#1 New York Times bestseller Lisa Gardner returns with an unpredictable thriller that puts fan favorites D.D. Warren and Flora Dane on a shocking new case that begins with a vicious murder and gets darker from there.A man is dead, shot three times in his home office. But his computer has been shot twelve times, and when the cops arrive, his pregnant wife is holding the gun. D.D. Warren arrives on … the gun.
D.D. Warren arrives on the scene and recognizes the woman–Evie Carter–from a case many years back. Evie’s father was killed in a shooting that was ruled an accident. But for D.D., two coincidental murders is too many.
Flora Dane sees the murder of Conrad Carter on the TV news and immediately knows his face. She remembers a night when she was still a victim–a hostage–and her captor knew this man. Overcome with guilt that she never tracked him down, Flora is now determined to learn the truth of Conrad’s murder.
But D.D. and Flora are about to discover that in this case the truth is a devilishly elusive thing. As layer by layer they peel away the half-truths and outright lies, they wonder: How many secrets can one family have?
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True crime thriller
Lisa Gardner never writes a bad book. Been a fan for years! The DD Warren books are very good. The last 3 especially.
love her books
Each character was finely drawn and very relatable. The story line was intriguing and kept me guessing until the end.
This is #10 in a series. I don’t think I’ve read any of the prior books, but that did not affect my enjoyment. It stands alone. In this case, multiple POVs added to the story, and although I wasn’t surprised at who the villain was, I enjoyed it through the last page. Five stars.
Never knew what was coming next
Always a winner
Evie Carter is found at the top of the stairs, murder weapon in hand. Her husband, Conrad, is dead in his study. Shot three times. His laptop is destroyed on the desk. Shot twelve times. Why?
Another thing about Evie Carter: She confessed to accidentally shooting and killing her father 16 years earlier.
Arriving on the scene, Boston PD Sergeant Detective D.D. Warren says, ” There’s something else going on here. Something more.”
D.D. investigated Evie’s case 16 years ago.
Leaving the scene, D.D. notices her confidential informant, Flora Dane (the gutsy survivor of the horrific events of “Find Her”), across the street.
Flora knows Conrad Carter from her days spent with Jacob Ness, the evil man who had abducted her in the previously mentioned tale.
Thus begins another winner by the amazing Lisa Gardner. How one person can write such consistently great stories and put them into such twist-filled plots is beyond me. I’m just glad she does!
This is a case study in family secrets and lies and the consequences if you “Never Tell”.
All the Gardner trademarks are here: wonderful, real characters, brilliant structure, chapter-ending cliffhangers, propulsive story, a slam-bang, action-packed finale and a heartwarming denouement.
You’ll love it.
READ LISA GARDNER!
Ms. Gardner never fails to deliver edge of the seat, can’t put down thrillers
Detective D.D. Warren and Flora Dane are back on another case, and this one hits close to home for Flora. Evie Carter finds her husband shot dead in his office and she is the prime suspect. Sadly this isn’t the first time Evie has found herself standing in the middle of a crime scene. Sixteen years prior she accidentally shot and killed her father and ever since has had to shoulder this incredibly heavy burden. Secrets abound in this heart pounding novel and even when you think you know the answers you find yourself realizing that nothing is as it seems.
What I love about Never Tell is that you really get more insight into Flora and what she had to endure during her time in captivity. There are a few characters that were introduced in this novel that added quite a bit of depth.
All the details surrounding the case were utterly fascinating and the novel truly kept me on the edge of my seat. This series continues to be one of my favorite suspense series and I can’t wait to read what’s in store for Detective D.D. Warren.
*I have reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are completely honest, and my own.
Favorite Quotes:
D.D. gave the childless detective a look. “If pregnancy hormones led to homicide, there wouldn’t be a husband left alive.”
You know, anyone will hang with the lit department, but tell someone you teach math or science, and it’s like you’re personally reminding them of every test they ever failed.
In movies, everyone loves the kickass heroine. I’m less convinced the average man wants one in real life.
I do not shoot my exes. Frankly, I couldn’t afford that many bullets.
My father was brilliant, my mother was melodramatic, my husband was a hero and a liar, my family was complicated.
My Review:
Never Tell was a cleverly crafted, maddeningly paced, complicated, and slowly developing tale with multiple POVs and complex storylines full of secrets, lies, and manipulations. Other than the recurring police offices none of the other characters were as they were initially presented; I couldn’t decide where several fell on the spectrum of good vs. evil. I spun wild theories that spiraled, flamed, and flip-flopped every other chapter. Sigh, this deviously talented author bested me, I couldn’t get a firm handle on a number of her compelling and intricately fabricated characters; they were so annoyingly slippery.
The plot evolved at a fiendishly slow pace while each new hard-won yet oddly intriguing revelation just seemed to add several additional layers of complexity and confusion and led nowhere but a new itchy and brain-teasing rabbit hole. I was fully vexed and taut with tension yet deeply engrossed and totally invested. It was exceedingly cunning, and while I should be ashamed to admit that I was so very wrong, I’m actually not. Lisa Gardner has mad skills, although she must be a bit scary to know.
Awesome book
A roller-coaster ride filled with lies & love, hopes & regrets, mysteries & realizations. Unique & memorable characters made this twisted who-done-it shine.
Ms. Gardner knows how to keep you on your toes.
So, this was a solid on the fence book for me. I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t love it either. Never Tell by Lisa Gardner is the tenth book in a series and I guess it could standalone. But I personally felt, you needed to have read the other books before delving into this; which I didn’t.
This novel is about three women, who are all strong-willed, smart and also who won’t stop until they find out the truth. Evie is one of the characters I had difficulty reading into. She spent most of her life living in the shadow of her genius father. When she was sixteen-years-old she “accidentally” shot and killed her father. Now, many years later, she is standing next to another body, but this time it is her husband Connor. Shot three times in the back, and while holding the gun; Evie claims she didn’t kill him. One has to wonder, how many times can she get away with murder?
Investigating Connor’s death is detective D.D. Warren. She was also on the original case of Evie’s when she killed her father. Warren thinks it isn’t much of a coincidence that another man in Evie’s life has been shot dead. As Warren dig’s deeper into the background of both Connor and Evie, things are far more complicated than they seem. With the assistance of Fiona Dane, the investigation unravels more details outside this book that are hard to keep up with as a standalone book.
Fiona’s character is hard for me to deal with. She was kidnapped and abused when she was in college, now she is an activist and an informant for D.D. Warren. Her back story reveals that she had met Connor before, when she was being held by her kidnapper. This makes her revisit her traumatic experiences from her past. Her story throughout this novel was extremely difficult to read for me, and having not read any of the other books, I was shocked and rather unnerved at what I was reading.
The characters are engaging and realistic, I’d even go so far to say, too realistic. This book almost jumped out at me like an episode of CSI. The author, Lisa Gardner, does a fantastic job tackling themes that are difficult to face, almost hard to read even. Her style is immersive and clear, you know exactly what she is trying to convey.
For me, reading Never Tell as a standalone book was difficult and I had a hard time following the back stories. I told myself at the beginning when I was really captivated by the story of D.D. Warren and Fiona, I’d go get the other books. But I honestly feel the trauma and horrendous details of what Fiona went through, I don’t think I could read something like that. But that’s just me. Like I said at the beginning, I’m truly on the fence with this one.
Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Random House, and Lisa Gardner for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Read my full review here: https://bit.ly/2SBrVdT
Lisa Gardner creates memorable characters and her trio of women in Never Tell don’t disappoint. DD, Flora and Evie find themselves drawn into a carefully woven tale of lies and deceit that puts two of them in danger. A great read for fans of Gardner!
Love Fora Dane and D.D. Is son conflicted.
Going into Never Tell, I had no knowledge of the previous books in the series. I don’t deem it necessary to read the others first except to gather background information. Either way, I had no misunderstandings reading as a stand alone. I’ve heard amazing things about Lisa Gardner’s for a while now, but I have never read anything by her. It turns out, the praise is definitely accurate. This is a wow kind of story. It’s a convoluted tale of murder, lies and mystery. Three women tell the story. D.D. is the detective on the case, Flora is an abduction survivor/criminal informant, and Evie is the woman accused of murdering her husband. Years earlier, D.D. arrested Evie for the murder of her father. Huge coincidence or a killer twice caught? Interestingly, Flora recognizes someone she saw her captor speaking to at a bar. Again, coincidence? I don’t believe in coincidence. The story unfolds to show that these three women have connections to each other that they may or may not be aware of. The investigation twists and turns to a shocking conclusion. No spoilers here! The voice of each woman is distinct and believable. They are all likeable and engaging. I felt sympathetic toward the characters in various ways which served to further invest me in their outcomes. Well written with a punch, this story is complex and engrossing. Lisa Gardner’s talent is evident, and I will definitely read the rest of the series. Clear your schedule because you’ll want to read until the end. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
I’m a big fan of Lisa Gardner. So are a couple of my friends. We share them back & forth. I have read many of her books & own & keep them in my personal library.
Good, fast read.