The Soulmate

I don’t usually review two books by the same author in a year, but Sally Hepworth’s novels are so twisted and entertaining that I wanted to recommend “The Soulmate”. This book is a domestic thriller – all of the main characters have secrets! The chapters are very short and I was able to zoom through this book in two afternoons.

Gabe and Pippa Gerard are the new owners of a lovely cottage on the cliffs in Australia, where they live with their two young daughters. The only drawback is that troubled souls seem to be drawn to the cliffs as they contemplate suicide. Gabe has saved seven people in the year the Gerards have owned the house. But on the night the novel begins, a woman appears near the cliffs and Gabe does not save her. The police identify the woman as Amanda Cameron. . . Why was Gabe not able to talk Amanda down? Did he really try to save her? Did Gabe know Amanda? As the police investigate, many many secrets are revealed. (Pippa and Amanda are the narrators for all of the chapters in “The Soulmate”.)

I was swept into this novel from the beginning. There are a few slow spots, but overall, it kept me wanting to read ‘just one more chapter’ until I had read for another half hour! I did NOT see the twists at the end coming at all. I definitely knew the characters were hiding things from each other, but was really surprised at the end!