The Perfect Husband

The Perfect Husband by Lisa Gardner (1998)

Reader's Annotation

What if the perfect man you married turned out to be a human monster?

Summary

Tess thought police officer Jim Beckett was the perfect white knight who would save her from her abusive father, but after two years of marriage, she knew that he was something far worse. After Tess provided enough evidence to put him away for brutally murdering ten women, Beckett hunted her down and nearly killed her. 

Now he's escaped from prison, and Tess fears the police won't be able to protect her any better than they did the last time. She turns to alcoholic, ex-mercenary J.T. Dillon for help. He helps her learn to protect herself while she helps him come to terms with his failure to protect his sister from their own abusive father. Together they deal with the seemingly unstoppable Jim Beckett.

Evaluation

This was a suspenseful and involving horror story of a human monster and at the same time a romance between two people who were damaged in very similar ways. Serial killer Jim Beckett served as the perfect cathartic stand-in for their respective fathers. The writing had its flaws but the story kept me interested to the very end. This is one of Gardner's earlier efforts; from the reviews on Amazon, I suspect that her writing has improved since. I would certainly try another in her FBI Profiler series. If you are bothered by graphic violence and explicit sex, you should avoid this novel.

Those who enjoy this novel should try the suspense novels of Thomas Harris, which include Red Dragon and The Silence of the Lambs.

Genres: Horror, Thriller, Romance
Subgenres: Human Monster, Serial Killer, Romantic Suspense