Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons!
Let me be honest and say that this is one of my most anticipated novels of this year. After reading almost every novel Lisa Gardner has written, I knew that another Flora Dane and D.D. Warren story would make my year. But I had no idea that Gardner would add another favorite character to the mix, making this one of her best works to date. I loved it so much that I read it in a day.
Never Tell is Lisa Gardner's tenth full-length Detective D.D. Warren novel. It is published by Dutton Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House. In this exciting crime thriller we are introduced to Evie Carter, a pregnant math teacher who is seemingly in a loving relationship with her husband, Conrad. One evening she is late coming home and worries of an altercation with Conrad. But what she finds is her husband dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot. She is dumbstruck by what she sees, but what she views on his laptop terrifies her. She grabs the gun from his hand and fires at the laptop. Soon the police swarm her home and she is arrested for murder.
Sergeant Detective D. D. Warren recognizes Evie from a incident many years prior when a sixteen year old Evie Hopkins accidentally shot and killed her father while cleaning a rifle. D.D. had been new to the force then. But Evie is not the only one who recognizes someone in the Carter case. Watching television in her small apartment, vigilante-turned-police-informant, Flora Dane (returning for the third time), recognizes Conrad Carter. And her blood runs cold. She flashes back to the darkest time in her life when murderer and serial rapist Jacob Ness had held her captive for over four hundred days. It was at a bar while Flora was emaciated and terrified that Conrad met with Jacob Ness. She wishes to know more about her case and dials up the woman who rescued her from Ness... Special Agent Kimberly Quincy of the FBI.
Is it possible the same woman could be present at two fatal shootings and not be responsible? What connection does Conrad Carter have to Jacob Ness? And can Flora Dane open her damaged memories and break her golden rule to never tell her story again? The stakes are high and a game of cat and mouse is about to set Boston on fire...literally.
Never Tell combined three of my favorite characters into one novel and the team up was epic. With D.D. already acquainted with Kimberly from Catch Me, and also with Quincy's father and step-mother in the 4th Man, Warren is ready to play nice with the Feds. The shifting powers between three alpha characters was treated with respect and humor. And I loved D.D. and Kimberly's exchange about motherhood and family life, with Flora looking on in agitation. The story is set at Christmas time and I enjoyed Gardner's description of the holidays in Boston, since I love the city in December. The mysteries, yes there is more than one, are lead by facts that may or may not be the absolute truths. Working with Flora's damaged psyche and untrustworthy players, the clues are thick with question marks. I found the twists and turns extremely satisfying as I maneuvered through the cases. There is murder, arson, and dark web espionage abound, all leading to a fiery finale that nearly costs one character their life.
Kirsten Potter returned to present the audio book of Never Tell, which I used in part to read this novel. Her delivery was excellent as always and by now D.D. Warren has become a part of Potter. Her delivery of accents, voices, and sheer sense of urgency drove the book along a quick pace. I hope that she reads this series for a long while.
Five stars later Never Tell pulled me in quick and did not let go until the explosive finale. I was treated to a triple team up with three strong female leads that played well off of new character, Evie. The mysteries were juicy and the reveals to die for (literally for some characters). I have yet to meet a Lisa Gardner novel that I did not like, and Never Tell is now in my top 10 thrillers.
Have fun reading this week. Let me know in the comments below what you are reading this week.
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