Lonely heart Barry thought Gina might be too good to be true. He was right.

Gina preys on vulnerable older men through online dating sites. She lures them in, uses them to set up a financial scam and then vanishes without trace.

But when an angry victim of her fraudulent scheme comes looking for Gina, Barry is drawn into deadly danger. He faces having to kill – or be killed.

My Review

This was so funny. It’s the fourth book I’ve read by this author and definitely my favourite so far.

Barry is in his fifties, when his wife Louise decides he’s too boring and that their marriage has gone stale. She decides to do a Shirley Valentine and find herself and see the world. The Isle of Man just doesn’t cut it anymore.

Barry is devastated. And lonely. So he joins an online dating site, where he meets Gina. She’s gorgeous. What would she see in him? Gullibility would be my first guess. Because Gina is not what she seems. She’s a con artist and Barry falls hook, line and sinker.

Unfortunately, one of Gina’s other scam victims appears and that’s when the trouble begins. Because he wants his money back and he’ll stop at nothing to get it. That includes extreme violence, because he’s the hardest geezer in Skelmersdale. Could Barry kill someone to protect his family? He might have to. And it may even involve using a squirrel-proof bird feeder from the middle of Lidl as a weapon – other brands are available.

Poor old Barry! He’s really out of his depth. He’s never done anything wrong in his life, he’s just a humble carpet fitter looking for love. As the story becomes more and more insane, the humour rises to an all-time higher level, as we follow our hapless hero through the wilds of the Peak district to Sheffield and back again.

Take the book on holiday. Read it on the train. People will wonder what you’re laughing at.

Many thanks to the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

About the Author

Mark Eklid was an award-winning regional newspaper sports journalist before switching from cricket to crime thrillers.

The 23-Day Girlfriend is his sixth. His first novel was Sunbeam in 2019, followed by Family Business and Catalyst. The Murder of Miss Perfect and Blood on Shakespeare’s Typewriter were published through SpellBound Books.

All six are fast-moving, plot-twisting crime thrillers set in the city of his birth, Sheffield. Mark lives in Derby with his partner, Sue. They have two adult sons and have been adopted by a cat.

Website: markeklid.com
Facebook: @meklidauthor
Twitter: @MarkEklid
Instagram: @mark.eklid