My thanks to Netgalley for my Kindle copy of Double Deceit. I did not enjoy the opening chapter, it seemed so forced and unnatural and reading on I was not taken with this book. To me the conversations didn't flow in a normal manner, it felt like it had been translated from Dutch and were not quite true to life.

However, almost against my will I was drawn in, never knowing where the plot would take me next; and there were some real shockers! I was never any more sure than Jennifer who I should trust. The suspense just kept me hooked, right up until the end.

I thought this book was good. Dr. Jennifer Smits husband , Oliver, is murdered while they are on holiday trying to respark their flame. The police think his death was an accident, but Jennifer is not convinced and does her own investigation. Turns out Oliver was having an affair. Unfortunately the mistress ends up dead too.
The police then suspect Jennifer in both deaths. But did she do it? Or is something nefarious going on.
I gave only three stars because. I like to have a hard time putting a book down, and this book just didn't do that for me. Good story, but didnt keep me on the edge.
Thank you net galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If you are looking for a book to make your mouth drop open several times, that is going to be Double Deceit by Julienne Brouwers. This was a slow burn that kept me guessing and I didn't see the end coming at all. The first chapter immediately hooked me, and I couldn't put the book down, basically until I finished. Or at least I would have read it in one sitting if time had allowed, but I ended up reading it in two. There were so many twists and turns, and the end comes at you from left field, but totally in a good way.

It is kind of hard to talk about Double Deceit without giving anything away, but know that this book abounds with red herrings, and I thought Brouwers did a great job of misdirecting the reader. Some of it was a bit unbelievable and clearly wouldn't happen in real life, but I like books like that since I read fiction to get AWAY from real life. So before reading this do keep in mind you will have to suspend some disbelief, and you might not always agree with the main character's choices. But if you want a crazy ride then that is exactly what you will get, and I can't wait to see what Brouwers comes up with next!

Thank you to the author and publisher for providing me with a review copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Amazing story. Well developed characters that are in a twisted engrossing thriller. Highly recommended. Super suspense that comes to a satisfying end! Highly recommended . A true roller coaster thrill ride. Great twists

I really really enjoyed this book. It had enough unexpected twists and turns and different characters to keep me interested from start to finish. Not your usual murder mystery. Recommended.

Thanks to BooksGoSocial, NetGalley and Julienne Brouwers for the advance release copy of Double Deceit.

*This review contains minor spoilers*

Set in Amsterdam, Jennifer Smits and her lawyer husband have gone for a weekend away to try and rekindle their relationship. He accidentally loses sight of their young son and a manic search for him begins. Despite them finding him safe and well they have a blazing row and he storms off out of the hotel.

When he doesn't return that evening Jennifer starts to worry. Their car is still there and he's never been gone this long before. A knock on the doorstep reveals her worst fears - her husband has been found dead in a ditch - presumed the result of a terrible accident.

When sorting through his possessions Jennifer finds a card that rips her world apart - its from a lady called Sandra and implies that they were having an affair. Determined to find out the truth, Jennifer calls her, and they agree to meet.

After grilling her husbands mistress, she learns that her husband may have been involved in some complex cases at the law firm, and Jennifer begins to feel that his death may not have been an accident after all.

The more she learns about the scenario surrounding her husband's death - the more harm follows - putting peoples lives, and relationships at risk.

Overall, Double Deceit is fast paced, page turner of a thriller and I found myself questioning lots of the characters and their potential involvement in the back story.

That said, there were quite a lot of plot holes for me, and some parts I just didn't find realistic, particularly in relation to police investigations, data protection and medical practice. Jennifer (as a highly qualified general practitioner) makes some quite naive decisions and fails at times to see what is right in front of her (I can only assume this was the grief and excess alcohol that was clouding her decision making / risk taking)

If you can see past these elements however, this was a great read and I finished it quickly, willed on to discover the truth about what really happened to Jennifer's husband.

I love a good thriller and this book was exactly that! It grabbed me from the very first page and I finished it in just two days. It was fast paced with a good storyline that kept me guessing until the very end. I had a few theories along the way and there were a few characters I didn't trust, but I totally got it wrong and didn't expect the ending at all!

I wish to thank NetGalley and JB Publishing for providing me with a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

#DoubleDeceit #NetGalley

Thanks NetGalley, BooksGoSocial and Julienne Brouwers for a copy to review.
A gripping thriller set in Amsterdam, starting strong with the sudden death of a young lawyer leaving behind his wife and a little boy. Jennifer's life shatters to pieces and she keeps questioning herself; Is she delusional or her husband's death wasn't the accident everybody believed it to be?

What a fantastic book, full of little surprises. Normally find it hard to get a book that has be guessing but this i could not put my finger on! Each time I thought I had worked something out, BAM! We where thrown another twist! Well done author, amazing job.

This book goes too quickly into the facts of the story and leaves the character depth and emotions behind. The heart wrenching feelings were not possible to become engrossed in and so it was difficult to become engaged with the characters. Worth a read but not for mr.

Many thanks to the author, publishers and Netgalley for a free ARC of this ebook.
This is a thriller and an unusual one at that. The story is about Jennifer, a family doctor who becomes embroiled in a life threatening situation following the untimely death of her husband. Its set in Holland, with much of the action in Amserdam, one of my favourite places.
I loved this book, the story is well paced, it has surprising plot twists and believable characters. My only small criticism is that some of the dialogue is a bit stilted, but this doesn't detract from the excellent storytelling and is probably a feature of the translation.
Well deserved 4 stars.

Jennifer Smits, a doctor, and her husband, Oliver, a hotshot lawyer, are facing trouble in their marriage. They go off with their two-year-old son Tim to a weekend getaway to rekindle the spark. But after a quarrel, Oliver goes out for a walk, has a fall and dies. Jennifer is left bereaved.

While looking through his stuff, Jennifer finds evidence of an affair. She calls the woman, Sandra, from his phone and questions her. Soon she is convinced that Oliver was consumed by some irregularities at his firm, Mason and McGant.

Meanwhile, police reveal that there is no evidence of foul play. The only aberration is that Oliver is found wearing lacy panties inside his clothes at the time of his death.

Unsure of what to believe, but knowing only that something feels wrong, Jennifer calls Sandra for answers to her questions. Together they break into the premises of Mason and McGant and find a DVD of Oliver caught in a compromising situation. They also find some cryptic notes that Oliver had made just before his death.

Then Sandra dies in an accident. And a charming man, Dan Bernstein, who also happens to be a lawyer at Oliver’s firm, befriends her. Are all these incidents mere coincidences? Or is her life in danger?

Friends Lindsey, Frederique and Karen warn her to stay off the case, but Jennifer won’t listen to any of them. She is determined to find out the truth, no matter what the cost.



The book is written in the first-person past tense PoV of Jennifer.



I liked Jennifer. The determination with which she keeps going ahead, in spite of the risks, is admirable. She is completely believable as a woman who is unwilling to come to terms with the death of her husband, and whose home life, work situation and friendships are all affected by her search for her truth.

But there were still some character traits that I found naïve, at best, and stupid, at worst. She would ask suspicious people the most difficult of questions and then believe the answers they gave her. It was really a stroke of luck that things didn’t backfire on her immediately. Another example of this naivete, out of place in a medical doctor, is her insistence on touching the dead body of her husband, even though the policewoman has warned her that according to the rules, the coroner must first examine the body so as not to tamper with forensic evidence.

I also dislike the much abused tendency on the part of female protagonists to consume alcohol in such copious quantities that they are no longer in control of themselves.

Among the friends, I liked Lindsey. She had a life beyond her friendship with Jennifer. Such a rare thing for a minor character. Also, she says it like it is, and is rock-solid dependable. The friendship between the two women was captured well, the desire to be supportive, yet the exasperation when one’s friend does something that one clearly disapproves of.

Hans was another character that was reliable and solid. Jennifer was lucky to have him in her corner.

I also liked the way the author made Amsterdam come alive. A few more descriptions about the city, its sights and its people would have helped though.




Dan Bernstein was just too good to be true. I also had an issue with the speed with which things were resolved. Literally, in one chapter. I would have liked to have more details regarding the resolution. That was a bit of a disappointment.

Overall, a good read.

Superb book. Well written. I didn't sleep just to finish this. It was soo exciting..a real page turner.

I really enjoyed this book. It builds the tension and you do feel for Jennifer as she had a row with her husband just before he dissappeared so she will feel guilty and it's her fault he hadn't returned. She manages to get a few people involved in her trail to find the truth about what happened to Oliver. There are lots of twists and turns along the way and will certainly keep you gripped.

Interesting novel from a talented new author!

Overall, I really liked this one. It grabbed my attention right away and I flew through the first 1/3 of it. Admittedly, it lost me a bit in the middle due to some less than likely plot points that distracted me (for example, I found it difficult to believe a woman would run around amateur sleuthing with her husband's mistress or vice versa, I also found it hard to believe that a man who had a lot to lose career wise would do so for a woman he's only just met).. Ultimately I just let go of my hang up on that and finished the book, which I ended up really enjoying aside from those small details, which I think are easily corrected by providing those characters with a different motivation for doing what they did.

I'm truly looking forward to additional books form this author!

This was a quick page turner ...

I imagine that readers who like reading about lawyers and their dirty “little” secrets (not so little in this concrete story), will like this book.

I liked the unexpected “friendship” (better said, cooperation) between two women, who weren’t supposed to know about each other. I also liked some cynical remarks the main character made through the book 😄

Jennifer, a doctor, and her lawyer husband Oliver, live with their young son in Amsterdam. On a family weekend away Oliver disappears and is found dead. Jennifer is convinced he’s been murdered and starts her own investigation into his death. I really enjoyed this book, the setting and all the twists. It had a good build up although a slightly abrupt end. I found Jennifer to be quite naive and she made some questionable decisions. I struggled with a few of the characters (although I suspect this is so you don’t know who to trust) and some parts of the story I found a little too convenient but overall a good read and I’d recommend it to any crime thriller fans!
Big thanks to JB PublishingJulienne Brouwers and netgalley for my review copy

Double Deceit
By Julienne Brouwers

1 star

I was only provided the first chapter of this book to review. With only one chapter it is hard to give a book justice.

The chapter provided was not engaging, poorly written, and did not make me want to read any further anyway. In essence the chapter was a child goes missing, the parents panicky look for the child, and finds him. No cliff hangers, little real tension.

Where does the story Go? Anyone's guess.

This title has been reviewed by www.books-reviewed.weebly.com

This title was provided by Netgalley and the publisher in return for an open and honest review.

# DoubleDeceit #NetGalley

Double Deceit by Julienne Brouwers is a mystery set in Amsterdam with Jennifer Smits, a doctor in a small private practice. She goes on a weekend holiday with Oliver, her husband, and their son, Tim. The trip ends in the tragic death of Oliver after he had gone for a walk. Jennifer is shocked by more than the death of Oliver as the days bring more information about secrets in his life.
The potential for this book is wonderful, but I was disappointed with Jennifer's character. I'm sure when dealing with the sudden death of a spouse a person does become confused and unfocused. As I read, I would feel aggravated at some of Jennifer's actions. She seemed to look for trouble and there were times she didn't seem to be consistent with her personality. Her focus was not on Tim as much as she became obsessed with learning the secrets of Oliver's life. There just seemed to be some little detail that was missing. Why would she get involved with a stranger when circumstances in her life are in such a tumult?
The wrap-up was too quick and neat. What happened to the friendship with Lindsey, was it ever resolved?
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC. A nail-biting thriller! Jennifer Smits is a family practice doctor, while on a weekend getaway, her husband is found dead. Although ruled accidental, something nags at Jennifer and details are revealed that convince her something sinister was going on.
There are a few things that I think may not have been translated well, but if you ignore that it's a very enjoyable thriller. The characters were well developed and I was invested in the story from the very first chapter. There are some chapters that are a bit slow but I felt that only added to the suspense. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who love international thrillers and mysteries.