Pretty good! Kind of psycho though but enjoyable read!! ( )

One day in May, 13 year old Samantha Duncan goes missing from her own backyard. During the following days, Zoe's life falls apart around her as she hunts for her only child. Jonathan Stivers, a detective who donates time to the Last Stand, a victims charity, tires to find Samantha, knowing that each hour lessens the chances for a safe recovery. Each is struggling with other life problems, while riding the roller coaster of looking for a lost child. The next door neighbors, who seem to lead the perfect life try to help, while hiding secrets of their own. The clock ticks down to the wire, leaving the reader in suspense until the last pages of the book.

Novak creates interesting characters, that add depth to her stories. As a mother of girls,this story really touched me personally. I was completely caught up in the search for Samantha. ( )

This is my first book by Novak and I don't think it'll be my last. The Perfect Couple is the first book in a 3 book series. It's a touchy subject, being mostly about the kidnap and torture of teenage children. It was an emotional roller-coaster for me as the reader with many ups, downs and quick twists.

This isn't one of those where you're constantly trying to figure out who the bad guy is. You already know right from the start who he is. The suspense part comes in with wondering when everyone else will figure out who the monster is. Colin and Tiffany Bell are the perfect couple. Tiffany lives her life to do anything and everything that Colin wants of her. He's controlling and manipulative and found the perfect woman in Tiffany. The book starts out with Tiffany taking care of Colin's most recent "pet." She has been told to get rid of him, but he escaped. So, to rectify her mistake, she finds him a new pet.

Zoe and Anton are the Bell's next door neighbors. Recently engaged, and raising Zoe's young daughter Sam, they don't know anything about the horrors that go on next door to them. When Sam goes missing, Zoe puts her whole life into finding her daughter. The search brings her face to face with her past, her father and the father of Sam. While on her journey, she meets Jonathan. Jon's a private investigator who finds this case so captivating that he jumps in with both feet to help Zoe find Sam. This terrible experience forces Zoe to face the fact that she and Anton aren't meant to be together, and Jonathan makes her feel things that she's never allowed herself before. So, with the attraction between them, the work together on a race against the clock to save Sam.

There were things I liked and things that bothered me about this book. First, after thinking about it for a bit, the subject of the torture against the kids is only what the reader's mind makes it. Novak does an incredible job of weaving the story without actually creating a horrific image. I think that had she actually completely described what was actually implied, I'd have liked this book much less. The ending though is very abrupt. It seems like it just stops without settling a few things. I'd have liked to know a little more about what happened to some of the background characters. Not much, but they were a part of the story, but then disappeared.

Overall, this book sucked me in. I read it much faster than I thought that I would. I found myself staying up later than normal because I just couldn't stop. It's got a fast pace and left me breathless more than once. I could love it and hate it within just a couple pages! ( )

Colin and his wife, Tiffany are the perfect couple. They are nice, thoughtful and ready and willing to lend a helping hand when needed. Well that is what they want you to think.

Zoe Duncan came home to discover her daughter, Samantha missing. Zoe contacts the authorities but they aren’t taking her serious at this time. Even Zoe’s boyfriend believes Sam ran away. Zoe has a mother’s instinct and she feels it in her heart that something terrible has happened to her daughter.

Jonathan Stivers is a private investigator. He donates his time for The Last Stand, a charity that helps victim’s families in locating their loved ones. Jonathan has a bad feeling about Zoe’s neighbors, Colin and Tiffany. They seem too perfect.

The Perfect Couple is the first book in the Perfect series. Brenda Novak produces another good read! From the first moment I picked up this book and started reading it, I was hooked. The suspense level stayed high-octane all the way till the end. It was no secret what had happened to Sam but I didn’t care about that. I was more interested in what Colin and Tiffany’s intentions were with Sam. The scariest factor of all was that Colin and Tiffany could be anyone...from your next door neighbor, friend, co-worker, or even the mailman. When I think of heroes, Jonathan falls into this category. I am going to buy the other two books in this trilogy. ( )

The first half of this book is really excellent. Rather than the usual focus on the investigators, the primary focus of this book is the criminals--the "perfect couple" of the title. It makes a fun change of pace, and the first half of the book is engrossing. But then Novak seems to run out of things to say about the relationship of the couple and their plans and it becomes very repetitive. The relationship between the protagonists doesn't develop much, which is perfectly realistic (do you expect a woman to fall head over heels while she's panic-stricken over her missing daughter?), but doesn't leave a lot to keep readers involved.

Still, Novak is a good writer, and despite its flaws, this is worth reading. It's just not as good as her best books. ( )