THE PERFECT GIRL | Gilly Macmillan

Zoe Maisey is a seventeen-year-old musical prodigy with a genius IQ. Three years ago, she was involved in a tragic incident that left three classmates dead. She served her time, and now her mother, Maria, is resolved to keep that devastating fact tucked far away from their new beginning, hiding the past even from her new husband and demanding Zoe do the same.

Tonight Zoe is giving a recital that Maria has been planning for months. It needs to be the performance of her life. But instead, by the end of the evening, Maria is dead.

In the aftermath, everyone—police, family, Zoe’s former solicitor, and Zoe herself—tries to piece together what happened. But as Zoe knows all too well, the truth is rarely straightforward, and the closer we are to someone, the less we may see.

Read an extract from THE PERFECT GIRL

Reviews

As the suspenseful, serpentine tale unreels from the alternating perspectives of several key players, readers will be rooting for the resilient, resourceful Zoe all the way to the perfectly executed final twists.
Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Masterfully drawn characters and intricate plotting make this a stunning piece of crime fiction.
Booklist (starred review)

Macmillan weaves her story elegantly through the perspectives of Zoe, Tessa and Sam… “The Perfect Girl” is a well thought-out story told in an original format… the novel’s approachable complexity is well worth the difficult-to-stop read this book quickly becomes.
New York Daily News

Macmillan captivates readers with a story just as addictive as her first… [and] shines when exploring the intricacies of relationships… Fans of Tana French, Ruth Ware, and Gillian Flynn will become completely entrenched in the unfolding details.
Bookpage

A compelling read for fans of psychological suspense.
Library Journal

Intense, electrifying...grips like a python from the very first page.
Daily Mail

With lovely prose, depth of character and an intelligent narrative, Macmillan lifts the level of suspense with stiletto-like precision: a tiny graze here, a shallow cut there and, eventually, a thrust into the heart. At once profoundly unsettling and richly rewarding, “The Perfect Girl” explores the damage we do and the repairs we desire.
Richmond Times-Dispatch

Zoe’s electrifying race to uncover the truth behind her mother’s death is the finest form of addictive literary suspense that every fan of The Girl on the Train will devour.
popsugar

Intense and brooding.
Sunday Mirror

The Perfect Girl is a twisty, satisfying psychological thriller.
Good Housekeeping

The Perfect Girl by Gilly Macmillan is a riveting story that delves into the mind of a teenager and what it means to have a second chance.
Muses & Visionaries Magazine

There are lessons that can be learned from the unfairness of life and from past mistakes. It's a strong theme and it's one that the author impressively builds into the very foundation and structural framework of this terrific little thriller in such a way that the characterisation and the crime elements form an inseparable bond.
The Digital Fix

With tightly drawn characters, a fascinating storyline and absolutely exquisite narration, The Perfect Girl is sure to keep readers up all night. Gilly Macmillan proves once again to be a master of the written word and is quickly becoming one of my go-to authors. Literary suspense at its finest.
Mary Kubica, New York Times bestselling author of Pretty Baby

The Perfect Girl mesmerizes from first to last. Highly original and prickling with tension—I could not stop turning the pages!
Shari Lapena, New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling author of The Couple Next Door

A wonderfully addictive book with virtuoso plotting and characters - for anyone who loved The Girl on the Train, it's a must read.
Rosamund Lupton, author of Sister and The Quality of Silence

I DEVOURED The Perfect Girl. An incredible page turner with awesome characters and suspense. Bravo.
Kate White, New York Times bestselling author