Look For Me by Lisa Gardner
The Blurb
In #1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Gardner's latest twisty thrill ride, Detective D. D. Warren and "Find Her"'s Flora Dane return in a race against the clock to either save a young girl's life . . . or bring her to justice. The home of a family of five is now a crime scene: four of them savagely murdered, one—a sixteen-year-old girl—missing. Was she lucky to have escaped? Or is her absence evidence of something sinister? Detective D. D. Warren is on the case—but so is survivor-turned-avenger Flora Dane. Seeking different types of justice, they must make sense of the clues left behind by a young woman who, whether as victim or suspect, is silently pleading, Look for me.
About Lisa Gardner
New York Times bestselling crime novelist Lisa Gardner began her career in food service, but after catching her hair on fire numerous times, she took the hint and focused on writing instead. A self-described research junkie, she has parlayed her interest in police procedure, cutting edge forensics and twisted plots into a streak of eleven bestselling suspense novels. Readers are invited to get in on the fun by entering the annual "Kill a Friend, Maim a Mate" Sweepstakes, where they can nominate the person of their choice to die in Lisa's latest novel. Every year, one lucky stiff is selected for literary immortality. It's cheaper than therapy, and you get a great book besides. For more details, simply visit Lisa's website. Lisa lives in the White Mountains of New Hampshire with her family, as well as two highly spoiled dogs and one extremely neurotic three-legged cat. Lisa graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in international relations.
My Review
Having read all of the D.D. Warren series to date, 'Look For Me' follows on Flora Dane's story from the previous book 'Find Me' as she becomes involved in the search for a surviving member of a family that were killed in cold blood. Teenager Roxy Baez-Boyd who was out walking her two elderly blind Brittany Spaniels at the time of the shooting, but did not return home. Whether she was hiding for her own safety or not, she becomes a prime suspect by default. Flora an ex-kidnap victim turned vigilante, runs a survivor group, which Roxy turned to for help, prior to her family being slaughtered, which is how Flora becomes obliged to look for her. So yet again, Flora is treading on the toes of Sergeant-Detective DD Warren, who this time instead of fighting her accepts her into the fold as a C.I. on her team. Maybe at last DD recognises the unique, but unconventional strengths and skills that Flora has to offer, although she would never admit it, or is it that DD is becoming less of a cynic as her softer side emerges after her first few years of motherhood. The chapters are third-person DD Warren, and first person Flora Dane, with Essays on 'The Perfect Family' by Roxanna Baez-Boyd, gives a three dimensional narrative for the whole story. I Whispersynced this for travelling time in the car, and the narration by Regina Regan has become the voice of DD Warren in my head even when just reading the print version. Her voice suits the character well. The trouble was it was hard to differentiate between DD, Flora and Roxanna chapters, but soon become clear through the prose. A second reader may have improved this somewhat, but this is not a major problem for me as I read the majority of the book in print. Essentially the whole book is worthy of the whole five stars.
