Sunday Suspense: The Survivor's Club by Lisa Gardner

 

Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons,

   Discovering past novels from Lisa Gardner I have yet to experience can be just as exciting as any new book. Enter 2002 and Gardner's stand-alone, The Survivor's Club. Detective Roan Griffin was introduced to me in Gardner's thriller, Catch Me. He played a minor role, but from what I gathered after reading his part, I knew I wanted more of this dynamic character. 

   The Survivor's Club is written by Lisa Gardner and it is published by Bantam Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House. In this suspenseful tale, we are introduced to Detective Sergeant Roan Griffin. Losing his wife to cancer and breaking down after his apprehension of the child killer, The Candyman, Griffin is a damaged man. He has spent some time off the force and has slowly regained his sanity and health. He is thrust into a new case on his first day back, as a convicted rapist, Eddie Como, is assassinated on the day of his trial. The women he victimized are a close-knit group who call themselves The Survivor's Club. All had motive, but which one of Eddie's survivor's hired the hitman to take him down? 

  Roan is joined by his fellow officers as they investigate the case. The Survivor's Club is closed-mouthed, looking to their leader, Jillian Hayes. Roan knows that Jillian has never been the same since finding her sister dead and being attacked by Como. She is a fortress and refused Griffin any access to her own damaged psyche. Joining Hayes on her "say nothing" campaign are Meg Pesaturo and Carol Rosen. Meg has amnesia from her attack, and Carol wishes she could forget hers. They are strong together, but slowly the layers are stripped away, leaving Roan to realize they may be only tougher together. Then Roan receives a cryptic letter from The Candyman welcoming him to the case. And another woman is attacked and murdered. With Eddie Como dead who murdered this latest victim? The Survivors Club is on high alert and Roan is beginning to feel that he cannot trust anyone. 

  The Survivors Club was a fantastic ride through many twists and turns. The cast of characters was well thought out and the villains were relentless in their desire to watch the lives around them crumble. Gardner did an excellent job capturing the varying aspects of PTSD with Roan and the Survivor's Club. Roan is a flawed character that fights daily to regain the man he once was. This struggle complements the Survivor's Club and its demons. The stakes were high and the danger was real. I enjoyed the slow burn of the narrative that led to an explosive finale.     

  I read The Survivor's Club with the narration of actress, Anna Fields. Her work on past Gardner thrillers definitely came in handy with this story. Her excellent presentation featured many different voices, which at times sounded like more than one person was reading. Another great audiobook performance by Fields.

  The Survivor's Club was a four-star spectacle that combined gritty crime with suspenseful family drama. I read this one slowly to stop myself from finishing it too quick. I hope we see more of Roan Griffin in the future. This is an excellent read to pass the time this Summer. 

  

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