Look for Me

I love a good suspense story.  You know when you read the first page and are instantly hooked that you are going to be in for a wild ride.  Look for Me is one of those stories that you think you have figured out and then there is a sudden twist that has you second guessing yourself.  Then another twist.  And another.  By the time you reach the end you close the book and mutter, "Wow."

Roxy, a sixteen-year-old girl, is missing.  Her family is brutally murdered in their home and no one knows if the missing girl is the murderer or running for her life.  Detective D.D. Warren is on the case, carefully putting the pieces of the puzzle together.  From what she is being told Roxy is the most level-headed person in her family, having to raise her younger brother and sister, protecting them every way she knows how, especially when they are taken away by child protective services and placed in foster care due to their mothers negligence due to alcoholism.  This is the wakeup call that their mother needs and see fights to get clean and get her children back.  Against all odds she accomplishes her goal and the little family is reunited.  Everything seems to be going good and now almost the entire family is gunned down in cold blood and Roxy is nowhere to be found.

The deeper D.D. digs into the family's backstory the darker the secrets that are unearthed which makes the situation that much more confusing.  D.D. is approached by Flora Dane soon after news of the murders are out and requests that she be a CI in the investigation.  Flora is a victim herself, and an advocate and leader of others who have been through traumatic experiences.  She tells D.D. that she has been in contact with Roxy prior to the murders that adds another twist in the already confusing narrative.

The attitudes and sarcasm between D.D. and Flora is great.  They both have very different tactics but they both have the same goal: to find Roxy and find the truth.  The conflict between these two characters helps lighten the very dark subject matter.  Look for Me delves into alcoholism, the dark side of the foster care system, the effects of a family being torn apart, and the consequences of the choices of others.

Look for Me is the ninth book in The Detective D.D. Warren Series and since this is my first book in the series to read I can honestly say it is perfectly fine to read as a standalone book.  I do not post spoilers but I do have to comment that the ending, though slightly predictable, is incredibly sad.  The pace of the book is even and constant and makes the book hard to put down once you stop.  This is my first book by Lisa Gardner and have to say that it is well written, the story multifaceted, and will not be my last book to read by this author or in this series.  Five stars!

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Penguin Group Dutton and NetGalley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.  All opinions are my own.