The Perfect Murder
For more than a year, Sebastian Costas has been trying to unravel the truth behind the murder of his ex-wife and son. Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, he's convinced that her second husband–a cop–committed both murders, then faked his own death. Now Sebastian has followed the slimmest of leads to Sacramento…and that's where he finally gets the break he needs. Jane Burke, an investigator with The Last Stand, calls him in connection with a separate crime–a crime that could lead him straight to the man he's been looking for.Once married to a serial killer, Jane has spent the past five years rebuilding her life. And with Sebastian she finally has a chance at happiness. But the man they're after is after them, too. For him this has become a personal battle, one he's determined to win. Whatever it takes…
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Praise for Brenda Novakâs The Last Stand books
Trust Me âgenerates genuine thrills.â
âPublishers Weekly
âA clever, impeccably plotted thriller.â (Top Pick)
âRomantic Times BOOKreviews on Trust Me
âIn Trust Meâ¦Brenda Novak expertly blends realistically gritty danger, excellent characterization and a generous dash of romance into a chilling, thrilling novel.â
âChicago Tribune
âNovak has outdone herself with this series. She is a great storyteller.â
âOnce Upon a Romance
âTrust Me is a page-turnerâ¦. Sure to become a much-loved keeper-shelf readâ¦I highly recommend Trust Me and suggest Brenda Novak be added to your âto buyâ list today. You wonât be disappointed, trust me.â
âRomance Readerâs Connection
âNo one can send chills down my spine as Brenda Novak can.â
âHuntress Reviews
âWhen I open a Brenda Novak story, Iâ¦delve headfirst into a scene so vividly portrayed that I am with the characters each step of the way.â
âRomance Junkies
âThe third book in Novakâs trilogy is creepy and absorbing, and the characterizations are excellent. Plan to stay up very late to finish this one!â
âRomantic Times BOOKreviews on Watch Me
âWhenever I see a new Brenda Novak book, I buy it and read it, pronto. I can always count on her for a solid, exciting story, full of adventure and romance.â
âNew York Times bestselling author Linda Lael Miller
Brenda Novak
The Perfect Murder
To my Aunt Judy and all her âladiesââ
I love hearing how you swap my books at the salon. Hereâs hoping you enjoy the latest!
Dear Reader,
I was so excited about writing this bookâeven more than usualâprobably because I knew Iâd be using Jane Burke as the heroine. Jane was a secondary character in Trust Me (the wife of the villain), but with her experiences and background, I found her very worthy as a lead. In this story sheâs back on her feet and actually working at The Last Stand fighting crime along with Skye Kellerman, the woman who saved her life five years ago. But it isnât smooth sailing for Jane quite yet. Not when she gets involved in a case that puts danger front and center in her life once again.
Itâs hard to believe that Iâve already completed six books in this seriesâTrust Me, Stop Me, Watch Me, The Perfect Couple, The Perfect Liar and this one. While these books are only loosely connected and you certainly donât have to read one to enjoy the others, you might enjoy spending a little more time with some of the continuing characters.
Please visit me on the Web at www.brendanovak.com. There you can enter my many contests and giveaways, read interviews with various professionals in the criminal justice world, download free 3-D screen savers, take a virtual tour of the Last Stand offices, read a short prequel to the whole series, and more. If you sign up for my mailing list, youâll be invited to my annual cyber-Christmas party, which is a blast. Also at my Web site you can learn more about my annual online auction for diabetes research, an event I sponsor every May (my youngest son suffers from this disease). Together with my fans, friends, fellow authors and publishing associates, Iâve managed to raise over $700,000 to date. Donât miss the auction in 2010. Itâs going to be amazing!
For a free pair of 3-D glasses, send an S.A.S.E. to Brenda Novak at P.O. Box 3781, Citrus Heights, CA 95611.
Stay safe!
Brenda Novak
That I may tell pale-hearted fear it lies,
And sleep in spite of thunder.
âWilliam Shakespeare
Contents
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Epilogue
Prologue
These men who killed their wivesâ¦they didnât have a clue how to do it right, how to get away with it.
Malcolm Turner frowned in disgust as the credits appeared at the end of the true-crime show heâd just watched on TV. It had featured a male nurse whoâd murdered his mouthy, blonde wife. As far as Malcolm was concerned, sheâd deserved what she gotâsheâd been a straight-up bitch. But what kind of idiot talks about succinyl chloride right before using it to end a life?
âPunk,â Malcolm muttered and glanced over at his wife, asleep in bed next to him. When he killed her and her teenage son, no one would question a thing. Theyâd believe exactly what he wanted them to believe because he knew what the hell he was doing.
He shouldâheâd been in law enforcement for fifteen years.
One
Mary looked good. Better than she had in high school. There were more curves to her body, a new sophistication to her face, and her smile seemed to have more meaning behind it. But Malcolm could tell she was weary. The divorce had taken a heavy toll. And she did a lot for her two boys.
