The Perfect Family
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Narrated by:
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Katie Villa
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Written by:
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Shalini Boland
About this listen
"Mummy, she’s gone...."
Gemma Ballantine is getting ready for work one morning when her eldest child comes running down the stairs saying the words every mother dreads.
The front door is open. And her six-year-old daughter has disappeared. Frantic with fear, Gemma starts a nail-biting search for her little girl.
After what feels like forever, her mother-in-law, Diane, finds Katie wandering lost a few streets away. Relieved to have her youngest child back in her arms, breathing in the sweet scent of her hair, Gemma thinks the nightmare is over.
But then her perfect family starts to fall apart.
And she realizes it’s only just beginning....
From the top ten best-selling author of The Secret Mother and The Child Next Door, this completely addictive psychological thriller of secrets, lies, and betrayal will make you gasp out loud at the heart-stopping final twist. If you loved Gone Girl, The Girl on the Train, and The Sister, this book is for you.
©2018 Shalini Boland (P)2018 BookoutureYou may also enjoy...
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It was supposed to be the happiest day of her life. Zoe was sitting in her hotel room, in her perfect white dress, looking forward to the moment when she would make kind, handsome Toby her husband. Then, there was a blank. They said she must have fainted, overcome with emotion. But nothing felt quite right afterward. Did something happen in that missing time?
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Love love love!
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From the moment I meet my new mother-in-law in her beautiful country house, she makes it clear I’m not welcome. Lilian Fletcher hates me for marrying her precious boy on a golden beach far away from her. Starting our marriage living in the Fletchers’ family home is a nightmare. Then I discover Seb was married before and his first wife is dead. I wonder why the man I love didn’t tell me the truth. And I wonder what happened to her: the woman who came before me. How did she die?
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What a Suspenseful story!!!
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Two-and-a-half-year-old Holly is playing happily in a pink, plastic playhouse, while her mother Rachel sips coffee and chats with a friend nearby. It should be an ordinary day for all of them. But, in the blink of an eye, it turns into every family’s worst nightmare. Holly is taken by a stranger and never found. Nine years later, Rachel is living a quiet life in Dorset. She’s tried to keep things together since the traumatic day when she lost her eldest daughter.
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Overall
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Performance
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"Are you my mummy?" Tessa Markham returns home to find a child in her kitchen. He thinks she’s his mother. But Tessa doesn’t have any children. Not anymore. She doesn’t know who the little boy is or how he got there. After contacting the police, Tessa is suspected of taking the mystery child. Her whole life is turned upside down. And then her husband reveals a secret of his own. Tessa isn’t sure what to believe or who to trust. Because someone is lying. To find out who, she must confront her painful past. But is the truth more dangerous than Tessa realises?
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Great story but...
- By M. Khan on 2021-12-05
Written by: Shalini Boland
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The Wife
- An Unputdownable Psychological Thriller with a Breathtaking Twist
- Written by: Shalini Boland
- Narrated by: Katie Villa
- Length: 8 hrs and 5 mins
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It was supposed to be the happiest day of her life. Zoe was sitting in her hotel room, in her perfect white dress, looking forward to the moment when she would make kind, handsome Toby her husband. Then, there was a blank. They said she must have fainted, overcome with emotion. But nothing felt quite right afterward. Did something happen in that missing time?
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Love love love!
- By Susan on 2024-06-27
Written by: Shalini Boland
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The Daughter-in-Law
- Written by: Shalini Boland
- Narrated by: Katie Villa
- Length: 7 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
From the moment I meet my new mother-in-law in her beautiful country house, she makes it clear I’m not welcome. Lilian Fletcher hates me for marrying her precious boy on a golden beach far away from her. Starting our marriage living in the Fletchers’ family home is a nightmare. Then I discover Seb was married before and his first wife is dead. I wonder why the man I love didn’t tell me the truth. And I wonder what happened to her: the woman who came before me. How did she die?
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A Great Story
- By AFH on 2023-06-14
Written by: Shalini Boland
-
My Little Girl
- A Totally Gripping Psychological Thriller Full of Shocking Twists
- Written by: Shalini Boland
- Narrated by: Katie Villa
- Length: 10 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Seven-year-old Beatrice has gone missing. Her mother Claire’s whole world has been turned upside down in just one moment, and she can’t stop shaking. She’s desperate to find her precious daughter, but nothing about the day she disappeared makes sense.
Written by: Shalini Boland
-
The Family Holiday
- Written by: Shalini Boland
- Narrated by: Katie Villa
- Length: 7 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The white-washed Italian villa is perfect. I thought it might feel odd, living in a stranger’s house for the summer, but as my husband and children swim in the infinity pool, I start to relax. And then, in the back of a wardrobe, I find something that shatters everything.... Sparkling green eyes, square jaw, lopsided smile. A young man with his arm around a beautiful woman. The picture is old and faded, but I’d recognize him anywhere. The man is my husband.
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The Best Friend
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Good Story
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
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Wow…. Amazing
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Written by: Shalini Boland
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The Silent Bride
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- Narrated by: Katie Villa
- Length: 8 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Alice and Seth are a perfect love story: the handsome doctor and his beautiful fiancée. They’re wealthy, well liked and made for each other—the envy of all their friends. Alice can’t wait for the day of their dream wedding. But when she arrives at the altar, she doesn’t recognise the man waiting to marry her. When this stranger insists he’s Seth, her husband-to-be, the entire congregation seems to agree. Even her parents try to persuade Alice to go through with the wedding.
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Underwhelming
- By Megan on 2023-09-17
Written by: Shalini Boland
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The Child Next Door: An unputdownable psychological thriller with a brilliant twist
- Written by: Shalini Boland
- Narrated by: Katie Villa
- Length: 8 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Kirstie Rawlings is jolted awake by a child crying. Racing upstairs to check on her newborn, she is plunged into every parents’ worst nightmare. She hears an unknown voice in the baby monitor, saying: "Let’s take the child - and go." Is someone trying to steal her little girl? In the bedroom, her daughter is safe asleep in her cot. Is the voice coming from a nearby house? But there aren’t any other children living on her quiet country road....
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So anticlimactic
- By Ashley Newbury on 2021-11-08
Written by: Shalini Boland
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You, Me, Her
- Written by: Sue Watson
- Narrated by: Tamsin Kennard
- Length: 8 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
My handsome husband Tom. You've given me everything our beautiful son and our perfect new seaside home. I want to trust you, but I know you haven't been honest about why you really wanted to move here. I haven't been honest with you either.
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Predictable
- By Shrin on 2024-10-23
Written by: Sue Watson
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The Marriage Betrayal: A totally gripping and heart-stopping psychological thriller full of twists
- Written by: Shalini Boland
- Narrated by: Katie Villa
- Length: 6 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Faye Townsend has planned the perfect summer trip for her family. But returning to the small seaside town her husband grew up in does not go to plan - the rain pours, and the long days become stifling. And then the unthinkable happens.... Her husband, Jake, and her six-year-old son, Dylan, go for an early morning walk along the beautiful, windswept clifftops. They don’t come back.
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unsure why there are low ratings - great read!
- By Gigi on 2023-05-22
Written by: Shalini Boland
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The Couple Upstairs
- An Addictive Psychological Thriller with a Gripping Twist
- Written by: Shalini Boland
- Narrated by: Katie Villa
- Length: 8 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Our new home was supposed to be a chance to leave our past behind. But was moving here the worst mistake of our lives? All our friends and family were gathered, glasses raised to toast our fresh start. It should have been a night for happiness and celebration. Zac and I had worked so hard for this: our first home together, just minutes from the sea. But the dream quickly turned into a nightmare.
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Wouldn’t recommend, boring read.
- By June on 2021-11-15
Written by: Shalini Boland
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A Perfect Stranger
- Written by: Shalini Boland
- Narrated by: Alison Campbell, Tamsin Kennard, Ciaran Saward
- Length: 7 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Emily dreams of one day owning a house where her son, Josh, and the little one on the way can grow up, but when her husband, Aidan, insists on leaving his lucrative job as a luxury car salesman, she senses something more is afoot - even while she harbours a secret of her own. What is Aidan hiding, and will it jeopardize their young family’s future?
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Good Story and great ending
- By AFH on 2023-08-04
Written by: Shalini Boland
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The Honeymoon
- Written by: Shalini Boland
- Narrated by: Clare Corbett
- Length: 7 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
It was supposed to be the happiest time of their lives. But for newlywed Stella, the dream honeymoon has turned into a nightmare overnight. Her perfect husband, Austin, has vanished without a trace. Alone in Venice, Stella frantically searches for him. But as fear turns into confusion, she finds herself questioning everything she knows about the man she married. Has Austin really abandoned her, or has someone from his past finally caught up with him—the business partner he threatened to sue? The obsessive ex-girlfriend who refuses to let go?
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Soooo Predictable!
- By Amazon Customer on 2024-06-16
Written by: Shalini Boland
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The Split
- Written by: S.E. Lynes
- Narrated by: Tamsin Kennard
- Length: 10 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Performance
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Story
Last night, we celebrated our anniversary. Over candlelight, we talked about the children, our work, and I was so happy, and felt so loved. But the next morning, when I check my phone, there is a message. From a friend. And a string of photos appear of my husband, Will, with another woman: walking along the street holding hands. Going into fancy hotels. Standing at a window, his arms around her, her head on his shoulder…
Written by: S.E. Lynes
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The Party
- Written by: Nora Valters
- Narrated by: Lucy Price-Lewis
- Length: 8 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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Performance
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Story
Ruth loves her life in London—she has a high-powered career and a handsome and successful fiancé. This Christmas, she’s bringing him back to her home town to meet her family and school friends, one of whom, Holly Murphy, has a new baby. But, as the Christmas Eve party is in full swing, the unthinkable happens—Ruth drops the baby, injuring the little boy. Or did she? Ruth becomes convinced she didn’t cause the baby’s injuries, that they were inflicted before the party, that the Murphys are not the lovely family they appear to be.
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Fun binge listen
- By Lol.k on 2023-06-17
Written by: Nora Valters
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The Visitor
- Written by: K. L. Slater
- Narrated by: Lucy Price-Lewis
- Length: 8 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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Performance
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Story
Holly never thought she'd move back to her hometown, but then something terrible happened. She doesn't know if she can recover. But she knows she can never tell another soul. People say her neighbour, David, is 'different'. He doesn't go out much, and never after dark. But in David, Holly finds just what she needs: a friend. Someone who's always there. No-one knows Holly's secret or where she lives. She has left the past behind. So why does she feel as though she's in terrible danger?
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Why can't people be kind?
- By Anonymous User on 2022-08-05
Written by: K. L. Slater
What listeners say about The Perfect Family
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Performance
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- Susan
- 2024-08-20
Really great!
Love author Shalini Boland and love narrator Katie Villa. They nailed it again on this excellent psychological thriller!
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- DT Canada
- 2019-07-09
Couldn’t stop listening.
This got my attention right from the start and couldn’t stop listening. Twist at the end had did have a clue on. Great story.
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- Shrin
- 2021-06-19
I enjoyed this book. Perfect for my road trip
I bought this book for two reasons. One -- I like psychological thrillers and this one looked to be decent to me and the reviews were decent; and two I was going on a road trip of approximately 8 hours and the length of the book was appealing to me. It worked out perfectly.
At first I did not like the breathy, whispery voice of the narrator, but it got better as the book went on. The twist at the end was something I had thought about while listening to the book. All in all an enjoyable read on an enjoyable road trip. I finished the book with about 20 minutes left in my trip.
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- Amazon Customer
- 2023-09-28
Love a good twist
Loved it! Great narration and unexpected twists!! Probably my favourite Shalini Boland book. Would definitely recommend!
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- Chelsea
- 2022-12-02
WOW!
Even the epilogue had a twist that changes the whole story of the book! highly recommend!
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1 person found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 2021-04-13
Gripping
This book kept me intrigued from start to finish. Never expected the ending, I would never have guessed.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 2019-01-03
a little long, but worth the twist!
I could feel this character in myself! trying just to make it through the day with kids and a small business. I could feel her frustration! it's a great story. I guessed the ending but then assumed I was wrong, only to be proven right. very good narrator!
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- Sharon Paterson
- 2019-01-27
it was a good mystery, read very well and we enjoy
would recommend, very interesting and fun to try and solve...great author, good narrator, give it a try!
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- Ashley Newbury
- 2021-10-19
Anticlimactic
Performance was good but it was one of the slowest, most anticlimactic stories I have ever read / listened to. Disappointing for sure.
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- Leandri
- 2019-02-21
what a terrible book!
I can't believe the reviews! this is hands down the worst book I've read. SO boring. The author must have decided that a shocking ending will make up for a drabby book
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