I had my share of horrible dates when I was trying to meet Mr. Right on the dating apps. But I did meet my husband on Match, so they worked for me! Gwen Turner, heroine of L.M. Chilton’s debut novel Swiped, can’t say the same. Her dates have been disastrous, featuring men who lie about their age, their wives, and only seem interested in nudes. But do they all deserve to die?
Gwen’s made some pretty big mistakes in her life—quitting a great job to run a coffee truck, breaking up with a man who truly loved her—and now her roommate/best friend is moving out and getting married. Gwen wants to bring a date to the wedding, but the pickings are slim in her small coastal English town. At her friend’s hen do, she’s desperate for an excuse to leave, and messages one of her matches on the dating app. But he responds with a newspaper clipping about a man who was murdered. Shaken, Gwen realizes she had gone out on a date with him. And then her other dates start dying, their bodies found in the same location where Gwen had met them. Is the killer after Gwen? Or trying to frame her?
While the plot of Swiped is a bit like the classic 1989 Al Pacino thriller Sea of Love, the tone is closer to Bridget Jones's Diary. It’s a terrific send-up of the dating app culture, where sometimes it’s hard not to wish death on certain daters. But Gwen herself isn’t faultless either, which she reveals as the novel progresses. Although at times the book got too silly for the danger to feel serious, overall, it’s a fun ride.
Women on the apps might want to stock up on a few copies of the book. Sending one over to an obnoxious guy who asks for nudes is a great way to make a statement.
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