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A review by si0bhan
Crash & Burn by Lisa Gardner
4.0
Lisa Gardner is one of those authors I’ve been meaning to come back to, having only read one book prior to this. Due to this, I would like to say a massive thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me the chance to advance read her latest book. I jumped into it as soon as I was given the chance and I absolutely loved it, rekindling my desire to pick up her other books.
Crash & Burn is the third instalment of the Tessa Leoni series, although it is also advertised as a standalone book. The standalone aspect comes about through the fact that Tessa is not taking the lead in the case as she did in the prior book (the other Lisa Gardner book I have read). In Touch & Go, said prior book, Tessa is trying hard to solve the case but with this one she is pulled into it through other means. What means, I heard you ask – well means you will have to read to find out. Through this I am not saying it is not a Tessa Leoni book, as it does continue her story, I am merely saying that it is not a Tessa Leoni book to the degree that the past book was.
To be honest, it was only just more of a Tessa Leoni book than it was a D. D. Warren book. With a cameo appearance from D. D. and a little bit of help here and there from everyone’s favourite hard hitting female detective (seriously, I need to read that series as I fell in love with her character in Touch & Go and even more so in this despite the fact she was hardly in this book) it does do you well to have read Gardner’s other work but it really is not a necessity. The large bulk of the story is a standalone; it is just details that are thrown in here and there for the long time followers who will want to know what is going on in the lives of the characters they have come to know and love from other books. It is not enough to leave you confused as to what is going on; it simply leaves you curious as to why Tessa is worried about certain things and how D. D. was injured.
As a standalone, however, the story is wonderful. At first I feared I was not going to enjoy this one as much as I enjoyed Touch & Go, but as the story progressed I came to enjoy it just as much. There is less of a focus on the police side of the world with this one, compared to the other book I have read by the author. With this one we’re focusing, for the most part, on Nicky and her life. Who is she? What happened to her? What details are we missing out on? Every time you think you have worked it out a new spanner is thrown into the works. Without a doubt, Lisa Gardner is capable of creating a truly gripping story filled with twists and turns. From the very start you are second guessing details, and even if you do manage to work some details out the main bulk of the story – the specific details – all remain a mystery until the very end.
Overall, I loved it. You’re more than welcome to take this as a standalone book but, personally, I think it would do you well to read this book as part of the Tessa Leoni series. But, of course, in saying that I’m also suggesting you should go on and read the D. D. Warren books first, if only because I plan to do the same thing in reverse. Whatever you do, I suggest jumping into the world that Lisa Gardner has created. Whilst I may only be dipping my toes into the shallow end, I plan to soon take a dive into the deeper water. I have a feeling she may soon be sitting high up on my list of favourite authors if her other wok lives up to what I have experienced thus far.
Crash & Burn is the third instalment of the Tessa Leoni series, although it is also advertised as a standalone book. The standalone aspect comes about through the fact that Tessa is not taking the lead in the case as she did in the prior book (the other Lisa Gardner book I have read). In Touch & Go, said prior book, Tessa is trying hard to solve the case but with this one she is pulled into it through other means. What means, I heard you ask – well means you will have to read to find out. Through this I am not saying it is not a Tessa Leoni book, as it does continue her story, I am merely saying that it is not a Tessa Leoni book to the degree that the past book was.
To be honest, it was only just more of a Tessa Leoni book than it was a D. D. Warren book. With a cameo appearance from D. D. and a little bit of help here and there from everyone’s favourite hard hitting female detective (seriously, I need to read that series as I fell in love with her character in Touch & Go and even more so in this despite the fact she was hardly in this book) it does do you well to have read Gardner’s other work but it really is not a necessity. The large bulk of the story is a standalone; it is just details that are thrown in here and there for the long time followers who will want to know what is going on in the lives of the characters they have come to know and love from other books. It is not enough to leave you confused as to what is going on; it simply leaves you curious as to why Tessa is worried about certain things and how D. D. was injured.
As a standalone, however, the story is wonderful. At first I feared I was not going to enjoy this one as much as I enjoyed Touch & Go, but as the story progressed I came to enjoy it just as much. There is less of a focus on the police side of the world with this one, compared to the other book I have read by the author. With this one we’re focusing, for the most part, on Nicky and her life. Who is she? What happened to her? What details are we missing out on? Every time you think you have worked it out a new spanner is thrown into the works. Without a doubt, Lisa Gardner is capable of creating a truly gripping story filled with twists and turns. From the very start you are second guessing details, and even if you do manage to work some details out the main bulk of the story – the specific details – all remain a mystery until the very end.
Overall, I loved it. You’re more than welcome to take this as a standalone book but, personally, I think it would do you well to read this book as part of the Tessa Leoni series. But, of course, in saying that I’m also suggesting you should go on and read the D. D. Warren books first, if only because I plan to do the same thing in reverse. Whatever you do, I suggest jumping into the world that Lisa Gardner has created. Whilst I may only be dipping my toes into the shallow end, I plan to soon take a dive into the deeper water. I have a feeling she may soon be sitting high up on my list of favourite authors if her other wok lives up to what I have experienced thus far.