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A review by jaemac
Crash & Burn by Lisa Gardner
3.0
Lisa Gardner's latest mystery-thriller is "Crash & Burn" and it will be coming out February 3rd, 2015. This stand alone book starts with a car accident on a dark, wet, remote road. We meet Nicky Frank as she bravely extricates herself from her demolished car, her only thought is to find her little girl Vero. She claws herself up the muddy ravine, desperate for help. The police and ambulance are called and Sergeant Wyatt Foster starts the arduous task of searching the scene for the missing child. Where could a traumatized little girl go in the middle of the night, surrounded by forest?
"Crash & Burn" centers around Nicky Frank, her husband Thomas and their little girl Vero. Except according to Thomas, the couple doesn't have children. Thomas claims Vero doesn't exist and his wife is a very confused and ill woman. Sergeant Foster's job is to figure out what the heck is going on. Did Nicky try to kill herself in her car the evening of the accident? Did her husband have anything to do with it? Why is Nicky Frank so damaged and what causes her to think she has a missing child? It's a whole juggernaut of a mystery for the Sergeant and the deeper he digs, the more concerned he becomes.
Lisa Gardner's latest offering is a good read but, in my opinion, not up to her usual five star success. Many readers have loved this book and I'm on the fence as to what kind of rating to give it. Yes, it was a good, convoluted thriller with true mysterious circumstances woven expertly into each page. My only problem is that it takes so many tiny moments to give out the details to allow the reader to figure out what happened to Nicky Frank. I found myself wishing the book had had a more thorough editing to limit the repetitive scenarios. Nicky talks about "Vero" over and over again, ad nauseam. I got sick of hearing about Vero.
On the other hand, it truly was a difficult mystery to figure out and that's what makes for a good read. If you've loved Gardner's books in the past, try this one, I'm probably wrong that it's only a three and a half star offering. On the other hand, if you've never read a Lisa Gardner book, start with some of her previous books because this one isn't as stand out as it could be. I've reviewed several of hers, including "Touch & Go" and "Catch Me" so feel free to try them along with this one which deserves a try too.
"Crash & Burn" centers around Nicky Frank, her husband Thomas and their little girl Vero. Except according to Thomas, the couple doesn't have children. Thomas claims Vero doesn't exist and his wife is a very confused and ill woman. Sergeant Foster's job is to figure out what the heck is going on. Did Nicky try to kill herself in her car the evening of the accident? Did her husband have anything to do with it? Why is Nicky Frank so damaged and what causes her to think she has a missing child? It's a whole juggernaut of a mystery for the Sergeant and the deeper he digs, the more concerned he becomes.
Lisa Gardner's latest offering is a good read but, in my opinion, not up to her usual five star success. Many readers have loved this book and I'm on the fence as to what kind of rating to give it. Yes, it was a good, convoluted thriller with true mysterious circumstances woven expertly into each page. My only problem is that it takes so many tiny moments to give out the details to allow the reader to figure out what happened to Nicky Frank. I found myself wishing the book had had a more thorough editing to limit the repetitive scenarios. Nicky talks about "Vero" over and over again, ad nauseam. I got sick of hearing about Vero.
On the other hand, it truly was a difficult mystery to figure out and that's what makes for a good read. If you've loved Gardner's books in the past, try this one, I'm probably wrong that it's only a three and a half star offering. On the other hand, if you've never read a Lisa Gardner book, start with some of her previous books because this one isn't as stand out as it could be. I've reviewed several of hers, including "Touch & Go" and "Catch Me" so feel free to try them along with this one which deserves a try too.