongest, but also believable. I found myself absolutely infuriated by Fox, my firm outrage at the police almost overshadowed my desire for the story.
Perfect Match is a haunting and intriguing novel with a modern slant to it, and I think it will make the many who use these online dating apps very wary indeed.
Inspector Helen Fox is the police officer tasked with solving the obvious case of assault. Fox has little interest in the case and effectively blames the victim for her own beating. Tiffany is a stripper, which Fox equates to “prostitute” and the fact that Tiffany was found to have drugs in her system equates to being an addict. Fox is happy to list the case as an accident/suicide attempt gone wrong. Angry and incensed, Soloman decides to take the investigation into his own hands. He soon uncovers similar cases of women who have been found brutally murdered or assaulted after an online date. There is a predator out there working the streets of London, preying on young women and Solomon’s desire for justice puts him on a collision course with a deadly killer
Perfect Match is fast paced thriller with short, punchy chapters that draw you in right from the word go. With dark undercurrents flowing and a strong sense of foreboding throughout, it’s not an easy read. The book touches on quite thought-provoking issues regarding the circumstances that affect a police investigation and the assumptions that are made regarding the victim. I’d like to think in an ideal world what a person does for a living or how they choose to live their life shouldn’t alter how the police conduct an investigation but unfortunately I think it is true.
As a lead character, I really liked Solomon. He cared so deeply about his sister and he didn’t want her to become just another statistic. His personality was by far the strongest, but also believable. I found myself absolutely infuriated by Fox, my firm outrage at the police almost overshadowed my desire for the story.
Perfect Match is a haunting and intriguing novel with a modern slant to it, and I think it will make the many who use these online dating apps very wary indeed.
May 31, 2018
I enjoyed D B Thorne's first novel "Troll" and this is another good read.
Set in the modern world of online dating, we have a number of girls disappearing after having a first date with a guy they've met via a dating site. One girl is found floating in a river in a coma and her brother sets on his own search for the culprit given the police don't give credence to his theories of a serial offender and links between the missing girls.
Set in the modern world of online dating, we have a number of girls disappearing after having a first date with a guy they've met via a dating site. One girl is found floating in a river in a coma and her brother sets on his own search for the culprit given the police don't give credence to his theories of a serial offender and links between the missing girls.
May 2, 2022
One of my favourite shows used to be Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Yes, used to be. But now it seems like little more than Law & Order: Organized Crime Version 2.0 ever since Stabler got his own spin-off show.
Why am I rabbiting on about a TV show in a book review?
Because I have zero interest in organised crime. None. Zilch. I stopped reading Mark Billingham's Thorne series when too many of them went down that path. Too many times, I pick up a book that claims to be a serial killer thriller, only to get either: a) a police procedural exactly the same as the 50 that came before it; or b) a book more interested in exploring the murky criminal underworld of a town (usually British.)
And that's exactly what happened, YET AGAIN, with Perfect Match.
Main character Solomon Mullan is essentially a recluse due to extensive scarring after an acid attack to his face that was actually meant for his brother, Luke. His brother is a well-known figure in the criminal underworld.
Sigh.
After Solomon's sister is left for dead after an app date (e.g. Tinder), he is sure it was an attack, and not an accident, like the police think. When he learns of other women killed or seriously injured in alarmingly similar cases, Inspector Helen Fox dismisses his concerns. As it turns out, she works in the organized crime squad, and they've only taken this case as a way to get their hands on Luke, a big name in organised crime.
Sigh.
The book's blurb states that Solomon strikes out on his own to find his sister's attacker, but not quite. He continues to call up Helen Fox despite her obvious disinterest. But anyway, his determination to get justice for his sister means he has to face the world he has hidden away from, and it brings him unexpectedly closer to Kay, a woman in his Brains Pool group (they devise quiz questions for TV shows.)
For me, a good serial killer should have a solid pace, an insight into the mind of the person committing the crimes, edge of the seat suspense and a surprising plot turn or two. This, unfortunately has none of that. Although we don't know the identity of the killer, it's a moot point, because it's not an existing character in the book, nor does the book ty to suggest it is (so I'm not putting a spoiler warning.) Indeed, our main character sees pictures of the killer and doesn't recognise him. There's no exploration of the killer's psyche as to what is driving him, what was his trigger point, or why he's using Shakespeare. We get a "failed actor" motivation and that's about it.
So what exactly was the point?
The point, it seems, is that D.B. Thorne would rather be writing about organised crime. A large portion of the book has Solomon acting as a front for his brother in negotiations with another organised crime identity, Andrew Thomas. Solomon then later ludicrously becomes involved in a sting to capture Thomas, which he sets up in exchange for Fox agreeing to help him set a trap for the killer he's after. I don't see either scenario playing out in real life.
In any case, dealing with organised crime crooks or setting up stings to capture organised crime crooks is not why I pick up a book that I thought was about a serial predator seeking out his dates using online apps. The fact that D.B. Thorne wrote three previous thrillers under the name of David Thorne, involving a more organised crime/police procedural approach to the material suggests why this book expends so much time on a plot aspect that failed to interest me at all.
There was some interest in seeing Solomon figure out the killer's methodology, and Solomon himself was an interesting and believable character. But the killer has no presence, because we learn fuck-all about him, and that's a major deficit that this thriller just can't overcome.
Why am I rabbiting on about a TV show in a book review?
Because I have zero interest in organised crime. None. Zilch. I stopped reading Mark Billingham's Thorne series when too many of them went down that path. Too many times, I pick up a book that claims to be a serial killer thriller, only to get either: a) a police procedural exactly the same as the 50 that came before it; or b) a book more interested in exploring the murky criminal underworld of a town (usually British.)
And that's exactly what happened, YET AGAIN, with Perfect Match.
Main character Solomon Mullan is essentially a recluse due to extensive scarring after an acid attack to his face that was actually meant for his brother, Luke. His brother is a well-known figure in the criminal underworld.
Sigh.
After Solomon's sister is left for dead after an app date (e.g. Tinder), he is sure it was an attack, and not an accident, like the police think. When he learns of other women killed or seriously injured in alarmingly similar cases, Inspector Helen Fox dismisses his concerns. As it turns out, she works in the organized crime squad, and they've only taken this case as a way to get their hands on Luke, a big name in organised crime.
Sigh.
The book's blurb states that Solomon strikes out on his own to find his sister's attacker, but not quite. He continues to call up Helen Fox despite her obvious disinterest. But anyway, his determination to get justice for his sister means he has to face the world he has hidden away from, and it brings him unexpectedly closer to Kay, a woman in his Brains Pool group (they devise quiz questions for TV shows.)
For me, a good serial killer should have a solid pace, an insight into the mind of the person committing the crimes, edge of the seat suspense and a surprising plot turn or two. This, unfortunately has none of that. Although we don't know the identity of the killer, it's a moot point, because it's not an existing character in the book, nor does the book ty to suggest it is (so I'm not putting a spoiler warning.) Indeed, our main character sees pictures of the killer and doesn't recognise him. There's no exploration of the killer's psyche as to what is driving him, what was his trigger point, or why he's using Shakespeare. We get a "failed actor" motivation and that's about it.
So what exactly was the point?
The point, it seems, is that D.B. Thorne would rather be writing about organised crime. A large portion of the book has Solomon acting as a front for his brother in negotiations with another organised crime identity, Andrew Thomas. Solomon then later ludicrously becomes involved in a sting to capture Thomas, which he sets up in exchange for Fox agreeing to help him set a trap for the killer he's after. I don't see either scenario playing out in real life.
In any case, dealing with organised crime crooks or setting up stings to capture organised crime crooks is not why I pick up a book that I thought was about a serial predator seeking out his dates using online apps. The fact that D.B. Thorne wrote three previous thrillers under the name of David Thorne, involving a more organised crime/police procedural approach to the material suggests why this book expends so much time on a plot aspect that failed to interest me at all.
There was some interest in seeing Solomon figure out the killer's methodology, and Solomon himself was an interesting and believable character. But the killer has no presence, because we learn fuck-all about him, and that's a major deficit that this thriller just can't overcome.
April 3, 2018
Perfect Match is what I like to call a mystery/ crime book with heart. When I say this I mean that there is a human element to the story and that it’s not just about the solving of the crime.
The setting of the book involving on line dating is quite a scary one as it seems very realistic, especially with all the modern technical language that the author includes in his writing. This is something that could actually happen, has actually happened and that did send a chill down my spine whilst I was reading it. I felt more involved in the story and the characters because of this as I genuinely wanted to find out how this ended.
I loved Solomon, I thought he was such a great character. I felt very sorry for him and the situation he finds himself in, again unfortunately a very modern occurrence, and I though it very heart warming to see how he throws himself into trying to find out who was responsible for what happened to his sister despite the obvious discomfort it causes him. His care and affection for his sister was lovely to read about and I found myself hoping he’d be successful without coming to any harm himself.
The book highlight some quite thought provoking issues regarding the circumstances that affect a police investigation. Id love to say that a person’s job or position in life doesn’t affect how the police conduct an investigation but unfortunately I think it is very true. I shudder to think how many cases could have been handled differently and have different outcomes because of this.
The novel moves at quite a fast pace and there is always something new happening or being discovered. I found myself racing through the pages as I wanted to discover what would happen next.
This is DB Thorne” second book but the first I have read and I look forward to reading more from him in the future. If you like modern mysteries with a human back story then yiummy love Perfect Match.
Huge thanks to Anne Cater of randRa Things Tours and Corvus Books for my copy of this book and for inviting me onto the blog tour.
The setting of the book involving on line dating is quite a scary one as it seems very realistic, especially with all the modern technical language that the author includes in his writing. This is something that could actually happen, has actually happened and that did send a chill down my spine whilst I was reading it. I felt more involved in the story and the characters because of this as I genuinely wanted to find out how this ended.
I loved Solomon, I thought he was such a great character. I felt very sorry for him and the situation he finds himself in, again unfortunately a very modern occurrence, and I though it very heart warming to see how he throws himself into trying to find out who was responsible for what happened to his sister despite the obvious discomfort it causes him. His care and affection for his sister was lovely to read about and I found myself hoping he’d be successful without coming to any harm himself.
The book highlight some quite thought provoking issues regarding the circumstances that affect a police investigation. Id love to say that a person’s job or position in life doesn’t affect how the police conduct an investigation but unfortunately I think it is very true. I shudder to think how many cases could have been handled differently and have different outcomes because of this.
The novel moves at quite a fast pace and there is always something new happening or being discovered. I found myself racing through the pages as I wanted to discover what would happen next.
This is DB Thorne” second book but the first I have read and I look forward to reading more from him in the future. If you like modern mysteries with a human back story then yiummy love Perfect Match.
Huge thanks to Anne Cater of randRa Things Tours and Corvus Books for my copy of this book and for inviting me onto the blog tour.
May 6, 2018
Audio version of this book 📚 Great storyline, original and good narration
March 25, 2018
Couldn’t get past the first chapter
Confusing and hard to follow. I couldn’t get past the first chapter. Seemed a bit rambly and all over the place. Maybe it gets better but I just couldn’t stick with it. A lot of words were overly repeated. Lots of “this happended and then this happened” could use less of that are more showing then telling as my English teacher always says. I feel as though the first chapter could of had more details and descriptions then what it did. Just a personal pefrence but I really prefer longer chapters, I just feel even though it was only the first chapter i read but it could have been longer. So overall only read the first chapter which again was hard to follow but I feel like if you can get past that the story line could be good.
Confusing and hard to follow. I couldn’t get past the first chapter. Seemed a bit rambly and all over the place. Maybe it gets better but I just couldn’t stick with it. A lot of words were overly repeated. Lots of “this happended and then this happened” could use less of that are more showing then telling as my English teacher always says. I feel as though the first chapter could of had more details and descriptions then what it did. Just a personal pefrence but I really prefer longer chapters, I just feel even though it was only the first chapter i read but it could have been longer. So overall only read the first chapter which again was hard to follow but I feel like if you can get past that the story line could be good.
July 20, 2024
This is another enjoyable read from J J Thorne with a fast paced storyline that kept me interested right to the very end I definitely recommend reading this
April 4, 2018
2.5 Stars
I did like this but there were parts which I felt were too unnecessary. This began on a great note and I was hooked for about just over 100 pages but then....I grew bored mostly because of the sub plot which I just did not care about. It picked about 50 pages later but there were still a lot of sections that I skipped or skimmed because I didn't care at all and if I hadn't skimmed them then I would have never finished this.
But the actual mystery was brilliant and I loved that we had different perspectives but there were parts where I wished that some of the other characters were little fleshed out. In particular, the killer/ kidnapper/baddie because I wanted more about why he did what he did. Especially since it was organised and I loved how Sol figured out the pattern.
Overall, the premise of this was brilliant but I feel that if the subplot had been left out then I would've enjoyed this much more.
I did like this but there were parts which I felt were too unnecessary. This began on a great note and I was hooked for about just over 100 pages but then....I grew bored mostly because of the sub plot which I just did not care about. It picked about 50 pages later but there were still a lot of sections that I skipped or skimmed because I didn't care at all and if I hadn't skimmed them then I would have never finished this.
But the actual mystery was brilliant and I loved that we had different perspectives but there were parts where I wished that some of the other characters were little fleshed out. In particular, the killer/ kidnapper/baddie because I wanted more about why he did what he did. Especially since it was organised and I loved how Sol figured out the pattern.
Overall, the premise of this was brilliant but I feel that if the subplot had been left out then I would've enjoyed this much more.
April 2, 2018
Having been pulled from a canal in East London, almost drowned and in a coma, Solomon Mullan’s sister Tiffany has been admitted to hospital. The fact that her system was full of alcohol, a potentially fatal level of pentobarbital and that she was a “burlesque dancer” – or stripper according to the police – lead to a lack of any commitment to launch a proper enquiry. Inspector Helen Fox is in charge of the police investigation, but only because she has a professional interest in Luke, Solomon’s elder sibling. He is a career criminal with links to organised crime and she thinks Tiffany’s accident may provide a useful lead to him. Inclined to assume that Tiffany’s job would indicate that she is also a drug-taker, Fox convinces herself that this was just a tragic accident and is unwilling to pay heed to Solomon’s assertions that his sister isn’t an addict. However, when Solomon discovers that his sister had arranged to meet someone via an online dating site, he begins to believe that this man must have had something to do with her “accident”. As he starts his own investigations he discovers that there have been other local women who have been attacked, and even murdered, after arranging dates via an app.
Having been orphaned ten years earlier, when Solomon was thirteen, relationships between the three siblings are close and, although their life-styles are very different, Solomon and Luke are always fiercely protective of their “baby” sister. However, as Luke has had to go into hiding because he is wanted by the police, it is up to Solomon to find out not only what happened to his sister, but also to track down a serial killer. This requires a huge leap of courage for him because, following an incident almost two years ago, he hasn’t left his flat for almost twenty-two months. Although he has had minimal formal education, he is a highly intelligent man who now lives his life online, with his only social contact being provided by his membership of the “Brain Pool”, a group of enthusiasts who meet regularly online to set difficult quizzes. It is this idiosyncratic group of people, particularly fellow member Kay who is keen to get to know him in person, who help him as he tries to uncover the obscure links behind all the attacks.
I found this a reasonably engaging story, especially once I was able to suspend my disbelief about certain aspects of the plotting, the total ineptitude of the police investigation in general, and Inspector Fox’s behaviour in particular! The linking of the attacks to Shakespearian plays was an entertaining twist, especially when following how the “Brain Pool” collaborated in trying to make sense of all the word-plays which the killer employed. Without spoiling the plot by going into detail, I found myself having rather mixed feelings about Solomon’s integrity because, whilst I felt some sympathy with the predicament he found himself in, I thought that his own part in his brother’s criminality were rather “white-washed”. In fact, with only a couple of exceptions, I thought that the characterisations weren’t consistently credible. Whilst I quite enjoyed sharing Solomon’s frustrations with the duplicitous Inspector Fox, she was at times portrayed more as a pantomime “baddie” rather than just as a highly ambitious police officer! One thing the story certainly does do is feed into fears of the potential dangers of meeting people via online dating sites – who knows who might turn up!
I thought that the story was rather slow to get going but about halfway through, and until the penultimate chapter, the tension increased and I felt more involved in caring about the individuals involved, especially the race against time to find the final one and to catch the killer. However, the last chapter brought the story to a very abrupt, and rather unexpected conclusion and I am left wondering whether this was to leave the way open for a series featuring Solomon, the Mullan family and the “Brain Pool”!
I received this book from Readers First/ Corvus in exchange for an honest review.
Having been orphaned ten years earlier, when Solomon was thirteen, relationships between the three siblings are close and, although their life-styles are very different, Solomon and Luke are always fiercely protective of their “baby” sister. However, as Luke has had to go into hiding because he is wanted by the police, it is up to Solomon to find out not only what happened to his sister, but also to track down a serial killer. This requires a huge leap of courage for him because, following an incident almost two years ago, he hasn’t left his flat for almost twenty-two months. Although he has had minimal formal education, he is a highly intelligent man who now lives his life online, with his only social contact being provided by his membership of the “Brain Pool”, a group of enthusiasts who meet regularly online to set difficult quizzes. It is this idiosyncratic group of people, particularly fellow member Kay who is keen to get to know him in person, who help him as he tries to uncover the obscure links behind all the attacks.
I found this a reasonably engaging story, especially once I was able to suspend my disbelief about certain aspects of the plotting, the total ineptitude of the police investigation in general, and Inspector Fox’s behaviour in particular! The linking of the attacks to Shakespearian plays was an entertaining twist, especially when following how the “Brain Pool” collaborated in trying to make sense of all the word-plays which the killer employed. Without spoiling the plot by going into detail, I found myself having rather mixed feelings about Solomon’s integrity because, whilst I felt some sympathy with the predicament he found himself in, I thought that his own part in his brother’s criminality were rather “white-washed”. In fact, with only a couple of exceptions, I thought that the characterisations weren’t consistently credible. Whilst I quite enjoyed sharing Solomon’s frustrations with the duplicitous Inspector Fox, she was at times portrayed more as a pantomime “baddie” rather than just as a highly ambitious police officer! One thing the story certainly does do is feed into fears of the potential dangers of meeting people via online dating sites – who knows who might turn up!
I thought that the story was rather slow to get going but about halfway through, and until the penultimate chapter, the tension increased and I felt more involved in caring about the individuals involved, especially the race against time to find the final one and to catch the killer. However, the last chapter brought the story to a very abrupt, and rather unexpected conclusion and I am left wondering whether this was to leave the way open for a series featuring Solomon, the Mullan family and the “Brain Pool”!
I received this book from Readers First/ Corvus in exchange for an honest review.
March 30, 2018
When Solomon’s sister, Tiffany, is found almost drowned, drugged and in a coma, he refuses to believe, as the police do, that this is the result of some terrible accident. With the police refusing to help, he undertakes his own investigation, soon discovering that there are similar cases of women who have been attacked and murdered after arranging an online date. Convinced that he is a fantasist, the authorities still refuse to take him seriously, leaving Solomon with no option – he will put his own life at stake to bring the assailant to justice.
I enjoyed D. B. Thorne’s previous book, Troll, and was pleased to see that the follow-up book also deals with the dangers of social media, in this case, dating apps. Perfect Match serves as a perfect reminder of how not everything is what it seems online, as discovered by Tiffany when her online date is not the person she thought he was. It soon becomes apparent that this is not an isolated incident and that, in some respects, Tiffany has been one of the lucky ones as some of the methods used by the mysterious date are truly horrific.
The main protagonist, Solomon, is a fascinating character and one that I warmed to immediately. Having not left the house for two years after an incident which is referred to in the book, he overcomes his fears to spend as much time with his sister as he can, showing how important his family are to him. He is an incredibly brave man who is able to use his intelligence to try to outwit his sister’s attacker by predicting his next move. Ably assisted by his own online associates, I loved how they figured out the connection between the crimes and thought that the actual links were brilliantly constructed by the author.
In direct contrast, I could not take to Fox, the police officer in charge of the case, at all. Although the reasons for her dismissiveness were explained, she treated Solomon, a man whose sister had just been brutally attacked, with nothing but contempt. I shared Solomon’s frustration as she refused to listen to his theory and put the lives of others in danger. It was pleasing to see how she showed some remorse towards the end, but even then she had one eye firmly on the case she was determined to solve.
As Solomon’s plan is put into action, the pace moves on rapidly and I found it hard to stop reading. There are several heart-in-mouth moments when you don’t know exactly what is going to happen as there is literally a race against time to save the final victim. I did want the book to end in a slightly different way that it did, but that is just a personal preference.
Perfect Match is a great read and one which reinforces how careful you should be online.
With thanks to Readers First and Corvus for my ARC.
I enjoyed D. B. Thorne’s previous book, Troll, and was pleased to see that the follow-up book also deals with the dangers of social media, in this case, dating apps. Perfect Match serves as a perfect reminder of how not everything is what it seems online, as discovered by Tiffany when her online date is not the person she thought he was. It soon becomes apparent that this is not an isolated incident and that, in some respects, Tiffany has been one of the lucky ones as some of the methods used by the mysterious date are truly horrific.
The main protagonist, Solomon, is a fascinating character and one that I warmed to immediately. Having not left the house for two years after an incident which is referred to in the book, he overcomes his fears to spend as much time with his sister as he can, showing how important his family are to him. He is an incredibly brave man who is able to use his intelligence to try to outwit his sister’s attacker by predicting his next move. Ably assisted by his own online associates, I loved how they figured out the connection between the crimes and thought that the actual links were brilliantly constructed by the author.
In direct contrast, I could not take to Fox, the police officer in charge of the case, at all. Although the reasons for her dismissiveness were explained, she treated Solomon, a man whose sister had just been brutally attacked, with nothing but contempt. I shared Solomon’s frustration as she refused to listen to his theory and put the lives of others in danger. It was pleasing to see how she showed some remorse towards the end, but even then she had one eye firmly on the case she was determined to solve.
As Solomon’s plan is put into action, the pace moves on rapidly and I found it hard to stop reading. There are several heart-in-mouth moments when you don’t know exactly what is going to happen as there is literally a race against time to save the final victim. I did want the book to end in a slightly different way that it did, but that is just a personal preference.
Perfect Match is a great read and one which reinforces how careful you should be online.
With thanks to Readers First and Corvus for my ARC.
April 12, 2018
Solomon’s sister, Tiffany, is in hospital after being drugged, almost drowned and in a coma after meeting up with someone on an internet dating app. Solomon himself is a loner, confined to his flat for two years after being disfigured in a tragic accident. Suddenly he is thrust back into the outside world as the police seem uncaring in trying to find who attempted to murder Tiffany. The officer in charge is more interested in tracking down Solomon’s criminal brother, Luke, than finding a would-be killer.
Solomon, along with his ‘Brain Pool’, a group he belongs to online, begin to do their own investigations into what appears to be a sadistic serial killer targeting young females. This is where the book gets clever. The Brain Pool are a group that compile crossword clues and quiz questions and together they start to gather information to try and beat the police to finding the murderer.
What’s great about this book is that there isn’t a Mr Perfect. Solomon is flawed in more ways than one. He’s young and intelligent but the reader will never really know what he’s thinking. He’s also got a brother who flirts with the wrong side of the law and a stripper sister. He’s the sensible one, and therefore he makes a great central character. I also loved the Brain Pool, the way they tease one another and meet online to thrash things out. There, Soloman can hide his secrets and remain relatively anonymous to his fellow online friends.
Apart from the rather unusual characters this book has a really good storyline. I must admit I found it a bit slow to start with but once it picked up I found I really liked the clever way things started to piece together. The killer flits in and out and the terror the girls experience is well written and genuinely frightening stuff. The subjects covered in the book are so completely current and edgy giving the book a modern twist.
I’ve never read anything by this author before but can only say I would read him again. I hope I get to read about Solomon again in other books just because he’s so different and likeable and it is a refreshing change that the main character is not a cop! I think the plot keeps you gripped and with frequent breaks in the chapters it makes it an easy read, whether you want to read a little or a lot at a time!
Overall a very enjoyable and chilling read. Recommended!
Solomon, along with his ‘Brain Pool’, a group he belongs to online, begin to do their own investigations into what appears to be a sadistic serial killer targeting young females. This is where the book gets clever. The Brain Pool are a group that compile crossword clues and quiz questions and together they start to gather information to try and beat the police to finding the murderer.
What’s great about this book is that there isn’t a Mr Perfect. Solomon is flawed in more ways than one. He’s young and intelligent but the reader will never really know what he’s thinking. He’s also got a brother who flirts with the wrong side of the law and a stripper sister. He’s the sensible one, and therefore he makes a great central character. I also loved the Brain Pool, the way they tease one another and meet online to thrash things out. There, Soloman can hide his secrets and remain relatively anonymous to his fellow online friends.
Apart from the rather unusual characters this book has a really good storyline. I must admit I found it a bit slow to start with but once it picked up I found I really liked the clever way things started to piece together. The killer flits in and out and the terror the girls experience is well written and genuinely frightening stuff. The subjects covered in the book are so completely current and edgy giving the book a modern twist.
I’ve never read anything by this author before but can only say I would read him again. I hope I get to read about Solomon again in other books just because he’s so different and likeable and it is a refreshing change that the main character is not a cop! I think the plot keeps you gripped and with frequent breaks in the chapters it makes it an easy read, whether you want to read a little or a lot at a time!
Overall a very enjoyable and chilling read. Recommended!
May 1, 2018
The first thing I have to mention about this book is the fact that whoever commissioned the cover art clearly hadn't read the story. I get that the title alludes to arson but the story really doesn't - unless they are trying to be all esoteric about "houses" and links to family but somehow I think I overthought that.
The basic tale is your standard serial attacker/killer (spoiler - not every victim dies) thriller. The twist comes from the fact that they select their victims from a dating app and that it isn't the police that solve the crime but a collection of quiz question setters called The Brain Pool (think QI Elves on steroids). The twist in the plot is a good one and I genuinely didn't see it coming as the author obfuscates with language so I genuinely found out what was happening at the same time as the characters.
I will admit that after reading the First Impression/Early Chapters of this book I was not impressed and wrote it off as just another book in a crowded genre. However, seeing it on sale for my e-book made me decide to give it a go and I am so glad I did. I really got sucked in to Solomon's world and that of his very dodgy brother. It did turn out to be a real page turner that managed to stay just far enough away from accepted rules of the genre to keep it fresh and interesting whilst creating deep characters that you could feel empathy with - even the horrendous DI Fox and her overweaning ambition.
There is genuine tension in the plot and I couldn't help but keep turning those pages and doing the one more chapter dance resulting in just being on time for work after not getting enough sleep. The crimes themselves are shocking but related in such a matter of fact way you don't feel that they are there just for shock value but as an intrinsic plot point.
Overall a very strong thriller that gives me hope for the genre as a whole.
The basic tale is your standard serial attacker/killer (spoiler - not every victim dies) thriller. The twist comes from the fact that they select their victims from a dating app and that it isn't the police that solve the crime but a collection of quiz question setters called The Brain Pool (think QI Elves on steroids). The twist in the plot is a good one and I genuinely didn't see it coming as the author obfuscates with language so I genuinely found out what was happening at the same time as the characters.
I will admit that after reading the First Impression/Early Chapters of this book I was not impressed and wrote it off as just another book in a crowded genre. However, seeing it on sale for my e-book made me decide to give it a go and I am so glad I did. I really got sucked in to Solomon's world and that of his very dodgy brother. It did turn out to be a real page turner that managed to stay just far enough away from accepted rules of the genre to keep it fresh and interesting whilst creating deep characters that you could feel empathy with - even the horrendous DI Fox and her overweaning ambition.
There is genuine tension in the plot and I couldn't help but keep turning those pages and doing the one more chapter dance resulting in just being on time for work after not getting enough sleep. The crimes themselves are shocking but related in such a matter of fact way you don't feel that they are there just for shock value but as an intrinsic plot point.
Overall a very strong thriller that gives me hope for the genre as a whole.
June 2, 2018
After reading the blurb of this one it really got me excited. We alive in a digital age now, where meeting strangers online for dates is the norm, so what actually happens then if/when something goes wrong? I am sure this is something most women in particular perhaps don't like to think about and being married, thankfully I haven't had to give online dating a second thought. Saying this, I was interest in the premise of the book and couldn't wait to get started.
Can I just say though, the image on the front of the book has absolutely nothing to do with the story, I kept reading thinking, surely there is going to be a domestic and someone will set fire to the house, no, this never happened. I am unsure why this was chosen for the front cover...
Tiffany has been admitted to hospital after a night out, one where she was meeting a potential date, she is in a really bad way after being found half drowned and is now currently in a coma. Solomon is Tiffany's brother and he wants the police to find out exactly what has happened and for the person responsible to be caught.
The book really is the journey of Solomon, we learn a lot about him, his past, how he has become the person he currently is and his backstory. It did feel at times like Tiffany's story was sidelined as we got to know more about Solomon and his brother. This was O.K and I did enjoy what I read, however it was not exactly what I was expecting.
Overall the story was O.K, it was very clever in places with the dates all being linked but just not what I expected.
I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.
Can I just say though, the image on the front of the book has absolutely nothing to do with the story, I kept reading thinking, surely there is going to be a domestic and someone will set fire to the house, no, this never happened. I am unsure why this was chosen for the front cover...
Tiffany has been admitted to hospital after a night out, one where she was meeting a potential date, she is in a really bad way after being found half drowned and is now currently in a coma. Solomon is Tiffany's brother and he wants the police to find out exactly what has happened and for the person responsible to be caught.
The book really is the journey of Solomon, we learn a lot about him, his past, how he has become the person he currently is and his backstory. It did feel at times like Tiffany's story was sidelined as we got to know more about Solomon and his brother. This was O.K and I did enjoy what I read, however it was not exactly what I was expecting.
Overall the story was O.K, it was very clever in places with the dates all being linked but just not what I expected.
I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.
June 29, 2023
“Though even the thought of this, of Kay’s attractiveness, simultaneously caused Solomon to doubt whether they could ever be together in the future, whether there was any possibility for them, this unlikely matching of Beauty and the Beast, or at least some approximation of that.”
If Beauty and the Beast was a contemporary thriller, it would have been ‘Perfect Match.’
The main protagonist Solomon is a victim of an acid attack that has disfigured half of his face. He hasn’t left the house since the incident. But when his sister, Tiffany is hospitalized after an online date, he overcame his fears and used his intelligence to track the culprit down along with his online co-workers known as ‘Brain Pool.’ He is closest to Kay and they devised a plan to lure the killer.
The police officer handling Tiffany’s case, Fox got on my nerves. She was seriously one of the worst characters I’ve read about but the ending was satisfying. She had it coming.
The killer is basically a sociopath who is into English Literature. Overall, I loved the twists, the coded messages, the siblings’ relationship, and of course, bringing the dangers of online dates to light. You may never know; he could be a janitor or a serial killer.
If Beauty and the Beast was a contemporary thriller, it would have been ‘Perfect Match.’
The main protagonist Solomon is a victim of an acid attack that has disfigured half of his face. He hasn’t left the house since the incident. But when his sister, Tiffany is hospitalized after an online date, he overcame his fears and used his intelligence to track the culprit down along with his online co-workers known as ‘Brain Pool.’ He is closest to Kay and they devised a plan to lure the killer.
The police officer handling Tiffany’s case, Fox got on my nerves. She was seriously one of the worst characters I’ve read about but the ending was satisfying. She had it coming.
The killer is basically a sociopath who is into English Literature. Overall, I loved the twists, the coded messages, the siblings’ relationship, and of course, bringing the dangers of online dates to light. You may never know; he could be a janitor or a serial killer.
March 28, 2018
This psychological thriller is set in London and is particularly apt for our world today.
When Solomon's sister, Tiffany is brutally attacked and left for dead after a date made online, he and his brother, Luke, resolve to find the killer. Luke, with his own criminal career record, jumps to the conclusion that it's Tiffany's ex-boyfriend who we learn has been served with a restraining order as a result of the abusive relationship he had with Tiffany.
The main character, Solomon, has his own difficulties to deal with - but his intelligent, analytical thought process means that he takes a more measured & investigative stance in his attempts to uncover the truth.
Solomon experiences a real lack of interest and support from the inspector assigned to his sister's case. With assistance from those he's closest to, he seeks to uncover the truth...finding there are cases similar to his sister's...a predator on the loose!
I loved this book, in particular Solomon's character & found myself willing him to succeed with solving the case(s), bringing to justice one sick individual & overcoming the obstacles in his life.
When Solomon's sister, Tiffany is brutally attacked and left for dead after a date made online, he and his brother, Luke, resolve to find the killer. Luke, with his own criminal career record, jumps to the conclusion that it's Tiffany's ex-boyfriend who we learn has been served with a restraining order as a result of the abusive relationship he had with Tiffany.
The main character, Solomon, has his own difficulties to deal with - but his intelligent, analytical thought process means that he takes a more measured & investigative stance in his attempts to uncover the truth.
Solomon experiences a real lack of interest and support from the inspector assigned to his sister's case. With assistance from those he's closest to, he seeks to uncover the truth...finding there are cases similar to his sister's...a predator on the loose!
I loved this book, in particular Solomon's character & found myself willing him to succeed with solving the case(s), bringing to justice one sick individual & overcoming the obstacles in his life.
March 30, 2018
The story starts with Tiffany going on a date with someone she has met on the internet. We next meet her in hospital having been found in a canal after being drugged.
Enter Solomon and Luke, her older brothers. Luke is a career criminal and Solomon stays at home after events several years previously left him disfigured. He is part of a Brain Pool, amongst other things that set questions for quiz shows.
The Police are saying that it was an accident that Tiffany was in the canal and that she took drugs, but both brothers know that wasn't her thing.
When the Police Inspector assigned to Tiffany's case, doesn't appear interested in finding out what happened, even when Solomon is able to provide other instances of the same thing, it is down to him and a friend from the Brain Pool to find out what is going on.
I really like this story, it was quirky and had enough momentum to keep me wanting to read more.
My only criticism would be that it ended too quickly.
Enter Solomon and Luke, her older brothers. Luke is a career criminal and Solomon stays at home after events several years previously left him disfigured. He is part of a Brain Pool, amongst other things that set questions for quiz shows.
The Police are saying that it was an accident that Tiffany was in the canal and that she took drugs, but both brothers know that wasn't her thing.
When the Police Inspector assigned to Tiffany's case, doesn't appear interested in finding out what happened, even when Solomon is able to provide other instances of the same thing, it is down to him and a friend from the Brain Pool to find out what is going on.
I really like this story, it was quirky and had enough momentum to keep me wanting to read more.
My only criticism would be that it ended too quickly.
April 13, 2018
I absolutely LOVED this book! I was pulled in by the start, with the variety of characters, in the initial family. Then the story just kept tugging at me, with its level of detail, snags in the investigation and the Brain Squad.
I loved the characters involved. It really went a long way to show how things can work when people have judgements put to them, based on where they are from or what they do, but also goes a long way to show just what people can do when they pull together.
I loved Solly, faults and all, and really found his intellect refreshing. Kay was also wonderful, and both of them had a lot of depth and passion for helping, which was great. The police opened up an option for someone you didn’t know what to think about, and the villain was so well written.
Honestly, I was kept on my toes and really guessing at who he may be, right to the end. I loved this whole read and cannot wait to read more from this author.
I loved the characters involved. It really went a long way to show how things can work when people have judgements put to them, based on where they are from or what they do, but also goes a long way to show just what people can do when they pull together.
I loved Solly, faults and all, and really found his intellect refreshing. Kay was also wonderful, and both of them had a lot of depth and passion for helping, which was great. The police opened up an option for someone you didn’t know what to think about, and the villain was so well written.
Honestly, I was kept on my toes and really guessing at who he may be, right to the end. I loved this whole read and cannot wait to read more from this author.
July 5, 2018
When Tiffany, Solomons sister ends up in hospital after a night out on a date that she met online he is understandably annoyed and upset that the police are not interested in investigating it. He, along with a group of friends decide to investigate themselves and they pick up links that others may miss and other realted cases. His friends are all ‘geeks’ who compile questions for quiz shows. Solomon is a recluse, he has never met any of them and all contact is via the web with no cameras switched on.He struggles to cope with the way he looks due to disfigurement after an accident and he doesn’t always come across as the nicest person but he is devoted to his family who have never had it easy. Out of all of them he has made the best of his life.
I enjoyed this book as I really liked the characters, Solomon, his family and Fox,the detective who even though she started the story obsessed with catching Solomons bother came good in the end. I look forward to meeting these characters again
I enjoyed this book as I really liked the characters, Solomon, his family and Fox,the detective who even though she started the story obsessed with catching Solomons bother came good in the end. I look forward to meeting these characters again
April 5, 2018
Solomon who hasn't left his house since he was attacked is forced out after his sister is found drugged and in a coma. The police don't want to help and he soon discovers his sister may not be the only victim. Can he figure out who is behind it and stop them before he kills more.
Wow this was quite the read. It certainly had me turning the pages desperate to read on. The plot is really clever and builds perfectly to the dramatic ending. I really enjoyed the Shakespearean references and anyone who knows his work may recognise the clues. The ending was so brilliant and well written.
Solomon is a really complex character and yet you can't help but warm to him. You learn his story and begin to understand why he's the way he is. By the end I just love him. Kaye too probably for seeing in Solomon what most don't.
Wow this was quite the read. It certainly had me turning the pages desperate to read on. The plot is really clever and builds perfectly to the dramatic ending. I really enjoyed the Shakespearean references and anyone who knows his work may recognise the clues. The ending was so brilliant and well written.
Solomon is a really complex character and yet you can't help but warm to him. You learn his story and begin to understand why he's the way he is. By the end I just love him. Kaye too probably for seeing in Solomon what most don't.
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