A Perfect Crime: A Thriller

By Peter Abrahams

“A perfect page-turner . . . Books this well written and involving don’t come along often. . . . Peter Abrahams is my favorite American suspense novelist.”—Stephen King
 
An unfaithful wife. A cheating lover. A loyal friend. A jealous husband. In this stunning thriller, four lives hang in precarious balance—as a cunning killer prepares their roles in A Perfect Crime.
 
Distraught by a failing marriage, Francie Cullingwood enters into a secret affair with charismatic radio psychologist Ned Demarco. But what seems like a refuge takes a decidedly dark turn. For when the liaison is discovered, a seething, enraged genius begins to construct the perfect, flawless murder, manipulating Francie, her lover, and her best friend like chess pieces in a lethal game. But even the most brilliant mind can make mistakes. And soon the intricate plan is spinning wildly out of control—in shocking, fatal directions. . . .
 
Praise for A Perfect Crime
 
“Abrahams gets the human dimensions just right. . . . Each stage of this perverse puzzle has been constructed with deadly artistry.”—The New York Times Book Review
 
“A first-rate psychological thriller . . . a plot filled with Machiavellian maneuvers and subtle irony . . . Drawing the reader unrelentingly through the chain of events, this novel is a must-read.”—The Denver Post
 
“Abrahams has written more than a crime story here. His prose is elegant by any literary standard. . . . Abrahams grips us so closely, line by line, making everything hyper-real.”—Los Angeles Times
 
“A Perfect Crime is a perfect read—a novel of malice and retribution that crackles from page one like a live wire.”—New York Times bestselling author Michael Palmer

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Feb 11, 1999
• ISBN: 9780345436559

Peter Abrahams

Peter Abrahams is the New York Times bestselling author of twenty-five books, including the Edgar Award-winning Reality Check, Bullet Point, and the Echo Falls series for middle graders. Writing as Spencer Quinn, he is also the author of the Chet and Bernie series—Dog on It, Thereby Hangs a Tail, and To Fetch a Thief. He and his wife live in Massachusetts with their dog, Audrey.

Reviews for A Perfect Crime

[djupstrom · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I used to take pride in finishing every book that I have started. I can no longer say that. I could not finish this book. I didn't care about anything and it took ffffoooorrrreeeevvvveeeerrrr for the plot to take off, what little it did.

[ccayne_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

If you like plot driven page turners, you will like this. I like greater character development than Abrahams provided. Some of the characters are truly evil yet up until this moment, one of them led a privileged life. Considering this profound switch, I would have appreciated a greater understanding of why.

[catien_3 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Francie is having an affair. Unbeknownst to Francie, her husband Roger finds out about it and decides Francie needs to be dead but he needs to commit the perfect crime so that he doesn't get caught. A promising beginning with good writing but then the unbelievable coincidences kept piling up, and I was unable to finish the book, which was unfortunate because I have heard good things about this author so I may try to read something else of his before making a final judgment.