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

Love You More, Lisa Gardner

So much for happy endings.

At the end of Live to Tell, DD and Alex were getting together. As had Danielle and her man. The baddies had gotten what they deserved. And for once, it didn't seem like anyone got away with murder. Sounds like a happy ending for me.

And now it's all ruined.

Sorta.

We start with a State Trooper accused of killing her husband - an abuser. Only then they realize the kid is gone.

Troopers responded to the death at the house, but fucked up the crime scene before they realized there was a missing kid.

So, Ms. DD gets called in.

And everything is wonky from the get-go.

The Trooper, Tessa, is weird. The timeline is weird. The story itself is weird. Everything adds up at face value, but not when you scrape the surface. It's like.....2+2=4, right? But then if you look at decimals, you find out, actually, it's 5.

See what I'm saying. And Tessa is definitely a 5.

So DD starts investigating. Now, the case is this weird mob conspiracy. Basically here's what you need to know.