Description: Following a shocking murder, a woman must face the husband she thought she knew in this twisty, sizzling novel from the bestselling authors of Happy Wife.
Welcome back to Winter Park, where looks can kill and secrets refuse to stay buried. Este Walker didn't move to Florida to make friends. Five years ago, she ghosted her life in California to reinvent herself among the lakefront estates of Florida's elite. With a cocktail in hand, more money than she could ever spend, and a past she intends to keep hidden, she's finally content--or, you know, close enough. Her husband, Beau, and her best friend, Nora, are the only company Este needs. But when someone she'd much rather forget resurfaces, the past begins to close on her. And then a mysterious death turns Winter Park upside down--and Beau, who's keeping secrets of his own, is implicated, . Thrust into a high-stakes murder investigation, Este must unravel a web of lies and deception to answer the question: What exactly happened in California, and has it come back to haunt her? More important: How is she going to get herself out of this mess?Review Quotes: Praise for Perfect Life
"Waterfront setting? Check! Long-buried secrets? Check! Simmering danger? Absolutely."--Woman's World "The story encompasses themes of hardship and growth throughout while also still entertaining readers with the thrills of a great murder mystery, which will keep readers in suspense until the end. . . . This book is the second title to showcase the skillful writing of this powerhouse duo."--Library Journal, starred review "Lavender and Shores's swift pacing will keep readers turning pages. Fans of Liane Moriarty's suburban suspense will have a good time with this."--Publishers Weekly "An entertaining thriller with the same tone as . . . Happy Wife (2025), a soap opera centered around the idle rich."--Booklist "Deliciously gossipy, lighthearted . . . Consider this new series the mystery fiction equivalent of The Real Housewives."--South Florida Sun Sentinel "Murder fuels the drama in Perfect Life. . . . But it's the juicy rivalries and friendships between the female characters that make the book hard to put down."--The Atlanta Journal-Constitution"On the surface, it's a glossy world of wealth, country clubs, beautiful houses, perfect marriages, and carefully curated lives, but underneath it's a story about loneliness, reinvention, and the exhausting work of trying to become someone new. And, of course, murder. The emotional core of the book is pitch perfect . . . This is one of those books that feels tailor-made to disappear into for a weekend."--Thriller Thursday substack