DD Warren in Review

So, we've finished out the DD Warren series thus far.

I think it's clear I have some mixed feeling about this. The first 3 books were...kinda sucky. But it did improve after that.

Mostly.

The basic plot points are the same. X has a traumatic past that is back to get her. Despite logic and evidence to the contrary, DD suspects her, 'cause of course trauma equals violent crazy. Something happens to convince DD otherwise, and just before she breaks in to get the baddie, X kills him/her. Maybe there have even been some deaths before that which X gets away with too.

That's pretty much every book. And, look, I'm not a spoiler kind of person. Even knowing the end, even knowing how things turn out, HOW they get there is interesting. And Gardner makes the journey interesting - if occasionally annoying.

I really kind of this of DD as the poor man's Eve Dallas. Eve definitely had the worse childhood, but I mean more their personalities. They both live the job. They're both stubborn and like a good throw down. They're both terrified of love and family and commitment, but once they get it, they both realize it makes them better. Better people, better cops.

This isn't a series I'd enthusiastically recommend to anyone, but if someone asked if they should check it out, I'd tell them to start with The Neighbor - and you all know I hate reading out of order.

DD Warren series

Live to Tell, Lisa Gardner

We finally have a winner!

Things are definitely looking better on the DD Warren front.

OK, so we start with a family annihilation - that's when one family member takes out the others before killing themselves.

Then there's another one.

Coincidence, right?

Of course not.

First they find out someone tasered the dad, and thought to be annihilator, at the 2nd home. Then they find out the kids in both families have a connection to a pediatric psych ward.

And that's where we meet Danielle. She's a nurse. And a victim of a family annihilation.

So, what does DD think? Can't survive an annihilation without becoming violent. Wanting to annihilate other families.

Makes perfect sense, right?

Ok, so that's obviously wrong.

It's a little convoluted, but Danielle is the target, not the perpetrator. I'm not really going to go into the whole story, it's convoluted, like I said. But basically, her family wasn't annihilated like she's always thought. Now, someone who was involved is trying to recreate it. Revenge is part of it, but pure crazy-ass-ness is more.

Here's what got be on board with this book.

Hide, Lisa Gardner

Argh!!

Ok, so this was a weird one for me. Mainly because it was just so damn familiar! And I honestly do not know why. As you can see from the cover photo, it was a TNT movie. So...maybe I saw that?

No idea, really.

I will say this was ever so slightly better than Alone.

At least I think it was. Maybe it was just because it was familiar.

I don't know. The deja vu really threw me off.

Again, DD takes a back seat to Bobby. So, that weirded me out again. And a lot of the same issues I had with Alone are back.

Sigh.

So, anyway, Bobby gets a call in the middle of the night before his first day as a detective - after the questions about the shooting in Alone, he needed a change. He gets this call from DD to come to a crime scene.

A crime scene that bears a remarkable similarity to where Catherine was kept when she was kidnapped as a child.

Alone, Lisa Gardner

So, this is actually a book I gave my mom as a gift a while back. I had found it on a list of for "the best" mystery and crime books. I was trying to find some new authors. *shrug*

When I asked my mom, she said it had been good, but frankly, I really didn't like this book.

It was wired.

First, this is the first book of the DD Warren series...except that DD is barely in it. It's all about this guy, Bobby.

Who does that?

Second, the other main character is Catherine, and I do not like her. I don't think we're supposed to, but still...

Third, I don't really like DD!! How can I not like the title character?

*sigh*

OK, lets get into this...