Fear Nothing by Lisa Gardner

Boston Detective D. D. Warren is working a case when she runs into the killer.  She doesn't see him, just knows he's creeping up behind.  She turns, he pushes, and she falls over the railing.  Now her arm isn't functioning and she's been put on leave, but she's not willing to sit it out.  It has now become personal...

Dutton sent me an ARC of this book to read for review (thank you).  It was published in January, so you can find a copy at your local bookstore now.

This story is very unusual.  The author gives us a messed up family.  The father is a serial killer of women he picks up.  One daughter can't feel pain at all, so she makes a career in pain management.  She doesn't remember much of the past because she was too young.  The other daughter ends in a psychiatric ward because she cut her little sister who couldn't feel it.  She got out later and then she killed someone and was incarcerated again, this time in jail.  She's continued killing there.  These sisters and their past have something to do with the current murders.  It's not them, who could it be?

The murder picks up his pace, D. D. is now a target, and the two sisters decide they will have to take things into their own hands.  They feel they alone can kill the monster that is imitating their father.  After all, the police aren't having much luck.

This is an intense read.  As the cops dig through the girls' stories, they find everyone who ever knew them and question them, including other convicts in the jail.  They know the girls' background and how they were raised, but they are still no closer to the killer.  When the sister in jail escapes, the tension really racks up.  I had no idea who the killer was.  It was near the end before they got the crucial hints.

The ending is ugly, but somehow appropriate.  Ms. Gardner made me care for the broken sisters, despite their flaws.  It's hard to find something good in a killer, but the murdering sister was more than she seemed.  This one made me sigh deeply when I finished it.  It also made me think.  What you see on the outside is not often the real person, there's always some secret tucked away...

Catch Me by Lisa Gardner

She knows someone will be trying to kill her on January 21st.  She doesn't know why nor does she know how the murderer managed to kill her friends; she does knows she's in danger.  She tells the police about it only so they will be able to hopefully solve her murder if she can't defend herself.  She's spent a year learning to defend herself well...

Dutton sent me a copy of this book for review (thank you).  It's an excellent read and is currently available at your local bookstore.  If you've read this author before, I'm sure you're waiting for her next book.  If you have not (like me), this book is just perfect as it is.

Detective D D Warren is a bit skeptical, but she can't dismiss what she's been told.  Charlene Grant truly believes it and has worked hard on preparing for a fight to the death.  The case turns stranger before it comes to a conclusion.

This is a mind-bending psychological thriller.  Ms. Gardner grabs your attention and surprises you all the way through.  D D just had a baby and has returned to work.  Charlene was raised by a insane mother and has scars to prove it.  And neither one of them know any reason for someone to be after Charlene.

You'll be guessing all the way through.  Even with a witness, they aren't any closer to the truth.  D D is even beginning to wonder about Charlene's sanity.

I highly recommend this book.  It's a very good read that you may need to set down every now and again to get your breath back.  It's fast paced, has some hurt from the past mixed with the hurt present, and while the ending provides closure, it doesn't necessarily provide happiness.

I'm looking forward to reading more about these characters.  I don't think that Charlene is going to fade into the background just yet.  I may be wrong, but we shall see.

Happy reading.