The perfect murder
Buchtipp: Rush of blood
„Later on, talking in whispers, one of the men says, ‚Why should we feel guilty? I mean, there was no shortage of people out looking for her, and it’s not like we didn’t offer to help, is it?‘ His wife shrugs. ‘There’s not much we can do about sunshine, is there?’ A couple of the others nod.
‘Disparity’, one of them says. ‘Is that the word?’ So, they eat their final meal together and try to enjoy the last night of their holiday.“
Three British couples become friends during their vacation in Florida. They meet at the pool, go out for lunch and dinner, have cocktails together and enjoy their fast friendship in the sun. But on their last evening, a tragedy happens: the mentally limited daughter of an American tourist goes missing. The police start to investigate but the girl is gone. Back in the UK, the six Brits remain in contact whilst the police find the girl, floating dead in the mangroves.
During three private dinner parties, the couples get to know each other better – and figure out that none of them is telling the truth and each of them hide a secret. Are Angie and Barry really the boring and naive couple, living in a perfect home with their teenage children? Is Ed the entertaining guy working as a busy sales rep for a publishing house – and is his wife Sue the understanding person, teaching and dealing so well with her children at school? And what about the wannabe-actress Marina and her boyfriend Dave, the nerd working in a company for computer games? As Marina starts to wear the same dresses and hand bags as Sue, the other couples react with surprise … and then another girl with mental difficulties gets lost – right in their British neighbourhood …
Rush of Blood is a brilliant thriller, written from the various perspectives of the different couples, the police and the murderer. The climax happens at the third and final dinner at the home of Marina and Dave where the others were invited to stay overnight:
“An hour and a half later, one of the couples is just asleep – the man snoring gently – while in the next room another talks in hushed voices about the evening’s event. He tries to make a joke about dinner parties from hell, but she doesn’t think it’s particularly funny (…) The third couple is arguing. Within a minute or two of the shouting starting, all the people upstairs are wide awake.”
Until the very bitter end the reader can guess who the murderer is, one surprise is followed by another. A great book which keeps you awake all night.
Mark Billingham: „Rush of blood“. Die deutsche Ausgabe „Die Lügen der Anderen“ ist am 20. August 2014 bei Atrium Zürich erschienen. Hardcover, 19,99 Euro. AF