Mr Perfect

By Linda Howard

What would make your perfect man? That's the delicious topic heating up the proceedings at a certain table of professional women at their favourite restaurant. As the conversation picks up momentum, so do the quartet's requirements for Mr Perfect. And they write down a tongue-in-cheek list that's both funny and racy. The next thing Jaine Bright and her three girlfriends know, the List becomes an overnight sensation, grabbing the interest of local newspapers and television coverage. No one expected this avalanche of attention for something that began as a joke among friends. But the joke turns deadly serious when one of the four is murdered...

The prime suspect in the case is the victim's boyfriend, one of a number of men who found the List sexist and offensive. But an impenetrable alibi gets him off the hook. Now, with the help of Jaine's neighbour, an unpredictable police detective, the puzzle must be solved - and time is running out as a deadly stalker targets the three remaining friends, and the dream of Mr Perfect becomes a chilling nightmare.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
• Release date: Dec 11, 2012
• ISBN: 9781471105258

Linda Howard

Linda Howard is the award-winning author of many New York Times bestsellers, including Up Close and Dangerous, Drop Dead Gorgeous, Cover of Night, Killing Time, To Die For, Kiss Me While I Sleep, Cry No More, and Dying to Please. She lives in Alabama with her husband and two golden retrievers.

Reviews for Mr Perfect

[myab-3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed Sam and Jaine's interactions. The Chemistry was great! It was a good quick read for me!

[Avery Nelson · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Not a true reflection of Ms. Howard's writing. Not seeing her flare at all. So I am a little disappointed.

[lauren2013_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Mr. Perfect
4.5 Stars

Jaine Bright and three of her friends and co-workers get together one night and devise a list of the traits for the perfect man. When the list goes viral, the four women become the target of a deranged killer and Jaine turns to her sexy yet unpredictable neighbor, Detective Sam Donovan, for help. Will they be able to unmask the killer before its too late?

My initial attempt at reading this book as a teen was a dismal failure probably due to the slow build up at the beginning (which is a characteristic of the author’s writing style). However, I’ve recently read and enjoyed other books by Howard, and as this one fit into a challenge, I decided to give it another go and I’m really glad I did.

The first half of the book falls into the contemporary romance genre with the development of Jaine and Sam’s love/hate relationship. With their witty banter leading to numerous laugh-out-loud moments and their incredible chemistry, Jaine and Sam set the pages on fire.

The second half is more romantic suspense as Jaine and her friends are targeted by a killer. In this respect, premise of a list of the perfect man’s attributes is compelling, however, the strong negative reactions that the women receive is more suited to the eighties than the noughties when this book was published. That said, the serial killer subplot is intense (although it is easy to guess the identity of the culprit and their motive) and the climax and resolution are exciting and action packed.

In sum, Mr. Perfect isn’t a perfect read by any stretch of the imagination, but it is well written with a smart and engaging heroine, a sexy and confident hero, well developed secondary characters and an entertaining suspense story. I really need to give books a second chance more often.

[dawn772 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Really good romantic suspense with an assertive heroine, hot love story, secondary romances, very exciting ending all sprinkled with humor. Jaine and her girlfriends come up with qualities of Mr Perfect that goes public and her neighbor cop Sam helps when things turn deadly.

[jendoyle2000 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I figured out the plot twist fairly early on, but the book was fast-paced and filled with unexpected LOL humor. Really enjoyed this one.

[linda.temple · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Read this, and Open Season, by Linda Howard. Both were suspenseful, well-written and fun. Good blend of mystery, romance and action.

[paideiamom · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I listened to the Audible version of this book.

The narration was great. No issues with it at all. Voices well done, intonations spot on.

I apparently read this book a long time ago and had no memory of it, until I started listening. I remembered the "hook" almost immediately so I can't really speak to the mystery part of the story since I had previous knowledge.

I can say it is well written, well edited. The story, yeah, is a bit unbelieveable and the instalust a little much. But who cares. It is well crafted and, surprisingly, fun. It does get a bit heavy with the murders (no spoiler, it is on the back blurb), but the protags seem to bounce back well. I guess that is where the instalust helps out.

Like Ms. Howard's books of this time, there is humor aplenty, sparkling conversation and witty repartee. The male and female protags have equal power and intelligence. They have common interests and backgrounds. It is easy to see how the instalust turns to HEA.

Good stuff all around. I do wish Ms. Howard was still writing in this way. I haven't been a fan of her more recent ventures.

[gpangel_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of Linda Howard's all time best romantic suspense novels.Four friends make up a list of what they believe the perfect man would be like. It was just a joke between friends, but the list was made public and the ladies are now being stalked by someone that didn't find the list all that amusing.Very funny dialogue at times and also really sad events, a very twisty suspense novel, dark at times.I've heard many people name this book as their favorite book by Linda Howard, and I would also place it up at the top of my favorite list as well. A+

[kaetrin_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

3.5 stars rounded up.Just a bit dated now but nevertheless enjoyable. This despite the narrator using a voice for the heroine that sounded a lot like Lois from Family Guy. The audio made Jaine's anger management problems more obvious.

[theresahope · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Main characters are full of chemistry. Many humorous parts. Enjoyed relationships between sisters and friends too. Add a little mystery, suspense, great combination. Easy read.

[chrissywest · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Mr. Perfect started out a little slow, and I thought it was going to be boring. I am glad I stuck with the book. Turns out it was a real joy to read, and was extremely funny in places. There wasn’t alot of suspense or a really stong plot, but I think it was the humor that kept me reading on. I really enjoyed all the characters, but Jaine and Sam were really funny, and had tons of chemistry. The only problem I had with this book was I thought the killer was revealed to early.

[zosiacanberra · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is one of those books that people mention all the time, so it was time to see what all the fuss is about. Mr Perfect is a very good book – one that made me put down the other things I was reading so I could finish it. It is not, however, anyth ...more This is one of those books that people mention all the time, so it was time to see what all the fuss is about. Mr Perfect is a very good book – one that made me put down the other things I was reading so I could finish it. It is not, however, anything like any other books I’ve seen classed as romantic suspense. Why? Well for starters the suspense does not arrive until halfway through the story. Mr Perfect is funny, about friendship, and also contains many aspects of a contemporary romance novel. The characters are interesting – if occasionally annoying – and the main relationship made for a wonderful read. This review is full of quotes - it's one of those highly quotable books! Jaine and her three work colleagues create a list of what constitutes the ‘perfect man’. It gets leaked to the office newsletter, and then from there – as, unfortunately the rubbish so often does in real life – the media picks up on it and the publicity gets out of control. Then one of the friends is murdered. Then someone starts stalking the others. Jaine’s neighbour Sam takes a personal interest in the case – and in Jaine. “Let me go,” she said again. “I can’t.” She eyed him suspiciously. “Why not?” Actually, she was afraid she knew why not. “Why not” had been growing in his wet jeans for a few minutes now. Sam grinned, thinking of Jaine and her stubborn chin with that cute little dent in it, and her almost-dimples and sparkling blue eyes. She attacked life, rather than simply letting it happen; he’d never before met anyone so annoying and funny and sharp. He had major plans for her, the most immediate of which was getting her under him. When the relationship begins (after quite a bit of time spent just with the heroine and her friends) it happens FAST. Yet it worked for me. Because the hero and heroine seemed like such normal people with such normal goals in life, I believed it was possible for them to rush into everything. I also think it was necessary for the story to get the two of them into something serious. He eyed the cucumber. “Have I interrupted something?” Jaine wanted to hit him, but she didn’t have the energy. Still, something in her lightened at his presence. “She’s going to put it on my eyes.” He gave her a sideways, you-gotta-be-kidding look. “It’ll roll off.” I didn’t like that we didn’t get anything from Sam’s point of view until more than halfway through the book. By then I’d assumed we weren’t going to hear from him. I would have preferred to have been in his head earlier, but that’s a minor issue. “Go away,” Jaine said. “I’m busy.” “So I see. What is this, the Produce Five Hundred? I’ve been chasing you up and down the aisles for the last five minutes.” “Thing? I don’t do things.” “You’ll do mine,” he said under his breath, Sam was an excellent hero because he was so realistic and such a guy and yet he really gave a damn about Jaine and did his best to help her and her friends. “You’re such a guy.” “What the hell did you want me to be, a ballerina?” No, she didn’t want him to be anything except what he was. I had a fair idea how the story would work out, but there were enough twists and turns to keep me guessing and keep me interested. I also loved that the one Too Stupid To Live moment in the book did not come on behalf of the heroine – and not on behalf of the hero. It was Jaine’s sister who screwed up and put them in danger. There’re many authors who should take note of that! Nothing alarming had happened, except he discovered that Jaine sang a lot when she was tipsy. He could shake them awake, he supposed, but that wouldn’t be much fun. What was fun was finding a pot and a metal spoon and banging them together, then watching the four women bolt upright, wild-eyed. So is this the greatest romantic suspense book ever? Probably not. As it’s not even a suspense book until halfway through I’m not sure it even qualifies as a candidate for the title. However it’s so, so good. It’s one of those books I couldn’t put down to go to bed (the sun was rising when I finished!). I fell in love with the flawed and funny characters, I laughed out loud many times, I was scared in the appropriate places, and I became the author’s newest fan. What more can you ask for?

[lisamaria_c · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

STOP THE PRESSES! An book found on the romance aisle that can hold a point of view. One that didn't strike me as flowery in descriptions or the sex scenes. One that actually *gasp* had witty dialogue. One that actually gave the heroine, Jaine, friends that felt real and I cared about. One that wrote a romantic hero I found appealing and sexy. (And I liked it wasn't an instant attraction for once--that Jaine's first impression of Sam was that he was a "jerk"--that for once the attraction was something that built.) Now, the book's not--well, perfect. The book revolves around this list four friends make up about the perfect man. I found it far fetched the list would kick up the fuss it did in this book, even gaining them an appearance on television. The villain struck me as over the top and cliched. And I thought the romantic relationship progressed way too fast. But damn this was fun to read. Fun--and often funny.

[miyurose_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I figured this one out pretty early, but the book really isn't about the mystery, it's about Jaine and her neighbor. My only problem with it is that the somewhat graphic crime scene and sex descriptions didn't seem to belong in a book where "damn" is treated as a cuss word.

[mandabrewer · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Twisting plot, mystery, murders, psychotic killer....and steamy romance! All ingredients for a pageturner!

[sockmonkeygirl_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved this one! Linda Howard's characters usually suffer a lot more. I liked how spunky her female lead was this time. The best of classic Howard with a lot more humor. Highly recommended for those who like romance, murder and humor all in one.

[hrstokes · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

With a little bit of mystery, a little bit of romance, and diverse characters, Mr. Perfect has it's ups and downs. While the storyline is humorous and interesting, as are the characters, some aspects are so lopsided they're like a sinking ship. The romance, for instance, between the hero and heroine is first going at a snails pace but steady gaining momentum as we read, then, quite suddenly, they gun the engines and off they go to be married. The unevenness aside, it was still very much an enjoyable read.

[jonahfied · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A really terrific book. Witty dialogue, good suspense, great romance.

[cindyloumn · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I really liked the characters, but she killed off 2 of the 4 girls without a thought. It was sort of cold. But really liked the chemistry between the main male/female. Also the sex was a BIT graphic!

[tikilights_1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

The plot line is this: 4 women concoct a list that makes up what they consider the perfect man. Some of it is racy and the leaking out of the list leads to media attention and national popularity. But the whole situation becomes serious when one of the women is murdered and it seems as if the list is responsible. My biggest complaint of the book is the main character, Jaine. The men-bashing and anger from Jaine was really irritating. Her whole character was just extreme and unbelievable in hating men and fully blaming them for her relationship problems and then a making a fast turn-around where she "falls in love" after 2 weeks of knowing Sam. And their marriage after 3 weeks of knowing each other was also cause for a lot of eye-rolling. It also had a lot of trashy sex scenes that were distracting from the plot. It seemed excessive because they barely knew each other for a few days before they primitively gave in to their lust. Don't waste money on this book, at the most just go to the library to get this book.

[gmullan245 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Pretty good read, very violent at times.