By: Lisa Gardner
ISBN: 9781524745004
Publisher: Dutton
Publication Date: 01/28/20
Format: Hardcover
My Rating: 5 Stars +++ Top Books of 2020 #1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Gardner unites three of her most beloved characters—Detective D D Warren, Flora Dane, and Kimberly Quincy—in a twisty new thriller, as they investigate a mysterious murder from the past . . . which points to a dangerous and chilling present-day crime.
FBI Special Agent Kimberly Quincy and Sergeant Detective D D Warren have built a task force to follow the digital bread crumbs left behind by deceased serial kidnapper Jacob Ness.
When a disturbing piece of evidence is discovered in the hills of Georgia, they bring Flora Dane and true-crime savant Keith Edgar to a small town where something seems to be deeply wrong.
What at first looks like a Gothic eeriness soon hardens into something much more sinister . . . and they discover that for all the evil Jacob committed while alive, his worst secret is still to be revealed.
Quincy and DD must summon their considerable skills and experience to crack the most disturbing case of their careers—and Flora must face her own past directly in the hope of saving others.
Praise
“Lisa Gardner is a master of the psychological thriller that dives deep into the minds of characters that experience trauma and come out stronger from the experience.”
--Associated Press
"Gardner effortlessly . . . introduces and paints a number of characters. . . . Fast-paced and gripping.”
--Columbus Dispatch
"A stunner of a tale that finds [Gardner] at the top of her game. . . . [A] relentlessly riveting psychological thriller that never lets up and never lets us down.”
--Providence Journal
“This is top-notch suspense by a bestselling master of the genre.”
--Booklist (starred review)
"An emotionally powerful page-turner. Fans of kick-ass female investigators will be well satisfied."--Publishers Weekly
“Gardner juggles multiple narratives . . . with ease. A sensitive exploration of trauma and its insidious, lasting effects.”
--Kirkus Reviews
"The forensic analysis of shallow graves can unearth a lot of clues, but When You See Me also looks at the ways evil is handed down from one generation to the next. It’s a mystery that will keep you up late at night, haunted by the events within its pages.”
--Bookpage
One of . . .
PopSugar’s “31 New Thriller and Mystery Books to Look Out for in 2020”
Bustle’s “35 Most Anticipated Books of January 2020”
CrimeRead’s “10 Novels You Should Read in January”
Mystery Tribune’s “16 Best Crime, Mystery, and Thriller Books of January 2020”
Gardner continues to put her three best characters together, a proven winning recipe that again delivers a pulse-pounding reading experience.”-
-The Real Book Spy
“This is a book rich in description, as well as delving into the motives and thoughts of each of the characters.”
--The New York Journal of Books
“Warning. Don’t expect to get anything done once you crack open the latest Lisa Gardner. . . . When You See Me is a masterpiece.”
--Fresh Fiction
“Another edgy thriller from one of my favorite authors. The sinister factor starts early and builds quickly as Southern town charm gives way to deadly menace and dangerous secrets in this twist-a-minute novel. A string of murders, a crack FBI team, and a voiceless girl desperate for revenge, When You See Me has it all.”-
-Karin Slaughter
“When You See Me is another rocket-fuel-propelled thriller from Lisa Gardner. This culmination of her great talents sees the return of her finest characters (including my favorite, Flora Dane), who collide with an intrigue that starts out chillingly intimate and explodes into a sky-high denouement that will leave you breathless.”
--Gregg Hurwitz, New York Times bestselling author of the Orphan X series
“A twisty-turny psycho-thriller with a plot and characters that won’t let you go. Lisa Gardner is at the top of her game!”
--Kathy Reichs, author of the Temperance Brennan Bones series About the Author
My Review
WHEN YOU SEE ME is emotional, explosive, dark, sinister, edgy and RELENTLESS!
The Top Thriller of 2020 and this is January. I LOVED 🤩 THIS BOOK and this series-THE BEST! No one writes complex psychological crime thrillers with "heart" better than Lisa Gardner.
A huge fan, she returns with three of my favorite characters: —Detective D D Warren, Flora Dane, and Kimberly Quincy —with more twists and secrets than you can imagine.
A mysterious murder from the past leads them to the North Georgia mountains in Dahlonega, GA. (we are talking my neck of the woods here).
If you have read the previous Flora Dane series and DD Warren, you will be familiar with the creepy and slimy deceased serial kidnapper Jacob Ness that held Flora Dane captive and ruined her life. (Gardner provides a backstory in the event you have not read).
Currently, they have uncovered a piece of evidence that may have to do with Jacob Ness and more bodies in the North Georgia Mountains along a hiking trail.
Jacob, a predator and truck driver, that used women. So what had he been doing in North Georgia and how did they get all the bodies on this remote hiking trail? What is the connection?
Of course, Flora Dane (vigilante) wants to be in on this since she knows him the best) - his personal sex slave and for four hundred and seventy-two days she was a coffin-sized box with this vicious predator.
But emotionally can she handle it? DD Warren is worried about her due to her past trauma and it will bring up the devastating past with the monster, Jacob. Flora had killed him with her own hands.
The famous Keith Edgar (the true-crime enthusiast and computer analyst) is brought in (love Flora and Keith together) and the unstoppable team. Bones are found and it appears that the small town of Dahlonega has something to hide. What are they covering up?
At the local Bed and Breakfast, the owners seem shady, and there is a mute girl working there and DD suspects she knows something and is afraid for her life.
What is going on at this B&B and this entire town? How many people are involved in this coverup and why?
We hear in alternating chapters: FloraDane, FBI SSA Kimberly Quincy, and Sergeant DD Warren. There is also another voice of a five-year-old speaking to her mother. There is a bad man. A dear mother was murdered.
"I am my mother's chiquita. She is my mamita. Our special names for each other."
The first bones they find is the remains of Lilah Abenito, missing fifteen years and recovered in the mountains of Georgia. How did she get here? She was a seventeen-year-old Hispanic female first reported missing from Alabama fifteen years ago.
With heart-pounding suspense, Gardner takes us through the woods, trails, and underground tunnels. This team can trust NO one in this town.
Who is the "bad man" and what does this young girl working at the local B&B know? DD takes her under her wing and forms a way to communicate with her.
From human-trafficking, a secret club, and murder - a race against time. They are all in danger and will stop at nothing to bring down this evil.
In the end, we hear from Bonita. You will be in tears and the ending is priceless, which leads us, readers, to hope for a sequel. (fingers crossed).
Emotionally powerful, Lisa Gardner at her finest! A kick-ass team and a voiceless girl desperate for revenge which you will root for. DD and the young girl were stars of this show.
I am loving Flora and Keith together and hope we see more of them.
Now, this is a book you read for HALLOWEEN! 🎃👻
On a side note, my ex-boyfriend lived in Dalongeha, GA and have spent a lot of time there at B&Bs and quaint restaurants and hiked nearly every weekend. I also lived in a log cabin in Big Canoe in the North Georgia mountains not far from this after. After reading WHEN YOU SEE ME, not sure I would ever go out hiking alone as I have done for many years again!
Hands down, the best thriller of 2020! 🙌
A special thank you to Dutton and Netgalley for an advanced reading copy. I also purchased a hard copy and the audiobook narrated by Kirsten Potter, delivering an award-winning performance.
Cannot wait for Before She Disappeared coming Jan. 19, 2021!
About the Author
Lisa Gardner, a #1 New York Times bestselling 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, she has transformed her interest in police procedure and criminal minds into a streak of internationally acclaimed novels, published across 30 countries. She’s also had four books become TV movies (At the Midnight Hour; The Perfect Husband; The Survivors Club; Hide) and has made personal appearances on TruTV and CNN.
Lisa’s books have received awards from across the globe. Her novel, The Neighbor, won Best Hardcover Novel from the International Thriller Writers, while also receiving the Grand Prix des Lectrices de Elle in France. She was also recognized with the Daphne du Maurier Award in 2000 for The Other Daughter. Finally, Lisa received the Silver Bullet Award from the International Thriller Writers in 2017 for her work on behalf of at-risk children and the Humane Society.
For a bit of fun, Lisa invites her readers to enter the annual “Kill a Friend, Maim a Buddy” Sweepstakes at LisaGardner.com. Every year, one Lucky Stiff is selected to meet a grand end in Lisa’s latest novel. Past winners have nominated spouses, best friends and even themselves.
Lisa lives in New Hampshire where she spends her time with an assortment of canine companions. When not writing, she loves to hike, garden, snowshoe and play cribbage.
