Friday, August 6, 2010

Live To Tell by Lisa Gardner

LIVE TO TELL by Lisa Gardner is not a cozy murder mystery, but a mystery filled with suspense, drama, nail-biting intrigue and bits of humor scattered about.

The story involves Sergeant Detective D.D. Warren of the Boston Police Department’s Homicide Unit and two women that on the surface have little or no connection.

The madness appears to being when D.D. is called away from a date to a gruesome murder scene. It’s an apparent murder/suicide where a father has killed his entire family before shooting himself. However, he’s still alive and is rushed to the hospital. D.D. waits to question him to find out if he’s a suspect or a victim.

Meanwhile, nurse Danielle Burton is battling demons of her own as she attempts to help her patients in a locked-down pediatric psych ward. Danielle can relate to the mentally and emotionally disturbed children. She carries the nightmare that claimed her family 25 years earlier.

At the same time Victoria Oliver only wants what is best for her eight-year-old son, Evan. She has devoted her life to him, she cares for him by herself, and she fears he will one day kill her.

A second family is slaughtered. Again it appears to be murder/suicide with the father killing his family before shooting himself. However, D.D. and her team quickly learn the father was already dead before he ‘shot himself.’

Is there a serial killer lose in Boston murdering entire families or are the two families connected some how. It’s up to D.D. and her unit to find the killer before another family dies.

Bit by bit, author Lisa Gardner brings these three women together. As their paths begin to intersect, the tension mounts leading the reader to guess at who the real killer is and why they are killing.

This is not a book for the fair of heart. The author takes the reader into the disturbing world of psychotic children. She explores some of the emotional problems these youngsters face and the ways in which they deal with those emotions.

From the prologue giving a glimpse of a tragedy years before until the killer is revealed in the closing chapter, you will be mesmerized by the characters and caught up in the suspense of the murders. It’s hard to put the book down until you know who will LIVE TO TELL.   

Author Lisa Gardner’s website is www.lisagardner.com

Live To Tell by Lisa Gardner, Bantam Books, @2010, ISBN: 978-0-553-80724-0, Hardcover, 388 pages


FTC Full Disclosure - I requested this book as part of the author’s blog tour and it was sent to me by the publisher in hopes I would review it. However, receiving the complimentary copy did not influence my review.


14 comments:

  1. Great review. This book is on my TBR list.

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  2. Sounds great, your review has sold me the book!

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  3. I absolutely love books (and movies) that keep me on edge. I want to read this book. Thanks, Mason.

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  4. Mason - Thanks for this review! It sounds like an absolutely compelling book, even if it is quite disturbing. Intriguing...

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  5. Dru, hope you enjoy the book too.

    Glynis, it is an intriguing book.

    Teresa, this book will keep you on the edge of your seat.

    Margot, it is a bit disturbing but one that is hard to put down once you begin.

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  6. Thanks for the awesome review of Lisa's book. I really wanted to read this one for her tour, but my TBR pile is already ridiculous. I'm so glad you enjoyed this one.

    Cheryl

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  7. This sounds like a page-turner! I have an 8 year old, myself, and it's hard to imagine someone that age being a potential killer...but, as we see in the news, it does happen.

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  8. I enjoy the more intense mystery thrillers.

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  9. Cheryl, I did enjoy it. I completely understand about the TBR pile. Mine has turned into a mountain (but I won't give up one book in it). LOL

    Elizabeth, it is hard to image a child that age killing someone. Lisa Gardner does a great job of explaining the problems dealing with a psychotic child.

    Alex, this is definitely an intense mystery thriller.

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  10. Great review. I love Lisa Gardner, so this is a must-read for me.

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  11. Thanks for the review. The book sounds very interesting and I'll look at it. The only thing that gives me pause is the "disturbing world of psychotic children." On the other hand, there's always something "disturbing" in a thriller, it seems.

    Helen

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  12. Excellent review! Lisa Gardner is a master at keeping the reader on the edge of her seat. This is a must-read for me.

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  13. Carol, I had listened to one of her books before and knew I really wanted to read this one.

    Helen, I will say the 'disturbing world of psychotic children' could have been a lot worse than it was. You get a good glimpse at it.

    VR, hope you enjoy the book as much as I did.

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  14. Thanks for sharing this great review. Just reading this I was somewhat captivated and now I want to read the story.

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