Book Review: by Jenn McLean on "Catch Me" by Lisa Gardner

                                     written by Jenn Mclean

So, I finally finished a fantastic book that I received for free from Penguin Books as an "Advanced Reading Copy" to be reviewed by ME!! I was so thrilled to be asked to do my first review. I must admit, I'm an avid reader. I know this is new information to most of you who regularly read my blog, Just Add Water Silly. 
Usually I'm waxing poetic about new amazing artists I've "discovered" on my travails through the blogosphere, or expounding on what fun it is to paint and have the outcome be just exactly what you wanted it to be. You are also probably used me interspersing these artistic centered posts with other posts about cool tools or new artist's supplies or even explanations about artist's techniques. What I have never done is review a book. Until today!

Now, back to my announcement. I L♥VE to read. I was actually kindly but mercilessly teased by friends and acquaintances alike about the fact that I was never without a book. Now that I have a Kindle it's filled with hundreds of books that I've read or have yet to read. I love it. What a thrill to have a book just magically show up in my mailbox, asking to be read and reviewed. Yes! I'm on it!

The title of this thrilling mystery (my favorite genre, by the way) is "Catch Me" by Lisa Gardner. The back cover pulls you expertly into the story by giving you two pertinent details...

1. Charlie Grant claims she will be murdered in the next four days.
2. She wants Boston's best murder cop, Detective D.D Warren to investigate her upcoming death four days hence.

This begs the question... Is Charlene Rosalind Carter Grant (known as Charlie) actually about to become Boston's next murdered citizen or is she just as crazy as she sounds. This is what Det. D.D. Warren has to find out and she only has four days to do it.

This book is the sixth in Lisa Gardner's series centered around Det. D.D. Warren, a Boston murder cop with a "get'er done" attitude. Det. Warren, now 41, has just had a baby. D.D's afraid motherhood is going to soften her. She comes off of maternity leave to find herself having to balance two unusual cases. One involving Charlie Carter and another that seems to involve a vigilante killer plumbing Boston's seedy underbelly for child predators. Yet the cases seem to strangely be connected. But how could that be?

Author: Lisa Gardner

Gardner is expert in instantly pulling you into her story. Her writing is tight and adds only minimal extraneous information. I didn't find myself thinking, "get on with it" once throughout this fantastic read. That's rare these days. So many authors seem to fill pages with every detail surrounding each character that one feels "trapped" in too many words. Not with Gardner. She gives many details but stops at just the right point where you're learning about the characters and their environment but you're not bored. It's a well balanced book.

Let me also say that her character development is perfectly paced. Her first "punch" of information to hold our interest is followed by enough details to flesh out each additional main character. In just one book I've gotten to to "see" the main characters as multi-dimentional people who I want to read more about. Gardner forces you to wish her books were longer and makes you thankful you can go and get her preceeding five books.

This is a "can't put it down, read past your bedtime" kind of book. Gardner adds double twists, keeping the reader guessing until the very last page. A truly spectacular read, I can't wait to peruse her other offerings. I'm hooked on this author and her fully developed characters!!Thank you to Penguin Books, I had needed a new author, they provided a perfect fit.

My suggestion, go to your local bookstore or Amazon.com and get this book. You won't regret it. I'll be back with a more art focused post soon.
We'll talk, have coffee. K?
Best,