The Perfect Couple
Grade : B

The Perfect Couple is romantic suspense – heavy on the suspense. The villains of the piece are a husband and wife who lure teens to their home where they torture and kill them. I am not a total wuss (as my boss describes herself) when it comes to violence in books, but this book seriously creeped me out.

Colin and Tiffany Bell are successful and good looking in a flashy way. He’s an attorney and she is his beautiful trophy wife. But behind the walls of their home, they have a stomach churning secret life. Over a period of time, they have lured several young teens to their home where they take turns torturing them before they finally kill them. The latest victim, a young man they called Rover, is in the trunk of Tiffany’s car and she is looking for a place to dump the body. But Rover is not dead, and when Tiffany opens the trunk, he gets away. Terrified that Colin will find out about it and punish her, Tiffany sets out to get him a new toy. Her choice is Samantha Duncan, who lives next door.

Sam lives with her mother Zoe and Zoe’s fiance, Anton Lucassi. Sam does not like Anton – he’s a control freak and an uber neatnick, but Zoe is loyal to him. Sam and Zoe have had a very difficult and poverty filled life, and Anton offers security. Zoe seems to want that, and so she puts up with Anton’s quirks. When Sam sees Tiffany with what looks like blood on her shirt, she goes over to ask if she can help, which seals her fate. Tiffany locks her in the room to await Colin.

Zoe is terrified – Sam is a good student and, despite the problems she has with Anton, she knows Sam is not the kind of girl to run away. Zoe contacts The Last Stand, a victim’s charity and begs for help. Private investigator Jonathan Stiver is on the case and together, he and Zoe set out to find Sam before it’s too late.

Colin Bell is one of the most evil characters I have ever encountered. A sociopath from a very early age, he lured Tiffany into becoming his willing partner. She was a lonely girl whose self esteem was nil. Colin was attentive and “loving” and before she knew it, Tiffany had been turned into a plastic Barbie doll who does everything Colin asks of her, no matter how twisted or degrading. While Tiffany’s actions are evil, she is a pitiful creature. I can’t forgive her, but I can see how she got to be the way she is. As for Colin....well there are monsters in human form, and he is one of the worst.

Zoe has led a very hard life, practically from the day she was born. Her relationship with Jonathan develops slowly, and they don’t fall instantly in love. While this is a romantic suspense, the suspense is predominate, and the romance is more muted than in most books of this type.

Gentle readers or violence wusses (like my boss) will probably be made very uncomfortable by this book. It isn’t too often that I read a book that looks so unflinchingly into the face of evil, but The Perfect Couple does.

Reviewed by Ellen Micheletti
Grade : B

Sensuality: Warm

Review Date : August 11, 2009

Publication Date: 2009

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