Detective D.D. Warren #9
By: Lisa Gardner
ISBN: 1524742058
Publisher: Dutton
Publication Date: 2/6/2018
Format: Hardcover
My Rating: 5 Stars Top Books of 2018 Coming in Trade Paperback Dec 31, 2018! #1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Gardner's latest twisty thrill ride, Detective D. D. Warren and Find Her's Flora Dane return in a race against the clock to either save a young girl's life . . . or bring her to justice. The home of a family of five is now a crime scene: four of them savagely murdered, one—a sixteen-year-old girl—missing. Was she lucky to have escaped? Or is her absence evidence of something sinister? Detective D. D. Warren is on the case—but so is survivor-turned-avenger Flora Dane. Seeking different types of justice, they must make sense of the clues left behind by a young woman who, whether as victim or suspect, is silently pleading, Look for me.
My Review
Crime thriller queen Lisa Gardner returns following Right Behind You, (2017) landing on my Top Books of 2017 with her latest twisty suspense thriller —LOOK FOR ME. Two favorite characters, Detective D. D. Warren and Flora Dane work together to solve a crime. A brutal family murder with one remaining girl missing. The last time we caught up with D. D. Warren and Flora Dane (2016) Find Her (Detective D.D. Warren, #8). Flora Dane, a former kidnapping victim, turned survivor— held in a coffin box by a sadistic monster for 472 days — on a mission to save other victims from predators, holding on to an obsession of REVENGE, or something else? In LOOK FOR ME, Boston Sergeant Detective D. D. Warren returns with crime scene expert husband, Alex and five-year-old son, Jack. D. D.’s family outing to find a dog for Jack gets sidetracked with a brutal crime. A family of five. Two adults, three kids, and two dogs (Blaze and Rosie). Shots were fired. A brutal murder. The responding officers found four bodies. The oldest daughter, a sixteen-year-old female, and two dogs are still unaccounted for. The girl’s name Roxanna Baez, Hispanic with two elderly Brittany spaniels and both reported blind. D D’s job was to access and strategize. However, has the girl escaped, been kidnapped, victim or murderer? Or was she just not home at the time? Juanita Baez and Charlie were the parents. Lola – age thirteen, Manny age nine. Did the father murder the wife and kids and shoot himself? However, the way the shots were fired, they had to rule out the guy as a suicide. The mom had a history of DUIs over five years earlier; however, the father had a clean record. No drugs, alcohol, or any high-risk lifestyle. An ordinary family. A family of secrets? Was the daughter the perpetrator? They had to find her.
Flora Dane is a survivor. It has been a year and now she is teaching others how to live again. An abduction at the hands of Jacob Ness, a serial rapist, and murderer. Flora is a fighter. She had gone from victim to vigilante. Mixed with personal and troubling narratives from Roxanna about the perfect family. She was writing after a teacher posed the question about family. “A perfect family has to be made. Mistakes. Regret. Repair. You have to work at it.” We also meet other survivors from trauma and the support group. Flora teaches them that bad people do not want to deal with the powerful. They prey on the weak. Sarah recalls this girl coming to discuss help for a friend. Gardner skillfully weaves a complex tale of a family sent away to live at Mother Del’s (abuse, neglect, rape, assault) before coming back to live with their mother and Charlie. Until the mom cleaned up her act. What went on while they were away? “Where are these perfect families? Can there even be such a thing? One where everything goes so right where no one ever hurts each other? Or is there just me and my family and all of the lessons we’re still learning the hard way?” After protecting her siblings, from all the abuse while in foster care, Roxanna could not possibly hurt her family? No longer foster kids after three years, they were reunited family in a real house with two dogs. A family ripped apart and brought back together. What happened to this family? Motive? In one moment. That’s all it took. Destroyed. Over, Finished. Done. Someone is protecting a friend. Wow, this was one complex, intense, emotional, multi-layered and twisty roller coaster ride! Gardner keeps you guessing while exploring the dark evil within the foster care system. I enjoyed catching with DD and hubby as they try and balance work and family life. Flora, a vigilante is kick ass and hilarious. (thanks for bringing her back). Two different women. Both with their own demons. “Revenge must be revenge, or it isn’t sweet.” Highly recommend; however, while I always enjoy Lisa Gardner’s books, this one was not as strong as last year’s Right Behind You, in my opinion. A special thank you to Dutton and NetGalley for an advanced reading copy. JDCMustReadBooks
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Praise
Suspenseful and wholly believable, this ninth entry will win new fans for the series, especially among those who favor Karin Slaughter's gritty procedurals.” -- Starred Review - Booklist - Christine Tran
“Gardner shines a heartbreaking light on foster care abuse while steadily ratcheting up the tension to a genuinely surprising and emotional finale.” -- Publishers Weekly
"The twists and turns in this gripping D.D. Warren adventure will keep readers turning the pages." -- Library Journal - Cynthia Price, Francis Marion Univ. Lib., Florence, SC
“Master storyteller Gardner does an outstanding job delicately building the evolving relationship between these two damaged but strong women…As always, the plot is intricate and intense.” -- RT Book Review - Jill Smith
“Gardner has yet again put together a frightening thriller that offers a web of plots that tie together perfectly in the end.” -- Suspense Magazine - Amy Lignor
“Look for Me starts with a bang and never lets up! It’s an utterly absorbing story about troubled families and twisted fates. You won’t be able to put it down—and it will haunt you long after you turn the final page.” —Shari Lapena, bestselling author of The Couple Next Door and A Stranger in the House
“A complex crime scene, a missing girl, a ticking clock: no one writes a more page-turning, gut-wrenching thriller.” —Tess Gerritsen, bestselling author of I Know a Secret
“Terror, twists, and trepidation. Look for Me is a triple-salvo thriller.” —Kathy Reichs, bestselling author of Two Nights and the Temperance Brennan series
About the Author
Lisa Gardner, a #1 New York Times crime thriller novelist, began her career in food service, but after catching her hair on fire numerous times, she took the hint and focused on writing instead. A self-described research junkie, her work as a research analyst for an international consulting firm parlayed her interest in police procedure, cutting edge forensics and twisted plots into a streak of internationally bestselling suspense novels, including her most recent release, Right Behind You.
With over 22 million books in print, Lisa is published in 30 countries. Her success crosses into the small screen with four of her novels becoming movies (At the Midnight Hour; The Perfect Husband; The Survivors Club; Hide) and personal appearances on television shows (TruTV; CNN).
Lisa Gardner’s novels have also received awards from across the globe. Her novel THE NEIGHBOR was recognized as the Best Hardcover Novel from the International Thriller Writers in the United States and Grand Prix des lectrices de Elle, prix du policier in France. She was also recognized with the Daphne duMaurior Award presented by RWA in 2000 for THE OTHER DAUGHTER.
sierramurphy
Lisa lives in New Hampshire with her auto-racing husband and black-diamond skiing daughter. She spends her days writing in her loft with a young silly sheltie and a adventurous terrier. Read More
Coming 2/19/19
