WHEN YOU SEE ME by Lisa Gardner
For the past several years I have depended on Lisa Gardner to provide me with entertaining, enjoyable and thrilling mysteries. She has never let me down. Now that doesn’t mean some of her books haven’t been better than others. They have, but like the old saying goes ‘when she is good she is very, very good and when she is better she is terrific.” Okay I took some liberties with that saying. Still it makes my point because with her new thriller, WHEN YOU SEE ME, she is terrific.
Three of the most popular characters from past Gardner novels are (1) Boston Police Detective D D Warren (2) D D’s informer and confidant Flora Dane (3) FBI Agent Kimberly Quincy. They all three come together to solve a crime in the North Georgia mountains. A partially buried body has been discovered by a hiker. The rush is on to see if there are other bodies buried in the area, and if these murders are an ongoing problem.
D D and Flora are called in to help because of their past relationship with the case of serial killer Jacob Ness. Although he is now deceased it might be that this murder is part of the trail of bodies he left behind. Flora would be an able asset since she was kidnapped and held by Ness as his prisoner for several years.
At first Quincy and the local police are not convinced how helpful D D and Flora can be. They are even more suspicious of Keith Edgar, a computer nerd these two brought with them. Still D D, Flora and Keith have worked together before and know how to get the work done that tracking a serial killer requires. And in Gardner’s capable hands it takes all four of them to solve this mystery.
This is definitely a standalone book but if you have read the previous D D Warren/Flora Dane books it will be even more involving. One of the main reasons is that a Keith/Flora relationship started brewing in a past novel and now that spark between the two is definitely moving towards a flame. If you don’t l know their background you will not appreciate how much this personal relationship between the two co-workers means.
Still an author of Gardner’s skills can create a story that touches on the past but feels complete in this new addition to the story. Others can’t do that but Gardner does it with ease. She also creates some of the best characters I have ever encountered. But what I admire about her most is that the level of her storytelling never lags. She always has fresh ideas that she presents to her readers and that is why she remains so popular year after year.
If you are not yet a Lisa Gardner reader, well a new year is a good time to start. Pick up WHEN YOU SEE ME and get crackin.
WHEN YOU SEE ME is published by Dutton. It contains 413 pages and sells for $27.00.
Jackie K Cooper
www.jackiekcooper.com
