The Perfect Husband (Quincy & Rainie, #1)

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The Perfect Husband (Quincy & Rainie #1)

3.98 of 5 stars 3.98 · rating details · 12,181 ratings · 612 reviews

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 kill...more

Mass Market Paperback, 432 pages

Published July 27th 2004 by Bantam (first published December 1st 1997)

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Nov 06, 2011 Shelley aka Gizmo's Reviews rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: genre-mystery, genre-romance, borrowed-library

*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 t...more *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. (less)

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Mar 23, 2009 Anna rated it 5 of 5 stars

A true thiller....just when you think you have it figured out....wham! I love her books for great suspense and awesome stories. The twists are crazy! I can usually figure out suspense novels pretty quickly...but hers -- not so much. Love it.

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Nov 29, 2012 Kat rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Aug 11, 2012 Gwynne Andal rated it 4 of 5 stars

Another favorite from Lisa Gardner. It was perfect because the characters were so complicated and bears emotional scars that made them more important or vital to this book. It was fast-paced and in a sense just a simple chase story. The characters were really the gem of this novel.

I love how Tess was the typical victim, meaning that her past made her the perfect bride for a psychopath like Jim. Abused emotionally and physically, she wanted to love and be loved. Typical? Yes, but the difference...more Another favorite from Lisa Gardner. It was perfect because the characters were so complicated and bears emotional scars that made them more important or vital to this book. It was fast-paced and in a sense just a simple chase story. The characters were really the gem of this novel.

I love how Tess was the typical victim, meaning that her past made her the perfect bride for a psychopath like Jim. Abused emotionally and physically, she wanted to love and be loved. Typical? Yes, but the difference is how we see her evolve and that we are part of the healing process. She battles with her anxiety and stress and defies what she was before to what she wants to be: a strong person for her daughter. We are part of how she deals with all these negative things in her life and still be strong enough to recognize and open up to the possibility of finding true love. And the defying moment for me with her character is when she stood up with the hero and professed her love. She was unsure of whether those feelings will be returned but it was a moment that felt like the last puzzle for growing a spine.

Do not get me started on JT. Perfect. Perfect. PERFECT! As a fan of romance/suspense novels, having a jaded alpha hero feels like mandatory. Troubled childhood? Check. Military man? Check. Overall hot mess in the emotional status? Check. Typical hero again. The difference with J.T. is that he genuinely is a good person and is a softie. Who in his right mind marries someone for the reason he had and ended up being the best decision of his life? Sure he was depressed and was in denial of his alcohol problem but the thing is, I felt like all those scenes were all the tears he couldn't shed for his loved ones. All of the things he has done was because he wanted to protect these people and that he was doing what is honorable and right. If his methods were a little unorthodox, I don't blame him. He is a passionate person.

The other characters were winners too. Quincy's notes felt like study notes and I was back to feeling like studying personality types in college. Having a hard time deciding whether the killer's pattern was good or bad. It was pretty bland and uninspired but I guess it was a window to what he really thinks of himself. Marion was right, it was an arrogant statement that does not need any more explanations.

The negative point I would have would be Sam's minimal exposure and the why of Jim's actions. But overall it was a good read.
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Apr 24, 2012 Oriboaz rated it 2 of 5 stars

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)...more

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Oct 05, 2011 Anne (Booklady) Molinarolo rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fall-2011, thriller-suspense, good-fiction, permanent-library

A Lisa Gardner tale is always worth the all-nighter I pull to finish the book! Gardner knows how suspense works-taut pacing makes a thriller. Titled the PERFECT HUSBAND because Jim Beckett thinks he is. As a handsome charming Police Officer, Theresa (Tess) can't believe he's interested in her. For years, she lives with an abusive father and unwitting leaps into the marriage bed of the worst sociopath, she can imagine. Jim swore he'd kill his 'perfect wife' for helping the police putting him, Jim...more A Lisa Gardner tale is always worth the all-nighter I pull to finish the book! Gardner knows how suspense works-taut pacing makes a thriller. Titled the PERFECT HUSBAND because Jim Beckett thinks he is. As a handsome charming Police Officer, Theresa (Tess) can't believe he's interested in her. For years, she lives with an abusive father and unwitting leaps into the marriage bed of the worst sociopath, she can imagine. Jim swore he'd kill his 'perfect wife' for helping the police putting him, Jim Beckett perfection personified (especially in his killing), onto death row. He escapes, killing 2 guards. And, he is looking for his perfect wife. Jim has molded young Theresa into perfection that only he can see, and therefore Theresa must die for her ultimate betrayal.

Tess leaves her daughter in police custody and seeks out J.T. Dillon, a burnt out ex-Marine and ex-mercenary. J.T. is battling his own demons and is not too receptive to Tess and her plight, until his sister Marion abruptly appears. As an FBI agent, she is suspicious of Tess and is also very dismissive of J.T. Their history is not that nice. The Colonel has seen to that. But, cool, aloof Marion may have screwed up-she's discovered Tess' true identity and Beckett may already know where she is.
J.T. knows he has to help Tess, and is fighting to control past and present emotions. J.T. has just finished his annual drinking binge to mark the anniversary of his 'perfect' wife. Marion wants J.T. to go see their father. He's dying. She's been the good girl and good wife and the perfect FBI agent. Why then is everything unraveling now? She must not disappoint the Colonel, but she must help save Tess from the worst serial killer, FBI profiler Quinn has seen. Beckett was one of them; he knows police procedure, murder protocol, and forensics.

Gardner puts together a beautiful patchwork quilt, because of the subplots in THE PERFECT HUSBAND. Just make sure you have a pot of coffee and your favorite comfort food, because you have to finish this page turner in one sitting. And the book will haunt your dreams for a few nights.
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Jul 23, 2010 Lizz rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Has anyone listened to it in audiobook form? The first thing that jumps out at me and I would imagine most Boston or MA based listeners was the "accent" attempt by the narrator!! I don't think the author has control over this, I would imagine that she would find it obtrusive as well since she is maried to an Irishman.

The other thing was a silly little thing but my OCD gets the best of me, when they are discussing The killer's pattern and JT's sister figures out the street name being used as the...more

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May 19, 2010 Crista rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2-star, suspense, contemporary

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 "h...more

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Mar 17, 2013 HÜLYA YILMAZ rated it 5 of 5 stars

Mükemmel Koca Lisa Gardner adı gibi mükemmel bir kitap idi...

Orjinal adı The Perfect Husband olan Mükemmel Koca'nın Goodreads puanı 5/3,98 benim puanım 5/5 ..Yazarın diğer kitaplarini da en kısa zamanda okumayı planlıyorum. Harika bir romantik polisiye gerilimdi. Hikayede her şey vardı. Kapaktan ceviri ve edite kadar dört dörtlük bir kitaptı.Sayfaları nasıl çevirdiğimi fark etmedim..

Kocanız hasta ruhlu olsa ne yapardınız? Babasının zulmünden kurtulmak icin genc yasta evlenen Tess'in hayatı cok...more Mükemmel Koca Lisa Gardner adı gibi mükemmel bir kitap idi...

Orjinal adı The Perfect Husband olan Mükemmel Koca'nın Goodreads puanı 5/3,98 benim puanım 5/5 ..Yazarın diğer kitaplarini da en kısa zamanda okumayı planlıyorum. Harika bir romantik polisiye gerilimdi. Hikayede her şey vardı. Kapaktan ceviri ve edite kadar dört dörtlük bir kitaptı.Sayfaları nasıl çevirdiğimi fark etmedim..

Kocanız hasta ruhlu olsa ne yapardınız? Babasının zulmünden kurtulmak icin genc yasta evlenen Tess'in hayatı cok gecmeden bir kabusa dönüşecektir...
Yakışıklı,karizmatik kocasının şiddeti ve hasta ruhu ile çok geçmeden tanişan Tess eski günlerini mumla arayacaktir.

Theresa Matthews babasının şiddetinden kacmak ve onu koruması icin yeni tanıstıgi yakışıklı karizmatik polis Jim Beckett ile evlenir. Yakısiklı,havalı bu genç adamın gercek yüzü ile tanısması uzun sürmez.Mükemmelliyet sevdası IQ'su çok yüksek olan bu genç adam Tess'i hastalık şeklindeki mükemmelliyet için çok zorlar.. Ona önce psikolojik baskı yaparak aşagılayip istedigi gibi sindirmeye başlar. Her şeye o karar verir uygular gerekirse zor ile uygulatır..

Evliliklerinin ikinci yılına geldiğinde Theresa Jim Beckett'in gercek yüzünü görmüş olup polisle iş birligi yaparak onun gercek yüzünü aciga cikartip isledigi on cinayetten hapise girmesini saglar.

Jim'den bosanan Tess icin korku dolu günler bitmez polis korumasında olsa da günleri geceleri korku içinde geçmektedir..Kocası kural tanımayan zeka seviyesi çok yüksek ve istediği kılığa kolayca girebilmektedir..Her an nereden geleceğini beklemekten yaşam onun için dayanılmaz bir hale gelmiştir...Her an eski kocasının karşısına çıkıp onu ele verdiği için onu öldürmeye gelmesini beklemektedir...ünkü Jİm Beckett onun yakalatan karısinin kalbıni sökerek öldürmeye yemin etmistir. Kural tanımayan kocasi polislerin tüm çalısma sistemini bilmekte oldugundan,onu polisin koruyamayacaginin da farkina varmistir.

Jim Beckett iki gardiyanı öldürerek hapisten kaçar Theresa Eski asker J.T.Dillon'a başvurur onu asker gibi egitip dövüsmeyi ögrenmesi icin yüklü bir para teklif eder.
J.T de karısi ve cocugunu kaybetmiş siddetten hazetmeyen alkolik bir eski askerdir. Cok derin ailevi sorunlarida vardir. Bu isi kabul etmek istemez Tess'de pes etmek istemez.Ama bu çekişmeyi sonunda Tess kazanır ve J:T. genç kadını eğitmeye başlar...Geçen zaman içinde de ikili arasındaki romantik yakınlaşma da başlar..Kocası ile yaşadığı ilişki de kadınlığını yaşamayamayan Tess için hissettikleri çok özeldir...
Tavsiye ederim..İlk defa okumaya başladığım bu yazarın takipçisi olacağım....

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Feb 15, 2013 Katie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: romantic-suspense

This was my first foray into romantic suspense, and even though the romance wasn't quite to my taste, this still made for an entertaining and very fast read that would appeal to both romance fans (provided they don't mind a heavy dose of violence, sex, and language), and suspense fans (provided they don't mind the romance angle).

The story centers around Tess, who marries a charming police officer named Jim Beckett. Two years into the marriage, however, Tess discovers that Jim is a sadistic seria...more This was my first foray into romantic suspense, and even though the romance wasn't quite to my taste, this still made for an entertaining and very fast read that would appeal to both romance fans (provided they don't mind a heavy dose of violence, sex, and language), and suspense fans (provided they don't mind the romance angle).

The story centers around Tess, who marries a charming police officer named Jim Beckett. Two years into the marriage, however, Tess discovers that Jim is a sadistic serial killer who has murdered ten women. She has Jim arrested, but not before he attacks her. Now, several years later, she learns that Jim has escaped from prison to find her.

Most people in Tess's position would go straight to the police, but because Jim Beckett is an ex-cop, and because he managed to get past the cops before, Tess decides on a different strategy...she decides to fight back. With the reluctant help of J.T. Dillon, an ex-Marine, she learns to defend herself. But the whole time, Jim is planning his ambush...

Even though the plot centers around Tess, the story is told from the perspective of multiple characters, the two main ones being Tess and J.T. But through this multiple perspective approach, we learn a lot about the characters and their back stories, and the suspense increases dramatically, especially when we get inside the head of Jim Beckett.

And, of course, we have the romantic attraction between Tess and J.T. As I mentioned before, I wasn't a fan of the romantic angle, but that's just a personal preference of mine. At any rate, the romance wasn’t excessive, so it didn’t detract too much from the rest of the story, and it did provide some interesting insights into the characters.

For me, the story’s biggest strength was in the suspense it created, and the plot twists introduced in the last half of the book. By letting the reader inside Jim Beckett’s head, we know more than any of the rest of the characters, and we get a better sense of his razor-sharp intelligence, making him an even more terrifying villain. This is a classic example of the page turner – you’re sure to blast through this one within a few days.

Readalikes: Catherine Coulter, Tami Hoag, Sandra Brown, Julie Garwood are all popular romantic suspense authors who write thrilling stories with strong female protagonists. For less of a romantic suspense angle, try Harlan Coben, who also writes well-plotted suspense stories with intriguing characters and accurate forensic details.

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Aug 16, 2012 Cata rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, biblioteca

4,5 estrelas

Minha até à Morte é o primeiro livro que leio de Lisa Gardner. Ouvi falar desta autora e fiquei curiosa. Depois encontrei por acaso este livro na biblioteca e a sinopse deixou-me obcecada. Tinha de o trazer, tinha de o ler!

Originalmente pensei que se tratasse de um Thriller, baseado no casamento de Jim e Tess Becket, na descoberta do verdadeiro carácter do marido, do papel de Tess na sua captura e depois da fuga deste da cadeia e subsequente medo que Tess sentiria por saber que o ex-...more 4,5 estrelas

Minha até à Morte é o primeiro livro que leio de Lisa Gardner. Ouvi falar desta autora e fiquei curiosa. Depois encontrei por acaso este livro na biblioteca e a sinopse deixou-me obcecada. Tinha de o trazer, tinha de o ler!

Originalmente pensei que se tratasse de um Thriller, baseado no casamento de Jim e Tess Becket, na descoberta do verdadeiro carácter do marido, do papel de Tess na sua captura e depois da fuga deste da cadeia e subsequente medo que Tess sentiria por saber que o ex-marido viria à sua procura para a matar. Um livro pautado pela tensão e medo, com cenas bastante explicítas dos crimes e descrição detalhada da mente retorcida de Jim- talvez até com POVs em que este imaginava mil e uma maneiras de fazer a ex-mulher sofrer. Enfim, um livro capaz de arrepiar todos os pelinhos do corpo...

Acabei por ser surpreendida com um Thriller, Drama e Romance com bastante acção e uma pitada de humor seco. A história não se centra única e exclusivamente no casal, existindo outras personagens fulcrais, como Quinn que é um psicólogo criminal que tenta compreender como Jim pensa e antecipar os seus passos e cujas cenas me fizeram pensar na série Mentes Criminosas, que é uma das minhas séries preferidas e os irmãos Dillon. Marion e J.T. Dillon são personagens atormentados por um passado cruel, infligido pelo pai de ambos. No ínicio mal se falam, de facto até se odeiam, mas unirão forças para ajudar Tess e pelo caminho conseguiram fazer as pazes. Contudo fiquei triste com o final que Lisa Gardner deu à personagem Marion, até porque estava a torcer para que esta tivesse o seu final feliz.

Quanto à descrição dos crimes, foram tão brutais como eu estava à espera. Gostei da “lógica”/ padrão dos crimes de Jim. Foi deveras surpreendente. Diria mesmo que foi, de certa forma, genial. E a maneira como não só se esquivava da polícia, como também se infiltrava nela foi de mestre.

Outro ponto que gostei imenso foi do romance entre J.T. e Tess. Não foi um romance fofinho, mas foi explosivo, intenso e conflituoso e acabou por me conquistar.

Um livro que nos demonstra o poder da ilusão através dos disfarces que Jim adopta, da falsidade das aparências encarnadas por Jim e J.T. e que toca em assuntos tabu: violação, prostituição, incesto, violência doméstica e abuso psicológico e emocional.

Tenho de ver se existe mais algum livro desta autora na biblioteca. Sem dúvida é uma autora a ter em consideração.
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Sep 03, 2011 Cindy Overton rated it 4 of 5 stars

For you ladies that like your hero to be a straight up good guy this isnt the book for you.. But if you dont mind your hero playing in that gray area then read this book. Tess would have done about anything to get away from her over dominate, basically slave driving father.. So when a handsome cop starts paying attention to her she cant resist him and marries him.. Two years and 1 child later she realizes she made a grave mistake.. For he is a serial killer that has murdered ten women. With Tess...more

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Mar 15, 2011 Adrienne Campbell rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Lisa Gardner always leaves me wanting more. The book ends and I'm disappointed because I "know" her characters and I want to keep reading about them.

"The Perfect Husband" is loaded with suspense. It revolves around the life of Theresa "Tess" Beckett. A beautiful young wife and mother living in absolute terror of her husband and police officer Jim Beckett - a sadistic serial killer of young beautiful blonde women.

He is captured with the help of Tess and he vows from the prison that he will kill...more Lisa Gardner always leaves me wanting more. The book ends and I'm disappointed because I "know" her characters and I want to keep reading about them.

"The Perfect Husband" is loaded with suspense. It revolves around the life of Theresa "Tess" Beckett. A beautiful young wife and mother living in absolute terror of her husband and police officer Jim Beckett - a sadistic serial killer of young beautiful blonde women.

He is captured with the help of Tess and he vows from the prison that he will kill her. He escapes from prison and the story goes into high gear.

Jim and Tess have a four year old daughter who is being held in protective custody. Tess has refused the help of the police and the FBI. They didn't protect her the first time and she doesn't trust them to protect her now. She has no choice but to leave her daughter behind as she runs, looking for someone to teach her how to protect herself.

Eventually she'd led to the door of a burned out drunken Marine,J.T. Dillon, whom she believes can help her regardless of his bad habits and crass attitude. He's angry and suffering from his own dark memories and losses and he's not at all interested in helping a stranger with her problems especially when he knows she's lying to him.

This leads us to J.T.'s sister Marion, a hard as steel FBI agent who has no respect for her brother, his way of life and the new woman trying to engage his help. They argue and fight constantly but the battles are bitter and hateful. She's carrying her own "baggage" but deep in the recesses of her memories and she refuses to acknowledge them.

Eventually Marion finds out who "Tess" really is, about her past, and who her huband is. With this information in hand she and J.T. finally begin to understand the young womans terror and her training begins.

But Jim Beckett is very good at what he does...hunting down his victims. He is a psychopath, very disciplined, and determined to finish what he started. Bodies begin to fall as he grows ever closer to finding his daughter and his wife.

This book is suspenseful, dark, terrifying, sad, and a real page turner! I would definitely recommend.
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Apr 21, 2012 Amanda rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed

I have to admit that I had a really hard time getting into this book. The premise seemed promising - woman married to a police officer; woman finds out husband is serial killer; woman hunted by husband until eventual showdown. In theory, this is what took place in the book, however, most of the book was about Tess (the wife) living with a mercenary, J.T., who unwillingly is dragged into training her to fight and their eventual romance. Because romance would CLEARLY be the first thing on the mind...more I have to admit that I had a really hard time getting into this book. The premise seemed promising - woman married to a police officer; woman finds out husband is serial killer; woman hunted by husband until eventual showdown. In theory, this is what took place in the book, however, most of the book was about Tess (the wife) living with a mercenary, J.T., who unwillingly is dragged into training her to fight and their eventual romance. Because romance would CLEARLY be the first thing on the mind of a woman on the run from her psychopathic husband....but I digress...

Sadly, I really loathed J.T., which is why I think I had such a hard time with the book. He was an unlikeable character in my opinion and I had a hard time relating to him or even really caring what happened to him in the first place. J.T. also has a side plot with his FBI agent sister, Marion. I thought this was a bit distracting to the main plot of Jim hunting down Tess. (view spoiler) I liked Tess for the most part, other than the fact that she fell for J.T. (for reasons I mentioned above).

Jim was written perfectly - definitely one of the creepiest (and more violent) serial killers I have read about. He was what really kept me reading as I tried to guess his next move or what his next disguise would be. I honestly would have given this a 2 star rating except for how well Jim was written, as well as the last 100 pages. The climax of the book really kept me engaged and I didn't expect one of the twists that Gardner threw at the reader. If it wasn't for this section, it would have just been an awkward love story between J.T. and Tess in my opinion!

I really liked the Quincy character, which is a plus, as I discovered this was actually the first in a series about him - oddly enough, he only has about 50 pgs of plot in this book! I think it may have been more enjoyable to focus on him rather than J.T. I will definitely consider picking up the next book in the series as I did enjoy Gardner's style, I just sadly couldn't grow to care for the main characters in this one!(less)

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Aug 15, 2011 Theresa Leone Davidson rated it 3 of 5 stars

I read the fifth in the series first, a couple of months ago, so I had to go back to the first in the series. It's about the hunt for a serial killer, with the killer's wife as the main character. She turned him in once but now he's escaped from prison and she knows he will be coming after her. She hires a mercenary to train her in self defense, and of course they fall for each other. The suspense was riveting and got me through the book in only a day and a half. I scored it only a three, howeve...more

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Aug 10, 2008 Naomi rated it 4 of 5 stars

Holy CRAP! Pretty much my thoughts as I read this book. It spooked the hell out of me. I liked it...but really had to sleep with the lights on afterward. Yes I am a bit of a chicken but yeah good book, I thought the story behind it was very creepy but it held my attention like no other. I had to keep going to find out what would happen next scared or not! If you like a good suspenseful book with psychos and ghosts and all things just creepy this is it!

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Jan 07, 2012 Book Him Danno rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012

My aunt has talked about this book for awhile and she finally just gifted it to me from Amazon for the Kindle. Wow I have to say that it kept me on the edge of my chair wondering what was going to happen. Her bad guy was BAD, he scared me to the point that I was checking the locks, the windows and the closets before going to bed. He was freaky scary and I hope never to meet someone like him in real life.

I liked that the female, Tess, took control of her life and didn't just let things happen to...more

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Mar 07, 2012 Jonetta rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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...more 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.

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Apr 04, 2009 Louise rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

A good read, although a tad too much info. for me. Nothing gory, just alot of extra detail I personally didn't think was needed. I kept wanting this author to "get to the point already". Nonetheless it was indeed a good story.

From back cover:

"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 prision, he vowed he would come a...more

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Aug 05, 2011 T. M. rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was the first Lisa Gardner book I read and I absolutely loved it! The title sounds a little misleading (I almost thought it was a romance at first). While there is some romance in it, it is most definately not a G/R. The main character Theresa (Tess) is on the run from her abusive husband who has escaped prison. She has hidden her young daughter away with friends and is determined to learn how to kill Jim, a sociopath with charm a la Ted Bundy. This is also the first of Gardner's books to i...more

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Jun 15, 2011 Jane Lee rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: people who love profiling, murder, mystery

Shelves: murder-mystery, thrilling-and-suspenseful, family-ties

I knew that if I wanted to read something disturbing and something that would cajole me out of a good night's sleep, Gardner was one of the authors to run to. The first Gardner book I read was Say Goodbye and even up to now, the book is ingrained into my memory. The book affected me that much although I couldn't quite pinpoint why.

THINGS I LOVED ABOUT THE BOOK:
1. The suspense nearly killed me. I had tons of work to do and I should have been asleep. However, I started reading at 11 p.m. and I cou...more

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Dec 16, 2011 Rachael rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Rachael by: Jeanie

A friend of mine told me about this book. I would like to thank her because i have not done anything for the last two days but grip this book so tight in my hands that my muscles are sore. Packed full of supense!! It gave me a couple of chills and alot of "OH MY GOD's". This is my first book i have read by Gardner and for sure not my last. At times i caught myself hold my breathe and thinking.....Holly Crap!!

Jim beckett is Tess's husband/ex-husband and a total sick-o!! Crazy!! A complete Psycho...more

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Feb 01, 2013 Heidi rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013-audio-book-challenge, order-from-library, read-in-2013, 2013-eclectic-reader-challenge, 2013-monthly-keyword-challenge, audio-version

What would it feel like to be married to a psychopathic serial killer? Teresa Matthews is only 18 and from an abusive home when the handsome young police officer Jim Beckett proposes to marry her and offer her an escape from her dreary existence. Little does Tess know that soon her life is about to become a lot worse. Suffering psychological and physical abuse from her husband she is also worried that behind Jim’s covert nightly activities lies a terrible secret. As more and more young women dis...more What would it feel like to be married to a psychopathic serial killer? Teresa Matthews is only 18 and from an abusive home when the handsome young police officer Jim Beckett proposes to marry her and offer her an escape from her dreary existence. Little does Tess know that soon her life is about to become a lot worse. Suffering psychological and physical abuse from her husband she is also worried that behind Jim’s covert nightly activities lies a terrible secret. As more and more young women disappear and are found brutally murdered, Tess finally musters up the courage to contact authorities, who confirm that Jim Beckett is indeed one of the worst serial killers the county has ever had to deal with. But before they can apprehend him, he wreaks terrible revenge on Tess, who barely escapes with her life.

Now, after only two years, Jim Beckett is back after murdering two prison guards and escaping the high security jail he had been confined to. Knowing that her husband will not rest until she is dead, Tess decides that she can no longer be a sitting target – for her own sake and that of her 4-year-old daughter. Instead of staying at the safe house the authorities have provided for her, she travels to the desert to hire ex-mercenary J. T. Dillon to teach her everything he knows about self-defence. When Jim finally comes for her, she intends to be ready…

The Perfect Husband is one of Lisa Gardner’s earliest books, but already shows her hallmark of creating a fast-paced thriller with lots of action, violence and a mounting body count. Personally, I am a bit divided about this book, which makes if difficult to review it. There were elements in the story I really enjoyed, such as the premise of hiring an ex-marine to pro-actively protect yourself against your abusive husband who is coming to kill you.

However, as with many of Lisa Gardner’s books, I found some things just too hard to swallow, the characters just a bit too black-and-white, and the timeline didn’t fit. Jim Beckett, the young cop-turned-serial-killer has almost superhuman powers, outwitting authorities at every opportunity and leaving behind a trail of bodies. J. T. Dillon, the posterboy of testosterone, clutches the bodies of innocent maidens to his sweaty naked chest whilst drowning his sorrows and demons in binges of tequila. And Tess, on one hand weak, helpless and abused, miraculously learns self-defence and develops a muscled body in little more than a couple of weeks – hmmmm, not sure about that one. Also, not trusting authorities to protect her, she nevertheless leaves her young daughter in their care. Being a stickler for such details, these things annoyed me, even though I reminded myself over and over again that this was purely fiction, and to be taken for its entertainment value alone. But alas, it still bugs me! The constant sexual tension / frustration between J. T. and Tess was also hard to bear, and if he had clutched her to his naked chest one more time I would have screamed! Personally, I find that going to such extremes in the good / evil stakes takes away from the suspense rather than adding to it (I found Jim Beckett more of a laughable caricature than scary), and makes the story appear clumsy and a bit contrived. But seeing the many five-star reviews out there, this is just my very personal opinion (so don’t shoot me down in flames, ok?).

This is my usual gripe with Lisa Gardner books, and despite moaning about them I still pick up her novels and generally enjoy reading them. Gardner is not afraid to discuss some very dark elements in her stories, and this one is no exception. Incest, abuse, sexual perversion, betrayal – all of Gardner’s characters are flawed in some way or another, overcoming personal tragedies which play sidelines in the larger story and add depth to their personalities. There are plenty of twists and turns, albeit very little mystery (since there is never any doubt as to who the killer is), and lots of action and violence.

If you are a fan of Gardner’s writing, the odds are that you will enjoy this one as well. The Perfect Husband is the fist book in the Quincy / Raine series, though FBI profiler Pierce Quincy only appears on the sideline.

You can also find this review and more at:
http://butbooksarebetter.blogspot.com...(less)

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Feb 06, 2011 Britney rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: nookbooks

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...more

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Oct 09, 2009 Pamela(AllHoney) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: rs-mystery-thriller, military-or-ex-military, serial-killers, 1st-in-series, my-4-star-romances

The first book in the Quincy & Rainie series by Lisa Gardner. Tess Williams lives in fear of her ex-husband, Jim Beckett, ex-cop and serial killer. He vows vengeance against her for her part in putting him in prison. Edge-of-your-seat creepy. First novel I've read by this author and I will now have to go find more.

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Jan 29, 2013 Phil Stokoe rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Phil by: Amy Orton

This book was given to me to read by my good friend Amy as I was leaving after a visit one night and as such I had no idea what it was about or what kind of book it was and to be totally truthful, I'd never heard of Lisa Gardner, so this was a journey into the unknown for me, which I guess is what reading a book really should be.

For reasons I won't go into the book did resonate with me on a few levels and made my mind wander to some real life issues that made me like the book more than I maybe o...more

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Oct 16, 2012 Linda Munro rated it 5 of 5 stars

This was one of the first books I read in the FBI ex-profiler Pierce Quincy series. It is also the first book of the series; unfortunately, I did not feel that I truly had been introduced to Pierce Quincy and his mate Rainie in this book; although the book itself was fantastic.

The plot evolves around an escaped prisoner who is determined to kill his ex-wife, the woman responsible for discovering that her decorated cop husband was a serial killer and chose to assist the police in putting him beh...more

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Aug 28, 2012 Teresa rated it 2 of 5 stars

To be honest I never really liked the main characters in this book and Quincy only had a minor part in it. In her other series of books, I liked the fact that all the characters, even the "good guys" had flaws, some of them serious. But in this book those flaws were dragged out repeatedly over and over until I felt like screaming "I get it already!" Plus the romance between the abused woman and her mercenary rescuer oozed unhealthy dysfunction to the point that even when they got together in the...more

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Jul 13, 2012 Gina rated it 4 of 5 stars

It takes a lot for me to give a thriller 5 stars. Pushing 4 1/2? Sure, I can do that here. I am not generally a nail biter yet the last few chapters of this book left me gnawing away! I actually gasped at one revealing point in the story.

Two things:

1) I have read Lisa Gardner books before (never disappointed in her!) but decided to read her Quincy & Rainie series in order starting with book 1. Quincy played a minimal part in The Perfect Husband. I don't think it matters if you read these out...more

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Jan 29, 2009 Doug rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fic-l-gardner

On its face, this story is overdone. Inside this book, this story is well-written and strongly finished. There's a little something missing for me, but the story wraps around the void and stamps it out. Good book, good authoring, good reading.

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About Lisa Gardner

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
(1) mystery & thrillers, suspense

aka Alicia Scott

New York Times bestselling crime novelist Lisa Gardner began her career in food service, but after catching her hair on fire numerous times, she took the hint and focused on writing instead. A self-described research junkie, she has parlayed her interest in po...more

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Books by Lisa Gardner

Love You More (Detective D.D. Warren, #5)

Live To Tell (Detective D.D. Warren, #4)

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The Perfect Husband (Quincy & Rainie #1)

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