The Perfect Couple (The Last Stand)

I admit to being a huge Brenda Novak fan, so reviewing her books is definitely a pleasure and not a chore. In her latest Last Stand book, Ms. Novak delves into the psyche of her antagonists, particularly the character Tiffany. The Perfect Couple is different in that the reader knows who the villains are by the end of the first chapter. The how and why make for very interesting reading, and it is the probing the depths of Tiffany's persona that is most intriguing. ( Tiffany will remind you of the wives behind the men involved in recent news stories about Jaycee Dugard and earlier, Elizabeth Smart.) Novak has built strong characters in both protagonist and antagonists, but it is Tiffany who steals the show. However, heroine Zoe Duncan, whose thirteen-year-old daughter Samantha goes missing, has an interesting history and makes an ideal counterpart to hero Jonathan Stivers, a top notch P.I. with a good heart and few clues to work from. The secondary characters are equally well drawn and interesting. The romance is well done but neither intrusive nor forced. Read this story for the suspense and the romance. I found the story sucked me in immediately, and I was compelled to stay up long past my bedtime to get to the conclusion. Well done, Ms. Novak. I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

I'm a Brenda Novak fan and this book is so good! Jonathan Stivers, the P.I., that donates his time with the Last Stand is such a wonderful character I fell in love with him myself. We have met Jonathan in past Last Stand books and know he has a crush on Sheridan but Ms Novak has given Jonathan his "Perfect" love interest, Zoe Duncan. Zoe's 13 y.o. daughter, Samantha, has gone missing and Zoe has no one to turn to but her friend Skye, one of the women from Last Stand, the vicitms' charity that'll help her find Sam. Their neighbors, Colin & Tiffany Bell, are "the Perfect Couple" in Colin's twisted mind anyway. How can Tiffany help Colin abduct and kill their victims--what's wrong with her? Zoe has her own set of problems but Sam missing puts all the others out of her mind and she can't deal with anything else but finding Sam. Jonathan finds himself crazy for Zoe but she doesn't trust her judgement about men to be sure of Jonathan. This is their story of finding love at last! Good book! made me run and get the other two in the series when they became available, THE PERFECT LIAR & THE PERFECT MURDER which are also great!! IMHO if you like romantic suspense these are the books for you!

The story opens in Sacramento, California where Tiffany is driving to dump the body of a 14 year old boy that she and her husband killed. She hears a bump from her trunk wonders if perhaps the boy is still alive. Tiffany is in city traffic right now and is worried as the thumps and yells get louder that someone might hear when she stops at a traffic light so she calls her husband, Colin, at his law office and he tells her to get on the highway and off to the forest and cabin where they used to go and "deal with it". In other words, kill the boy. However, when Tiffany stops and opens the trunk, the boy knocks her over and runs very fast into the woods yelling and crying that she is afraid to follow. Samantha Duncan is outside at home resting as she has been off school with mono for almost 2 weeks and has 2 weeks more to go. She and her mom, Zoe, are living at her mom's fiance's home. Anton Lucassi is very picky about "his" house. Sam can't understand what her mom sees in the guy. Shortly she hears a door open and close and realizes it is coming from the other side of the fence where Colin and Tiffany Bell live. As the reader follows the story, even knowing both sides of what is going on the author manages to still keep you in suspense and scared as to how this will all end up. That is good writing and makes for an enjoyable read!

The Perfect Couple This book is very well written and has a fresh approach to the thriller scenario with the `couple next door' as the villains. Though it is known from the first pages who the perpetrators are when a young girl goes missing, the mystery and tension are high. Zoe Duncan is a beautiful, vulnerable young woman whose life has not been easy. Jonathan Stivers is the private eye who is dedicated to helping her find her child, and is attracted to his client. As the story unfolded, this reader rooted for the couple to find each other as well as finding Zoe's daughter. The characters are well developed and that alone makes this story great. It is so realistic that I felt I could `see' inside the head of a serial killer and his minion--as much a victim as the youngsters he abducts. Ms. Novak presents a story that has a strong plot, no loose threads and enough twists and turns to keep you on edge as you turn the pages. This is one I had to force myself to put down so I could sleep. Highly recommended Diane Davis White, Author, Moon of the Falling Leaves

I agree with the first reviewer here that said this book was seriously creepy. I was just cringing thinking about what was going to happen to the kidnapped Sam, but it wasn't enough to make me stop reading, just the opposite, I couldn't wait to see if she made it out ok or irreparably damaged by her ordeal. I also agree with the other reviewer that the romance was a little weak and really not much a part of the story at all, which is different than most of Brenda Novak's book. It was appropriate for this story though b/c a mother terrified for her daughter's safety and not knowing her whereabouts isn't going to be jonesing for some guy night and day no matter how hot he is or how much he's into her. I think it was handled appropriately and realistically for the characters and the situation and I can see her further developing their story a bit in future books where they are secondary characters dealing with The Last Stand.