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veraann's review against another edition
4.0
Decent pacing. Great intrigue. I spent the novel trying to figure who did what and who was who. Even with the glimpses it was a head scratcher. Definitely kept me reading, wanting to know how things played out.
litwithleigh's review against another edition
4.0
Writing: classic Lisa Gardner | Plot: didn't get TOO crazy | Ending: dramatic
Phat ass trigger warning: Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy, pedophilia, grooming
SYNOPSIS
Back from her (criminally short) maternity leave, D.D. Warren and the gang are tasked with bringing a vigilante to justice and trying to stop a murder before it happens.
MY OPINION
I feel like it's been a hot minute since I last read a Gardner so shoutout to Karly for the failed buddy read to get me reacquainted with one of my fave writers. Also I knocked off another book from the ole physical TBR, so that's always a win.
Like I said, I'm a huge fan of Gardner's writing, but her plots can put me in a bad mood LOL. I can happily report that this one stays pretty 'normal' for her standards. No micro gang tatts with hidden symbols. No learning how to rig explosives, defrost your husband's dead body, and move a dog carcass all in 24 hours. This is pretty straightforward: Charlene thinks she's gonna die on Jan 21 like her friends have for the past two years and someone's on the loose shooting pedos. Yes, a lil yeetage of disbelief is required... it's Gardner after all.
There are some particularly uncomfy scenes here. Charlene's mother had Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy, so the things she does to dear Charlene are... disturbing to say the least. I thought it was a bit odd that Gardner didn't take the opportunity to play this up a bit given DD had just returned from her mat leave (10 weeks only is just WRONG. I'm sorry America) and is a first-time mother. Other disturbing aspects include: learning how pedos abuse Al Gore's internet and have formed some sorta pedo-alliance to further their deviant activities and Jesse falling into the trap of a pedo and being traumatized for life.
Also, I was hella uncomfortable with DD caping for pedos again. She did a lil bit of this in [b:The Neighbor|5422154|The Neighbor (Detective D.D. Warren, #3)|Lisa Gardner|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1429126631l/5422154._SY75_.jpg|5489697] too. Here, a 16-year-old pedo is shot while exposing himself to a 7-year-old boy, and DD laments: What if he could've changed? The courts probably wouldn't have tried him as an adult, but another citizen had. AND WHAT ABOUT IT??? Only DD could show more empathy to a pedo CAUGHT IN THE ACT than a victim of a crime. I still remember her hating on Tessa Leoni because she was "pretty and vulnerable." But abusers literally caught with their pants down?? How unfortunate they don't get another chance at hurting other innocent children! *plays the world's smallest violin*
Anyways, this was a solid Gardner tale. I think it could've been a bit shorter but I liked how it all came together. The stick that's usually lodged firmly up DD's ass was a lil looser this time. And although I didn't really understand the beef with her parents (they just wanted her to behave?), it did provide us with at least some insight into DD's petulant behaviour (she's over 40 lol).
PROS AND CONS
Pros: interesting mystery, lots of easter eggs from other Gardner novels for fans, well-written, good pace despite length, got a lil peek at what makes DD so awful
Cons: DD caping for pedos AGAIN, too long, tbh I wasn't a fan of the vigilante stuff but I guess it was necessary to make this a full-length novel
Phat ass trigger warning: Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy, pedophilia, grooming
SYNOPSIS
Back from her (criminally short) maternity leave, D.D. Warren and the gang are tasked with bringing a vigilante to justice and trying to stop a murder before it happens.
MY OPINION
I feel like it's been a hot minute since I last read a Gardner so shoutout to Karly for the failed buddy read to get me reacquainted with one of my fave writers. Also I knocked off another book from the ole physical TBR, so that's always a win.
Like I said, I'm a huge fan of Gardner's writing, but her plots can put me in a bad mood LOL. I can happily report that this one stays pretty 'normal' for her standards. No micro gang tatts with hidden symbols. No learning how to rig explosives, defrost your husband's dead body, and move a dog carcass all in 24 hours. This is pretty straightforward: Charlene thinks she's gonna die on Jan 21 like her friends have for the past two years and someone's on the loose shooting pedos. Yes, a lil yeetage of disbelief is required... it's Gardner after all.
There are some particularly uncomfy scenes here. Charlene's mother had Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy, so the things she does to dear Charlene are... disturbing to say the least. I thought it was a bit odd that Gardner didn't take the opportunity to play this up a bit given DD had just returned from her mat leave (10 weeks only is just WRONG. I'm sorry America) and is a first-time mother. Other disturbing aspects include: learning how pedos abuse Al Gore's internet and have formed some sorta pedo-alliance to further their deviant activities and Jesse falling into the trap of a pedo and being traumatized for life.
Also, I was hella uncomfortable with DD caping for pedos again. She did a lil bit of this in [b:The Neighbor|5422154|The Neighbor (Detective D.D. Warren, #3)|Lisa Gardner|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1429126631l/5422154._SY75_.jpg|5489697] too. Here, a 16-year-old pedo is shot while exposing himself to a 7-year-old boy, and DD laments: What if he could've changed? The courts probably wouldn't have tried him as an adult, but another citizen had. AND WHAT ABOUT IT??? Only DD could show more empathy to a pedo CAUGHT IN THE ACT than a victim of a crime. I still remember her hating on Tessa Leoni because she was "pretty and vulnerable." But abusers literally caught with their pants down?? How unfortunate they don't get another chance at hurting other innocent children! *plays the world's smallest violin*
Anyways, this was a solid Gardner tale. I think it could've been a bit shorter but I liked how it all came together. The stick that's usually lodged firmly up DD's ass was a lil looser this time. And although I didn't really understand the beef with her parents (they just wanted her to behave?), it did provide us with at least some insight into DD's petulant behaviour (she's over 40 lol).
PROS AND CONS
Pros: interesting mystery, lots of easter eggs from other Gardner novels for fans, well-written, good pace despite length, got a lil peek at what makes DD so awful
Cons: DD caping for pedos AGAIN, too long, tbh I wasn't a fan of the vigilante stuff but I guess it was necessary to make this a full-length novel
karlyo83's review against another edition
5.0
My Rating: 5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ welcome home, thank you Lisa Gardner what a delight!!!
This was supposed to be a buddy read with my good friend GirlWithThePinkSkiMask but alas I am too slow to keep up with my speed reading buddy and she finished this while I slept soundly on the other side of the world
This was supposed to be a buddy read with my good friend GirlWithThePinkSkiMask but alas I am too slow to keep up with my speed reading buddy and she finished this while I slept soundly on the other side of the world
hannahlewis803's review against another edition
3.0
3.25 stars. Liked it better than some of the others but still found a few of the chapters to drag on too long. Caught one of the major twists pretty early on but not the super major twist:P
hestia_nl's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, and Emotional abuse
ladylizardxvii's review against another edition
3.0
I didn't love this one as much a previous books, but I do enjoy the continuation of DD's character and story.
kristenbmeyer's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Ugh, this book was such a drag. I read it because it’s been on my kindle forever and I am trying to move through the books I have owned but not read. There are so many good thrillers and detective stories out there and this one just fell flat. It felt like watching a bad rerun of a crime show. The characters don’t seem real, they say phrases that are very dorky and seem out of time, they think and talk in ways that do not feel authentic and the mystery was a big confusing and also boring.