Title: When You See Me
Author: Lisa Gardner
Series: Detective D.D. Warren, #11
Published: January 2020, Dutton
Format: ARC Paperback, 400 pages
Source: Publisher
Summary:
Bestselling author Lisa Gardner unites three of her most loved characters -Detective D.D. Warren, Flora Dane, and Kimberly Quincy – in a twisty new thriller, as they investigate a mysterious murder from the past that points to a dangerous and chilling present-day crime.
FBI Special Agent Kimberly Quincy and Sergeant Detective DD Warren have built a task force to follow the digital bread crumbs left behind by deceased serial kidnapper Jacob Ness. And when a disturbing piece of evidence comes to
light, they decide to bring in Flora Dane who has personal experience of being imprisoned by Ness.
Their investigations take them to a small town deep in the hills of Georgia where something seems to be deeply wrong.
What at first seems like a Gothic eeriness soon hardens into something much more sinister as 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.
My thoughts:
It’s no secret that I am a HUGE fan of Lisa Gardner’s books. I’ve been reading her for a while now, following along with her Detective D.D. Warren series and recently getting into her FBI Profiler series. I love that with the last few books, she has brought together her female characters to work on the cases as they make such a great team.
One thing about Lisa Gardner’s books is that while they can be a bit dark, they are incredibly addicting. I read this latest one in two days – it just pulled me in so completely that I really had a hard time putting it down. And I absolutely loved the way the story was told, once again giving up multiple points of view. This time, we hear from D.D, Flora Dane, Kimberly Quincy, as well as a young girl who will absolutely take hold of your heart by the end of this book, though the horrors she witnesses during the book will break you.
I loved that even though Flora Dane has been free from Jacob Ness for a while now, we are still exploring that time. There is so much to Flora’s character and it all comes back to when she was held captive so it only makes sense to keep going back to him. He may be dead, but there is much to use there and I think Lisa Gardner is so skilled in being able to continue to craft stories around this topic without beating a dead horse.
I also loved that while this is a mystery with horrific events happening, Lisa Gardner also pays attention to the people she writes about. You end up caring for the characters and becoming invested in their safety and their outcomes. As I mentioned the one point of view is that of a young girl and as much as her story is tragic and horrible, she will also become someone you end up caring for and want to see have a better life. And I love that in the author’s note, Lisa Gardner indicates that she did quite a bit of research into her character. I love that because you walk away knowing all you read was as authentic as she could make her.
This is one of my favorite series and I wait with anticipation each year for the latest installment. Now, while I wait for the next book, I will be catching up on the FBI Profiler series, which is where Kimberly Quincy is from. I’ve only read a few of those books and I definitely want to be current in that series.
Books in this series:
1. Alone
2. Hide
3. The Neighbor
4. Live to Tell
5. Love You More
5.5 The 7th Month
6. Catch Me
7. Fear Nothing
7.5 3 Truths & a Lie
8. Find Her
9. Look for Me
10. Never Tell
11. When You See Me
This sounds like a fantastic mystery and a series that I would definitely enjoy too. Great review!
I've read just one of her books and could not get any more. I'll be putting this one too on my list.