Catch Me [Kindle Edition]

Lisa Gardner (Author)

Book Description

 

ONE OF LIBRARY JOURNAL'S BEST THRILLERS OF THE YEAR

Charlene Grant believes she is going to die. For the past few years, her childhood friends have been murdered one by one. Same day. Same time. Now she’s the last of her friends alive, and she’s counting down the final four days of her life until January 21.

 

Charlene doesn’t plan on going down without a fight. She has taken up boxing, shooting, and running. She also wants Boston’s top homicide detective, D. D. Warren, to handle the investigation.

 

But as D.D. delves deeper into the case, she starts to question the woman’s story. Instinct tells her that Charlene may not be in any danger at all. If that’s true, the woman must have a secret—one so terrifying that it alone could be the greatest threat of all.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

*Starred Review* It’s hard to imagine Boston detective D. D. Warren slowing down, but back to work after a blissful, eight-week maternity leave, she’s determined to strike some sort of balance in her life. Her first case, however, renders that an impossibility. An alleged serial killer is targeting pedophiles. While D. D. and her crew may sympathize with this vigilante murderer’s motives, they’re hell-bent on handling justice the right way and catching the killer. Meanwhile, D. D. is contacted by Charlie, a young woman who claims that she will be killed on January 21, just as her two former best friends were murdered on that date in the two consecutive years prior. While D. D. would like to dismiss Charlie as crazy, the facts are there to support her assertion. As the two investigations develop, it becomes apparent that they could be linked. Gardner really pulls you in the middle of the drama, alternating Charlie’s first-person retelling of the horrible circumstances of her life with the third-person narration of D. D.’s investigations. The creepy meter is off the charts—though not sensationalized—with children the target of physical, psychological, and sexual abuse at the hands of both strangers and parents. And, somehow, miraculously without any contrivance, Gardner’s conclusion delivers a welcome glimmer of hope. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Last year, Gardner had three titles on different New York Times bestseller lists; her latest D. D. Warren novel will launch a new streak for 2012. --Mary Frances Wilkens

Review

"Well-wrought suspense"
-"Publishers Weekly"

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• File Size: 712 KB
• Print Length: 400 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0525952764
• Publisher: Signet; Reprint edition (February 7, 2012)
• Sold by: Penguin Publishing
• Language: English
• ASIN: B005GSZHZO
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Not Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,225 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

132 of 140 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Another corker in the DD series... February 2, 2012

By Best Books To Read

Format:Kindle Edition

Lisa Gardner has been on my must read list for some time now and I have particularly loved the Quincy/Rainie series. However, in more recent books the DD Warren series has been predominant which I have taken my time to grow to like as much as the Quincy books. Having said that; after Lisa's last book in this DD Warren series I can honestly say I was hooked. DD Warren is a typical no-nonsense Detective, and she has her work cut out for her in this latest book.

Charlie Grant is the main focus of the story and from the very beginning we are shown her sheer terror. Charlie is convinced that on 21st January she will be murdered. Whilst dealing with another crime scene, Charlie confronts DD and asks her to make sure she investigates her imminent death properly.

The nicest thing about this book is we see the slight change in DD's character and she comes across as a much softer woman following the birth of her son. DD and her team are also working on the killing of people involved in sex crimes. This storyline interlinks with the main one regarding Charlie nicely. From the very beginning the plot is very fast paced and there is a sense of frenzy as we read about Charlie trying to out-run the person coming to kill her.

The story picks up considerable pace around the halfway mark and the two stories run alongside each other nicely. The best part about this book for me was seeing much more of DD's personal life and the ways in which she has changed. The story kept me turning the pages quickly and the story kept me guessing until the very end. We do see glimpses of characters from previous books such as retired FBI profiler Pierce Quincy, as well as fleeting glances of J.T Dillon and Sergeant Roan. Although I have grown to love DD Warren, I would still love to see another book released featuring Quincy!

Overall, this was one of the best in the DD Warren series and although part of a series could certainly be read as a stand alone book. I think Lisa Gardner fans will be thrilled with the new, softer DD Warren and new readers will be pleased to read such an engaging book. A definite page turner and I would definitely recommend it.

36 of 41 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Has motherhood mellowed D.D.? February 7, 2012

By Susan Tunis TOP 100 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

Boston homicide detective D.D. Warren is back! And at the age of 41, she's dealing with first-time motherhood. In fact, she's just returned from maternity leave, and her first case back involves what appears to be a serial killer of pedophiles. While the Boston P.D. isn't mourning the victims, they aren't about to turn their backs on some kind of vigilante killer.

Outside one of the crime scenes, D.D. finds a suspicious note on her windshield, and spots a woman watching her. Once D.D. chases her down, she meets Charlene Rosalind Carter Grant, a young woman with an amazing story. In short, Charlene believes that she's about to be murdered in a few days on January 21st, just as her two closest friends were in the two preceding years.

The novel is told in three narrative threads, that of D.D.'s investigation, the continuation of Charlene's story, and a third storyline involving a young boy who is clearly being cyber stalked. It moves at a consistently fast pace that is sure to keep you turning pages. The plot of this novel is very complex. There's a lot going on, and if you figure it all out, you're a lot smarter than me. Stories with as many twists and turns as this one has can seem contrived, but Ms. Gardner has managed to put all of her puzzle pieces together so meticulously that I never felt she was cheating. It was beyond impressive!

As tight as the plotting is, perhaps the most satisfying aspect of this novel is watching the evolution of this central character that we've gotten to know so well over the years. Every time I finish one of these novels, I'm left looking forward to the next case and the next chapter in D.D.'s life.

35 of 40 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars "The monsters are everywhere." February 3, 2012

By Luan Gaines HALL OF FAMETOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

Boston detective DD Warren is faced with a most unusual case when Charlene Rosalind Carter Grant reports an impending homicide: "In four days someone is going to kill me." The murderer-at-large has already taken the lives of Grant's two best friends on January 21st of consecutive years. As part of a trio of best friends since grade school, Charlie figures she is next on the list, the past year spent on a rigorous schedule of self-defense lessons and graveyard shifts as a 9-1-1 dispatch operator. Charlene does not expect to survive beyond the looming date. Unsurprisingly, Warren's dance card is already full with a new baby, a looming visit from parents and a spate of recent murders of known pedophiles demanding the Boston PD's immediate attention. Now DD must balance the crimes on hand with a case yet to be a case, the assistance of a Special Victims detective much appreciated.

Gardner tells her story through two voices, the soon-to-be victim, and the lead detective, in chapters that reveal Charlie's childhood of unabated abuse at the hands of her mother and current threat from an unknown killer and the thoroughly professional approach of a seasoned investigator happy for the assistance of Detective O, who contributes another perspective, one that includes suspicion of the enigmatic Charlie Grant. The result is a thriller that at first seems predictable- until Gardner pulls the rug out from under any easy assumptions and injects an unexpected angle to her plot. Filled with relevant information about the behavioral adaptations of online pedophiles, police procedures during homicide investigations and the emotional demands on 9-1-1 operators on shift, the action accelerates in a nightmarish scenario that highlights the perverted creativity of criminals and the damage to innocents, in this case the past come alive in pursuit of restitution in the present. Luan Gaines/2012.

More About the Author

New York Times #1 bestselling crime novelist Lisa Gardner began her career in food service, but after catching her hair on fire numerous times, she took the hint and focused on writing instead. A self-described research junkie, she has parlayed her interest in police procedure, cutting edge forensics and twisted plots into a streak of thirteen bestselling suspense novels, including her most recent release, Catch Me.

Readers are invited to get in on the fun by entering the annual "Kill a Friend, Maim a Mate" Sweepstakes, where they can nominate the person of their choice to die in Lisa's latest novel. Every year, one Lucky Stiff is selected for Literary Immortality. It's cheaper than therapy, and you get a great book besides. For more details, simply visit Lisa's website.

Lisa lives in New England with her family, as well as two highly spoiled dogs and one extremely neurotic three-legged cat.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#26 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Thrillers

#29 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Mystery & Thrillers > Thrillers

#34 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

#34 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Mystery & Thrillers

#46 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Mystery

#26 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Thrillers

#29 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Mystery & Thrillers > Thrillers

#34 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

#34 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Mystery & Thrillers

#46 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Mystery