Tess Williams, after a dismal childhood, found herself married to the "perfect husband" who turned out to be her biggest nightmare. After discovering he was responsible for the murder of at least ten women, Tess helped in his capture. Now he's escaped from prison and she knows his ultimate goal is to find her and her daughter and kill her. She decides to go on her own and prepare herself physically and mentally for the inevitable confrontation by hiring a mercenary to train her. J. T. Dillon is the man she seeks out. He's a burned out ex-Marine in retirement but agrees to take the assignment. This is a gritty story with a truly dispicable adversary in Jim Beckett, Tess' ex-husband. He's resourceful and because he was one, he thinks like a cop and is effective at eluding capture. Tess is almost a tragic figure if not for the burning drive to protect her daughter. J. T. Is fighting the demons of his childhood and the disintegration of his relationship with his sister, his only sibling. The dialogue is terse and the narrative simple and direct. The story is chilling and suspenseful and will keep you edgy, at least it did me. There were times when I was so tense I had to put the book down, regroup and gather my courage to resume reading. The one weakness I found in the story was the romance between J. T. and Tess. I wasn't able to connect with the thing that attracted them to each other. His interactions with her were mostly harsh and cruel, which was unsettling. She was a contradiction, having been so passive for most of her life but asserting herself with J. T. in odd ways. J. T.'s family history was always in the background and it was disturbing and a bit confusing. While I liked both of them, a few tender moments in their relationship might have made the romance more plausible. Though the romance has some weaknesses, the strength of the story is in the suspense surrounding Jim Beckett. This guy was seriously scary and diabolical, thwarting the efforts of many law enforcement agencies to capture him. I was worn out by the end of the story and he had left a bloody trail. Read this if you have the nerve.
A Lisa Gardner tale is always worth the all-nighter I pull to finish the book! Gardner knows how suspense works-taut pacing makes a thriller. Titled the PERFECT HUSBAND because Jim Beckett thinks he is. As a handsome charming Police Officer, Theresa (Tess) can't believe he's interested in her. For years, she lives with an abusive father and unwitting leaps into the marriage bed of the worst sociopath, she can imagine. Jim swore he'd kill his 'perfect wife' for helping the police putting him, Jim Beckett perfection personified (especially in his killing), onto death row. He escapes, killing 2 guards. And, he is looking for his perfect wife. Jim has molded young Theresa into perfection that only he can see, and therefore Theresa must die for her ultimate betrayal. Tess leaves her daughter in police custody and seeks out J.T. Dillon, a burnt out ex-Marine and ex-mercenary. J.T. is battling his own demons and is not too receptive to Tess and her plight, until his sister Marion abruptly appears. As an FBI agent, she is suspicious of Tess and is also very dismissive of J.T. Their history is not that nice. The Colonel has seen to that. But, cool, aloof Marion may have screwed up-she's discovered Tess' true identity and Beckett may already know where she is. J.T. knows he has to help Tess, and is fighting to control past and present emotions. J.T. has just finished his annual drinking binge to mark the anniversary of his 'perfect' wife. Marion wants J.T. to go see their father. He's dying. She's been the good girl and good wife and the perfect FBI agent. Why then is everything unraveling now? She must not disappoint the Colonel, but she must help save Tess from the worst serial killer, FBI profiler Quinn has seen. Beckett was one of them; he knows police procedure, murder protocol, and forensics. Gardner puts together a beautiful patchwork quilt, because of the subplots in THE PERFECT HUSBAND. Just make sure you have a pot of coffee and your favorite comfort food, because you have to finish this page turner in one sitting. And the book will haunt your dreams for a few nights.
Do You like book The Perfect Husband (2004)?
Ronda wrote: "I have to agree!!!! I can't read this at night or I will have nightmares (I did last night!!!)"Oh Ronda! Boo Im sorry :( I havent had book related nightmares since I read The Witching Hour...It took me over a year to finish, but man a good book like that and THIS one. Its so hard NOT to wanna keep going! I hope you sleep better though! :)
—Naomi
Well, if this had been my first Lisa Gardner book, I guarantee it would have been my last. It fulfilled my worst suspicions about a much more recent book, which actually was pretty good. But this one - groan! It's basically a romance novel with a thin veneer of murder mystery/thriller. If you like Mary Higgins Clark, this is the book for you. If you're a fan of more recent Gardner books, don't read this one! The plot is weak, the characters are shallow and predictable, the dialog is trite, and the romance is just plain stupid. But, you can see faint glimmers of the Lisa Gardner to come. The FBI profiler explaining how he identifies patterns feels like step one in Gardner's progress up the evolutionary ladder. Sadly, it's not enough to make this book even tolerable. Fortunately, though the learning curve was steep, Gardner has become a pretty good writer in this decade. But "The Perfect Husband" is so bad, it's laughable. If I were Gardner, I would assure this book is out of print and I would pay libraries to de-shelve it. It creates a very bad impression of her writing skills. My recommendation - run away from this book!
—Jill Manske
Jim Beckett seemed like the perfect man but two after Tess married the decorated cop and bore his child she helped put him behind bars. for savagely murdering 10 women. He vowed he would come after her and exact his revenge. Now he has escaped and Tess is on the run for her life and her childs life . with the help of a burned out exmarine Tess is going to learn how to fight back and protect her daughter. as the largest manhunt in four states is going on looking for Beckett. the clock winds down to one terrifying reunion between husband and wife her only choices are kill or be killed.
—Georgiann Hennelly
