When You See Me

Read it in two days, like all of Lisa Gardeners books. Love her characters and each book is a fresh read.
Go back and read older ones again and again.

6 stars. Wow. Oh my. Could have read this book in one session but i was tired. Awesome book

I love a great mystery!

A little slow in the beginning but then took off and finished strong! It was great to see three of her female characters from her other series all come together to stop the bad guy. An enjoyable read!

Lisa Gardner, “the master of the psychological thriller,” delivers the eleventh installment in her D.D. Warren series, When You See Me, a compelling and haunting mystery that succeeds on every level.

When You See Me opens with a disturbing first-person narrative from girl who, at just five years of age, witnesses the abuse and murder of her mother, and is wounded herself. Her identity is unknown. She relates her story in chapters alternating Flora’s narrative, as well as chapters focusing on Kimberly and D.D. When a couple of hikers happen upon skeletal remains in the tranquil Georgia mountains, just outside the picturesque little town of Niche, D.D. and Kimberly lead a team of investigators tasked with examining the makeshift gravesite, along with the hiking trails surrounding it and the quaint little community.

The mysterious narrator reveals that she can draw, but is unable to speak, read or write. Her art is the only way she can convey the atrocities she has witnessed. But where have those hellacious events taken place? And who were the victims she mentions?

As the investigation proceeds, more bodies are found, and it seems increasingly apparently that the remains may be linked with none other than Jacob Ness, who kidnapped Flora and held her in a coffin-shaped box. Flora was a vivacious young woman when he snatched her, and subjected her to unspeakable terror and abuse from which she has never recovered. Flora is forever changed and has become a vigilante determined to ensure that no one other young women suffer as she has.

Once again D.D. leaves her crime analyst husband and precocious six-year-old son, Jack, behind in Boston in order to devote herself to solving a decades-old crime. She is singularly devoted to the task and her career, secure that her husband understands her drive and can competently care for their child while she is away. That does not extinguish the pain and guilt she experiences when she is away from them, a fact that continues to confound and amaze her.

It was Kimberly who discovered that Jacob was a serial predator and led the raid on the Florida hotel room where he was holding Flora captive. She is equally devoted to her career, and determined to identify the skeletal remains found in Georgia and bring the victims’ killer(s) to justice.

The first victim identified is Lilah Abenito who was declared missing fifteen years ago . . . and one of Jacob’s first victims. Because of that connection, Flora’s assistance is vital to the investigation. Having survived a harrowing ordeal, she has intimate knowledge about Jacob, his proclivities and thought processes, and where his quest for victim may have led him. But reliving those details may prove too much for Flora as they narrow in on the actual site where Jacob held her captive.

Tautly constructed in Gardner’s familiar style, When You See Me is a fast-paced, searing adventure toward the truth about Jacob Hess, as well as local residents who may have been involved in a horrifying scheme that has left many young women dead. Joined by the local sheriff, who is mortified when he realizes what may have been going on undetected in the sleepy little town where he is supposed to be keeping folks safe, the team of investigators divide up responsibility and confront the powerful local citizens who will stop at nothing to keep their crimes from being revealed.

Flora’s willingness to journey back to the worst days of her life and confront the lingering emotional toll that Jacob visited upon her is absorbing and deeply emotional. Through her narration, she shares her innermost feelings, as well as the ways in which her life changed forever on that fateful day when Jacob kidnapped her. Equally disturbing yet fascinating is the story related by the young woman who saw her mother brutally killed and was rendered mute, and has lived in terror every day since. When her identity is revealed, the pace of the story accelerates as shocking truths are revealed and the urgent need to solve the case becomes apparent. Gardner again delivers an entertaining mystery that is unsparingly heartbreaking and visceral, and leaves readers clamoring for the next installment in the series.

Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader’s Copy of the book.

I was unable to put this book down, I would wake up at 4 am to read this book. It is a MUST read.

Propulsive, Riveting, and disturbing!

In this latest novel by Gardner, When You See Me, Detective D.D. Warren, FBI Agent Kimberly Quincy, and survivor-turned-vigilante Flora Dane head to the Georgia Hills where authorities believe bones of an early Jacob Ness victim have been found. But as the investigation unfolds and more bones are discovered it would seem that things in the charming town of Niche aren’t quite what they first appeared and a much darker, sinister danger seems to be at play.

The writing is gritty and tight. The characters are diligent, scarred, and relentless. And the plot told from multiple perspectives keeps you on the edge of your seat as it submerges you into a menacing tale full of twists, turns, secrets, red herrings, deception, manipulation, deduction, attraction, mayhem, violence, and murder.

Once again, When You See Me has proven that when it comes to writing exceptionally complex, fast-paced, deftly plotted police procedurals with exceptional character development and nefarious storylines Gardner is definitely one of the best.

Great book by a great author

Lisa Gardner never disappoints and this book has a great cast of characters. There’s a sense of being driven towards the ending that I loved, and a past-meets-present set up that always adds depth to a narrative. Established fans will be delighted and if you’re new to Gardner, this is a great place to start reading.

Lisa Gardner has done it, again. She writes great thrillers. D.D. Warren has grown so much throughout this series. A bone is discovered by a hiker in the woods. Soon the FBI has descended to North Georgia. D.D., Flora and Keith are asked to join the task force. There is so much action. It will keep you glued to your seat. The suspense is a slow burn that comes to a steamy end.