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Cover of Mr. Perfect

Mr. Perfect

Linda Howard

432 pages

A sassy girls' night out spirals into a steamy, edge-of-your-seat game of cat and mouse.

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What it feels like

Reading this book feels like sharing a pitcher of margaritas with your sharpest, funniest friends, only to realize someone is watching you from the shadows. It masterfully balances two distinct energies: the laugh-out-loud, banter-heavy warmth of female friendship and the pulse-pounding dread of a genuine thriller. The prose is snappy and dialogue-driven, keeping the pages turning at a brisk clip as the stakes escalate from office gossip to life-or-death survival. At its core is a sizzling, enemies-to-lovers romance that crackles with chemistry and tension. It will absolutely delight readers who crave the perfect alchemy of sassy contemporary romance, grumpy-sunshine neighbor dynamics, and a genuinely chilling mystery that keeps you guessing until the final, breathless confrontation.

Mood
  • playful
  • steamy
  • tense
  • escalating dread
Tone
  • sassy
  • banter-heavy
  • suspenseful
  • wry
Pace
brisk
Themes
female friendship · the illusion of perfection · enemies-to-lovers · trust and survival
The writing
Snappy and dialogue-driven, balancing sharp comedic timing with taut, adrenaline-fueled suspense.
The arc
Transitions from lighthearted, cocktail-hour camaraderie into a gripping, high-stakes fight for survival anchored by a sizzling romance.
Who it's for
Readers who love their steamy romance served with a side of genuine thriller-level danger and laugh-out-loud banter.
Content notes
  • murder
  • stalking
  • violence
  • misogyny
  • explicit sexual content

About the book

What would make the perfect man?

That's the delicious topic heating up the proceedings at a certain table of professional women at their favorite restaurant, Ernie's, tonight: Mr. Perfect. What qualities would he have? Would he be tall, dark, and handsome? Caring and warm hearted -- or will just muscular do? Jaine Bright and her three girlfriends start off with the basics -- he'd be faithful and reliable, the responsible type, with a great sense of humor.

But as the conversation picks up momentum, so do the quartet's requirements for Mr. Perfect -- and they write down a tongue-in-cheek checklist that's both funny and racy. The next thing they know, the List, as it has come to be called, spreads like wildfire through out their company and sizzles along e-mail lines. And it doesn't stop there: the List becomes an over night 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. And the joke turns deadly serious when one of the four women is murdered...

The prime suspect in the case is the victim's boyfriend, who was 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 neighbor, an unpredictable police detective, the puzzle must be solved -- and time is running out as a deadly stalker targets the three remaining friends. Now, knowing whom to trust and whom to love is a matter of survival -- as the dream of Mr. Perfect becomes a chilling nightmare.

Description from Open Library.

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