Book Review: The 7th Month by Lisa Gardner

Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons!

  Taking a break from crime thrillers can be hard to do. And when it comes to Lisa Gardner I have quickly learned how addicting her writing can be. That is why I chose to continue to read her Detective D.D. Warren series as my next book. I loved 3 Truths and a Lie, Find Her and Look For Me, and decided to step back in time to read one of D.D.'s earlier cases.
   

  The 7th Month is written by Lisa Gardner and is published by Penguin Random House under their Dutton Books imprint. Featured as a digital short novel, it takes place before her sixth D.D. Warren novel, Catch Me. In it we are introduced to D.D. Warren: Desk Duty Sergeant. In her seventh month of pregnancy, D.D. has been sent to desk duty as a way of keeping her active on the force (and getting her out of the way, as most of her male colleagues think a pregnant woman should be). 

  One afternoon she is serving desk duty as a fill-in for the precinct's receptionist, whom is on lunch break. A shifty-looking man with a nervous and tired demeanor approaches the desk asking for a detective. The man is Don Bilger, an executive producer of an upcoming crime drama, Cover Your Eyes. He requests a detective as a consultant for the film. According to Bilger the retired police officer that he had hired as a consultant disappeared suddenly. And they need a detective fast for the evening's scenes that they are shooting. 

  About to be a mother and enter into a committed relationship, D.D. sees this as an opportunity to make excellent money for her future. And besides, she needs something other than desk duty. But in the back of her mind, she wonders what really happened to the missing cop. She agrees (against the protest of her boss) to be the new  consultant and prepares for an all-nighter. Ironically the film location is a cemetery across the street from a former crime scene that she had worked years prior. The abandoned institute where many young girls were found dead has since been replaced by a school. But the uneasiness is present in the back of her mind. Added to this her unborn child is very active this evening, and the child's father Alex is awaiting her response to his suggestion that she move in with him. But D.D. has been under pressure and stress before and she can handle her personal dilemmas.

  Then the missing policeman is found beaten to death in his apartment. This turns D.D. from consultant into detective as she begins to investigate.  She suspects that someone among the film crew's hundred-plus members may be a murderer. But a covert FBI investigation into money laundering throws an another element into her investigation. Did the retired cop consultant find out something he should not have? D.D. Warren is determined to wrap up her case before breakfast... or before she goes into labor.  

 The 7th Month was a fun and exciting short novel. It was humorous when needed and tense, building up the sense of urgency. What I loved most about this story was Gardner's love for her characters. She has managed to write a genuine, loving couple that would do anything for one another. I was loving D.D. and Alex's interactions, something that made the other novels that I had read so real-feeling.

  Kirsten Potter once again takes on the narration of D.D. Warren's life with her arsenal of character voices and smooth reading style. She made the story come alive with humor and shows that she loves reading these characters. I am always happy to read a book with her as the narrator.

  I gave the 7th Month by Lisa Gardner a 5 out of 5 stars. I loved this novel, and came away from it smiling ear to ear.

  Have fun reading this week. Let me know in the comments below what you are reading.
  
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