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Perfect Victim Hardcover – January 1, 1988

by Christine McGuire (Author), Carla Norton (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,592 ratings
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Recounts the ordeal of Colleen Stan during her seven-year captivity and sexual slavary in the hands of Cameron and Janice Hooker and details the court case that followed
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    381 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Arbor House Pub Co
  4. Publication date
    January 1, 1988
  5. ISBN-10
    0877959579
  6. ISBN-13
    978-0877959571
  7. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Hitchhiking from Eugene, Ore., through northern California in 1977, 20-year-old Colleen Stan thumbed a ride into hell. Her kidnappersa sadistic lumber mill worker, Cameron Hooker, and his battered wife Janicesubjected her to seven years of torture and sensory deprivation. She was made a sex slave, kept locked in a wooden box and brainwashed into believing that an underground network of sadists would recapture her if she attempted to escape. Did Colleen fall in love with Cameron and make herself a willing partner in a love triangle, as the Hookers' defense lawyer asserted? The jury found otherwise, convinced by the evidence marshalled by coauthor McGuire, state prosecutor in the case, a trial that journalist Norton attended in 1984. Not for the squeamish, this harrowing tale shuttles between the courtroom and the grisly doings in the Hookers' basement.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Although outwardly an average young couple, Cameron Hooker, a mild-mannered mill worker who excelled at do-it-yourself projects, and Janice, his submissive wife, kidnapped 20-year-old Colleen Stan in 1977 and literally enslaved her for seven yearsmuch of that time she spent in a coffin-like box beneath the couple's waterbed. Hooker's perversions coupled with both women's submissiveness is reminiscent of Pauline Reage's The Story of O (1965). Written by the prosecutor of the People v. Hooker, who is prompted to question her relationship with her own husband, this book lacks the careful insights of Vincent Bugliosi and Curt Gentry's Helter Skelter (1974). A bizarre story, only for the strong of stomach. Christy Zlatos, Auburn Univ. Lib., Ala.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Arbor House Pub Co; First Edition (January 1, 1988)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 381 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0877959579
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0877959571
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.1 pounds
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,592 ratings

About the authors

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  1. Christine McGuire

    Christine McGuire

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    Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

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  2. Carla Norton

    Carla Norton

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    Carla Norton is an award-winning novelist and best-selling true crime writer.

    * WHAT DOESN’T KILL HER: 2016 Nancy Pearl Book Award Winner & FAPA Book Award Winner

    * THE EDGE OF NORMAL: Thriller Award Finalist & Royal Palm Literary Award Winner

    * PERFECT VICTIM: #1 New York Times bestseller

    * DISTURBED GROUND: now in ebook format

    Carla's first book was a true account of a shocking kidnapping case, and that story fuels her fiction. After covering the trial, Carla wrote PERFECT VICTIM with the prosecutor. It made the reading list for the FBI's Behavioral Sciences Unit and was a #1 New York Times bestseller.

    Carla morphs her true crime expertise into fast-paced fiction with an extraordinary heroine: Reeve LeClaire, a 22-year-old survivor of kidnapping and captivity who is introduced in THE EDGE OF NORMAL.

    * "A heart-pounding thrill ride that had me holding my breath to the end." Chevy Stevens

    * "A perfect blend of literary style, psychological insight and edge-of-the-seat thriller." Jeffery Deaver

    Reeve returns in the "high-octane" sequel, WHAT DOESN'T KILL HER (titled HUNTED overseas).

    * A "sophisticated forensic thriller... with a brilliant heroine who takes recovery to a whole new level." J.T. Ellison

    * "A smart, tightly written, psychological thrill ride." Taylor Stevens

    Carla also wrote DISTURBED GROUND, the true story of a Sacramento landlady who murdered her tenants and buried them in her garden. Carla covered the nine-murder-count trial, examining psychological issues and explaining forensic evidence.

    *"Brilliant!" Ann Rule

    Carla earned her MFA degree in Creative Writing from Goddard College in 2009. When not writing books, she's writing hotheaded essays and really bad poetry. You can find her on Goodreads, follow @CarlaJNorton on Twitter, and find Carla Norton: Novelist & True Crime Writer on Facebook. For more, please visit her website: CarlaNorton.com.

    See more on the author's page
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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
1,592 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Hemble
5.0 out of 5 stars compelling story!
Reviewed in the United States on January 24, 2024
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I had heard about this case previously and felt I had to know more. It added credence to the book for Christine McGuire to be involved.
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Megan Cox
5.0 out of 5 stars More than expected
Reviewed in the United States on October 3, 2022
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I wasn’t familiar with this case but when I learned of it, I had to have the book. It’s absolutely incomprehensible what Colleen suffered during these 7 years. This book describes all of it in detail and does a great job putting you in her place. It was a very easy read and I thought I wouldn’t like all the court chapters, but they were actually where a lot of details came from. I’m not a “book person” but this was an exception.
5 people found this helpful
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Mcgivern Owen L
4.0 out of 5 stars Gritty and Real True Crime
Reviewed in the United States on November 25, 2001
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"Perfect Victim" tells the bizarre story of a young woman kidnapped while hitchhiking from Oregon to her home in California in 1977. Colleen Stan is sadistically kept prisoner for most of 7 years. She is forced to spend many nights in a small box; a "dungeon" would be too generous a description. She is raped, tortured and just plain denigrated by her captors, Cameron and Jan Hooker. In the process she becomes their virtual slave. Apparently "brainwashed", she ignores opportunities to escape. This is the most difficult part of the plot for the reader to fathom. Why didn't Colleen run? Was she truly brainwashed? This reviewer believes she was, but others will certainly disagree. Suddenly! Colleen is a free woman and the wheels of justice begin to spin. The second half of "PV" is concerned with the arrest and trial of the Hookers. In a special -and positive- twist, a co-author, Christine McGuire, is the prosecutor! As an author, she may favor her position. She takes an obvious shot or two at the defense counsel, but who can blame her, given the low life of a defendant? I firmly believe reviewers should not divulge endings (or how Colleen became "free"), so I will end quickly. "PV" is definitely recommended to true crime devotees. The only drawbacks are the disturbing nature of the plot and the amount of space devoted to the trial. It could have been edited down, but this is a minor detail. Who can blame author McGuire for writing about prosecutor McGuire? It's unclear if "PV" is readily available. My advice is to persist in finding a copy.
18 people found this helpful
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debbie green
5.0 out of 5 stars Great story!!
Reviewed in the United States on August 30, 2022
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I just got this book yesterday and have already finished it! This is an amazing true story. If you are sensitive to sexual violence or violence of any kind then this book is NOT for you. If you like true crime books with total details then this is for you. It's hard to put this down once you start it. I used to own this book and have read it many times but lost it when I moved so I had to buy it again. It's just one of those books you can read again and again.
5 people found this helpful
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California Dreaming
3.0 out of 5 stars Don't Put Your Head in the Sand
Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2014
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(Update 2014Mar27: After thinking for awhile, I'm changing my review score from a 4 to a 3 due to lack of objectivity. However, the construction, writing style, and grammar are very good to excellent. I have to admit, I'm very torn between these two numbers.)

About 20 years ago, I did something really, really stupid: I picked up a hitchhiker. Actually, it was worse than that: I picked up two.

Luckily for me, the story ended well, as nothing truly bad happened, other than the fact that I had to listen to a couple of foreigners kibitz in the back seat of my car on their final destination. But immediately after picking them up, I began to sweat, as I started imagining all of the bad things that could happen to me: they might pull a gun, they might pull a knife, etc. The list just goes on and on and on. Ah, the imagination can be a scary thing.

But there was something good that did come out of that experience: I decided immediately right then and right there, after I was completely relieved after dropping them off, that I would never pick up another hitchhiker again. And when I say "never" I mean "never." Under no circumstances is it safe; that gal that has her thumb out with her hood raised? She just may be a serial killer. (I've seen some true crime shows where this scenario has actually played out, and it is never as pretty as the gal herself.) If you want to be a Good Samaritan? Hey, pick up your cell phone and call 911. It's actually legal in most states to make that call, even while driving, if it is an emergency. Let the cops handle it; that's why you pay 50 percent of your salary to taxes.

If you've followed this story at all like I have -- I first heard about it about 30 years ago in the news, and later watched a "Wicked Attraction" episode that gave even more details, but not all -- you know where I'm going with this. Colleen Stan, the "Girl in the Box," was a hitchhiker who was abducted by a sadist. I would say, "Neither a hitchhiker nor a picker-upper of hitchhikers be."

And If you read true crime, you will quickly realize the following: the news reports give very little information and the TV shows to follow give a little bit more information. But if you want the real story, well, you have to read the book. And I would imagine that even true-crime writers leave out some information; there are some things that are just too horrible to think about, let alone write about. But even though I "wasn't there" with regards to this story, I believe that you get most of the dirty details here. It's hard to imagine that it was worse.

Since this is only a review, and since I don't want to spoil anything for you, I won't give many of those details myself. But I did find it interesting peeking around the web, reading about one of the authors of this decent yet flawed crime read. It appears that Christine McGuire, who was the Deputy DA trying the case, now has her own practice in Santa Cruz. I would say, "Nice choice!" since there is always a lot of heinous crime being committed in that city. (Watch any true-crime show long enough and you'll see a case that involves Santa Cruz.) I believe that her daughter is also now her legal partner, which is mildly interesting because that same daughter is discussed in this book as a very young toddler.

In the book, Ms. McGuire -- along with the other writer -- refers to herself in the third person, such as "Ms. McGuire" or just "McGuire." I found this awkward. Personally, I've changed my position over the years over the use of "I" or "me." It's more authentic, and it doesn't feel like an author is trying to hide anything. And especially during the trial phase, I felt that the writing was not objective in many parts; I think that it would have been a good idea for an outside observer to write about this information. There were too many loaded words used, such as appearing to "suck up" to the presiding judge just in case they ever met again.

But perhaps even worse, Ms. McGuire was a little too biased on the side of Ms. Stan. After all, Ms. Stan's testimony was crucial to get a conviction. However, I did think about victims here and their own responsibilities, as most likely you will also. When, if ever, should a victim ever try to escape? (Personally, my answer would be "whenever it might be safe.") And what is "fair play" if you're in this scenario as a victim? (Personally, I believe anything goes if you've been abducted.). I thought that Ms. Stan could have leveraged the couple's baby to escape, and obviously the abductor's wife considered the same possibility if you read between the lines, as she made it very clear to the "master" that she never wanted the "slave" to babysit the children. (I'm not saying that using a baby as a human shield is a desirable idea. But it was one that you'd have to consider if you were in Ms. Stan's shoes. But if you did consider it, you'd have to be "all in." At that point, someone most likely would die, and if I were Ms. Stan I would think to myself, "It will be anyone but me.")

I think that you shouldn't put your head in the sand, thinking that picking up hitchhikers -- or being a hitchhiker -- is a safe thing to do. You should also not bury your head in the sand by refusing to read this book, even though I'm rounding down to a 3 rating. If you do, you just might end up with your head in a box. To me, that seems like a fate even worse than death.
5 people found this helpful
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Kathleen
5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect Victim by McGuire,Christine,Norton,Carla (1991) Paperback
Reviewed in the United States on November 17, 2023
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Received Perfect Victim, paperback, early than expected. It was in very good condition, nicely priced, shipped fast and packaged with TLC! I give this Seller 5 STARS *****!
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Linda Papenhausen
5.0 out of 5 stars Good service
Reviewed in the United States on July 20, 2023
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Great arrived on time. Really interesting read
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Nancy Sherburne
4.0 out of 5 stars A Young Woman's Journey to Hell and Back
Reviewed in the United States on April 22, 2001
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The journey begins when young Colleen Stan is hitchhiking in California and passes up several offers by people she felt uncomfortable accepting rides from. Then along comes a nice American family and she accepts. So begins a 7-year ordeal presumably unmatched by anyone else. I find the book filled with details not only of the horror Cameron Hooker inflicted on Colleen, but also of the earlier horror he inflicted on a young Janice in the days before their marriage. As difficult as it was to believe how Hooker could have Stan so under control he would allow her to hold down a job, it becomes crystal clear when trial testimony describes hostages undergoing the same experience. My only problem is the book is not wholely written in chronological order but jumps back and forth between the current investigation and the years prior when Stan is held captive by a cold, calculating, very intelligent but depraved individual. If you can handle descriptions of immense pain, torture and terror get your hands on this book immediately.
25 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Mind blowing
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 16, 2017
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A concise well told true story of a horrific crime involving abduction, torture, enforced isolation and various sex crimes lasting 7 years. The psychological impact on Colleen Stan was astounding however she survived and had a positive outcome eventually
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Ilovedogs
5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect victim
Reviewed in Italy on February 18, 2013
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Angosciosissimo,(dato che è tutto assolutamente vero) e scritto molto bene.
Leggendolo ti chiedi come è possibile credere a quella montagna di menzogne, ma forse può accadere, e non a caso il titolo si riferisce ad una donna che forse non poteva essere altro che una vittima....
Purtroppo non è tradotto, e credo che questo fatto possa tagliare fuori una larga fetta di lettori.
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helen
5.0 out of 5 stars Great justice and a brilliant read.
Reviewed in Australia on June 23, 2015
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A brilliant portrayal of what a monster could do and the fight for justice by an amazing prosecutor, a jury who worked so hard for justice and a great judge who gave the maximum penalty. One can give commendation to the brave women especially Colleen, who endured so much to stand up to this heinous monster.
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing read. Hooks you immediately and keeps you on your toes throughout
Reviewed in Canada on April 4, 2023
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Amazing read. Hooks you immediately and keeps you on your toes throughout
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julz
4.0 out of 5 stars Courage in the face of evil
Reviewed in Australia on May 24, 2022
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The evil that some do
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