Die for You: A Novel (Hardcover)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Thriller author Unger's intriguing if overstuffed stand-alone introduces a tough and grudgingly vulnerable heroine who will stop at nothing to uncover the truth, even if it threatens to tear apart her life. Isabel Connelly, a bestselling novelist, and her loving husband, Marcus Raine, a computer game designer, have it all, including an elegant prewar apartment on Manhattan's Upper West Side. When Marcus doesn't come home one night, Isabel goes to his office, where she's confronted by a dozen people with weapons drawn. Det. Grady Crowe later informs Isabel that not only is her husband missing but he's been lying about his past, having stolen the real Marcus Raine's identity years earlier. Despite a text from Marcus urging her to forget about him, Isabel vows to track him down. Usually adept at juggling multiple plot lines, Unger (Black Out) dilutes Isabel's story with point-of-view shifts and unnecessary subplots, including one about Crowe's marital woes. (June)
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Review

"If you haven't yet experienced Lisa Unger, what are you waiting for?"
–Harlan Coben

"[A] great ride."
–Tampa Tribune

"Unger has proved herself to be a master of pacing and suspense and DIE FOR YOU is no exception; in fact, it is the most nerve-wracking, hand-wringing book I’ve read by her to date. This truly is edge-of your-seat action and my whole body was tense while I read. BUY THIS BOOK!"
—Crimespree Magazine

“DIE FOR YOU tells the story of your worst nightmare: do you think you know the person you love? Do you really? Lisa Unger writes with sharp psychological insight and bone-deep understanding of her characters. This novel is almost unbearably thrilling.”
–Luanne Rice, author of Last Kiss and The Geometry of Sisters

Praise for Lisa Unger’s Books
“Stunning.”
–Tess Gerritsen

“Surprising.”
–Cosmopolitan

“Satisfying breathlessness.”
–San Francisco Chronicle

“Lip-smacking good.”
–Chicago Tribune

“Memorable.”
–Baltimore Sun

“Compulsive.”
–New York Daily News

“Engaging.”
–Entertainment Weekly

“Gripping.”
–St. Petersburg Times

“Riveting.”
–Harlan Coben

“Outstanding.”
–Roanoke Times

“Intriguing.”
–Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale)

“Spine-tingling suspense...
Pulse-pounding...”
–Booklist

“Sexy.”
–Lee Child

“Powerful.”
–Lisa Gardner

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Shaye Areheart Books (June 2, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307393976
• ISBN-13: 978-0307393975
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #47,533 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars What If...?, June 2, 2009

By	Tom S. "filmfan3" (New York City) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Here's a great premise: What if you were a happily married woman whose seemingly perfect husband went off to work one morning...and vanished? Well, you'd go nuts--even after you began to learn a few odd things about Mr. Right. You'd hound the authorities, maybe crash a crime scene--which, of course, would make you look as suspicious as your missing spouse. Then you'd decide to solve the mystery yourself--even if that decision could get you killed....

Lisa Unger is a new favorite of mine. I discovered her last year with BLACKOUT, and I could hardly wait for this one. The emphasis here is more on plot and action than character development, but it's a good choice if you're in the mood for fast-paced, well-written suspense. Try it.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "The screaming just went on... until the line went suddenly dead.", June 2, 2009

By	Luan Gaines "luansos" (Dana Point, CA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

New Yorker Isabel Raine has made peace with the single life when she meets her charming, somewhat enigmatic Prague-born husband, Marcus. After five years, the romance is still fresh, Isabel a much published author, Marcus a successful software designer. Why then does Marcus walk away from their home one morning never to return? After a night of anxiety, fear and rage, Isabel begins a desperate search for her husband that leaves her reeling and distraught. After a run-in with the FBI at Marcus' office, a brutal attack and a concussion, the trashing of her home and assorted dead bodies, Isabel balks at revealing all her secrets to the police, crashing blindly through crime scenes in search of clues. Isabel's intransigence draws everyone in her family into a vortex of violence, all put at risk as Isabel compulsively races from one conclusion to another. While her stubbornness may ultimately reveal the answers she needs, Isabel's hubris does not make for a likable protagonist.

Luckily, Isabel's impetuous and provocative actions are tempered by her sister, Linda, an artist/photographer with a healthy marriage and two children. But even Linda has feet of clay in this tale, both girls traumatized by a childhood incident that haunts them still. In contrast to Isabel's abrasiveness, Linda is all the more sympathetic, bravely supporting her younger sister in spite of an unraveling personal life, one character's flaws balanced against another's. In an attempt to tether the plot to the possible, the voice of a young detective injects another perspective, Grady Crowe battling his own demons and marital disharmony while chasing Isabel from one crime scene to another. Perhaps it is the author's choice of protagonist-as-writer that burdens the story with too much detail and not enough nuance, the sometimes tedious rationalization of aberrant behavior in service of plot.

Without doubt, Unger is a talented storyteller. Although this bizarre cast- successful New York women, a rogue husband, a deranged stalker and a female adversary with blood in her eye- requires some suspension of belief, the novel exhibits the energy of Unger's other work: I find it necessary to make a conscious decision to follow Unger's lead. With unusual plot twists and the random threats of suspicious characters, count on Unger to deliver a compelling version of Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. Would I like more depth in her characters? Sure. But I'll settle for a few hours of a fast-paced mystery from a very consistent writer. Luan Gaines/2009.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Easy and Enjoyable Summer Read... 3.5 Stars, July 11, 2009

By	Barb Mechalke (in the lovely Finger Lakes Region of Upstate New York) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is Lisa Unger's fourth novel, I've read them all. I loved her first two, 'Beautiful Lies' and 'Sliver of Truth' and this one was enjoyable and easy to read. But I thought it lacked some of the polish in pace and detail that her other novels have.

This is the story of Isabel Connelly Raine an accomplished author who's husband disappears. Isabel's world is turned upside down as she discovers that her husband has betrayed her in every way possible.

The narration alternates between Isabel's first person perspective and a third person narrative which I sometimes found distracting. I also found the themes of trust and independence painted throughout in a somewhat heavy handed way. While the suicide of Isabel's father was very realistically portrayed, there was one extra layer of trauma and suspense in this story that seemed one too many to me.

I liked this book, It was an easy read but the characters weren't as realistic as others Unger has created. If you like suspense novels you will probably like this but if you just like good fiction I would urge you to read Lisa Unger's 'Beautiful Lies'. I thought that was so well done, just an excellent book.