Customer Reviews

The Perfect Woman

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

James Andrus is the pen name of an active law enforcement officer working in the Southeast. As a result, his debut novel is infused with a real-world, over-the-shoulder view into the gritty, often politically incorrect world of criminal investigation and law enforcement. Set in a Jacksonville, Florida, that has all of its warts on display, THE PERFECT WOMAN combines a chilling plotline with memorable characters, both good and bad, who command and demand undivided attention from first page to last.

Detective John Stallings, the primary protagonist of THE PERFECT WOMAN, is a 16-year veteran of the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office. Stallings is assigned to the missing persons division, specializing in juveniles, runaways or otherwise. His presence in that department is motivated in no small part by the fact that his own daughter, Jeanie, is the subject of an unsolved missing person investigation. Her disappearance takes its toll on his family, as does his work schedule; the man is driven by --- almost obsessed with --- his job, even as he tries to be the best husband and father he can be. But a case that ends for Stallings at a down heel motel also sparks the beginning of a new case. Stallings makes a grisly discovery that results in his transfer --- with Patty Levine, his partner --- to homicide for the purpose of apprehending a chilling killer who quickly becomes known as the Bag Man.

The reader is introduced to the Bag Man almost immediately. He is William Dremmel, a classic underachiever whose part-time jobs at a community college and in a pharmacy provide him with plenty of opportunities not only to hide in plain sight but also to select and entrap his victims. Dremmel, who lives with and is nominally the caretaker of his disabled mother, is fascinated by the effects that pharmaceutical drugs have upon women of a certain age and body type who he chillingly refers to as his "girlfriends." Andrus, who draws his story from real cases, presents a chilling portrait here. Dremmel obviously knows right from wrong --- he takes great and clever pains not to get caught --- but it is obvious from the beginning that the boy is off his feed.

The addicting element of THE PERFECT WOMAN, however, is the investigation. Stallings is hamstrung to some extent by the glory-hogging detective in charge of the investigation, as well as an internal affairs investigator who has had it in for him for years. Stallings and the team rely on doggedness and determination to find and then follow Dremmel's trail. Some of their evidence is obtained through forensic science, some on expended shoe leather, and some on luck. With regard to the latter, nothing falls into the detectives' laps. Some clues materialize as the result of Stallings's habit of paying forward on the street; his reputation as a very tough but fair cop who is trustworthy holds him in good stead. Other leads don't seem like leads at all but for Stallings's street savvy. Add an interesting supporting cast, down to the most minor player, and you have what may well be the first great beach read of this summer.

THE PERFECT WOMAN is complete in itself, but Andrus leaves enough lines dangling in the water at its conclusion to hook readers into anticipating the next Stallings book. Let's hope that we don't have to wait an entire year for its publication.

James Andruss's first book is a wonderful police procedural. Not only does it accurately show how detectives work through a major case, but it accurately captures the inner aspects of a cop shop - the little jokes played on one another, the petty jealousies and personality problems, the personal frailties of the cops and their own lives. He also captures the feel for NE Florida, the unique makeup of Jacksonville among all of Florida, and makes one feel like being there...

I enjoyed The Perfect Woman. It was fast past, realistic and held my attention throughout the story. I hope there will be a follow up.

I generally like police procedurals and this one was ok. Liked the John Stallings character, and loved that the author made the Tony character much more than just the obnoxious jerk he first appeared to be. Making Tony a one dimensional, typical big-headed cop would have been the easy way out but author didn't take it.

My main problem with the story was that the killer's character fell kind of flat. There were vague references to what made him the way he is, but there wasn't enough backstory to make it convincing. The killer struck me as more pathetic (and not in a sympathetic way) and boring than scary and twisted. I like my killers scary and twisted!

The author generally did a good job with the cop characters; the bad guys need some work.

Ok book, and I would be interested in reading another book featuring this group of cops.

I picked this book for my Android Kindle app because it got a 5 star review. I was in the mood to read books with only 5 star reviews. Even with the 5 star review, I held my breath and took the reviews with a grain of salt. I expected it not to be that great but it was. This guy is awesome. I spent all night reading it and even though I didn't want to go to bed, I knew I had to and forced myself to go to bed and wait until the next day to read the book. Woke up and finished the book. He had the right amount of detail, he wrote enough to leave you excited and wanting some more. The plot was on point. The characters were on point. He was just all the way on point. The story had me going from beginning to end. Not sure if this is his first book or not, but I sure as hope it isn't his last. He has made a fan out of me. James Patterson and John Grisham use to write this well but they've slacked off. I hope he continues to write this well and doesn't slack off like they have. He is definitely talented! It was a great read from beginning to end!
Excellent book!

John Stallings is a detective with conscience...and a sad past...which makes him very human in his desire to do the right thing...that being catching William D who is hell-bent on using young,gullible females for his drug experiements and stuff them into bags when he is done with them...John cannot let that happen - as he has a teenage daughter out there somewhere too...
Supporting cast includes Patty , the junior detective - herself a drug abuser, the hot-shot murder detective Anthony who is jealous of John for stealing the limelight but all have one aim - to catch the 'Bag-man'

Even as we know the killer beforehand , I think its to the authors credit that the characters and the narrative keeps you totally involved...I read this in a single day on my iPhone and downloaded his next one already !

I think 2011 might be the year of intelligent mysteries/thrillers after all...

This was a great new year's weekend read. A good story, well told. I was hesitant about picking it up, because sometimes these sorts of crime stories are a bit raw for my tastes, but this one didn't go overboard in it's descriptions. Good work, look forward to more!

I read this on my new Kindle and really enjoyed it. I was surprised a the quality for a free book. I hope the quthor writes a follow up.

I can't believe the number of good reviews this book received. This was a by-the-numbers, routine, unoriginal story with an unbelievably stupid detective (who can't even remember having lent his cell phone to someone else a couple of days ago), a 'tough' police woman who collapses at the first sign of violence, a villain with ridiculous compulsions, all so predictable. And so badly written, so many errors.

I'm afraid I can't go by readers' reviews anymore.

I really enjoyed this book...it was incredibly easy to follow and I was able to read it in one day. The characters were believable and evolved throughout the book based on their experiences (just like in real life). I want to know more about what goes on in Detective Stallings life and I am looking forward to reading more books from this author. Can't be beat for a free book, I see why it's #1 on the free book list!