Double Deceit by Julienne Brouwers

Double Deceit by Julienne Brouwers.

Published 23rd November 2020 in association with Aria, an imprint of Head of Zeus.

From the cover of the book:

What if you were framed for a murder you didn’t commit? A gripping, addictive thriller for fans of Angela Clarke, Mel Sherratt and Rachel Lynch.

Jennifer Smits is a young mother, married to a hotshot lawyer and living in Amsterdam. Her world explodes when her husband is found dead at a holiday park during a weekend getaway. 

Convinced that the police have failed in their investigation, she embarks on a desperate quest for the truth - but the deeper she digs, the more she gets enmeshed in a tangled web of lies, spun by a ruthless law firm.

As Jennifer's search for answers intensifies, her grip on reality weakens. Barely able to manage her patients at the health clinic, or take care of her young son, Jennifer is at risk of losing it all – even her closest friends begin to desert her. 

And then a chance encounter with a charming stranger sparks a new chain of events that plunges her deeper into a world of threats and corruption. Soon, she begins to fear for her life - but who can she trust, and how far will she go in pursuit of the truth?

This is a gripping, addictive thriller that will make you question everything, including the flaws of forensics. Could we all be framed for a murder we didn’t commit? 

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Double Deceit is an intriguing thriller set in Amsterdam about a young doctor, Jennifer Smits, coping with the fallout from the unexpected death of her successful lawyer husband- and it certainly keeps you on your toes from start to finish.

This one starts with a great hook, as the make or break weekend getaway planned by Jennifer and her husband, Oliver, in the company of their young son, goes horribly awry and sets Jennifer on an unexpected and dangerous path. The police do not seem overly concerned that Oliver has turned up dead, but his wife is sure there is more to it than a simple accident... and she is right!

Once Jennifer returns to Amsterdam to try to pick up the threads of her life as a single parent, we are off and running into a thrilling tale full of menacing suspense as she uncovers some unexpected secrets about the life Oliver was leading - both on the personal and professional fronts. No one seems to believe that Jennifer's doubts might have some substance, even her own friends who put it down to the imagination of a grieving widow, and instead she has to rely on her own wits and some unexpected allies to confirm her suspicions and get to the bottom of what has been going on.

I really enjoyed the way Julienne Brouwers builds the suspense in this novel, throwing in little twists here and there, and ramping up the danger nicely until Jennifer finds herself in a position from which there seems no escape, and the way this plays out as a cat and mouse game against the backdrop of Amsterdam was done beautifully - my heart was in my mouth whenever she left the safety of her own home as you were never quite sure who to trust and who meant her harm. Well played, Julienne!

I did think it was a bit of a shame that the threads tied up a rather too quickly in the finale, as I would have enjoyed a little bit more stringing along before the final masterstroke was played, but this is actually a total compliment to the wonderful build up beforehand, as I was enjoying it all so much.

This book is well plotted and has the bones of an excellent thriller. I relished putting together all the clues that were uncovered until the uncomfortable truth about the danger Jennifer was facing became clear. It is also evident that the scientific background of the author has a big part to play in how she has crafted this novel by the way she examines the role played by forensics in modern criminal investigations. And, I must say that there are some cracking female characters in this book, which always makes me smile.

This one is definitely worth your time if you enjoy a thriller with intelligent twists and plenty of heart-stopping moments - and it is available now from your favourite book retailer in ebook and paperback formats, or via Amazon UK HERE.

Thank you to Chris Nijs, marketing manager, JB Publishing,in association with Aria, an imprint of Head of Zeus, and Julienne Brouwers for providing me with a copy of this book in return for an honest review, and for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.

About the author:

Julienne Brouwers worked as a pharmaceutical scientist and medical physicist before becoming a writer. She lives in the Netherlands, with her husband and three children, where she has published two successful thrillers, and lived in the UK and US for a total of four years.

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Double Deceit on Goodreads

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