This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
Every time I read a Tasmina Perry book I feel like I am transported into the world of the uber glamorous, that is rife with scandal and intrigue. I also know that I’m going to be entertained. To outsiders looking in, Diana and Julian have the perfect life. With gorgeously expensive properties in London and the country, and enough money to live a more than comfortable life, they seem to have it made. But when Julian suddenly dies in suspicious circumstances, Diana can’t stop thinking that things just don’t seem right and so she makes the phone call that she never wanted to make – to her sister Rachel. Rachel is an ex-tabloid reporter who lost her career to the phone hacking scandal, but now Diana needs her more than ever if they are to uncover the truth about what really happened to Julian. This book is like a scandalous murder mystery, as with Tasmina’s other books she always manages to combine a sleek plot with intriguing characters and some gripping twists and turns. I loved the characters in this book, they were well written and had many sides to them. Rachel’s skills as a reporter, which she has tried to squash down by her new role as a driving instructor, lead them further down the rabbit warren that is Julian’s life, and before they know it the questions that she asks throw another twist into the story that you aren’t expecting. Tasmina Perry’s books are always full of twists and turns and Deep Blue Sea is no exception, every time I thought I’d worked out what had happened to Julian I got thrown a curve ball that took the characters in a completely different direction and it kept me hooked. But they also have a unique by of balancing the mystery with romance and there is plenty to keep you interested. The descriptions of setting in the book are incredibly vivid, I always feel like I am being transported to wherever is being written about in the book and this one was no exception. The descriptions of Thailand were exceptionally detailed and actually made me want to visit. You can tell that the book has been well researched and I liked that it was so current, covering the issue of phone hacking made the plot seem a lot more true to life. When you read a Tasmina Perry book you always know what you’re going to get, murder, glamour and a healthy dose of sex. It is a recipe for reader delight, and clearly a format that works well, although I struggled to ignore a little niggling voice in my head that was telling me “You’ve read this before.” However, that aside it was, as always, a delight to read and as the nights draw in this is the perfect read to keep summer alive that little bit longer. 7/10 MORE ABOUT THIS BOOK