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FBI Profiler #1
The Perfect Husband
What would you do if the man of your dreams hides the soul of a killer?
Jim Beckett was everything she'd ever dreamed of . . . But two years after Tess married the decorated cop and bore his child, she helped put him behind bars for savagely murdering ten women. Even locked up in a maximum security prison, he vowed he would come after her and make her pay. Now the cunning killer has escaped--and the most dangerous game of all begins. . . .
After a lifetime of fear, Tess will do something she's never done before. She's going to learn to protect her daughter and fight back, with the help of a burned-out ex-marine. As the largest manhunt four states have ever seen mobilizes to catch Beckett, the clock winds down to the terrifying reunion between husband and wife. And Tess knows that this time, her only choices are to kill--or be killed.
Jim Beckett was everything she'd ever dreamed of . . . But two years after Tess married the decorated cop and bore his child, she helped put him behind bars for savagely murdering ten women. Even locked up in a maximum security prison, he vowed he would come after her and make her pay. Now the cunning killer has escaped--and the most dangerous game of all begins. . . .
After a lifetime of fear, Tess will do something she's never done before. She's going to learn to protect her daughter and fight back, with the help of a burned-out ex-marine. As the largest manhunt four states have ever seen mobilizes to catch Beckett, the clock winds down to the terrifying reunion between husband and wife. And Tess knows that this time, her only choices are to kill--or be killed.
496 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1997
2922 people are currently reading
39983 people want to read
About the author
Lisa Gardner
81 books20.5k followersLisa Gardner is the #1 New York Times bestselling thriller author of the Frankie Elkin series, as well as the Detective D.D. Warren, the FBI Profilers and the PI Tessa Leoni series.
Her current suspense novels feature Frankie Elkin, an everyday, average person who specializes in finding missing people. When the locals have given up, when the media has never bothered to care, Frankie takes on the challenge. From looking for a missing teen in inner city Boston to searching for a missing hiker in the wilds of Wyoming to rescuing a possibly kidnapped girl on a remote island in the Pacific, Frankie is on the case!
Lisa lives in the mountains of New Hampshire with two crazy pups. When not writing, Lisa loves to hike, play cribbage, and, of course, read!
Her current suspense novels feature Frankie Elkin, an everyday, average person who specializes in finding missing people. When the locals have given up, when the media has never bothered to care, Frankie takes on the challenge. From looking for a missing teen in inner city Boston to searching for a missing hiker in the wilds of Wyoming to rescuing a possibly kidnapped girl on a remote island in the Pacific, Frankie is on the case!
Lisa lives in the mountains of New Hampshire with two crazy pups. When not writing, Lisa loves to hike, play cribbage, and, of course, read!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,574 reviews
May 6, 2023
TW: domestic violence, r@pe, stalking
Writing: 4/5 | Plot: you're unserious | Ending: NAH YOU'RE FR TAKING THE PISS
SYNOPSIS
Tess enlists the help of mercenary JT to ensure she can fight back when her serial killer husband finds her again.
MY OPINION
LISA GARDNER WE NEED TO HAVE A CHAT. WHY DO YOU KEEP TROLLING ME LIKE THIS???? Yes, I was 5 when this book was published, BUT STILL. I feel personally victimized by how WEST this book went. In classic Gardner fashion, we have GREAT writing and a strong plot, but at some point, Gardner starts colouring outside the lines and shit goes south for there. She's pulled this kinda move on me a couple of times, most significantly in Love You More.
This book had so much potential to be a true banger. You've got all the ingredients: "my husband is a serial killer and I didn't even know it", interviews with the serial killer husband and his pov, criminal psychologist profiler, etc... But Gardner ruined a promising plot with a weird smutty love story between Tess and JT that no one, and I mean NO ONE, asked for. Can Tess just focus on keeping her and her daughter alive before shacking up with next man??
If you're familiar with the "dark romance" genre (I wish I wasn't), I would consider this almost medium dark romance. Why was this book so SMUTTY???? In the earlier DD Warren books, I did have to suffer through DD fiending for some dique but this was full on. And not only was there way too many mentions of "length" and "member" and "an eating kiss" (????) but it happened at the most inappropriate moments. Every time Tess broke down and opened up about her harrowing past, JT would be like "aw shucks.... so we fuckin or NAH????" like NO JT I don't think homegirl is in the mood for some raw dawg desert action after remembering how abusive her ex husband was??? Doesn't seem like it would be an arousing moment? But ofc this is an alternate universe so of course Tess was bussin it open.
SPOILER ALERT SCROLL TO BOTTOM
Tbh I was gonna toss this a three star based on the writing and the bones of the plot alone, but the last 25% of this book made it impossible to do so. I knew it was doomed when it was revealed that Jim's "pattern" is to dump his victims in different cities to spell out "Jim Beckett is here." You're not serious. You're not actually serious??? See why does she always have to take it this far? The fact he killed 10+ women in the span of a couple years is "tantalizing" enough, but now you're just venturing into silly season. Also, near the end they say he's spelled "Jim Beckett is w..." but then suddenly the "w" is retracted without explanation and it's revealed he's spelling "Jim Beckett is here." This was one of the big plot holes I noticed.
Yes, I know it's 1998 so maybe policing and forensics wasn't as toit (tight) as it is now, but why the absolute fk would you leave Tess' daughter in the care of Dilford who is well-known to Jim???? They literally didn't even try. It would've been safer to leave Samantha with a crack head to be quite frank.
The sex scene that really sent me into orbit was after Tess comes up with the grand ole plan of waiting at their old house for lure Jim out of hiding. Tess and JT go on a drive and end up HAVING SEX IN THE MIDDLE OF A FIELD ???? YEP!!!!! Oh but wait, we're not done. Tess was BENT OVER the front of the car while JT jack-hammered her while screaming her ex-husband's name.... Talk about romantic!!!! Also at this point, Samantha has been kidnapped by Jim and Tess decides the best use of her time is getting raw dawged on the side of the road. Seriously this has to be a sick joke.
The other big plot hole was Jim's side piece Shelly forwarding prison calls from Jim to Edith. Why would they big forwarding calls to Edith if the old bat wasn't aware of what was going on until the very end??? It would've made more sense if the calls had been forwarded to a phone at "Martha's" (drag queen Jim) house... but why tf would you be forwarded 30+ calls to Edith???? I've been turning this over in my mind and it just doesn't make any sense given that Edith wasn't wise to Jim's grand plan at all.
Ok and LASTLY (lol) this entire story is supposed to be about Tess reclaiming her strength and independence but at the end, it's all about JT. I literally wanted to frisbee this book into another dimension after reading the epilogue. Sooooo after narrowly escaping with her own life and finally being reunited with her daughter, Tess goes down to Arizona and pulls a Meredith Grey "choose me, pick me, love me" moment in the bar with JT. Who cares about this man??????? This is the time to focus on YOU. *projectile vomit*
SPOILERS DONE
Will I be reading book #2? You betcha!
PROS AND CONS
Pros: well-written, the bones of the plot were SOLID AF
Cons: unnecessary smut, plot went extremely buckwild, plot holes, epilogue nearly gave me an ulcer
____________________________
For some sick reason, do you want to hear more of my nonsense? Check out my podcast: Novels & Nonsense streaming everywhere.
Writing: 4/5 | Plot: you're unserious | Ending: NAH YOU'RE FR TAKING THE PISS
SYNOPSIS
Tess enlists the help of mercenary JT to ensure she can fight back when her serial killer husband finds her again.
MY OPINION
LISA GARDNER WE NEED TO HAVE A CHAT. WHY DO YOU KEEP TROLLING ME LIKE THIS???? Yes, I was 5 when this book was published, BUT STILL. I feel personally victimized by how WEST this book went. In classic Gardner fashion, we have GREAT writing and a strong plot, but at some point, Gardner starts colouring outside the lines and shit goes south for there. She's pulled this kinda move on me a couple of times, most significantly in Love You More.
This book had so much potential to be a true banger. You've got all the ingredients: "my husband is a serial killer and I didn't even know it", interviews with the serial killer husband and his pov, criminal psychologist profiler, etc... But Gardner ruined a promising plot with a weird smutty love story between Tess and JT that no one, and I mean NO ONE, asked for. Can Tess just focus on keeping her and her daughter alive before shacking up with next man??
If you're familiar with the "dark romance" genre (I wish I wasn't), I would consider this almost medium dark romance. Why was this book so SMUTTY???? In the earlier DD Warren books, I did have to suffer through DD fiending for some dique but this was full on. And not only was there way too many mentions of "length" and "member" and "an eating kiss" (????) but it happened at the most inappropriate moments. Every time Tess broke down and opened up about her harrowing past, JT would be like "aw shucks.... so we fuckin or NAH????" like NO JT I don't think homegirl is in the mood for some raw dawg desert action after remembering how abusive her ex husband was??? Doesn't seem like it would be an arousing moment? But ofc this is an alternate universe so of course Tess was bussin it open.
SPOILER ALERT SCROLL TO BOTTOM
Tbh I was gonna toss this a three star based on the writing and the bones of the plot alone, but the last 25% of this book made it impossible to do so. I knew it was doomed when it was revealed that Jim's "pattern" is to dump his victims in different cities to spell out "Jim Beckett is here." You're not serious. You're not actually serious??? See why does she always have to take it this far? The fact he killed 10+ women in the span of a couple years is "tantalizing" enough, but now you're just venturing into silly season. Also, near the end they say he's spelled "Jim Beckett is w..." but then suddenly the "w" is retracted without explanation and it's revealed he's spelling "Jim Beckett is here." This was one of the big plot holes I noticed.
Yes, I know it's 1998 so maybe policing and forensics wasn't as toit (tight) as it is now, but why the absolute fk would you leave Tess' daughter in the care of Dilford who is well-known to Jim???? They literally didn't even try. It would've been safer to leave Samantha with a crack head to be quite frank.
The sex scene that really sent me into orbit was after Tess comes up with the grand ole plan of waiting at their old house for lure Jim out of hiding. Tess and JT go on a drive and end up HAVING SEX IN THE MIDDLE OF A FIELD ???? YEP!!!!! Oh but wait, we're not done. Tess was BENT OVER the front of the car while JT jack-hammered her while screaming her ex-husband's name.... Talk about romantic!!!! Also at this point, Samantha has been kidnapped by Jim and Tess decides the best use of her time is getting raw dawged on the side of the road. Seriously this has to be a sick joke.
The other big plot hole was Jim's side piece Shelly forwarding prison calls from Jim to Edith. Why would they big forwarding calls to Edith if the old bat wasn't aware of what was going on until the very end??? It would've made more sense if the calls had been forwarded to a phone at "Martha's" (drag queen Jim) house... but why tf would you be forwarded 30+ calls to Edith???? I've been turning this over in my mind and it just doesn't make any sense given that Edith wasn't wise to Jim's grand plan at all.
Ok and LASTLY (lol) this entire story is supposed to be about Tess reclaiming her strength and independence but at the end, it's all about JT. I literally wanted to frisbee this book into another dimension after reading the epilogue. Sooooo after narrowly escaping with her own life and finally being reunited with her daughter, Tess goes down to Arizona and pulls a Meredith Grey "choose me, pick me, love me" moment in the bar with JT. Who cares about this man??????? This is the time to focus on YOU. *projectile vomit*
SPOILERS DONE
Will I be reading book #2? You betcha!
PROS AND CONS
Pros: well-written, the bones of the plot were SOLID AF
Cons: unnecessary smut, plot went extremely buckwild, plot holes, epilogue nearly gave me an ulcer
____________________________
For some sick reason, do you want to hear more of my nonsense? Check out my podcast: Novels & Nonsense streaming everywhere.
March 29, 2019
3.5 Stars
To be honest, I have nothing clever to say.
It was enjoyable...ish. It could have been so much better, though.
A mystery which wasn't mysterious at all and romance that wasn't really a romance. Like I want to read about the hero's love for his ex-wife for the ENTIRE book.
The hero was f*cked up and intense, just the way I like them. Miraculously, I didn't like him too much.
The heroine was okay-ish, neither likeable nor unlikeable. I couldn't relate to her, just couldn't...
All in all, it's Lisa Gardner so of course it's finishable.
To be honest, I have nothing clever to say.
It was enjoyable...ish. It could have been so much better, though.
A mystery which wasn't mysterious at all and romance that wasn't really a romance. Like I want to read about the hero's love for his ex-wife for the ENTIRE book.
The hero was f*cked up and intense, just the way I like them. Miraculously, I didn't like him too much.
The heroine was okay-ish, neither likeable nor unlikeable. I couldn't relate to her, just couldn't...
All in all, it's Lisa Gardner so of course it's finishable.
April 25, 2012
Disclaimer: This is the second Lisa Gardner book I have read. The previous book of hers I've read was written much later, and I enjoyed that book. This review is about this book only, not about Gardner's ability as a writer.
Unfortunately, I can't say that I liked or enjoyed this book much. The premise, a woman on the run from an insane serial killer, sounded intriguing, but the execution wasn't good.
Usually in a mystery, there is a puzzle, something unknown (such as the identity of the killer) that the hero is trying to uncover. In this book, there is no such mystery. We know from the start who the villain is, what his ultimate goal is, and pretty much how the book will end.
The characters are completely unbelievable. The killer almost has magical powers; the police -- in the few scenes they appear -- are clueless and act quite stupidly; the main character's actions simply don't make sense; and so on. Except for Quincy, who really makes just a passing appearance in the book, I found the characters really unlikable. I did not want to read about them.
The book seems to comprise of a lot of conversations. This should make for very fast reading, but I just found myself struggling to read on. It was hard for me to read more than a few pages at a time. In large parts of the book, really nothing happens. The plot doesn't really advance, and the characters just talk among themselves. Eventually, I started skimming whole sections where nothing happens.
In many cases, this book was not a mystery or suspense story, but seemed more like a romance or soft porn book. I did not care for that. I don't mind a little romance in a book, but in this book it was excessive.
So, to summarize, I did not enjoy this book. I struggled to finish reading it. I found the plot and characters unbelievable, and I knew how the book will end from page one. Lisa Gardner is generally a good writer, so I'd skip this book and start with a later entry.
Unfortunately, I can't say that I liked or enjoyed this book much. The premise, a woman on the run from an insane serial killer, sounded intriguing, but the execution wasn't good.
Usually in a mystery, there is a puzzle, something unknown (such as the identity of the killer) that the hero is trying to uncover. In this book, there is no such mystery. We know from the start who the villain is, what his ultimate goal is, and pretty much how the book will end.
The characters are completely unbelievable. The killer almost has magical powers; the police -- in the few scenes they appear -- are clueless and act quite stupidly; the main character's actions simply don't make sense; and so on. Except for Quincy, who really makes just a passing appearance in the book, I found the characters really unlikable. I did not want to read about them.
The book seems to comprise of a lot of conversations. This should make for very fast reading, but I just found myself struggling to read on. It was hard for me to read more than a few pages at a time. In large parts of the book, really nothing happens. The plot doesn't really advance, and the characters just talk among themselves. Eventually, I started skimming whole sections where nothing happens.
In many cases, this book was not a mystery or suspense story, but seemed more like a romance or soft porn book. I did not care for that. I don't mind a little romance in a book, but in this book it was excessive.
So, to summarize, I did not enjoy this book. I struggled to finish reading it. I found the plot and characters unbelievable, and I knew how the book will end from page one. Lisa Gardner is generally a good writer, so I'd skip this book and start with a later entry.
September 26, 2016
4.5/5
“Jim Beckett is a pure psychopath. Most of you out there probably think you know what that means. I'm here to tell you that you don't.”
Oh my God! What did I just read?
Lisa Gardner is a genius! This was such an intense and gripping suspense/thriller story with a touch of romance. It left me exhausted as if it drained all my energy away after I finished it. The Perfect Husband gave me chills from the very start and I felt more and more terrified of what would happen to Tess and her daughter as I went further into the book. The whole story totally kept me on the edge. During the last 30% of the book, I felt like my heart thumping out of my chest. So much happened near the end and it was full of action and excitement that I wasn’t able to put it down until I finished.
Just thinking about this psycho killer and what he did still gives me goosebumps even now. Jim Beckett is one of the most dangerous and scariest villains I've ever read. Reading the scenes where the bodies of the murdered women were discovered and the description of how he tortured and then killed them made me sick to my stomach that I had to hug myself tightly and close my eyes for a few seconds. Damn, it wasn’t that easy to nerve myself to turn to the next page!
On the one hand, he considers himself outside the boundaries of society — that is his neurosis. On the other hand, deep down, like any person, he has a need for limits. As he gets away with murder, he tries even more daring and dangerous stunts. Not just because of ego, but because some part of him wants to be caught. Like the child who evolves from petty tantrums to small crime to get a parent's attention, Beckett will commit riskier and riskier murders seeking that barrier.
At first, I thought this was another typical woman-on-the-run-from-her-psycho-ex-husband story, but boy was I wrong. It was much more than that and I can't tell you anymore than this! You really need to read it for yourself!
By the way, this was my enjoyable read. The pace was fast and the plot was suspenseful and action-packed. This book absolutely lived up to its hype. Really worth it!
“Jim Beckett is a pure psychopath. Most of you out there probably think you know what that means. I'm here to tell you that you don't.”
Oh my God! What did I just read?
Lisa Gardner is a genius! This was such an intense and gripping suspense/thriller story with a touch of romance. It left me exhausted as if it drained all my energy away after I finished it. The Perfect Husband gave me chills from the very start and I felt more and more terrified of what would happen to Tess and her daughter as I went further into the book. The whole story totally kept me on the edge. During the last 30% of the book, I felt like my heart thumping out of my chest. So much happened near the end and it was full of action and excitement that I wasn’t able to put it down until I finished.
Just thinking about this psycho killer and what he did still gives me goosebumps even now. Jim Beckett is one of the most dangerous and scariest villains I've ever read. Reading the scenes where the bodies of the murdered women were discovered and the description of how he tortured and then killed them made me sick to my stomach that I had to hug myself tightly and close my eyes for a few seconds. Damn, it wasn’t that easy to nerve myself to turn to the next page!
On the one hand, he considers himself outside the boundaries of society — that is his neurosis. On the other hand, deep down, like any person, he has a need for limits. As he gets away with murder, he tries even more daring and dangerous stunts. Not just because of ego, but because some part of him wants to be caught. Like the child who evolves from petty tantrums to small crime to get a parent's attention, Beckett will commit riskier and riskier murders seeking that barrier.
At first, I thought this was another typical woman-on-the-run-from-her-psycho-ex-husband story, but boy was I wrong. It was much more than that and I can't tell you anymore than this! You really need to read it for yourself!
By the way, this was my enjoyable read. The pace was fast and the plot was suspenseful and action-packed. This book absolutely lived up to its hype. Really worth it!
July 7, 2013
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!
December 17, 2022
I am a Lisa Gardner fan and have read several of her books and have rated them highly.
The Perfect Husband was a dnf for me. I struggle with a weak female protagonist and I know Tess evolves into a strong protagonist in this book to combat her husband who is a serial killer of women. Tess locates a person she believes can teach her stalking and combat skills.
I recommend reading other reviews because many people rated this book highly.
The Perfect Husband was a dnf for me. I struggle with a weak female protagonist and I know Tess evolves into a strong protagonist in this book to combat her husband who is a serial killer of women. Tess locates a person she believes can teach her stalking and combat skills.
I recommend reading other reviews because many people rated this book highly.
August 7, 2025
3.5
This is the first Lisa Gardner book I’ve read, but it certainly won’t be the last!!
She created a truly scary bad guy, which is the strength of this thriller. There were times that I nearly put the book down because the tension/suspense was almost too much. And that’s why I’ll keep reading her books!
Unfortunately, the book had some weak characters and almost too many cliched tropes stuffed together— thriller, romance, revenge, self-help, wounded good guy, etc. And a heck of a lot of triggers— but that bad guy kept me reading.
Look forward to seeing how Gardner improves— because I’ve read a ton of great reviews for her newer books.
(reviewed 07/30/23)
This is the first Lisa Gardner book I’ve read, but it certainly won’t be the last!!
She created a truly scary bad guy, which is the strength of this thriller. There were times that I nearly put the book down because the tension/suspense was almost too much. And that’s why I’ll keep reading her books!
Unfortunately, the book had some weak characters and almost too many cliched tropes stuffed together— thriller, romance, revenge, self-help, wounded good guy, etc. And a heck of a lot of triggers— but that bad guy kept me reading.
Look forward to seeing how Gardner improves— because I’ve read a ton of great reviews for her newer books.
(reviewed 07/30/23)
November 15, 2019
First published in 1997, this book has aged like milk. Battered wife goes to masculine ex-Marine looking for combat lessons; he slaps her around a bit (it's ok, he wasn't expecting her and was on his annual 5 day bender to celebrate the day his former love interest/stepmother and half brother were killed...oh yes); her terrible husband defies several laws of physics and storytelling to track her down; final showdown ensues.
It earned itself two stars by actually being very well written, if you ignore the subject material, and for the absolute DRAMA that our male lead unintentionally brings. The man just loves a monologue, and never heard of stifling even a passing feeling - it's unintentional comedy, but absolute gold nonetheless.
Unfortunately, as I can't just jump into a series mid way, this one is not going to be for me.
It earned itself two stars by actually being very well written, if you ignore the subject material, and for the absolute DRAMA that our male lead unintentionally brings. The man just loves a monologue, and never heard of stifling even a passing feeling - it's unintentional comedy, but absolute gold nonetheless.
Unfortunately, as I can't just jump into a series mid way, this one is not going to be for me.
September 19, 2022
***A FEW SPOILERS***
Lisa Gardner is just amazing. Truly one of the best out there. As for this book—it was alright.
Teresa thought he married the perfect guy. He is a decorated police officer, blindingly handsome and her saviour, but behind the facade, he is a serial killer who tortures and hunts blond women. She helped put him behind bars and now he’s escaped.
Well, I enjoyed this one a little bit. It has the right amount of suspense, mystery and darkness. I liked how the villain was written! He’s evil in every sense of the word, manipulative, a master of disguise and annoyingly intelligent. A perfectly molded serial killer.
I would prefer if there were more action scenes rather than the steamy/sexual attraction between the main characters, I just felt that it was overdone and completely out of place. Like, your child has been kidnapped by your misogynistic-psychopath of a husband and you’re out there having s*x with a drunk-ex-marine-with-too-much-baggage-in-his-life, that didn’t sit right with me.
And as for the character development of Teresa? Nada. You were supposed to be this bad-ass woman trained to be able to defend yourself but nothing really happened with the “so-called” training.
Overall. Not my favourite book from Lisa but I just love her writing style so I had to finish this. Haha.
Lisa Gardner is just amazing. Truly one of the best out there. As for this book—it was alright.
Teresa thought he married the perfect guy. He is a decorated police officer, blindingly handsome and her saviour, but behind the facade, he is a serial killer who tortures and hunts blond women. She helped put him behind bars and now he’s escaped.
Well, I enjoyed this one a little bit. It has the right amount of suspense, mystery and darkness. I liked how the villain was written! He’s evil in every sense of the word, manipulative, a master of disguise and annoyingly intelligent. A perfectly molded serial killer.
I would prefer if there were more action scenes rather than the steamy/sexual attraction between the main characters, I just felt that it was overdone and completely out of place. Like, your child has been kidnapped by your misogynistic-psychopath of a husband and you’re out there having s*x with a drunk-ex-marine-with-too-much-baggage-in-his-life, that didn’t sit right with me.
And as for the character development of Teresa? Nada. You were supposed to be this bad-ass woman trained to be able to defend yourself but nothing really happened with the “so-called” training.
Overall. Not my favourite book from Lisa but I just love her writing style so I had to finish this. Haha.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 7, 2014
Tess Williams thought she was marrying the man of her dreams. Jim Beckett a police officer who did he's job well and was well thought of by his colleagues. Tess believed he was a loving and caring person unlike her father who was an abusive man. Being a young bride at the age of eighteen, Tess was eager to please her husband. It was only a couple of weeks after they'd been married that Tess noticed her husband change. He no longer was the sweet loving man that she'd first met. If things around the house weren't done to his liking and standards such as cooking and cleaning she would get a beating where she'd remain in pain for days afterwards. Tess was becoming increasingly scared of her husband and never knew when the next beating was coming. It seemed the more she tried to please him the less she succeeded. It was after the birth of their daughter Samantha, that Jim went back to his old loving self, but it didn't last long and things were back to the way they were.
After being married for two years things become worse when, Jim turned into a psychopath and murders ten women over sixteen months. It was Tess who helped put him behind bars, but after killing two guards he manages to escape. Tess knows she and Samantha are in danger and she must find a way of keeping them safe.
With the help from J.T. Dillon an ex-marine, Tess decides it's time to fight back. She wants him to train her and teach her everything he knows so by the end of it she'll know how to defend herself, but will this be enough to keep her alive from a psychopath like Jim Beckett? In the meantime Jim is plotting his next move and he has every intention of finding Tess and following through with his threat on killing her.
Oh my goodness what a breathtaking, nail-biting and fantastic read this was. I absolutely LOVED this novel which was full of suspense from start to finish. This truly is a gripping and very intense novel and one that will have you turning the pages quite quickly the closer you get to the end. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
After being married for two years things become worse when, Jim turned into a psychopath and murders ten women over sixteen months. It was Tess who helped put him behind bars, but after killing two guards he manages to escape. Tess knows she and Samantha are in danger and she must find a way of keeping them safe.
With the help from J.T. Dillon an ex-marine, Tess decides it's time to fight back. She wants him to train her and teach her everything he knows so by the end of it she'll know how to defend herself, but will this be enough to keep her alive from a psychopath like Jim Beckett? In the meantime Jim is plotting his next move and he has every intention of finding Tess and following through with his threat on killing her.
Oh my goodness what a breathtaking, nail-biting and fantastic read this was. I absolutely LOVED this novel which was full of suspense from start to finish. This truly is a gripping and very intense novel and one that will have you turning the pages quite quickly the closer you get to the end. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
January 29, 2021
This was harder to rate I was thinking 3.5 *rating but gave it a four as did enjoy the characters in this book,but lacking in areas of gritty parts missing in the book as it's more about the characters,it starts with a husband a serial killer he goes to prison for his crimes and escapes and his wife who has a child who manages to escape from her husband who was tortured by him and gets her child into hiding.but she doesn't trusts cops you soon get to know why.and finds help from a troubled alcoholic and his sister have a bad relationship as the story unfolds.im going to read more of her books as was recommended to read her books and they get better.
November 2, 2014
Very disappointing book. This is because the book tends to focus more on J.T., the mercenary who Tess goes to for self-defense training, than it does on Tess and her recently escaped serial killer ex-husband.
J.T. is crude, rude, and a very unlikable character. He’s tortured by his past and full of self-pity and he’s constantly thinking of - his abusive father, the colonel - his sister Marion, who he feels he didn’t protect from the colonel - his dead wife and kid. When he’s not thinking about them, it’s about how much he wants his next drink so he can fall into a drunken stupor and forget about his miserable life.
This book is more like a depressing dysfunctional family drama (J.T.’s family) than the suspense book I thought it would be. The FBI manhunt that is alluded to on the back cover blurb is barely even there, and the little that is there is just too far-fetched. This book was too slow-moving and it could have used more action and suspense than it provided.
J.T. is crude, rude, and a very unlikable character. He’s tortured by his past and full of self-pity and he’s constantly thinking of - his abusive father, the colonel - his sister Marion, who he feels he didn’t protect from the colonel - his dead wife and kid. When he’s not thinking about them, it’s about how much he wants his next drink so he can fall into a drunken stupor and forget about his miserable life.
This book is more like a depressing dysfunctional family drama (J.T.’s family) than the suspense book I thought it would be. The FBI manhunt that is alluded to on the back cover blurb is barely even there, and the little that is there is just too far-fetched. This book was too slow-moving and it could have used more action and suspense than it provided.
March 1, 2018
“Lock your closets.” That’s the best defense against this serial killer who is brutally bashing young, blonde women?
The Perfect Husband by Lisa Gardner is billed as “Quincy and Rainie #1” with FBI profiler Pierce Quincy – but where’s Officer Rainie Connor? I think she doesn’t show up until the next book. At any rate, this novel is more about Theresa “Tess” Williams and JT Dillon, with JT’s sister Marion, who is an FBI agent, in a supporting role.
The “perfect” husband? He’s a strong, handsome cop who expects a perfect wife. He’s demanding, controlling, and abusive. One more thing: He’s a serial killer. Tess was married to Jim Beckett, and she knows who his final target will be. She is determined to be ready. For her young daughter’s sake, she cannot fail. She must not fail.
Tess turns to a down-and-out ex-Marine for help. JT Dillon is in the midst of his annual tequila bender when Tess shows up at his home in Arizona expecting the former mercenary to train her. What she doesn’t bank on is a drunk claiming to be out of the business. But Tess (AKA “Angela”) is desperate, and there’s something pathetic, yet appealing, about her, so JT lets her stay.
They make an unlikely team, this pair. They are both damaged goods. Who would ever think they could help one another? When Marion, JT’s sister comes on the scene, things get really tense. Bit by bit, “Angela” learns about their father, the Colonel, and that there is no love lost between these siblings, at least not until you dig very, very deep. Once Angela’s identity is discovered, the brother-sister duo are both on board, and the training begins in earnest. Shooting, over and over. Swimming. More target practice.
We see what kind of man Jim Beckett is. He’s smart, and he knows it. He’s proud of it. As a cop, he knows how cops operate and how they think, which gives him the ability to stay steps ahead of their investigations. As a former cop, he knows how to lie low and evade detection. He has a pattern, and he smugly believes that even the FBI’s profiler can’t figure it out. Can anyone break his code? He’s a man without a conscience, a sociopath who will kill anyone who gets in his way. Gardner lets him kill off some of her investigators and cops along the way to prove the point.
Lock your closets. The man seems to pop out of nowhere sometimes. Lisa Gardner creates tension, and lots of it. Tess and JT feel the heat, too, and I’m not just talking about Arizona desert heat. This is quite different from the DD Warren books that I’ve read. Who knew there could be steam in Arizona? But will the training end there, or will it take Tess back to the Northeast, where her troubles began?
I think the author gets a bit carried away with the sexual relationship between JT and Tess, but I do like most of the character development in this story. I especially like what she does with JT and Marion’s childhood, their relationship to their father and each other, and how that has affected their adult relationships. Of course, we also get a look at what Theresa’s life with Jim was like. That part of this book is very well done.
I wasn’t especially keen on the book being billed as “Quincy and Rainie,” because, as I said, there is no Rainie, and Quincy really isn’t that much of a factor either. I didn’t like this character, particularly, and he has a fairly limited role. Perhaps in the second book he takes more of a lead, but for readers who expect a police procedural, this might be disappointing. Nonetheless, this is a very entertaining, tension-filled book. If it were a movie, I might have been peeking out from between my fingers or maybe squeezing my eyes tightly shut a few times. If that’s the kind of story you like, then The Perfect Husband may be just right for you.
3.5 stars
The Perfect Husband by Lisa Gardner is billed as “Quincy and Rainie #1” with FBI profiler Pierce Quincy – but where’s Officer Rainie Connor? I think she doesn’t show up until the next book. At any rate, this novel is more about Theresa “Tess” Williams and JT Dillon, with JT’s sister Marion, who is an FBI agent, in a supporting role.
The “perfect” husband? He’s a strong, handsome cop who expects a perfect wife. He’s demanding, controlling, and abusive. One more thing: He’s a serial killer. Tess was married to Jim Beckett, and she knows who his final target will be. She is determined to be ready. For her young daughter’s sake, she cannot fail. She must not fail.
Tess turns to a down-and-out ex-Marine for help. JT Dillon is in the midst of his annual tequila bender when Tess shows up at his home in Arizona expecting the former mercenary to train her. What she doesn’t bank on is a drunk claiming to be out of the business. But Tess (AKA “Angela”) is desperate, and there’s something pathetic, yet appealing, about her, so JT lets her stay.
They make an unlikely team, this pair. They are both damaged goods. Who would ever think they could help one another? When Marion, JT’s sister comes on the scene, things get really tense. Bit by bit, “Angela” learns about their father, the Colonel, and that there is no love lost between these siblings, at least not until you dig very, very deep. Once Angela’s identity is discovered, the brother-sister duo are both on board, and the training begins in earnest. Shooting, over and over. Swimming. More target practice.
We see what kind of man Jim Beckett is. He’s smart, and he knows it. He’s proud of it. As a cop, he knows how cops operate and how they think, which gives him the ability to stay steps ahead of their investigations. As a former cop, he knows how to lie low and evade detection. He has a pattern, and he smugly believes that even the FBI’s profiler can’t figure it out. Can anyone break his code? He’s a man without a conscience, a sociopath who will kill anyone who gets in his way. Gardner lets him kill off some of her investigators and cops along the way to prove the point.
Lock your closets. The man seems to pop out of nowhere sometimes. Lisa Gardner creates tension, and lots of it. Tess and JT feel the heat, too, and I’m not just talking about Arizona desert heat. This is quite different from the DD Warren books that I’ve read. Who knew there could be steam in Arizona? But will the training end there, or will it take Tess back to the Northeast, where her troubles began?
I think the author gets a bit carried away with the sexual relationship between JT and Tess, but I do like most of the character development in this story. I especially like what she does with JT and Marion’s childhood, their relationship to their father and each other, and how that has affected their adult relationships. Of course, we also get a look at what Theresa’s life with Jim was like. That part of this book is very well done.
I wasn’t especially keen on the book being billed as “Quincy and Rainie,” because, as I said, there is no Rainie, and Quincy really isn’t that much of a factor either. I didn’t like this character, particularly, and he has a fairly limited role. Perhaps in the second book he takes more of a lead, but for readers who expect a police procedural, this might be disappointing. Nonetheless, this is a very entertaining, tension-filled book. If it were a movie, I might have been peeking out from between my fingers or maybe squeezing my eyes tightly shut a few times. If that’s the kind of story you like, then The Perfect Husband may be just right for you.
3.5 stars
July 30, 2014
This Review reminded me of this book's existence!
I read this book two times, my best friend says I'm disturbed for this, and thought it was wonderful both times.
I haven't read it in a few years now so my feelings are not as crystal clear and precise as they would be were they all fresh and new, so bear with me!
Tess had the perfect life: She was young, in love and married to one of the handsomest men she had ever seen.... what more could a woman want?!
Life isn't as fucking perfect as all this though!! We soon learn that their relationship is anything but perfect. Tess's husband Jim is volatile, explosive and violent; things which he had hid well from Tess prior to their marriage.
The book takes place after Tess has helped put Jim behind bars for the savage murder of ten women... after she discovered body parts in her basement!
This book is really creepy, ladies and gents!! Like, REALLY creepy! And although it does have a seek-out-a-stranger-for-help thing I'm not a fan of, it has a very powerful message:
Just because he looks like this:
Does NOT mean that he is incapable of malice, abuse or murder!
Be SMART, ladies! Do NOT just trust a pretty face!!
I read this book two times, my best friend says I'm disturbed for this, and thought it was wonderful both times.
I haven't read it in a few years now so my feelings are not as crystal clear and precise as they would be were they all fresh and new, so bear with me!
Tess had the perfect life: She was young, in love and married to one of the handsomest men she had ever seen.... what more could a woman want?!
Life isn't as fucking perfect as all this though!! We soon learn that their relationship is anything but perfect. Tess's husband Jim is volatile, explosive and violent; things which he had hid well from Tess prior to their marriage.
The book takes place after Tess has helped put Jim behind bars for the savage murder of ten women... after she discovered body parts in her basement!
This book is really creepy, ladies and gents!! Like, REALLY creepy! And although it does have a seek-out-a-stranger-for-help thing I'm not a fan of, it has a very powerful message:
Just because he looks like this:
Does NOT mean that he is incapable of malice, abuse or murder!
Be SMART, ladies! Do NOT just trust a pretty face!!
May 20, 2010
This is my first shot at a "suspense/thriller" novel. I am a sucker for romance and also for serial killers...strange but true. My ideal movie night would be "Pretty Woman" followed by "Silence of the Lambs". This little ideosincrasy of mine set me up perfectly to love this book....only I really didn't. Here's why....
1. Tess has been through hell. An physically abusive father and an emotionally abusive and controlling psychopath for a husband. Why couldn't this author have made J.T. Dillon a "hero" instead of making him proof of the fact that Tess is going to keep making mistakes with the men she gets involved with. His drinking, harsh..(abusive at times) way of dealing with Tess left a really bad taste in my mouth. While I know that it's true that victims of abuse tend to gravitate towards men who will continue that abuse, I had hoped that in a "fictional novel" Tess would have made a stronger choice, or more importantly, that this author would have made a more respectable character of J.T.
2. I will never know why this author brought Marion, J.T.'s sister, into the story line. She got in the way. All the issues with J.T.'s family...ie, Marion and their abusive father, got in the way of the story I really cared about...Tess and her daughter. I didn't feel connected to Marion of J.T. They were both so messed up from their past that Tess's trauma often took a back seat to J.T. and Marion's issues.....how frustrating.
3. The chemistry between J.T. and Tess was just plain unbelievable. I never bought in to them.....ever...not for a single second. This book would've been better with no romance theme. The author should have kept J.T. a messed up mercenary and not made him the object of Tess's affection.
Suspense C+ Romance F
1. Tess has been through hell. An physically abusive father and an emotionally abusive and controlling psychopath for a husband. Why couldn't this author have made J.T. Dillon a "hero" instead of making him proof of the fact that Tess is going to keep making mistakes with the men she gets involved with. His drinking, harsh..(abusive at times) way of dealing with Tess left a really bad taste in my mouth. While I know that it's true that victims of abuse tend to gravitate towards men who will continue that abuse, I had hoped that in a "fictional novel" Tess would have made a stronger choice, or more importantly, that this author would have made a more respectable character of J.T.
2. I will never know why this author brought Marion, J.T.'s sister, into the story line. She got in the way. All the issues with J.T.'s family...ie, Marion and their abusive father, got in the way of the story I really cared about...Tess and her daughter. I didn't feel connected to Marion of J.T. They were both so messed up from their past that Tess's trauma often took a back seat to J.T. and Marion's issues.....how frustrating.
3. The chemistry between J.T. and Tess was just plain unbelievable. I never bought in to them.....ever...not for a single second. This book would've been better with no romance theme. The author should have kept J.T. a messed up mercenary and not made him the object of Tess's affection.
Suspense C+ Romance F
June 17, 2019
What would you do if your perfect husband wasn’t perfect after all?
SUMMARY
Strong and handsome, Jim Beckett was everything Tess Williams ever dreamed of for a husband. Two years after Tess married the decorated cop and had his daughter, she helped put him behind bars for savagely murdering ten women. Even locked up in a maximum-security prison, he vowed he would come after her and make her pay. Now he has escaped and Tess is running for her life.
Tess is tired of living in fear, she wants to learn how to protect herself and her daughter. She has sought the help of JT Dillion, a burnt-out ex-marine mercenary. JT has problems of his own and has no interest in helping her evade capture or learn how to fire a gun. As a large manhunt mobilizes, Tess knows that she will have to be the one to face off with her husband because it is she that he wants. Her only choice is to kill or be killed.
REVIEW
THE PERFECT HUSBAND was a suspenseful novel of unrelenting tension.
Lisa Gardner’s writing draws you in with a deranged serial killer on the loose who has promised to cut out his wife’s still beating heart. Tess, of course is scared and you watch delightedly as she evolves from weak and needy into a strong, determined and confident woman doing what it takes to take care of her daughter and her future.
This book was originally published as a romantic suspense or “grisly romance” novel in 1997 and is one where Gardner was transitioning from a romance writer (as Alicia Scott) to ultimately the queen of suspense novels. You’ll find more sex and sexual tension in this novel than in her later suspense works. JT Dillion just can’t seem to keep his clothes on, Perhaps it’s the Arizona heat or perhaps it the massive amount tequila he is consuming, but the man has no inhibitions. If you want romance with your suspense this is the book. I prefer mine without!
Years ago, I started reading this series somewhere in the middle and loved Quincy and Rainie. This book was recently offered as the Deal of the Day on Audible so I thought I would go back to the beginning and see how it all started. FBI Profiler Series #1 Pierce Quincy role is fairly minor, and Rainie Conner does not show up until the next book in the series, but you can tell this is the start of something good. Gardner’s writing has gotten better with time and there is a reason she is a best selling author. She can definitely put a captivating story on paper.
I listened to the Audible version of this book and thought Sarah Zimmerman did a great job with the narration. Easy listening.
Publisher Brilliance Audio
Published December 25, 2018
Narrated Sarah Zimmerman
Review www.bluestockingreviews.com
SUMMARY
Strong and handsome, Jim Beckett was everything Tess Williams ever dreamed of for a husband. Two years after Tess married the decorated cop and had his daughter, she helped put him behind bars for savagely murdering ten women. Even locked up in a maximum-security prison, he vowed he would come after her and make her pay. Now he has escaped and Tess is running for her life.
Tess is tired of living in fear, she wants to learn how to protect herself and her daughter. She has sought the help of JT Dillion, a burnt-out ex-marine mercenary. JT has problems of his own and has no interest in helping her evade capture or learn how to fire a gun. As a large manhunt mobilizes, Tess knows that she will have to be the one to face off with her husband because it is she that he wants. Her only choice is to kill or be killed.
REVIEW
THE PERFECT HUSBAND was a suspenseful novel of unrelenting tension.
Lisa Gardner’s writing draws you in with a deranged serial killer on the loose who has promised to cut out his wife’s still beating heart. Tess, of course is scared and you watch delightedly as she evolves from weak and needy into a strong, determined and confident woman doing what it takes to take care of her daughter and her future.
This book was originally published as a romantic suspense or “grisly romance” novel in 1997 and is one where Gardner was transitioning from a romance writer (as Alicia Scott) to ultimately the queen of suspense novels. You’ll find more sex and sexual tension in this novel than in her later suspense works. JT Dillion just can’t seem to keep his clothes on, Perhaps it’s the Arizona heat or perhaps it the massive amount tequila he is consuming, but the man has no inhibitions. If you want romance with your suspense this is the book. I prefer mine without!
Years ago, I started reading this series somewhere in the middle and loved Quincy and Rainie. This book was recently offered as the Deal of the Day on Audible so I thought I would go back to the beginning and see how it all started. FBI Profiler Series #1 Pierce Quincy role is fairly minor, and Rainie Conner does not show up until the next book in the series, but you can tell this is the start of something good. Gardner’s writing has gotten better with time and there is a reason she is a best selling author. She can definitely put a captivating story on paper.
I listened to the Audible version of this book and thought Sarah Zimmerman did a great job with the narration. Easy listening.
Publisher Brilliance Audio
Published December 25, 2018
Narrated Sarah Zimmerman
Review www.bluestockingreviews.com
November 6, 2011
*Rating* 4 Creme Filled Donuts
*Genre* Mystery/Thriller/Romance
*Review*
The Perfect Husband is the first book in what is supposed to be the Quincy/Raine series by Lisa Gardner. FBI profiler Pierce Quincy does play a small part in this series, but it is Theresa (Tess) Williams and J.T. Dillon that the storyline follow throughout the book.
The Perfect Husband is an intense drama with a sick, evil, twisted, and sadistic serial killer named Jim Beckett. Beckett, was once a cop, decides that he needs to challenge himself. Thus, he turned to killing young, gorgeous, blonde-haired women. It isn't until he battered, and broken young wife learns the horrific truth, that he ends up briefly caught and imprisoned. Of course, he escapes and focuses heavily on Tess for revenge.
Tess is the wife who was brutalized most of her young life not only by her sadistic bastard of a husband Beckett, but her father as well. Tess is one of those characters that you absolutely have to feel emotion for because she really wasn't allowed any free choices in what she did with her life. Her 4 year old daughter Samantha's safety and security is on her mind 24/7 when she decides to forgo police and FBI protection, and seeks out a down and out mercenary to help her fight back against the husband who wants her dead in the worse way after she helped the police put him behind bars.
J.T. is the former marine/mercenary who is at the end of his rope and trying hard to make things right with his FBI sister Marion who has a extremely hard past that she refuses to speak to him about. J.T. is at first, a hard core drunk, who swims laps in his pool, and tries to rebel against his father the Colonel who he hates with everything in his being. When Tess shows up, he is torn in what to do about this firecracker of a woman who wants revenge on her husband.
Marion is the sister who is hard core in a male dominated FBI that believes she is a dyke and cold and thus unfeeling. That is so far from the truth from what Marion is hiding from those who know her best, including her own brother. She has a dark blight on her past as a child that she can't seem to remember, or she refuses to acknowledge the events that happened to her because they were so awful. Marion's only mistake in this story, is a huge one, and you could see coming a mile away. It still doesn't take away from the powerful emotions it will leave readers feeling upon reaching this point in the story.
The rest of the supporting cast is pretty decent, and I absolutely adore Lisa Gardner's ability to put you in the story and put some truth behind the things that are happening to her characters. She obviously takes a real deal of time and effort to look into and research police and FBI procedures when dealing with serial killers.
The ending leaves no room for imagination as the stories final climax plays itself out. My only recommendation: Don't get too attached to the characters. This is a bloody story, and lots of people die before it is all wrapped up in a little bow for your enjoyment.
Definitely one of those books I would recommend to my friends.
*Genre* Mystery/Thriller/Romance
*Review*
The Perfect Husband is the first book in what is supposed to be the Quincy/Raine series by Lisa Gardner. FBI profiler Pierce Quincy does play a small part in this series, but it is Theresa (Tess) Williams and J.T. Dillon that the storyline follow throughout the book.
The Perfect Husband is an intense drama with a sick, evil, twisted, and sadistic serial killer named Jim Beckett. Beckett, was once a cop, decides that he needs to challenge himself. Thus, he turned to killing young, gorgeous, blonde-haired women. It isn't until he battered, and broken young wife learns the horrific truth, that he ends up briefly caught and imprisoned. Of course, he escapes and focuses heavily on Tess for revenge.
Tess is the wife who was brutalized most of her young life not only by her sadistic bastard of a husband Beckett, but her father as well. Tess is one of those characters that you absolutely have to feel emotion for because she really wasn't allowed any free choices in what she did with her life. Her 4 year old daughter Samantha's safety and security is on her mind 24/7 when she decides to forgo police and FBI protection, and seeks out a down and out mercenary to help her fight back against the husband who wants her dead in the worse way after she helped the police put him behind bars.
J.T. is the former marine/mercenary who is at the end of his rope and trying hard to make things right with his FBI sister Marion who has a extremely hard past that she refuses to speak to him about. J.T. is at first, a hard core drunk, who swims laps in his pool, and tries to rebel against his father the Colonel who he hates with everything in his being. When Tess shows up, he is torn in what to do about this firecracker of a woman who wants revenge on her husband.
Marion is the sister who is hard core in a male dominated FBI that believes she is a dyke and cold and thus unfeeling. That is so far from the truth from what Marion is hiding from those who know her best, including her own brother. She has a dark blight on her past as a child that she can't seem to remember, or she refuses to acknowledge the events that happened to her because they were so awful. Marion's only mistake in this story, is a huge one, and you could see coming a mile away. It still doesn't take away from the powerful emotions it will leave readers feeling upon reaching this point in the story.
The rest of the supporting cast is pretty decent, and I absolutely adore Lisa Gardner's ability to put you in the story and put some truth behind the things that are happening to her characters. She obviously takes a real deal of time and effort to look into and research police and FBI procedures when dealing with serial killers.
The ending leaves no room for imagination as the stories final climax plays itself out. My only recommendation: Don't get too attached to the characters. This is a bloody story, and lots of people die before it is all wrapped up in a little bow for your enjoyment.
Definitely one of those books I would recommend to my friends.
July 18, 2017
This is listed as the first book in the Quincy & Rainie series but Quincy is not a major character and there is no Rainie. I have read several of Lisa Gardner's books including one other in this series. I have enjoyed her other books and decided to read this series in order. In my opinion this is not one of her better books. It was okay and I will probably still read the other books in the series but if I had started with this I probably would not have that interest.
Tess Williams thought she married the perfect man. Handsome. A decorated cop. The man other girls dreamed about. She cannot believe that he choose her. And choose her he did. As soon as they were married Tess learned that Jim Beckett was not as perfect as he appeared. He had rules and if Tess broke any of his rules she paid a price. They had a daughter and Jim wanted a son. Tess saw Jim's dark side and started gathering evidence which she took to the police. Evidence that helped convict him of murdering ten women and sent to a maximum security prison.
Jim Beckett vowed that Tess would pay and now he has escaped. Tess is not going to hide or depend on police protection. Police protection did not work out all that well after she reported her suspicions and before he was sent to prison. She is not going to rely on it now. Instead she places her daughter in protective custody and seeks out a mercenary. J.T. Dillon is a former Marine and a former mercenary. Currently he appears to be a binge drinker with loads of personal issues. Tess wants to hire J.T. to train her not protect her. She will pay him to train her for one month.
Tess lived in Massachusetts and that is where she left her daughter, Samantha. J.T. lives in Arizona and this is where Tess goes for her training. For reasons I will not go into both Tess and J.T. return to Massachusetts for the showdown with Jim Beckett. Throughout the story the police are made to look incompetent and are constantly outsmarted by Beckett. Thankfully Tess and J.T. return to assist the police with the case.
This is not a very realistic story by any stretch of the imagination but it is entertaining. Several times while reading this book I found myself thinking this should be a movie or at least on television. I saw mixed reviews on this book and can understand why. It is not a bad book but it is not one of her better stories. I plan to move on and read the next book in the series, The Third Victim, but I am not in a hurry.
Tess Williams thought she married the perfect man. Handsome. A decorated cop. The man other girls dreamed about. She cannot believe that he choose her. And choose her he did. As soon as they were married Tess learned that Jim Beckett was not as perfect as he appeared. He had rules and if Tess broke any of his rules she paid a price. They had a daughter and Jim wanted a son. Tess saw Jim's dark side and started gathering evidence which she took to the police. Evidence that helped convict him of murdering ten women and sent to a maximum security prison.
Jim Beckett vowed that Tess would pay and now he has escaped. Tess is not going to hide or depend on police protection. Police protection did not work out all that well after she reported her suspicions and before he was sent to prison. She is not going to rely on it now. Instead she places her daughter in protective custody and seeks out a mercenary. J.T. Dillon is a former Marine and a former mercenary. Currently he appears to be a binge drinker with loads of personal issues. Tess wants to hire J.T. to train her not protect her. She will pay him to train her for one month.
Tess lived in Massachusetts and that is where she left her daughter, Samantha. J.T. lives in Arizona and this is where Tess goes for her training. For reasons I will not go into both Tess and J.T. return to Massachusetts for the showdown with Jim Beckett. Throughout the story the police are made to look incompetent and are constantly outsmarted by Beckett. Thankfully Tess and J.T. return to assist the police with the case.
This is not a very realistic story by any stretch of the imagination but it is entertaining. Several times while reading this book I found myself thinking this should be a movie or at least on television. I saw mixed reviews on this book and can understand why. It is not a bad book but it is not one of her better stories. I plan to move on and read the next book in the series, The Third Victim, but I am not in a hurry.
February 11, 2013
Off the charts on suspense. Too much detail on the s-e-x.
June 12, 2009
Is this supposed to be a suspense thriller? Okay. Technically it was. But for me it was an awesome romance story and a female empowerment story to boot. Loved JT and Tess. Loved them together. I loved how Tess went from mild and meek to kickbutt heroine. Did not love psychopathic ex-husband. But it was worth reading for the fantastic love story (okay I guess I missed the point of this book, didn't I?).
February 16, 2025
I literally read this all day today and couldn’t put it down! It is the first book in Lisa Gardner’s FBI profiler series and I can’t wait to read the rest of her books. It was very fast paced and me hooked from the jump.
An abused wife and mother will stop at nothing to protect her child. After sending her abusive husband to jail for being a diabolical serial killer Theresa is trying to rebuild her life for her and her daughter Samantha. When her ex escapes from jail he has one thing on his mind and it’s to take out his ex wife and take his daughter. Running scared Theresa decides she needs to fight for her life and will stop at nothing.
If you enjoy cat and mouse type thrillers then I definitely recommend this one!
July 30, 2008
This was one of the first books that Gardner wrote... she has definately become a much better writer. I have loved the other books by her (alone, gone, killing hour), but i really didn't like this one.
The story line is very unrealistic and the characters are not likable.
The story centers around "tess" Her husband, is a psychopath who kills many people, he gets arrested, breaks out of prison, and comes back for her and her daughter.
That plot sounds great, but the storyline was very bad.
Tess goes to a mercenary for help (JT). The books centers on how screwed up JT is and how is father beat him and his sister..... i don't know. The book was just not a good read. I didn't like reading about JT; the book should have centered around Tess and her killer husband.
The story line is very unrealistic and the characters are not likable.
The story centers around "tess" Her husband, is a psychopath who kills many people, he gets arrested, breaks out of prison, and comes back for her and her daughter.
That plot sounds great, but the storyline was very bad.
Tess goes to a mercenary for help (JT). The books centers on how screwed up JT is and how is father beat him and his sister..... i don't know. The book was just not a good read. I didn't like reading about JT; the book should have centered around Tess and her killer husband.
May 16, 2018
"Someday soon he would kill her. He'd promised to cut out her still-beating heart, and he always did what he said."
If only this book were as interesting and thrilling as the above quote. Well, friends....
I WAS LIED TO.
This book is a romantic suspense novel devoid of all the suspense and all of the romance. Which is kind of like Winnie the Pooh saying that his favorite sandwich is peanut butter and honey (without the peanut butter).
Now, I wouldn't normally have a problem with this if not for two reasons:
1)There was no mystery aspect AT ALL. It was only touched on very briefly in the beginning, but then it was canceled. Gone. Kapoof Kapooee.
2)The new "love interest" that this chick got? He was just as bad, if not worse, then the man she was running away from. The first hundred pages had me so infuriated at him that I wanted to drop-kick this book out the window. Within the first 20 pages, he chokes her, leaves her with bruises, forcibly kisses her (full well knowing that she's running away from an abusive relationship, treats her like shit... I could go on and on. But son, I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR YOUR TOXIC MASCULINITY.
The ironic thing about this is that the female main character is referred to him by someone so he can teach her how to protect herself from said abusive ex-husband (who also happens to be a serial killer). However, she doesn't gain anything in the way of protecting herself and actually regresses her character development by going to this sorry excuse of a man.
And another thing... this book involved one of my most hated tropes in the history of ever when it comes to books: the abuse excuse. The male main character was implied to have been abused as a child by his father, and that's why he's such a mess. However, he turned out to be a horrible human being himself. OK, I get that, and the sad part is, that happens in real life. I can't abide by the fact, though, when an author tries to excuse his behavior by pulling the old 'Oh, but he's such a nice guy though, he was just abused as a child. He's still a precious cinnamon roll.'
Um... no, he's not. And it's not romantic in the slightest.
It's bad enough that this book didn't have any mystery to it at all. But coupled with the fact that the main character falls in love with a toxic male after trying desperately to escape a relationship with another equally toxic male killed the book entirely.
If only this book were as interesting and thrilling as the above quote. Well, friends....
I WAS LIED TO.
This book is a romantic suspense novel devoid of all the suspense and all of the romance. Which is kind of like Winnie the Pooh saying that his favorite sandwich is peanut butter and honey (without the peanut butter).
Now, I wouldn't normally have a problem with this if not for two reasons:
1)There was no mystery aspect AT ALL. It was only touched on very briefly in the beginning, but then it was canceled. Gone. Kapoof Kapooee.
2)The new "love interest" that this chick got? He was just as bad, if not worse, then the man she was running away from. The first hundred pages had me so infuriated at him that I wanted to drop-kick this book out the window. Within the first 20 pages, he chokes her, leaves her with bruises, forcibly kisses her (full well knowing that she's running away from an abusive relationship, treats her like shit... I could go on and on. But son, I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR YOUR TOXIC MASCULINITY.
The ironic thing about this is that the female main character is referred to him by someone so he can teach her how to protect herself from said abusive ex-husband (who also happens to be a serial killer). However, she doesn't gain anything in the way of protecting herself and actually regresses her character development by going to this sorry excuse of a man.
And another thing... this book involved one of my most hated tropes in the history of ever when it comes to books: the abuse excuse. The male main character was implied to have been abused as a child by his father, and that's why he's such a mess. However, he turned out to be a horrible human being himself. OK, I get that, and the sad part is, that happens in real life. I can't abide by the fact, though, when an author tries to excuse his behavior by pulling the old 'Oh, but he's such a nice guy though, he was just abused as a child. He's still a precious cinnamon roll.'
Um... no, he's not. And it's not romantic in the slightest.
It's bad enough that this book didn't have any mystery to it at all. But coupled with the fact that the main character falls in love with a toxic male after trying desperately to escape a relationship with another equally toxic male killed the book entirely.
September 14, 2018
I binge read this one. It was so good! The characters were awesome. The bad guy husband was beyond demented and cruel. Definitely gonna read more of this series.
June 14, 2013
Going to make this quick! I grabbed this to read on the plane on my trip to Booktopia Bellingham as I wanted a book that was "light". It was certainly light in regards to weight but not "light" reading in the typical sense.
I don't know if I've read any other Gardner books but found both the violence and sex more graphic than I was expecting. This is a comment, not a criticism.
Good edge of your seat thriller, with great character development and a plot about domestic violence and control that is all too true. So why not 4 or 5 stars. I found it a bit repetitious, too long, like Garnder was trying to fill in for a set number of pages. Without mentioning names I saw no purpose to one character's demise and I think this distracted from the whole of the story.
I definitely going to give another of Gardner's books a try as this is my type of thriller reading.
I don't know if I've read any other Gardner books but found both the violence and sex more graphic than I was expecting. This is a comment, not a criticism.
Good edge of your seat thriller, with great character development and a plot about domestic violence and control that is all too true. So why not 4 or 5 stars. I found it a bit repetitious, too long, like Garnder was trying to fill in for a set number of pages. Without mentioning names I saw no purpose to one character's demise and I think this distracted from the whole of the story.
I definitely going to give another of Gardner's books a try as this is my type of thriller reading.
November 26, 2025
I love Lisa Gardner but this one didn’t really grab me the way others have. I didn’t like any of the characters. They were all flat and unlikable. I think there was a good amount of suspense in the story and there was were some good seeds for a nice series and I would try again, but the only character I really liked or was rooting for in this one was Samantha. Tess thought she had the perfect husband. He was a police officer and he saved her from her abusive upbringing and married her at 18. She found out that it was not as amazing as she had hoped for but was horrified as she put together clues that he was actually a serial killer. She helped put him in prison so when he escapes she knows that he will be coming for her. She goes to a mercenary for help and asks him to train her so she will have a shot against her her husband.
August 31, 2015
This is my favorite Lisa Gardner book from the beginning of her suspense writing career. There are a few things that are difficult to believe (and I won’t mention specifically to avoid giving any spoilers), but if you ignore the unrealistic bits, it’s a funny, fast-paced book. There are some parts I had to speed read because I was so concerned with what was going to happen—the mark of a good suspense novel!
March 7, 2012
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.
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.
June 10, 2016
I've done my Gardner reads all wrong. Or maybe it was meant to be?
It began with reading book eight in her DD Warren series first, then backtracking through the proper order. Then I moved onto the Tessa Leoni series that split off from it. Now I've gone back to the actual beginning.. and who do we meet? JT Dillon, an ex-marine and (in the more recent books) arms instructor, who has been liberally sprinkled all throughout Gardner's books, who I've very much enjoyed seeing whenever he made an appearance. Because each time we learned a little more about the (now) grizzled man. But here, this book, is him in his youth (well, thirties), and is basically his origin story. Here we meet his tough as nails wife (well, by the end of it, at least) Tess and see what drove them together : answer? Her serial killer ex-husband.
^^ this summary is totally messed up by my wonky reading order and timeline. #sorrynotsorry
THE PERFECT HUSBAND was a wild ride. Dark, brutal, fast paced, sexy.. probably Gardner's sexiest, actually, at least so far. And I am here for all of it.
I am such Lisa Gardner trash at this point and I'm not even ashamed of the fact that I have the whole Quincy & Rainie series lined up to binge. Can't wait to see more of Quincy and get introduced to Rainie. Next!
It began with reading book eight in her DD Warren series first, then backtracking through the proper order. Then I moved onto the Tessa Leoni series that split off from it. Now I've gone back to the actual beginning.. and who do we meet? JT Dillon, an ex-marine and (in the more recent books) arms instructor, who has been liberally sprinkled all throughout Gardner's books, who I've very much enjoyed seeing whenever he made an appearance. Because each time we learned a little more about the (now) grizzled man. But here, this book, is him in his youth (well, thirties), and is basically his origin story. Here we meet his tough as nails wife (well, by the end of it, at least) Tess and see what drove them together : answer? Her serial killer ex-husband.
^^ this summary is totally messed up by my wonky reading order and timeline. #sorrynotsorry
THE PERFECT HUSBAND was a wild ride. Dark, brutal, fast paced, sexy.. probably Gardner's sexiest, actually, at least so far. And I am here for all of it.
I am such Lisa Gardner trash at this point and I'm not even ashamed of the fact that I have the whole Quincy & Rainie series lined up to binge. Can't wait to see more of Quincy and get introduced to Rainie. Next!
February 12, 2017
J.T. was really over the top as a character; he belonged in a Sandra Brown novel. I didn't really care for him, so this kept the book from a 4-star rating. Was it the annual five-day drinking binges, the masochistic behavior such as stubbing a cigarette onto his arm, or the totally unrealistic relationship that developed between him and Tess? It's hard to say. I'm just glad that Gardner's writing has improved since this.
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