Live to Tell: A Detective D. D. Warren Novel (D.D. Warren Book 4)

Lots of interesting psychological stuff and a nice, twisty story. Believable, likeable (and hateable) characters.Another good DD Warren story.

If it is possible to call a book that deals with childhood mental illness, being the lone survivor of a family murder, and other such topics an easy read, then Live to Tell fits the bill.The D.D. Warren series may not be for everyone. Besides the fact that in virtually (if not every) one in the series deals with children either abused in some way or in peril, you have Detective Warren's obsession with food as a replacement for sex being a constant thought in her head, childhood abuse, and other topics that may not make it suitable for everyone.In previous books, Ms. Gardner's style of story-go-round with each chapter coming from a different character's perspective made the stories while entertaining, a bit choppy feeling and hurt the flow of the story. However, she seemed to have that ironed out here and the story flowed far more evenly, making it far tougher to put down.As always, the factual elements have been done perfectly thanks to the great research Ms. Garnder does in on her subject matter. But unlike some authors, doesn't go so crazy into the details of police procedure, or other things that they overwhelm the story. This may be disappointing to those that are into that genre, but it makes for a much smoother story; just enough procedure and expertise shown to be believable, without having to prove it by slowing the story down to give the nitty gritty details.If there is one negative to the book, I'd say it is that it seems to try, almost too hard to make you look in the wrong direction, and in doing so makes the Boston PD Detective and her team almost short sighted.Other than that, the characters were interesting, the twists and plot angles build constantly as you weave your way through the story from the 3 points of view, giving you only crumbs to lead you to the killer, never really giving you enough to "know" ahead of time, but enough to be able to see it when the pieces all fit into place near the end.It is a riveting read that makes for perfect beach blanket reading, or whatever your "light reading" metaphor may be. So long as the topics and language aren't a problem for you. It is not for everyone given the subject matter, but for those can get past that, it is a good read.

I always enjoy Lisa books. This one sucked me in and kept me guessing all the way till the end. It was wasAwesome as all her books are.

Lisa Gardner can write crime. And love. And evil. Woo woo. This book opened my world to the plight of violence in children.We need to wake up.Thanks again, Lisa.

I can't believe how good Lisa Gardner is at ratcheting up the suspense in her books. Live to Tell is the story of a young girl who survives her father's slaughter of her entire family. Unable to reconcile her 'good fortune', as she questions whether father loved her more, or hated her more, Danielle spends her days and nights, as a nurse in an acute psychiatric care unit for troubled children. Damaged herself, Alex pays penance for surviving by saving other children from the horrible things the adults in their family inflict upon them.Live to Tell starts off with the slaughter of an entire family, supposedly by the father's who had a bullet in his brain. Detective D.D. Warren is on the case, and she's out to get her man, in more ways than one. Frustrated by her job, and by her lack of any human contact that doesn't involve the dead, D.D. is paired with a handsome crime professor, who seems like the prefect guy for D.D., if she can get through all the dead bodies, and onto a badly needed date.Could it be the father who kills his whole family, or the young boy who the parents are fostering. Is Danielle reenacting her own tragic past by killing other families on the anniversary of her own family's death? Or could it be the gym teacher with the crush on Danielle who works with her in the ward? Maybe it's the 'enlightened' former Wall Street guru, who seems to have a link with the slaughtered family. I really liked Andrew Lightfoot and his talk of going to the 'inner planes' to talk to the deceased. Just the journey though Andrew's woo-woo world was worth buying the book.One thing I really like about Lisa Gardner is the research, and part of the fun of reading her novels is that you get to truly enter the world she creates. I've never been to a psych-ward, but I feel like I've visited one in my mind. My heart goes out to the parents and the decisions they have to make for their damaged children, and for the children whose parents do the damaging.Gardner never lets the reader settle on one suspect for very long and she never disappoints when she finally names the killer. Great ending, great beginning, and hard to put down in the middle.

Love the D.D Warran series!

Ich habe dass Buch genossen.

Great book! Kept me hooked til the last page. Didn't expect the ending. I love how each book of this series is totally different.

I love all the D D Warren books!

Every time I read a Lisa Gardner I think "This is her best".This one is for those readers who have had children, for those who have not. In Live to Tell, Lisa Gardner explores the different attitudes we have towards problem children, and why there are problem children. She poses fundamental questions, couched in a brilliantly intricated plot. Lisa Gardner's books are lessons in understanding what goes on in the human mind, but enriched with the entertainment value of snappy detectives, sexy protagonists, and striving parents. "This is (one of) her best".