"Perfect Nightmare" by John Saul starts with a nifty premise. A kidnapper targets victims by stalking open houses and homes for sale on the internet. Great idea, and one that hasn't been done yet, to my knowledge, or done to death (no pun intended). The main and core characters are likable, sympathetic and realistic. You can relate to them and you care about what you just know is going to happen.
But starting about midway through the book, I felt that Saul began to lose his focus. Maybe it was the introduction, or reintroduction, of some secondary characters - - mostly thrown in for red herring purposes. But I felt the book lost some of its snap.
The seemingly pointless and senseless death of a major character threw me for a loop - - and not in a good way.
The "big reveal" at the end of the kidnapper was no surprise, as the signs were much too obvious much too early in the book.
The story seemed to end rather quickly, as if Saul himself got tired of the characters and the story.
That being said, although I like Saul's other works, I felt this was formulaic (for him) and seemed an almost phoned in effort. For a new writer, or one less prolific or proven, it might come across as a better effort, but I expect more from Mr. Saul.

A dark creepy story that for the most part kept me guessing up until the very end. The only thing I didn’t enjoy were all the loose ends that were unfinished by the end of the story.

4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

this was soo well done! This is my first John Saul book and it was incredible! the plot, the writing, the buildup was great. I’m definitely going to be reading more of John Saul!

Great read

Great book with great twist towards the end enjoyed it another good book by a great writer liking forward to reading this next offerings

This book was creepy. You knew what was happening and what was going to happen but the way this was written the anticipation of when and how left you feeling creeped out. It also plays on the fear parents have of their children being kidnapped, it isn't a fear that is always upfront in your mind but one that you know happens and you guard against.
At the same time their were things that detracted from the overall book that brought down the star rating. Their were several red herrings thrown out that were expected in this type of book but their didn't always seem to be any more than 'a vibe' someone was getting as to why they were being put in that category. The "reason" for the insanity in the assailant did somewhat seem to come out of nowhere at the end, almost like they thought they better put it in, I think had some of it crept in with little hints in the assailants journal writing then it would have been better.

But overall, a good read.

This book creeped me out, it had me peeking behind the shower curtain while in the washroom and glancing in the closet before going to bed. As a huge horror fan of books and movies, I’m pretty desensitized to feeling creeped out after reading/watching the genre, but this one did the trick. It’s the first John Saul I’ve read and I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a good thriller/horror which can be hard to find at times

Good thriller because this story could happen to anyone. Typical John Saul pageturner. This book scares you with things most people would never have thought of. It will make you think twice about doing something that seems routine.

It was a good read. The ending was thrilling and I didn't any breaks reading the last few chapters. Had me clenched to it. Must read if you like thrillers.

I have gone through one heck of an emotional rollercoaster in this book. This is the 1st book and will not be the last book I read by this author. All I can say is wow wow wow.
it literally hooked me from the 1st page which is very rare in books. amazing

It's been a long time since I read a John Saul book...but i believe I have now read everything he has ever published. His books are supernatural in content but has enough of a non-ghostly story to satisfy almost everyone. I don't want to even imagine what it would be like to have a child go missing but John Saul did an excellent job of portraying a mother who does not give up regardless of what everyone is telling her. This creepy stalker story becomes a shrewd whodunit that will appeal to mystery fans, suspense fans and supernatural /horror fans alike.

This book was recommended to me by my Grandma! It was an intense read, in such a good way. I hadn't read much in this genre before this book and I was impressed.

This dark, intense book rang true and terrifying making it true horror.
There is nothing supernatural in these pages, only the dark soul of a man that has the power to turn your blood to ice.