Sandra Jones, a young mother, disappears from her home one night while her husband is at work.Her four-year-old daughter, Ree, is left sleeping in the house.

What follows is the investigation into what could have happened. *Spoiler alert* D.D. hasn't a clue. She gets is wrong the whole time. I'll put more information in the Further Details section.

People who like crime thrillers / mysteries.

The excitement at the end. The whole of the second half is really good.

D.D. I really didn't like her. Miller seemed pointless, as well.

Rest for a while. Those last forty or so pages were quite a ride.

Frustrated at D.D. But happy that I figured out what had happened quite some time before it was revealed.

Lisa Gardner. This is probably my least favourite book of hers so far.

It is exciting in the second half. The ending is really good.

I found the first half dragged. I almost gave up, but I knew I had enjoyed this author before, so I didn't. I'm glad I continued.

This is the third book with D.D. Warren, the Boston PD sergeant. I've read a couple of books that are about her before, and I've liked her well enough. In this book, though, I found myself strongly disliking her. She is arrogant beyond belief. *More spoilers alert. D.D. decides instantly that Sanrda's husband, Jason, must have murder his wife. There is no plan b. She questions the paedophile down the road and Sanrda's father, but D.D. doesn't budge from thinking Jason is guilty. Sure, he does act guiltily, but that's mainly because he doesn't know how to act. He is in shock, as I imagine most people would be. I felt sorry for him as I read more and more.

D.D. has a detective sidekick called Miller. While I like him more than D.D., he didn't have much of a backbone, and he didn't stand up and make his views known. He was a pretty pointless character, really.

I guess, really, I thought this book one of two halves. After the shocking beginning, it then dragged a bit through the first half. It seemed like the same questions were asked over and over to the characters, and it didn't really matter what they said, D.D. still thought Jason was guilty.

I must admit that Maxwell, Sandra's estranged father, is well written. He is creepy, sinister and clearly a psychopath. He comes across as smooth, but with a dark undertone. How D.D. didn't pursue him further is beyond me.

Ethan is a cool character. A twelve-year-old genius who knows everything there is to know about computers. His love for Sanrda can never be requited, but he loves her anyway, and this leads him to do the right thing.

One last character who stands out is Jason. A lot of the book is told from his point of view, and he comes across, in the most part, as someone who is damaged and struggling with life. He clearly loves his wife, and his relationship with his young daughter is beautiful. I just can't believe that a detective as accomplished as D.D. would have ignored warning signs for other characters, but not understood there was something going on with Jason that wasn't a murderous pastime.

This book frustrated the heck out of me. Some of the characters are beautifully written. The plot is exciting a at times, and I liked the conclusion and ending. At the same time, I was frustrated because it all seemed a little obvious. Can I say, last? That sounds horrible. But, I'm afraid, it's how I felt.

The strange thing is I wanted the end to be what it was, and I liked to get it right, but I felt disappointed that the author didn't surprise me. Like, not at all. Except for what happens to Aidan. I'd forgotten about that. The whole scene with someone going around in the dark killing others, then Jason finding his wife in the bedroom, then Maxwell arriving with murderous intent, is brilliant. I held my breath as I read that part.

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Created Mar 18, 2024 at 6:30am • Submit your own review...