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Library | Call Number | Status |
|---|---|---|
Searching... Hardwood Creek Library (Forest Lake) | 364.1523 BEN | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Park Grove Library (Cottage Grove) | 364.1523 BEN | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... R.H. Stafford Library (Woodbury) | 364.1523 BEN | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
Her marriage to retired Navy admiral John Perry seemed almost too good to be true. Because it was?
At the start of her relationship with the intelligent and worldly John Perry, Barbara Bentley couldn't believe her luck'so when things didn't add up, she struggled to ignore her doubts. She kept trying to put the pieces together'unaware that some of them were simply missing. Even as he drained her credit, dodged her questions, manipulated her and misled her, she stayed with him, suppressing her growing suspicions. Ultimately he would try to kill her, proving himself not a protector and provider, but a predator.
This is Barbara's courageous, compelling story, in her own words'of the slow, choking darkness that fell after the honeymoon was over, what it took to finally drive her to escape and start her life anew, and her tireless efforts to protect other women and help them learn from her example.
Author Notes
Barbara Bentley entered the world of writing accidentally, as the result of her attempted murder by her husband. Her first book, A Dance with the Devil: A True Story of Marriage to a Psychopath , tells her story, which has also been featured on Dateline and in the Lifetime TV show Final Justice . She is a recipient of the Paul H. Chapman award from the Foundation for the Improvement of Justice in Atlanta, Georgia.
Reviews (2)
Kirkus Review
Harrowing account of Bentley's near-destruction by a skillful con man during their 14-year marriage. The first-time memoirist narrates this improbable nightmare in an easy-to-read conversational style that makes it all the more unsettling. She met John Perry on a blind date set up by a friend in 1981, shortly after her 13-year marriage had ended. Bentley blames loneliness and vulnerability for her failure to spot the red flags that friends saw waving even after initial meetings with her suave older suitor. Perry regaled her with claims that he was a retired rear admiral with top government connections, and he had a drawer full of medals (including the Congressional Medal of Honor) to prove it. His stories included tales of CIA intrigue, Vietnam War heroics, even the assertion that he served as Frank Sinatra's best man at the singer's wedding to Ava Gardner. Bentley was understandably dazzled, but readers may have a hard time accepting her naivet and gullibility. In short order, she managed to rationalize away Perry's misuse of her credit cards, a mysterious visit to her house by the FBI, the presence of a gun and drugs in her husband's briefcase and the discovery that he had surreptitiously taken out a second mortgage on her house. Perry's erratic behavior and wild overspending soon had Bentley on the brink of financial ruin and mental collapse, but she pressed on with the marriage, blinded by her worldly beau's lavish attention and elaborate excuses. Indeed, she realized the truth about her mate only after narrowly escaping several clumsy murder attempts. Extricating herself legally from Perry proved arduous and led to the author's crusade to change California's no-fault divorce law. Bentley's cautionary tale makes for eye-opening reading, though readers may find themselves veering between sympathy and astonishment that a seemingly intelligent woman could be so thoroughly conned. An engrossing modern-day fable, particularly timely in the age of anonymous Internet dating. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Library Journal Review
Amid the proliferation of true-crime books about child murderers and serial killers, it's difficult to make a story with no corpse seem compelling. But in her memoir of marriage to a charismatic liar who ultimately tries to kill her, Bentley, a victim's advocate, succeeds. She holds nothing back as she describes how her friends and family strove to prevent her relationship with sociopath John Perry, who claimed to be an admiral who spoke seven languages and served as best man in Frank Sinatra's wedding. He wooed her, married her, and seduced her out of thousands of dollars before their final violent encounter. Although the last section, about Bentley's successful attempt to change California divorce law to protect victims like herself, goes on a little too long, this well-written account belongs in all public libraries with true-crime sections.-Daisy Porter, San Jose P.L., CA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
