FBI Special Agent Kimberly Quincy and Sergeant Detective D.D. Warren have built a task force to follow the digital bread crumbs left behind by deceased serial kidnapper Jacob Ness. What at first looks like a Gothic eeriness soon hardens into something much more sinister.
Per usual, Gardner infuses her narrative with timely and topical social issues that deserve a closer look; here, the abuses and limitations of the foster care system come under the microscope, as do other matters including dependency, exploitation, gang violence, and PTSD. So too the struggles of working mothers like D. D. Warren, who endeavor to balance their personal and professional lives without compromising either. It’s these elements that ground the author’s propulsive plots in a sense of realism despite their fictional flourishes ... a worthy addition to Lisa Gardner’s outstanding oeuvre. Twenty books in, she continues to evolve her style and sensibilities, crafting stories that are as evergreen as they are urgent. As much about the whys as the whos, this is a thought-provoking thriller that will creep under your skin and inside your heart.
... a brilliant, one-sitting, terrifying ride, full of übersuspense and hair-raising situations. As this unparalleled plot thickens, the author keeps fans salivating with her superb no-nonsense, visually disturbing bird’s-eye-view storytelling. There are no backseat performances in this all-star, fan-favorite cast, in which every single portrayal is perfect ... must-read for fans of this prolific author, Michael Connelly, and John Sandford. Some pivotal series developments occur, but otherwise this reads well as a stand-alone.
The twists and turns keep peeling veils off an evil nobody wants to look at head-on, and culminate in a breakneck final act. The forensic analysis of shallow graves can unearth a lot of clues, but When You See Me also looks at the ways evil is handed down from one generation to the next. It’s a mystery that will keep you up late at night, haunted by the events within its pages.
