Customer Reviews

The Night Before

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I have been reading Lisa Jackson for several years now. I started reading her back when she was writing mainly romance novels. Then she went into the suspense Genre and got even better. I like her books so much that I had this on my wish list for a long time and then bought the book myself. It was money well spent as well as sleepless nights. That's right Ms. Jackson, I will hold you responsible for me not getting enough sleep for those nights.

The protogonist, Caitlyn wakes up with blood all over her and finds her husband murdered in his study. She has many hours of the night before that she is unable to account for. The police start harassing her because the evidence points to Caitlyn. It also turns out that nobody liked her husband and most are not sorry that he is gone including her family.

As Caitlyn keeps having strange dreams, she panics even more. Caitlyn turns to a new town psychiatrist, Adam who had temporarily replaced her regular psychiatirst, Rebecca. There are also questions to Rebecca suddenly leaving town and also there is the question of missing patient files on Caitlyn. Caitlyn also is not sure as to whether to trust Adam. She is also attracted to Adam. As it turns out, Adam has secrets of his own that he has to hide for his reasons.

Caitlyn also has a twin sister who nobody is in contact with. Caitlyn desperately tries to contact her thinking that she can solve the mystery as to what had happened the night of her husband's murder. Mean time certain members of her family are keeping their secrets as well and more corpses also turn up. I won't say much more on this story as I think all readers should read this book. This is a story that will stay on your mind and also pleae make sure you are not home alone when you read this book at night.

I devoured the other Lisa Jackson romantic suspenses, but had such a difficult time getting into this one once the heroine's internal dialogue became repetitive. I kept putting the book down--not a good sign. There's almost no romance in this story, and Adam and Caitlyn's encounters seem almost an afterthought instead of central to the storyline. While I don't read romantic suspense for the romance anyway, this wasn't a problem for me, but those expecting a vital romance should be forewarned. It ain't there. And, amazingly, I guessed the killer's identity within the first three chapters, something I rarely do. If it was that obvious to me, it should fairly leap out at more savvy mystery and suspense readers. That said, this is a well-written, complicated and intriguing tale of small-town entanglements and family interaction despite my having to struggle through the first chapters to get to the good stuff.

Caitlyn Montgomery has woken to find blood everywhere. On her sheets, on her walls, and all over herself. The only problem is that she doesn't know how it got there. Except for the cuts on her arms, there is no way that the amount of blood in her bedroom could have come from her. After cleaning everything up as best she can, Caitlyn gets a visit from the police, telling her it looks as if her estranged husband has commited suicide. Caitlyn is torn, as it looks like she was involved, but she can't remember anything. A woman that has always had mental problems, Caitlyn really loses it after her three year old daughter suddenly died after being hospitalized with a virus. Heartbroken over her daughter, she questions herself as a mother when her husband decides to sue her for the wrongful death of her daughter. The only person she can turn to besides her therapist is her twin sister, Kelly.

Adam Hunt has come to Savannah on a mission. He has come to find his ex-wife who was the therapist to Catilyn Montgomery. When he manages to instigate himself into Caitlyn's life as her therapist, he feels guilt. Guilt for lying to her and guilt for feeling something other than doctor concern, when he still has feelings for his ex-wife, Rebecca. But the more he sees Caitlyn, the more he believes that Rebecca's dissaperance ties into to Caitlyn and her family.

Then someone starts killing off the remaining Montgomery family. Starting with Caitlyn's husband, the killer then moves to the illigidemate Montgomery children. And each time it seems as if Caitlyn is involved, possibly even the killer. With her blackouts and memory losses, Caitlyn starts assuming the worst.

The truth is a shocker and something that I didn't even expect at all. I read some of the other reviews and I couldn't see where the reader would know about the outcome. I also had no idea of the killer and was just as shocked with that. I have read both Jackson's books, Hot and Cold Blooded, and I think that The Night Before definitley surpasses both books in suspense and romance.

Don't miss it!

In Savannah, Caitlyn Bandeaux is covered with blood, but has no idea why or what happened last night. She blames her memory loss on alcohol. After she cleans up, Police Detectives Reed and Morrisette inform her that someone brutally murdered her estrange spouse Josh. She remains the prime suspect with a strong motive and opportunity since he was suing her in the wrongful death of their infant son Jamie and her blood type was found at the crime scene. Still the cops realize that Josh had many enemies from his unscrupulous business dealings and his womanizing.

Caitlyn asks her twin Kelly for help, but her sibling initially fails to return her desperate calls. As she suffers more blackouts and strange flashes, she turns to psychiatrist Adam Hunt though Kelly objects. Adam has an agenda of his own while the truth begins to surface inside Caitlyn's mind one slow drip at a time.

Fans of Lisa Jackson's "Blooded" novels will want to read THE NIGHT BEFORE, an exciting romantic psychological suspense filled with plenty of twists, albeit too many. The story line grips the audience as Caitlyn struggles to regain her equilibrium by trying to learn why she blacks out (read the twist to learn why) but also falling in love with Adam. Some of the loose ties from the "Blooded" novels are answered in this tale that includes the appearance of New Orleans Detective Montoya. Ms. Jackson will return to all the lists while her audience anxiously awaiting the sequel, THE MORNING AFTER.

Harriet Klausner

This book was suspensful right down to the last page. When Caitlyn Montgomery-Bandeaux's husband, Josh Bandeaux is murdered in his home one night, Caitlyn can't remember anything that happened to her the night before. Now, Detective's Reed and Morisette with the Savannah Police Department have suspected Caitlyn of brutally murdering her husband, even though the two were separated. The detective's find Caitlyn to be their number one suspect because #1 Josh was cheating on her with a woman named Naomi Cristman, and #2 Josh was going to file a wrongful death suit against his wife for the death of their child. Now, the detectives find that Caitlyn has a real skimpy alibi about where she was the night before. Did Caitlyn really kill her husband?!?!
This book keeps you in suspense until the last page!! It's a great novel for anyone who likes suspense and romance all wrapped into one!

This book was definitely a thriller. I was so spooked at times that I found myself stopping to get up and check the locks on the doors. It is fairly suspenseful from the start,intriguing and yet disturbing at many times. Approach this book with an open mind and be prepared for a family that have even more problems than those who go on the Jerry Springer show. Even though it was eerie, it was a good page turner and surprisingly there is even romance thrown in. Not particularly a book everyone will enjoy, but still a good read with a surprise ending.

People around Caitlyn Bandeaux are ending up dead. She's got holes in her memory and blood in her bedroom. As the body count rises, even Caitlyn doubts she's innocent. Adam Hunt helps her search for the truth, even as he searches for his missing ex-wife, Caitlyn's psychologist. While he's looking, he's finding a connection with the troubled woman...could it be more than a doctor/patient relationship?

Twists and turns abound in this page-turning who-dunit! Lisa Jackson is a master of suspence!

A great book by a great author. I love Lisa Jackson - my only regret is that she doesn't write quickly enough but she writes quality novels. The Night Before is a spellbinder that had me guessing right to the end. Ms. Jackson did a great job of stretching out the suspense and throwing in some surprises - a tough job to do well but she accomplished it.

The Night Before is the story of murder and family intrigue. Caitlyn Bandeaux wakes up covered in blood and learns that her estranged husband is dead and she is the prime suspect. Even she doesn't fully recall the events of the prior night. During the police investigation additional murders occur and everyone is keep in suspense regarding who did it. I highly recommend this book for the great suspense and great storytelling.

Lisa Jackson doesn't disappoint her fans with this intriguing thriller. Caitlyn Montgomery Bandeaux is hanging on to her sanity by a thread as she tries to survive the death of her beloved daughter and the collapse of her marriage. Then her soon to be ex husband, Josh Bandeaux, is brutally murdered and Caitlyn is the primary suspect. She awakes the next morning covered in so much blood that it cannot all be her own and with huge gaps in her memory.

With her therapist gone missing, plagued by fragmented memories of the deaths of her family and uncertain of her part in the death of her husband Caitlyn turns to Adam Hunt, a new therapist in town who has supposedly taken over for her former psychologist. Adam's story has as many holes as her memory. She is not sure wether to trust him, but she suspects that she is beginning to be attracted to him and there's nowhere else to turn.

Jackson weaves an entertaining tale that kept me up well past midnight. I'm looking forward to the next in this series, 'The Morning After'.

The Night Before works very well as a thriller. Ugly family secrets and gruesome murders are thrown into the mix, which will definitely keep you up at night. The author introduced several surprising plot twists that make it more difficult to guess the indentity of the killer.
The romance, however, doesn't work for me. Amidst all the mysteries and suspense, the romance seems to get lost. There isn't much space devoted to the story of Caitlyn and Adam and hence, it's very insufficiently developed. . They meet, go out a few times, get attracted to each other physically and bam, love blossoms. At the end of the story I still wonder why these two fall in love. The character of Adam is not fleshed out enough. I still don't know much about him except for some background information and that he thinks he loves Caitlyn. As for Caitlyn, she's too busy overcoming her sad memories and mental problems to enlighten the reader on why she loves him.
All in all, this is a must read if you like a good psychological thriller.