Perfect Husband

by Provost

An account of the crimes of Kosta Fotopoulos describes how Fotopoulos hired a killer to murder his wife, albeit unsuccessfully, and was involved in the other nefarious exploits. Reprint.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Audiobook

256 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1991

Reviews

[Bren fall in love with the sea. · Rating 4 out of 5]

What lisa Fotopoulos didn't know, and had no way of knowing, was that the man she had married was a psychopath, capable of bloody murder. Or, to put it in more currently acceptable language, Kosta Fotopoulos was a sociopath.

Perfect Husband: The True Story of the Trusting Bride Who Discovered Her Husband Was a Coldblooded killer
by Gary Provost


UPDATE:9/27/2020

MUCH BETTER than your typical true crime book.

I did a reread. It still gets me riveted to the pages. The writing is just..fantastic.

This was one of the better True Crime books I have read.

What is so interesting about this book is that the intended victim, Lisa, survives. Which I like. Because, sadly that does not happen enough.

Lisa was married to Kosta. Kosta presented himself to Lisa as a sweet, earnest hard working dreamer. In reality, as described by the writer, he was a Sociopath and a sadist with a whole other life.

Kosta is having an affair with Deidre, a waitress at the Pool Bar he owns.

There are several attempts on Lisa's life and it is a miracle she survives. At the same time, sadly, Brian does not survive. Brian is one of the kids I mentioned and he has a crush on Deidre. So much so that he agrees to be the one to kill Lisa. Police believe Brian really did not want to do it but peer pressure got to him.

Others are also killed.kids are vanishing off the Daytona streets. As the police will come to see, Kosta and Deidre may have an involvement in that too.


There are a whole lot of true crime books like this one but not a whole lot where the victim survives. Lisa, as shown here, is a very strong woman. The book takes place in Daytona Beach Florida and the writer weaves a fascinating story. What he does so skillfully and what other true crime writers lack, is the ability to show the reader the personality of everyone involved so they cease being strangers and you feel you know them..even the ones who only play a small role.

This book is a true story but almost reads like fiction. I often do not finish true crime books when I start them. To macabre. But this book really got to me. I was amazed at how vivid Joyland, the Daytona amusement park Lisa runs, is and I am also impressed with the research the writer must have done.

Absolutely recommended for true crime fans. This is one of the best in recent memory.

[Alisi ☆ wants to read too many books ☆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

"But Officer! I ain't done nothing wrong!"
"Isn't that you on this video? Isn't that your voice? Wasn't this tape found in your house?"
"Yes, but honest! I ain't done nothing wrong!"



Jesus Christ! This guy was an idiot. The sheer embarrassment I felt reading this was painful. It's enough to make you wonder how he dressed himself each morning.

[Ronnie Cramer · Rating 2 out of 5]

An okay true crime book though at times it read like a soap opera. Interesting structure in that many day-to-day activities were described in detail and yet the trials of all the participants were dealt with in the five page epilogue.

[Jenny · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not for me

It read like a fictional story. Very detailed backgrounds in all the people involved, but little or no information of the investigation. There is a lot of dialect with no indicatication where the author got the information?

[Stacy Simpson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow it just goes to show do you ever really anyone?
I can sympathize some with Lisa. I had a guy in my life that I felt could do great things with a little molding and guidance,however, it turns out he’s just a drug addict.

He ruined my life. Took time away from my son. Tortured my family. I lost my house, license, and a potential extra vehicle which he smashed into a couple on a motorcycle killing them.

I was sued. I was made to look as evil as he was on trial.
Just because my heart was in the right place trying to help someone unworthy catch a break.

There is a lot of evil people no ignorant people in this world unfortunately. They disguise themselves in all kinds of shapes and situations. It’s exhausting trying to even put an ounce of faith in anyone after something like that.

I got of track there but yes you see my point. Good book. Pacing and writing style were good. Praying for you Lisa. I too am struggling to figure out who I am again and what I did to deserve what happened to me.

[Alden · Rating 2 out of 5]

I will forgive this book for being written like a script for a late-80s true crime tv show because that's pretty much what it is. So the weirdly racist descriptions of people, slut-shaming, and archaic slang can get a pass. What I can't fully understand is why this book exists. The author fully understands that the perpetrator was among the most clueless, bumbling criminals of all time, but manages to come off almost as if this were meant to be an homage to a criminal mastermind. I think you either have to mock this guy or try to explain him, and this book does neither. It merely tells the story of his bumbling, self-aggrandizing lies, glosses over the trial completely, and then just... ends. It is very strange.

[Autumn Stars · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall this book tells the story of what it is like to be in a relationship with a sociopath. Your gut instinct is always right but who really wants to think that their husband would want to kill them. The signs were there in the beginning of the relationship. Sociopaths like to infiltrate your life. Get in good with your circle..family and friends. When you start seeing red flags about this person your circle convinces you that he is a "nice" guy. Because when the sociopath is in their presence he is all sugary and turns up the charm! I wish there was more on the investigation and the trial but overall a good read.

[Debbie Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Good Read. What I enjoyed the most about this book was the way Provost let us into the mind of the bride, allowing the reader to understand how a smart amazing woman can be drawn in by a sociopath. There’s no judgments against the victim, rather than simpleminded judging, we are given awareness and information. Reading this book expands our compassion for others and even perhaps save someone’s life.

[Dean Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second true crime book I've read by Gary Provost and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Like the first book I read by Provost, Without Mercy, this story moves along smoothly and keeps your interest at peak level. Provost is a master of his craft; he makes writing look easy. I find it hard to believe any true crime reader would not enjoy this book.

[BooksintheRain · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very interesting story. The number of times this husband tried to kill his wife is wow. And when there is finally shots fired and she survives with no lasting brain damage or injury is double wow.

[Regina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a page turner. The story is shocking and with each new revelation I was left how could it get worse, yet it does!
The events happen in Daytona Beach, FL and if you have ever visited there you have probably been to or near the crime location.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

You never know!

[Jill Garvey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting view of a psychopath.

[Natty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Holy Florida. Completely bonkers what happened to this woman, crazy how convoluted people's lives can be.

[Wayne Fenlon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A five star audiobook for me from Gary Provost
Loved this one. Such a great writer.

[Azikiwe P. · Rating 5 out of 5]

True story

I enjoy the fact that this was a true story and in my area so I recognized all the places talked about.

[Amy Phelps · Rating 4 out of 5]

Crazy story!

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

l liked it, however I feel it took forever to actually get to the meat of the book. It was weirdly cool to read about somewhere I actually know.

[Dionne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A chilling story about a woman who survived her husband's attempts to kill her.

[Donald · Rating 4 out of 5]

This bit of nonfiction is a well told story of a sociopathic wannabe who could never be, because of his boasting and bumbling. There is the possibility that this guy got away with more than he was accused of. In the middle of this old tattered paperback copy I read are pictures. One of the pictures is of Kevin Ramsey at age seventeen, and I swear I know him from some point in my travels...

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I finished reading this on 1-30-12. It made me glad that I never met that guy. It seemed like, even though he didn't seem that smart, he was still very dangerous. It was a mostly well written story. Sometimes, it did get a little confusing on what was happening when, but overall, it was pretty good read.

[Ken · Rating 4 out of 5]

It happens everywhere.

Murder, sociopaths and bad relationships. A takeaway form this could simply be, be careful who you are with, you never know what people are capable of
The book is fairly well written though at times t s a little stilted. This book isn't so much a story as a recitation of facts

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

My family and I listened to this audiobook on a trip. It was a perfect true crime audiobook - with lots of twists and turns to hold attention. I cannot speak to how it would read, as I look for different types of writing when listening to books, as opposed to reading them. The story, however, is very interesting.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great true crime read

To say love is blind is an understatement in this particular case. How no one saw thru this monster is incredibly hard to believe, but he was apparently a very convincing liar. This is one of those books that you can't wait to get back to.

[Julie hewstone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recommended read

well researched, written and structured - this book provides insight into this disturbing tale of a plot to kill. I liked the level of detail and t h e authors style. An interesting read

[SouthWestZippy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good true crime book. Started off slow.

[Cheryl A. Breidigan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just OK

Have read more true crime books than I care to admit. This one was average with way too many characters.

[Mom24dogs]

Very good book. Love this author.

[Rachel]

Whoa... This is all for now. RTC.