Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons!
For the past year I have been reading every Lisa Gardner novel I could get my hands on. In my efforts I have visited book fairs, book shops, and libraries. Recently I was blessed with an advanced copy of her latest, Never Tell, from the publisher. Her blend of family drama, mystery, and suspense have made her one of my top five authors to read. I managed to track down one of her older novels and was quickly pulled in.
The Other Daughter is a stand-alone novel written by Lisa Gardner. The paperback edition I read is published by Bantam Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House Publishing. In it we are introduced to the Stokes family. Having suffered the tragic loss of their four year old daughter, Meagan, to child murderer Russell Lee Holmes, parents Harper and Patricia are devastated. They continue on with their remaining child, Brian, and await the execution of Holmes. Five years later on the night of Holmes' appointment with the electric chair in Texas, a nine year old girl is found abandoned in a Boston hospital. Harper, having since moved his family to Boston, is working a night shift at that hospital. Dubbed Daddy's Girl, the nine year old is nursed backed to health. She suffers from amnesia and recalls nothing from the first part of her life. Harper and Patricia continue to visit her and decide to adopt her. Since she has a close resemblance to their Meagan, she seems to be the right child to adopt. She is named Melanie and goes to live with them in their lavish home in Boston.
Twenty years later Melanie is an event planner with a happy life. Recently she has separated from her boyfriend, William, and thrown herself into her work. At a charity event held in her family's home, Melanie crosses paths with reporter Larry Digger. Having interviewed Russell Lee Holmes in the past, he is certain that he is about to break the story of his career: Whatever Happened to Russell Lee Holmes' Child? He is certain that Melanie is the daughter of Holmes and threatens to reveal his findings. As Melanie's life begins to unravel, an undercover FBI agent assigned to a fraud case concerning Harper begins to help Melanie with Digger. But someone has begun a vicious game of cat and mouse with the Stokes family. Grisly packages and cryptic letters begin to arrive alluding to a long-buried secret. And when an assassin is thrown into the mix, Melanie is on the run for her life. Is Melanie the child of a serial killer? What secret is so horrible that someone would kill to keep it buried? Melanie will soon find that being the other daughter can be fatal to her life.
The Other Daughter was one crazy read. Gardner's mix of family angst and thrills made this book soar along quickly. I finished this novel in a day, because I could not stop reading it. The over-all mystery is mind-bending and when the final reveal came I was astonished. Melanie Stokes was a very likeable character that at times seems naive, but as she went along and faced her fears and the danger around her she adapted fast. Special Agent David Riggs was a flawed character that served as a great opposite for Melanie. His battle with a degenerative back disorder served for many emotional moments. His perseverance to push through the pain was inspiring at times. The darkness of serial killer Russell Lee Holmes permeated the narrative and at times was chilling. Gardner definitely knows how to put her readers in her characters' heads. She even gave FBI Profiler, Pierce Quincy a guest appearance, giving an assessment of Russell Lee Holmes.
I read the Other Daughter with the audio narration of actress, Brittany Pressley. Her slow and dramatic reading of the novel served very well with a 1.25x and 1.5x speed. I enjoyed her voices and she never had the same voice for any of the characters. Her reading drove the book further forward, and was excellently done. I am happy to see that Penguin Random House is now offering audio presentations to all of Gardner's books. They deserve to available in their original, unabridged format.
The Other Daughter was a great time. This four star read had me guessing until the end. It is a wonderful read for someone who loves suspense. Lisa Gardner never fails to deliver.
Have fun reading this week. Let me know in the comments below what you are reading this week.
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