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Jo Boden #2
Her Perfect Husband
She thinks he’s perfect. But is he playing her for a fool?
In a tangle of twisted passions and lies, the path of love leads to obsession and murder.
Sophie Latham is a successful businesswoman used to getting what she wants. At thirty-nine, with her biological clock ticking, she wants a baby and marriage to her gorgeous personal trainer, Ollie Harmon.
He’s five years younger, and her family think he’s not good enough. But she marries him three months after they first meet.
What Sophie doesn’t know, is Ollie has a younger half-sister. Kristin Kelly is a supermodel; used by men her entire life and hounded by the paparazzi, she’s ended up the trophy wife of a controlling billionaire, Sir Gerald Sullivan.
When Ged is accused of murder, Sophie must choose. Can she lie to the police to protect her fragile sister-in-law? Detective Jo Boden, from the Major Investigations Team, is asking probing questions.
Inevitably, Ged and Sophie lock horns; then Kristin tells Sophie a terrible secret. Ollie is desperate to rescue his sister from the abusive clutches of her wealthy husband. And Sophie knows she must help.
But how? As Sophie’s fairytale romance spirals into a waking nightmare, she discovers she’s neither as smart nor as good as she thinks.
In a tangle of twisted passions and lies, the path of love leads to obsession and murder.
Sophie Latham is a successful businesswoman used to getting what she wants. At thirty-nine, with her biological clock ticking, she wants a baby and marriage to her gorgeous personal trainer, Ollie Harmon.
He’s five years younger, and her family think he’s not good enough. But she marries him three months after they first meet.
What Sophie doesn’t know, is Ollie has a younger half-sister. Kristin Kelly is a supermodel; used by men her entire life and hounded by the paparazzi, she’s ended up the trophy wife of a controlling billionaire, Sir Gerald Sullivan.
When Ged is accused of murder, Sophie must choose. Can she lie to the police to protect her fragile sister-in-law? Detective Jo Boden, from the Major Investigations Team, is asking probing questions.
Inevitably, Ged and Sophie lock horns; then Kristin tells Sophie a terrible secret. Ollie is desperate to rescue his sister from the abusive clutches of her wealthy husband. And Sophie knows she must help.
But how? As Sophie’s fairytale romance spirals into a waking nightmare, she discovers she’s neither as smart nor as good as she thinks.
362 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 31, 2022
212 people are currently reading
175 people want to read
About the author
Susan Wilkins
16 books137 followersI’m Susan Wilkins, a television writer turned novelist, and I write crime thrillers that dig deep into human psychology.
How do ordinary people end up on the wrong side of the law? That’s what I’m always asking. The characters are central to all my stories. The protagonists tend to be female, but not always, and I specialise in female detectives.
I grew up in Essex, studied Law, but spent twenty-five years writing television drama. I have over 130 broadcast credits to my name, including Casualty and Holby City, Heartbeat, Coronation Street and Eastenders, Footballers’ Wives, Dangerfield and Down to Earth, and I created the pioneering BBC detective drama South of the Border. This was the best education anyone could have in how to craft a gripping, page turning story.
I’ve moved around a lot in my life, within the UK and abroad. But now I’m settled in Devon. I walk by the sea every day and drink too much coffee.
If you’d like to find out more about my writing and keep in touch with my latest news, exclusive content and giveaways, visit susanwilkins.co.uk
How do ordinary people end up on the wrong side of the law? That’s what I’m always asking. The characters are central to all my stories. The protagonists tend to be female, but not always, and I specialise in female detectives.
I grew up in Essex, studied Law, but spent twenty-five years writing television drama. I have over 130 broadcast credits to my name, including Casualty and Holby City, Heartbeat, Coronation Street and Eastenders, Footballers’ Wives, Dangerfield and Down to Earth, and I created the pioneering BBC detective drama South of the Border. This was the best education anyone could have in how to craft a gripping, page turning story.
I’ve moved around a lot in my life, within the UK and abroad. But now I’m settled in Devon. I walk by the sea every day and drink too much coffee.
If you’d like to find out more about my writing and keep in touch with my latest news, exclusive content and giveaways, visit susanwilkins.co.uk
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
May 11, 2022
Her Perfect Husband is the third novel by British author Susan Wilkins to feature DS Jo Boden. At thirty-nine, upmarket London coffee chain CEO, Sophie Latham has fallen hard for her gorgeous thirty-four-year-old personal trainer, Ollie Harmon, and ignores the disapproval of family and friends, to marry him after a whirlwind courtship. She’s hyper-aware of the ticking of her biological clock.
She’s eager to meet Ollie’s sister, supermodel Kristin Kelly and her husband, Ged Sullivan, but what she observes of their relationship has her abuse antennae quivering, and she immediately wants to rescue the young woman from this controlling man. Ollie clearly can’t stand Ged, but is sceptical that Sophie can extract his sister out of a marriage to such an influential man.
DS Jo Boden is sent by her DCI to look into an incident in which a climate change activist sustained multiple fractures of her skull courtesy of a baseball bat. The intruders staged their protest at the Newmarket estate of Sir Gerald Sullivan, whose mining and oil company has a reputation for toxic waste dumping.
Sir Ged states he was in London while it happened, but a body-worn video clip on social media implies he was the assailant. His young, beautiful but seemingly timid wife goes along with everything he says, but to Jo, something doesn’t smell quite right.
Some good detective work by the team lands her at the door of Sir Ged’s brother-in-law Ollie Harmon and his new wife, Sophie Latham. The pair backs him up, and Jo is sure they are lying, but puzzled as to why. One of Sir Ged’s security team makes a confession that lacks sufficient detail to ring true, but Jo’s DCI is ready to wrap things up to avoid ruffling powerful feathers. And then events take an even more dramatic turn.
The story is carried by three main characters, but it is soon apparent that two are somewhat unreliable narrators, and that not all of the principal players are quite what they first seem. This is a tightly plotted story that will have even the most astute reader second-guessing the motives and intentions of certain characters. There are red herrings and twists in the build-up to a jaw-dropping reveal. Once again, Wilkins gives the reader outstanding British crime fiction.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by the author.
She’s eager to meet Ollie’s sister, supermodel Kristin Kelly and her husband, Ged Sullivan, but what she observes of their relationship has her abuse antennae quivering, and she immediately wants to rescue the young woman from this controlling man. Ollie clearly can’t stand Ged, but is sceptical that Sophie can extract his sister out of a marriage to such an influential man.
DS Jo Boden is sent by her DCI to look into an incident in which a climate change activist sustained multiple fractures of her skull courtesy of a baseball bat. The intruders staged their protest at the Newmarket estate of Sir Gerald Sullivan, whose mining and oil company has a reputation for toxic waste dumping.
Sir Ged states he was in London while it happened, but a body-worn video clip on social media implies he was the assailant. His young, beautiful but seemingly timid wife goes along with everything he says, but to Jo, something doesn’t smell quite right.
Some good detective work by the team lands her at the door of Sir Ged’s brother-in-law Ollie Harmon and his new wife, Sophie Latham. The pair backs him up, and Jo is sure they are lying, but puzzled as to why. One of Sir Ged’s security team makes a confession that lacks sufficient detail to ring true, but Jo’s DCI is ready to wrap things up to avoid ruffling powerful feathers. And then events take an even more dramatic turn.
The story is carried by three main characters, but it is soon apparent that two are somewhat unreliable narrators, and that not all of the principal players are quite what they first seem. This is a tightly plotted story that will have even the most astute reader second-guessing the motives and intentions of certain characters. There are red herrings and twists in the build-up to a jaw-dropping reveal. Once again, Wilkins gives the reader outstanding British crime fiction.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by the author.
March 11, 2023
This is the 2nd in a series of 4 books that features the detective Jo Biden. Interestingly, she doesn’t feature as often in the story as many detective books, but she is a very likable character. I didn’t read the summary before I read the book, so it isn’t obvious at first who is the bad person. And possibly there’s more than one! You just learn about a vast array of characters who all have connections to each other. Therefore, I won’t talk about any villains or heroes but just will say that this is an interesting book. It’s not a psychological thriller, but more of a detective style. It kept my interest throughout and made me very curious as to what the central mystery would be. It resolves in a satisfying ending with all loose ends tied up. I’m glad I just went along blindly for the ride, and didn’t try to figure anything out while I read along. The first book in this series was interesting also, so I’ll start the 3rd soon. She has a unique style from the typical synopsis of books in this genre.
May 15, 2022
I love this authors books and from chapter one was hocked very twisty and gripping . Sophie meets Ollie he was her fitness trainer and they fall in love .and after a few months of knowing each other they get married . Sophie s mum Deirdre does not like him .then Ollie tell her his sister is the famous model Kristin Kelly who is married to sir Gerald Sullivan the billionaire after there honeymoon they get invited to Kristin and Gerald s home but the night does not go well . and Kristin phone s them asking them to lie that Gerald was not at home when they visited he was in London .Ollie tells Sophie that Gerald is cruel to Kristian and she should not have children but then thing get out of control . who can you trust ? so twisty I thought I had worked it out but no
May 25, 2022
With her latest novel, Her Perfect Husband, Susan Wilkins has delivered yet another cracking psychological thriller. I loved She’s Gone and was delighted to see detective Jo Boden and her colleague Chakravorty reappear, albeit solving an entirely different crime.
Confident, successful businesswoman Sophie Latham has everything she wants – bar love and children. A whirlwind relationship with her devastatingly handsome personal trainer, Ollie, leads to marriage and Sophie has her perfect partner. Ollie has a half-sister, a model, who is married to a much-older billionaire, Ged Sullivan, a control freak Sophie suspects is abusing vulnerable, beautiful Kristin. Ollie wants to help Kristin and when Ged is accused of murder, Sophie must decide if she is prepared to lie to the police. And as she gets in deeper and deeper her perfect life unravels.
This is a fast paced, meticulously plotted, utterly compelling story with not-always-likable but always believable characters at its heart. (Sophie drove me mad at times, but I always empathised with her) It covers some important, timely issues (ones I won’t mention so as not to spoil) and left me wanting more and more from Wilkins. Highly recommended.
I received an ARC in return for an honest review.
Confident, successful businesswoman Sophie Latham has everything she wants – bar love and children. A whirlwind relationship with her devastatingly handsome personal trainer, Ollie, leads to marriage and Sophie has her perfect partner. Ollie has a half-sister, a model, who is married to a much-older billionaire, Ged Sullivan, a control freak Sophie suspects is abusing vulnerable, beautiful Kristin. Ollie wants to help Kristin and when Ged is accused of murder, Sophie must decide if she is prepared to lie to the police. And as she gets in deeper and deeper her perfect life unravels.
This is a fast paced, meticulously plotted, utterly compelling story with not-always-likable but always believable characters at its heart. (Sophie drove me mad at times, but I always empathised with her) It covers some important, timely issues (ones I won’t mention so as not to spoil) and left me wanting more and more from Wilkins. Highly recommended.
I received an ARC in return for an honest review.
February 15, 2024
Unfortunately, I found this plot line tedious and monotonous. Sofie seemed predictable and her new husband Ollie was difficult to connect with.
The reading was simply boring. I just couldn’t hang on to it to completion. Ended up returning the book. It wasn’t worth the cost and it was incredibly unbearable. There was little chance it could actually get better.
Disappointing. The first book in the series was excellent. This was plodding. Lacked development of characters. There was no connection or identity to Sofie or Ollie. Even Ollie’s sister, Kristen. Everyone was self absorbed, moody or weak.
The reading was simply boring. I just couldn’t hang on to it to completion. Ended up returning the book. It wasn’t worth the cost and it was incredibly unbearable. There was little chance it could actually get better.
Disappointing. The first book in the series was excellent. This was plodding. Lacked development of characters. There was no connection or identity to Sofie or Ollie. Even Ollie’s sister, Kristen. Everyone was self absorbed, moody or weak.
January 30, 2024
If you start this late in the day you may be up all night
Excellent psycho thriller. Lightly drawn but believable characters displaying believable human behaviour and reactions to extraordinary circumstances.
The unanswered questions and level of suspense that terminate each (brief) chapter make it essential to immediately find out what happens in the next.
The combination of third person narrative with present tense creates a sense of immediacy, almost as if you are there observing the characters and action.
Excellent psycho thriller. Lightly drawn but believable characters displaying believable human behaviour and reactions to extraordinary circumstances.
The unanswered questions and level of suspense that terminate each (brief) chapter make it essential to immediately find out what happens in the next.
The combination of third person narrative with present tense creates a sense of immediacy, almost as if you are there observing the characters and action.
June 7, 2025
Sophie Latham(39) is a successful businesswoman. She marries Ollie Harmon(34), her personal trainer, after a very brief courtship. Her family dislikes him but she refuses to heed their advice. Ollie surprises Sophie shortly after the wedding by telling her his half-sister (Kristen) is a famous model married to a wealthy industrialist ( Ged). When an environmental activist gets murdered on Ged's estate, Sophie becomes involved in the investigation and discovers things in the process about Ollie. Detective Jo Boden, likeable, is on the case. 4 stars
May 15, 2023
Couldn't stop reading
I've never gone directly from a writer's first book to the second like I did here. The characters are believable and this book was even better than the first. I also rarely take the time to leave reviews but Susan Wilkins deserves to be well known and well read. Here I go, on to the next in the series. Expect the unexpected.
I've never gone directly from a writer's first book to the second like I did here. The characters are believable and this book was even better than the first. I also rarely take the time to leave reviews but Susan Wilkins deserves to be well known and well read. Here I go, on to the next in the series. Expect the unexpected.
May 29, 2023
I wasn't expecting that ending!!
You must read this!! I'm glad I purchased it, the book is very well written. I was hooked after the first few pages. The writing style held my attention, it was descriptive and very fast paced. If you are looking for a book you can't put down you found it.
You must read this!! I'm glad I purchased it, the book is very well written. I was hooked after the first few pages. The writing style held my attention, it was descriptive and very fast paced. If you are looking for a book you can't put down you found it.
March 9, 2024
I'm really enjoying this series. This one had lots of twists, but wasn't quite as sneaky with them as the last couple, haha. I really love all the strong independent women in these books, but these same women often make really questionable choices that leave me baffled. I am still hooked, however, and have already downloaded the next in the series!
November 6, 2022
Intriguing addictive well written
Sometimes in our life we don't see the reg flag in our love life. We want to fix in? Or listen our intuition. We refused to to the doubt or sometimes our families and friend
Sometimes in our life we don't see the reg flag in our love life. We want to fix in? Or listen our intuition. We refused to to the doubt or sometimes our families and friend
March 17, 2025
What an emotional rollercoaster this book led me on! Gripped from start to finish. Sophie wants the fairytale marriage - a husband, house and baby. Ollie is her knight in shining armour and after a whirlwind relationship, swiftly followed by a wedding, Sophie has it all. Or does she?
March 21, 2023
No Sleep!
You will not wish to put this book down, you'll get no sleep. But its worth it!
Its a very good read.
You will not wish to put this book down, you'll get no sleep. But its worth it!
Its a very good read.
May 26, 2023
Wow! A great & suspenseful read
Great story with many twists and turns. Slow at first. Then couldn't put it down. Would definitely recommend this book!
Great story with many twists and turns. Slow at first. Then couldn't put it down. Would definitely recommend this book!
January 29, 2025
Her perfect husband
Yet again you have created a brilliant story. Women can't help falling for a handsome man. He turned out to be a right physicopath. Well written.
Yet again you have created a brilliant story. Women can't help falling for a handsome man. He turned out to be a right physicopath. Well written.
March 29, 2025
This is the second book in this series l have read,and it is a great story,and brilliantly written.
June 20, 2025
A great read. So easy to follow and for me personally nice short chapters. Characters very believable...just wish knew what fully happened at end😉😉...
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews