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.

The Neighbor, Lisa Gardner

Ok, we're improving.

For one, this was the first one that really felt like a happy ending. Sure, Bobby and Annabelle got together at the end of Hide - to my disappointment, the beginning of this one talks about their wedding - but it still didn't give that...satisfied feeling happy endings usually produce.

Maybe because I was still hoping for DD and Bobby...

Anyway, this one did.

Of course, we have another woman getting away with murder, though. Two actually.

I can't get everything I want, I guess.

Also, DD is finally the main character. Though, I'm still not a huge fan of her.

So, we start with a missing wife/mother. Only, DD is instantly suspicious of the household. It's not too messy, not to clean, not too anything. Staged. And the husband is...withdrawn. Back in my hospital days we would say he had a flat affect. Which, could be shock, or, to DD's mind, a guilty conscience. Of course, I kinda think if he was guilty he would play up the grieving husband. Then again, maybe it's both, shock and guilt that he did it. But that goes back to DD trying to fit information into her theory regardless.

Of course, we're in his head, so we know he didn't do it.