A Perfect Husband by Aphrodite Jones

New York Times best-selling true crime writer Aphrodite Jones chronicles the highly-publicised story of novelist Michael Peterson, who was convicted of first-degree murder for beating his wife to death in December 2001 in order to collect her life insurance.

You can get a better idea of what this book is about by going to my review of Written In Blood by Diane Fanning which is another book written about this true crime story.I read this book first and because of that I preferred this version.Let me mention all the other reasons why.Aphrodite Jones begins with a first chapter that takes you right into the home of this couple and their last evening together.With vivid descriptions of the fireplace,dinner and general ambience I was so comfortable and relaxed.Then the general idea of all the members of the family,how they fit in and little quirks.THEN I was completely shocked(although I knew it would happen) by the chapter with the 911 call which gives the exact wording as to how this transpired.I liked that the exact wording was included because that helps me make my own conclusions, while reading, as to the innocence or guilt of the person who later becomes the defendant.

The story then evolves through the reactions of the family members and media.Throughout the investigation it emerges that another woman in close proximity to Michael Peterson had also died tragically by falling down a staircase.This information led the investigators to be firmly convinced of Michael Peterson's guilt and thus led to him being charged with the murder of his wife.The court case is covered in precisely the way that I prefer.It mentions just the relevant facts and does not detail each and every witness appearance.It is really one of the most interesting court cases I have ever read about.The thing is that it does not provide an idea of how long and boring an actual court case is,but that is very fine by me.I buy true crime books so I can get all the important information without having to sit through all the boring stuff.

Another plus with this book were the chapters with the personal thoughts of each of the prosecutors involved in this case.This included information which were never publicized or included in the court case.Great PLUS!!

And finally an "epilogue" that changed me from a reader absolutely convinced that Michael Peterson was guilty to "maybe not".Based on the bats theory!!This book was extremely well written and the choice of when to introduce certain information was made to keep the reader thinking all the time.Another plus...

I really enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it to anyone.I liked the underlying "gossipy" trend that this book had.

Unfortunately my local online store is no longer keeping this book so I have no link for my South African readers but here are some more reviews on this book which can be accessed by the Amazon link below
A Perfect Husband

Here is some more information on the book if you would like to buy it from somewhere else.
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Pinnacle (August 1, 2004)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0786016949
ISBN-13: 978-0786016945
Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 1.2 inches

I read this book in October 2007 and it has 8 pages of photographs.