This was an excellent book. Barbara Bentley was married to a con man for 10 years. He ruined her credit, forged her names on legal documents, impersonated a naval officer and much more. I had a hard time believing what she put up with but I understand that her husband was the type that knew how to prey on her weakness and she was just completely conned by him. When he eventually tried to kill her for financial gain, she realized what was going on. He was prosecuted and convicted of attempted murder. He served only 14 months in jail. She was than victimized again when she filed for divorce. Since they lived in California he was entitled to half of everything she owned. Didn't matter he had tried to kill her!!! She than single handedly had a bill passed so that if a spouse was convicted of trying to kill the other one, they could not gain anything in the divorce. A remarkable woman.

Share/Like this Review?

If you've ever encountered someone like the man in this book, you will get chills up and down your spine! The things this poor woman endured in order to preserve her relationship and the courage she showed in order to finally get out of it is amazing. Powerful message!

Share/Like this Review?

What a page-turner. I counldn't seen to read it fast enough. Of 1 to 5 stars, this book really is a 5.

Share/Like this Review?

A good read about emotional spousal abuse and an ALMOST murder. She lived to tell the tale, where others haven't. Keeping her head in the sand about her busband's behavior, actions, and lies almost cost her her life!

Share/Like this Review?

This book was really intriguing, mainly because you know it is true. That also makes it awful and horrific. There are some serious lessons encased in this book. A lesson on listening to your gut, your friends, and your family...because they can see things that you may very well be blind to. Remember, they will look out for you. Also, a lesson in how something can spiral out of control before you are aware it is a real problem. Lessons in creating change, recovery, speaking up for yourself. Lessons in survival. Also some very eye opening glimpses of politics.

I felt my anger rise repeatedly in this book from so much non-chalance for someone else's well-being. I was also surprised by what seemed so obvious to me, an outsider, is not always obvious to someone going through it. Maybe that is also a lesson to speak up to your friends when you think something is amiss?

Share/Like this Review?

I had a hard time putting this book down....very enlightening expose on dealing with a psychopath. Scary to know that no matter how intelligent you are, you can still be taken in by one!

Share/Like this Review?

An interesting story, BUT, I couldn't help but wonder why Barbara missed all the apparent signals that something was not right. She sounds like a smart woman yet she constantly overlooked the BIG signs that something was wrong. I really got tired of listening to her complain about her finances since she also enjoyed the trips, gifts and entertainment. She was part of the problem and lived quite a good life till he tried to kill her. She benefited greatly having him around and I was tired of hearing her complaints blaming him completely. He was a nutball for sure, but she also played a part in the mess. Just hard for me to understand her reasoning. Well written though and easy read. Just don't let her stupidity makes you crazy like it did me.

Share/Like this Review?

Barbara Bentley met John Perry at a double date dinner party where he impressed with stories about the World War 2, Vietnam, his status as Navy rear admiral, multiple medals and especially the Medal of Honor.
Attracted to the worldly man she soon falls for him and his spoiling presents and agrees to marry him even after he abused her credit card. From the beginning he claimed a huge family that he kept hidden from his wife and who would consider him as the black sheep and her as a gold digger that wants to get to the family fortune.
What follows are years of him spending money they don't own, maxing out credit cards, disappointments and trust issues but Barbara enjoys the happy side as well. Being an admirals wife opens doors she'd never thought would open for her, it gave her status as well.
But the sore spot for their bad financial situation nags at her and every time she stresses this point with her husband he successfully uses his medical condition to soothe her.
Trust finally erodes when the FBI turns up at their door and Barbara decides to investigate her husband and his stories. Discovering his web of lies she brings herself into the dangerous situation of him almost killing her through suffocation with ether.

What follows are months of discovering the man she'd lived with for years and the fight to change the California divorce law that victimized surviving victims even more.

-

A clear plus is the author's timeline in telling the story. She doesn't reveal what happened in the end at the beginning of the book which keeps the book very interesting although the reader most certainly knew that in the end the protagoist barely survives an attempted murder.

Bentley wrote her book in the memories she had from this time so she doesn't hold back the mistakes she did. She wanted him to be happy so that he wouldn't leave her and she'd stay happy.
In the end the book is a sad example of a women that discovered her voice after she endured a life along the side of a psychopath that spared her life longer than expected.
It is difficult to comprehend a women accepting visible lies, not getting suspicious. I didn't get it and couldn't understand the feeble attempt to justify why she did what she did. She often enough told me how proud she was to be the admirals wife, which certainly made her look the other way.

I had the strong feeling the author isn't over what happened to her yet. There seem to be a lot of questions she should ask herself and maybe someone who can help her in finding answers. Maybe she did that but she didn't tell the reader.

In the end I felt for her but I'm not as wowed by the book as other readers.

Share/Like this Review?

average true crime type book, easy to read but not riveting.

Share/Like this Review?

Loved this book.

Share/Like this Review?

I couldn't finish it.
Just not my type of book.

Share/Like this Review?