This is the first novel by Lisa Gardner which I have read
and I will read another by her. Published by headline it is 372 pages long (my
hardback edition) it cost me £3.99 from an online book discounters but price on
dust jackets is £12.99
Basic Plot (from the first two chapters):
Charlene Rosalind Carter Grant has a fear, a fear that she
will be killed on January 21st…..
D.D. Warren a Sergeant detective in the Boston police
homicide department, is on the case of what looks like a serial killer but is
then asked to investigate a crime which has not yet happened by the victim of
the crime who is not yet a victim. Can DD really take this seriously…..?
It is already the 17th January - the clock is
ticking…..
What I thought of it
This is a well written novel which at first appears to be
three different stories which begin to intertwine and link together as the
novel goes on. The way it is written does give the impression that the story
could actually happen. The police work involved in the case(s) is reasonably
well portrayed but perhaps there could have been a bit more detail in this
area.
The main characters are well rounded and there is enough
given to give the character back story without boring the reader. Charlene
Grant is shown as someone who is tough but still afraid of the 21st
January coming round. She is someone who has three or four different plans, at
least, for everything. The character of D.D. Warren is perhaps a little lighter
but this is due to it being part of a series of novels so her characterisation
may have been dealt with more in previous novels in the series, however, she is
still shown to be a well-rounded character in this. At the start of this novel
she has just returned to work after maternity leave so this does add another
dimension to the character.
Whilst there are no really unbelievable characters in the
novel there are a few characters which are under used and some don’t appear for
over 100 pages which can be a bit of a problem if you take quite a while to
read the novel. I know this is quite common in many novels but here I didn’t
find that it held the novel up in any way.
There are enough twists and turns in the story to keep you
interested in the novel and the conclusion does work and it is not just a
rushed “well it’s an ending” type of conclusion. I do think some parts of the
novel did add little to the overall plot but it did help in the
characterisation particularly that of Charlene.
The settings for the novels do work from the crime scenes to
Charlene’s rented room in the house she lives in as is the impression of the
cold winter in Boston. D.D Warren’s home life also works well and helps to
soften the workaholic nature she is reputed to have
However, I do have a minor problem with one thing in how the
novel is written. It switches between the first and the third person. It is in
the first when it focusses on Charlene and third when focussing on everyone
else. Whilst I can see why this has been done in order to try to bring the
reader into the novel more as Charlene but still giving the rest of the story
as the other characters I would prefer this kind of novel to be written
entirely in the third person – but that is just my personal preference.
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