Say Hello (Say Goodbye - Lisa Gardner)

Member Name: bilbob20

Product:	Say Goodbye - Lisa Gardner
Date:	27/04/09 (106 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Well written, well developed characters

Disadvantages: It makes your skin crawl

Lisa Gardner has become one of my favourite authors. Her writing is unpretentious and to the bones of the story. Her novel's mostly focus on her favourite FBI Agent Kimberley Quincy, who returns in this story to find another creepy serial killer. Gardner likes her creepy crawlies, with her Killing Hour focusing on a man who loved to drop his victims into a pit crawling in venomous snakes. This time, her killer is a lover of all things arachnid.

Kimberley and Mac are now settled into married life, and expecting their first baby. Of course Kimberley isn't keen to settle too quickly, and soon pokes her nose into a non-existent case of missing prostitutes. A girl, who just happens to be pregnant as well, sucks Kimberley into the case of her missing friend who she claims has fallen victim to a viscious pimp who loves to set his spiders on victims. Soon, the case is causing problems for Kimberley as Mac demands that she lighten her load, and her superiors refuse to give her resources for a case that doesn't have any merit.

Before long, Kimberley is in cohoots with a rogue agent and a girl who is potentially feeding them fraud information for her own agenda. All of them find themselves in danger as the dangerous predator cracks on to them and turns the tables. Meanwhile, the story is interwoven by the diary of a missing boy who is being kept captive by a sexual predator who might or might not be one and the same. Kimberley must get to the heart of the case before somebody gets hurt or worse...

I love that Gardner keeps bringing back this evolving character, as she is a real steely lady. Kimberley is still preyed upon by the demons of her past, and that is very much evident as she lets down her guard with new husband Mac. Its nice that her tough exterior is stripped down as she struggles with her new commitments and the fear of impending motherhood. However, the fragments that made her strong and wiley are all still equally evident as the agent in her comes to the forefront.

Gardner has sharpened her writing skills tenfold since her early incarnation of the Quincy family. Whilst the other members of the family are kept to a minimum here, there are still subtle echoes of them throughout this tale. For instance, we are treated to various snippets of the past stories that are just enough to keep the character of Kimberley evolving, whilst giving away nothing of the outcome of those past stories. Its also nice that we get to know a few newer characters here with new hubbie Mac taking centre stage after remaining mostly in the shadows in past entries.

The story is taut and fast paced, and manages to weave together 3 different threads without losing the reader's interest. There is something heartbreaking about a little boy being taken from his family, preyed upon in his bed, and then being groomed into a predator of sorts. It is so well written that we see him gradually become more and more accepting before becoming empty and cold from the years of abuse. Yet, this part of the story is a subtle diversion from the real action that is going on elsewhere.

If there is a small niggle, its only that this will make your skin crawl. Hidden in there is an education of all things spidery, and I for one struggled to refrain from scratching when those parts of the story unfolded. I'm not arachnaphobic, but I dont really like the look of tarantula's either, and they're thrust to the centre of the horror here. Gardner seems to be a nice lady from the interview's I've seen her do, but she has a creepy sense of story telling which is enthralling but borders on obscene.

Kimberley is probably one of my favourite written characters, and its nice to see her back in this new book. I hope, however, that she gets a well deserved break. Gardner deserves to focus on her other love Bobby Dodge who is also becoming a firm favourite. Maybe we'll even see Dodge and Kimberley steel up together in future entries, it would be nice to see Gardner bring her two best creations together. For now, I'll settle for this well written and thrilling installment.

Summary: One of my favourite characters from one of my favourite writers