You Don't Want To Know

Sep 24, 2012 Marie rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is the best Lisa Jackson book I have read in a long while. I have to admit, I got sick of her constant serial killer angle and the growing gruesomeness within her books. I was thrilled that this book kept the serial killer angle at an absolute minimum, and instead focused on a rather old fashioned gothic novel kind of story.You know the type----a cluster of relatives all live together and one of them may or may not be a killer. I really enjoyed the story and the characters, and am hoping th...more

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Apr 28, 2013 Vivisection rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: grocery-store-impulse-purchase, guilty-pleasures, lifetime-novels, psychological-mysteries

I have accepted that I am helpless in the face of my addiction to grocery store novels--especially those which would make a wonderful lifetime movie. Seeing that Lisa Jackson had a new novel out and having run out of Karin Slaughter novels to read, I went right out and nooked this book. I am nothing if not predictable in my obsessions.

If Double Jeopardy and My Sweet Audrina had a smutty book affair and made a baby, it would be this book. With the exception of a brutal rape, every single element...more I have accepted that I am helpless in the face of my addiction to grocery store novels--especially those which would make a wonderful lifetime movie. Seeing that Lisa Jackson had a new novel out and having run out of Karin Slaughter novels to read, I went right out and nooked this book. I am nothing if not predictable in my obsessions.

If Double Jeopardy and My Sweet Audrina had a smutty book affair and made a baby, it would be this book. With the exception of a brutal rape, every single element of both stories can be found in this incredibly long novel, right down to crazy cousin, Vera with her deep seated jealousy and her weird leg disease that made her nearly invalid. Only, her name is Jewel-Anne in this novel.

This novel abounds with mentally fragile heroines, missing time, a mental campaign of terror, a gothic mansion filled with hidden rooms, potentially complicit family members, crazy knife wielding serial killers, a morally questionable husband, missing children, and the ultimate virtue: a MOTHER'S instinctive knowledge that her child exists with the obligatory NEED TO NEVER GIVE UP THE SEARCH TO FIND HIM(!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) How will our heroine ever survive? *gasp* Well, it won't be any thanks to the evil black cat Mr. T, because we all know cats bode ill for anyone in Jackson's novels.

Next to Karen Rose, Lisa Jackson is the number one spinster killer in the pulp fiction world. If you see a single woman with a cat in a Jackson novel, it's likely she will die a horrible death. A cat even drank the murdered woman's blood in this book. I am not sure what she has against single, childless women who enjoy cats, but I think she should look into it. It bothered me enough to check her website and sure enough, she is the proud owner of children and a dog lover--nothing as bland as a golden retriever, but a dog lover nonetheless.

I may have to write the spinster's response to novels like this where only married, devoted, golden retriever-owning mothers are killed.

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Sep 02, 2012 Cynthia rated it 4 of 5 stars

WOW!!! Ok i will start by saying at first I just couldnt get into the book in the first couple chapters but I decided to keep reading and see how it panned out! In my opinion it was slow to start out but once it picked up, the action and suspense just didnt stop! This book is about a woman named Ava Church Garrison whose mental state seems to rapidly deterioriate when her son goes missing at the age of 2 . Two years pass after her sons disappearnace during which Ava has been mentally institution...more

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May 20, 2013 Pamela Small rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: I would not recommend this book.

I wanted to like it. At times I really did like it - suspenseful mystery with an intriguing storyline. The suspense was palatable!

But,sadly,in the end:

> The plot just defied reality and the mystery's resolution was absurd.

> The characters were undeveloped- their motives unclear at best. Characterization drives a plot; If you don't care about the characters, then you can't care about what happens to them. And, there were too many characters to count-or care about! The number of the (flat) c...more

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Mar 27, 2013 CJC rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This might have been ok but the writing was too frustrating to enjoy.

It was very repetitive; one ‘no more’ scene would have been enough – it loses its effect when it is repeated and never acted on.

Some of the characters were ridiculous. Tanya talked like that little girl in Sleepless in Seattle – H&B – Hi and Bye…

Unfortunately I didn’t like anyone so it was very difficult to care about who did what because I didn’t care about who it was happening to.

There were useless details thrown in that...more

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Mar 08, 2013 Deborah Blake Dempsey rated it 3 of 5 stars

First, I love Lisa Jackson. Have for years. She writes interesting, complicated books that keep you on your seat and ready for her next book. She is an auto-buy for me and will continue to be so, but...

Second, I struggled through the entire thing and finished it only because it's Lisa Jackson and - best part - I knew she would have some twists I wasn't expecting and she definitely did. The thing is, I didn't like any of the characters. Not Ava the main character or her love interest(s). Yes, it...more

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Feb 07, 2013 Al rated it 3 of 5 stars

Two years ago, Ava's two-year-old son Noah went missing, and his body has never been found. Ava has spent most of the past two years in and out of Seattle mental institutions, shattered by grief and unable to recall the details of Noah's disappearance. Now she's back at the family estate she once intended to restore to its former grandeur. But as Ava's mind comes back into focus, her suspicions grow. Ava can't shake the feeling that her family and her psychologist know more than they're saying.

...more

Two years ago, Ava's two-year-old son Noah went missing, and his body has never been found. Ava has spent most of the past two years in and out of Seattle mental institutions, shattered by grief and unable to recall the details of Noah's disappearance. Now she's back at the family estate she once intended to restore to its former grandeur. But as Ava's mind comes back into focus, her suspicions grow. Ava can't shake the feeling that her family and her psychologist know more than they're saying. Unwilling to trust those around her, Ava secretly visits a hypnotist to try and restore her memories. But the strange visions and night terrors keep getting worse. Ava is sure she's heard Noah crying in the nursery, and glimpsed him walking near the dock. Is she losing her mind, or is Noah still alive? Ava won't stop until she gets answers, but the price may be more than she ever thought to pay...

"[Jackson's] gothic thriller teems with sinister possibilities."-- BOOKLIST

"New York Times' bestselling author Jackson puts her touch on this dark thriller and tale of forbidden romance...Jackson's book is crammed with suspects and a palpable air of creepiness...Jackson's many fans will enjoy it." Kirkus Reviews

"This chilling stand-alone suspense thriller from bestseller Jackson (Without Mercy) brings every parent's biggest fear to life--the disappearance of one's child...Multiple red herrings and a host of sinister characters help keep the pages turning until the explosive conclusion." Publishers Weekly

"Jackson's latest draws you into a story complete with mystery, suspense and a vulnerable, sympathetic heroine at its center. From the first page, readers will be hooked on her intriguing tale." RT Book Reviews, 4 Stars

"A definite page-turner" Suspense Magazine

"You Don't Want To Know is a gripping thriller that hooks the audience from the onset and never let's go until the final climax. Filled with twists and spins, and a powerful cast staring with Ava, readers will need to know what happened to Noah in Lisa Jackson's stunning psychological mystery." The Mystery Gazette

"If it's mystery and intrigue you want, Lisa Jackson has it in spades. You Don't Want to Know is a frantic adventure through a mother's worst nightmare." BELLA Magazine

Review

'A nail-biting tale of dangerous secrets and deadly passions.' -- Booklist on DEVIOUS 20110303 'Terrifying.' -- Publishers Weekly on DEVIOUS 20110303 'WITHOUT MERCY blends murder mystery with romance and religious conspiracy and should appeal to fans of all three.' -- West Australian on WITHOUT MERCY 20100401 'A fast-paced and surprisingly complex story... . The depiction of the protagonist... reaches an unusual depth, and the crisp, skillful language infuse every sentence with suspense...will keep readers riveted.' -- Publisher's Weekly on WITHOUT MERCY 20100401 '[ALMOST DEAD contains an] excellent subplot revelation that few readers will see coming' -- Sydney Morning Herald on ALMOST DEAD 20100401 'A fast moving thriller with plenty of twists and turns, and an easy flowing style that readily catches the reader up in its thrall.' --Canberra Times on MALICE 20091001

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Nov 20, 2012 Nancy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Great book. Thoroughly enthralling. Kept you in suspense all the time. Fast-paced, quick reading.

In Ava’s dreams, her son, Noah, looks just the way she remembers him: a sweet two-year-old in rolled-up jeans and a red sweatshirt. When Ava wakes, the agonizing truth hits her all over again. Noah went missing two years ago, and has never been found. Almost everyone, including Ava’s semi-estranged husband, assumes the boy drowned after falling off the dock near their Church Island home.

Ava has spent...more

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Sep 13, 2012 anolinde rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Aug 07, 2012 Debbie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Two years ago Ava Garrison’s son Noah disappeared never to be found, since then her life has been a nightmare, a medicated blur filled with despair and misery. Recently released from a mental hospital she’s returned to Church Island and her family mansion of Neptune’s Gate, surrounded by her husband, employees other family and friends she’s never felt so alone and through it all she’s never given up hope of finding her son. She misses the take charge woman she once was but a series of episodes r...more Two years ago Ava Garrison’s son Noah disappeared never to be found, since then her life has been a nightmare, a medicated blur filled with despair and misery. Recently released from a mental hospital she’s returned to Church Island and her family mansion of Neptune’s Gate, surrounded by her husband, employees other family and friends she’s never felt so alone and through it all she’s never given up hope of finding her son. She misses the take charge woman she once was but a series of episodes requiring her rescue by sexy new ranch hand Austin Dern only seems to confirm her instability, still she can’t get over feeling that something is off, that someone is against her. But who. And is there anyone on the Island she can trust.
Austin Dern has his own agenda for taking the job as ranch hand at Neptune’s Gate and the last thing he needs is a sexy off her rocker Ava Garrison interrupting his thoughts and getting in his way. But the more he gets to know her the more he thinks that beneath the fragile mask is a tiger and he’d really love to see that tiger roar, but she’s married and he’s got his own job to do on the island, and besides she’s crazy. Or is she.
Lisa Jackson has hit another one out of the park, a grand slam of a who done it, a psychological thriller that kept me awake at night, on the edge of my seat during the day and my heart pounding through the whole novel. Her storyline is as intense as it gets filled with tragedy, betrayal, murder and loss. Her characters are enigmatic, engaging, demented and unforgettable and Ava is a heroine I will likely never forget. I felt the sea spray, saw the fog, tasted the seafood and experienced the joy and the horror thanks to her signature scene painting narrative and the pages flew by thanks to her easy reading dialogue. This is a definite must for your beach bag, on your commuter train or sitting on your sofa if you like a racing pulse with your read this is your cup of tea.
Ms. Jackson thank you for the most fear filled ride yet this summer, I can’t wait to see what comes out of your imagination next.
I have a Q&A with Lisa here http://bookclubs.barnesandnoble.com/t...(less)

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Jul 22, 2012 Lexi rated it 4 of 5 stars

I received this ARC from NetGalley
Full review: http://readingmymindreviews.blogspot....

You Don’t Want to Know is a suspenseful novel filled with an intriguing cast of characters who will keep you guessing until the bitter end. Just when you think you have it figured out, Lisa Jackson throws another twist into the mix that turns everything you thought you knew upside down.
Ava Garrison is a woman tormented by the disappearance of her son, Noah two years ago. She’s been in and out of mental hospita...more I received this ARC from NetGalley
Full review: http://readingmymindreviews.blogspot....

You Don’t Want to Know is a suspenseful novel filled with an intriguing cast of characters who will keep you guessing until the bitter end. Just when you think you have it figured out, Lisa Jackson throws another twist into the mix that turns everything you thought you knew upside down.
Ava Garrison is a woman tormented by the disappearance of her son, Noah two years ago. She’s been in and out of mental hospitals as she tries to deal with her loss, heavily medicated and for the most part has lost contact with reality. She can’t remember things happen in her daily life, she loses time and has little connection with people anymore. Sequestered in the family/s home on Church Island, Ava is constantly plague by visions of her missing son and questions about what could have happened to him.

Church Island has also had its share of tragedy and infamy. There was a mental hospital for violent criminals which was housed on the island. Lester Reece was a serial killer with money and an excellent attorney who got him placed as a patient at Sea Cliff. He escaped and was never found. His escape ruined Ava’s uncle, who ran the facility and he had to retire in shame. Locals for years have reported sightings of the serial killer, but he has never been caught. When the sightings start again, everyone is on edge.

On the island Ava is surrounded by people, all with an opinion on what is best for her. Her husband Wyatt, her cousin, the doll-carrying Elvis loving Jewel-Anne who is confined to a wheelchair because of a boating accident but never misses an opportunity to make a dig at Ava and her lose grasp on reality. Add to the mix a bitter friend, a sketchy psychiatrist Ava is convinced is having an affair with her husband, servants, therapists and various relatives and spouses and you have all the makings of a nervous breakdown for an already fragile woman.
Convinced she’s again seen her son standing on the edge of the dock, Ava races out into the night and throws herself into the sea, only to be rescued by a mysterious man her husband recently hired by the name of Dern. Ava’s family is convinced she’s again on a downward spiral but Ava fights through the fog of her drugs and makes the decision to find out what happened to Noah. She secretly stops taking her medication and her head begins to clear. She is still missing large block of her time and events from her past but slowly, she beings to put the pieces together and finds out the people closest to her aren’t as trustworthy as she thought.

As she becomes more of her old self, she discovers someone is trying to drive her crazy. She begins hearing Noah crying and a calling for her in the middle of the night, but no one else admitted to hearing it. While outside she saw movement at the window in what had been Noah’s room. As she raced inside she found a soaking wet pair of Noah’s shoes on the floor. As she tries to put the pieces of the puddle together, she hits wall after wall. On the mainland her friend Tanya helps her get some recording equipment so she can find out who is messing with her head and why.

Dern continues to watch over Ava, popping up whenever she’s in trouble. Her marriage to Wyatt is in name only with them bickering more than getting along so she begins to develop feelings for Dern and his protective nature, but Dern has secrets of his own that will rock Ava when exposed.
You Don’t Want to Know is an action packed novel. Lisa Jackson created an intriguing cast in this book, many of whom you will love to hate. Ava doesn’t know who to trust or where to turn and you can feel that as you read. Everyone is suspect, everyone is less than kind to Ava in one way or another, but the real question is who hates her enough to torture her with her loss. And what actually happened to Noah? Will she ever have closure on that horrible day two years ago?

I highly recommend You Don’t Want to Know, especially if you’re looking for some heart pounding action that will have you cautiously looking around dark corners for days.

Thanks for Reading My Mind(less)

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Jul 06, 2012 Amy Lignor rated it 3 of 5 stars

A mother’s worst nightmare has occurred…maybe.
Ava Garrison is still unable to remember exactly what happened the night her two-year-old son, Noah, disappeared from their home in the Pacific Northwest. She spends her life reliving that tragic day and desperately searching through her messed-up mind to find the answers to where Noah has gone.

For two years now, Ava has been suffering; she can remember exactly what the boy was wearing that night, but nothing about his whereabouts. In an attempt to f...more

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Jul 01, 2012 Marcia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Four Crowns, good read, on the way to swagger. This was almost a five crown what held me back was the length of time of the back story and the romance portion.

When I received my advanced readers copy I did a shimmy, shake and a watered down version of the fist pump. A.K.A I was excited. The book didn’t disappoint. I will be honest the first part of the book was solely focused on building the back story and really building the question of was Ava simply crazy. I urge readers to hang in there beca...more

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Jan 07, 2013 Shadira rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Shadira by: friend

It's an intense, pulse-racing suspense book!!
Lisa Jackson's descriptive style gives true dimension to every scene: you will always have a clear and seamless sense of space and time. The narration is richly textured and pleasantly complex: switching now and then on a double chronological time line, between the present path to recovery and the flashbacks from the past, the author's use of interior monologues and introspective point of view for some of the main characters provide the reader with a...more

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Mar 31, 2013 Amy rated it 2 of 5 stars

I wanted to love this book as much as the blurb intrigued me. Strike one.
I long books that hold my interest. Strike two.
I wanted the book to end with a wow-I never saw that coming, but it makes perfect sense. And you're out.
This isn't a bad book. But it isn't a great or even good book either. Enough people have summarized the book that I'll go light with the recap.
Ava's son Noah went missing two years ago and she went A little crazy. She's convinced he's still alive. She owns and lives in a go...more

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May 12, 2012 Leanne rated it 5 of 5 stars

This story story starts off quite slow and is a little hard to follow but once you get into the gist of the book your hooked line and sinker.

The story begins with a mother who has totally lost her marbles after losing her baby. She's having dreams or rather nightmares of him and swears she hears him crying for her. After jumping in the near by lake Ava begins to get her wits about her and weans herself off the medication she has been given daily.
This is when she finally begins to wonder if her...more This story story starts off quite slow and is a little hard to follow but once you get into the gist of the book your hooked line and sinker.

The story begins with a mother who has totally lost her marbles after losing her baby. She's having dreams or rather nightmares of him and swears she hears him crying for her. After jumping in the near by lake Ava begins to get her wits about her and weans herself off the medication she has been given daily.
This is when she finally begins to wonder if her roaming mind might be caused by others trying to make her think she's crazy. From then on she slowly begins to take her life back and truly become the woman she use to be. Ava slowly unravels conspiracy after conspiracy while trying to keep herself from succumbing to the feeling that she really might be insane.

This book has very well rounded characters and though there are many of them it's quite easy to differentiate each one from the other. I cannot stand reading a book where you can't figure out which character is which. Lisa Jackson writes her characters wonderfully. Each has their own personality and traits. Her characters are imaginative and wonderfully written. The main character is Ava, she's the mother who lost her baby and has been through so much. The emotions and frustration she feels truly comes out in in the way Lisa tells this character's story. Each character has a strong role in this book but they never truly outshine Ava.

The Book started a little slow for me because there was no big action scenes or mind grabbing dialogue but I continued through a few chapters and the book finally grabbed me and I could not put it down. The plot became intriguing with it's twists and turns. I just had to know what would happen next or what clue would be revealed. There was a mystery or two to be solved and I wanted to solve it.

In all honesty I usually get a book like this completely solved before half the book is read, but not in this case. I had no clue "who done it" until the very end. It was great! I highly recommend you read this book if your looking for something that will keep you guessing. It was a outstanding read and a perfect way to spend my weekend!

5 STARS!!!
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Nov 09, 2012 Jennifer rated it 1 of 5 stars

This book was not one of my favorites, not even one that I enjoyed reading. I kept reading it only to find out where Noah was. I knew he wasn't dead. The book was incredibly wordy and I just skipped pages in order to say that I finished the book. I wouldn't recommend this book for any of my friends to read. I just wasn't into it like I would have liked to have been. I kept telling myself just read another chapter and maybe then you'll start of at least like the book. Never happened and by the po...more

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Sep 16, 2012 Tom Tischler rated it 3 of 5 stars

In Ava's dreams her son Noah looks just as she remembers him but when
she wakes up she remembers that he went missing 2 years ago and no body
has ever been found. Ava has spent most of the last two years in and out
of mental institutions shattered by grief and unable to recall details
of Noah's disappearance. Now she is back at the family estate and as her
mind comes back into focus her suspicions grow. Despite everyones concern
Ava can't shake the feeling that her family and her psychologist know
m...more

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Jan 16, 2013 Sarah rated it 3 of 5 stars

I love Lisa Jackson. She really knows how to tell a story. Her descriptions are so intricate and detailed, sometimes maybe too detailed, but the story flowed well for me. It's an enjoyable read, like all her books, but there were a few elements I had a problem with. First, there were too many characters being introduced, some who added nothing to the story except that he or she might be the killer. Ava's paranoia annoyed me from the start. All you know is that she's super paranoid, distrusting,...more

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Sep 04, 2012 Kari rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, audiobook

I thoroughly enjoyed You Don't Want to Know. I will readily admit that I didn't figure this one out until Ava did. I thought I had it figured out in the beginning, but I was so wrong! I think this book would make a great movie. It reminded me of the 1944 movie Gaslight with Ingrid Bergman. You know the main character is sane, but things keep happening that you start to wonder if she really is slowly going crazy. I really don't want to say much more about the plot. Aside from making her look craz...more

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Apr 06, 2013 Debbie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It was a good read for the most part -- so relieved NOT to have to read another Pescoli/Alvarez book repeating the same story again and again with characters that are still stuck in the first book of that series. This one started well -- strange characters, good plot, lots of red herrings. But some editorial issues caught my eye, one that DB Cooper made his famous leap in the 1960's -- it was actually 1971 -- something she should have known since she lives in this area, or if not, easy enough to...more

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Mar 17, 2013 Maria Ulery rated it 5 of 5 stars

highly recommend
I won this book in a book club i am in and had put it off for a bit bc it was near 500 pgs and now i wish i had not done that! It was a great book, kept me guessing and the characters and the town were written where you could imagine how it was all layed out. It starts out with Ava's son Noah gone missing or so you think but then reality strikes and he has been missing for 4 yrs now and Ava has been in and out of of psych ward and is now at home with a shrink whom she thinks is s...more

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Mar 31, 2013 Sweet rated it 5 of 5 stars

what a great read!"
A truly gripping enthralling story, action packed and full of suspense, that kept me guessing till the end. Maybe i figured out part of it before the end but still my guessing was not 100%.
It's true that the story started a bit slow, but then it picked up so fast that i felt totally compelled amd wanted to know what really happened.
My first book for Lisa Jackson, but definitely not my last.
I liked her writing style full of description and richness, her cast of characters, th...more

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Aug 17, 2012 Nan Williams rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: no-more

This was really tedious. It was like a movie chase scene shot in San Francisco. It was simply exhausting and not really enjoyable nor satisfying.

In the beginning everybody was suspect because, well frankly, they were all Looney Tunes - pretty much reminiscent of the Addams Family. And then, just like Ten Little Indians, they start getting knocked off. I thought it was pretty obvious who the perp was (motive, motive, motive!), I just didn't know all the associates/assistants!

The editing left a lo...more

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May 14, 2013 Kathy Reinhart rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Overall, it was a good story. Most of the main characters rang true, although I feel as though there were too many secondary characters that weren't essential to the story and could have been done away with. Most of them were introduced early on, making it a bit confusing, although by midway, they had each settled into their own place in the story.

I enjoyed the plot and it flowed rather smoothly. There were some surprises, but for the most part, the ending was a bit predictable.

My one complaint,...more

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Mar 24, 2013 Heather rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: crime-murder-mysteries

This story is addicting. There are a ton of characters all involved in this big, dreary mansion. The imagery regarding the surroundings is realistic, so the story seems so vivid, and I feel like I know the little island and creepy house backwards and forwards. The story is about a woman named Ava Garrison, who lost her toddler. Was he kidnapped or did he simply drown on the coast? She hears him, sees him...Is she crazy? Is someone setting her up?

The characters are all very complex and interesti

...more

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Sep 22, 2012 Monnie rated it 3 of 5 stars

This one is a definite page-turner, although I'll stop short of claiming it's one of Jackson's best efforts. The whole thing - all 481 pages - focus on Ava Church Garrison, a former businesswoman who lives with her somewhat estranged lawyer husband on family property she's both inherited and bought from other relatives who now live in on the huge and secluded island estate with her. Two years ago, she lost her two-year-old son Noah, and from then on, her life has been a downward spiral as she re...more This one is a definite page-turner, although I'll stop short of claiming it's one of Jackson's best efforts. The whole thing - all 481 pages - focus on Ava Church Garrison, a former businesswoman who lives with her somewhat estranged lawyer husband on family property she's both inherited and bought from other relatives who now live in on the huge and secluded island estate with her. Two years ago, she lost her two-year-old son Noah, and from then on, her life has been a downward spiral as she refuses to believe the boy has drowned as everyone else insists. Worse, she keeps hearing the boy's voice and seeing him on the dock of the property (or so she thinks).

But is she mentally ill, as her husband and relatives tell her, or is just unable to remember the events of her past? Could one or more of the relatives - including her husband - be trying to make her believe she's insane or even drive her to commit suicide as they say she once tried? Add in a secretive but (of course) very attractive handyman her husband has hired to "watch" over her, and there's always something going on to keep the reader interested as Ava tries to sort out the whole mess.

Make that somewhat interested. If it's so readable, why didn't I give it 4 stars? Three reasons, the first of which is that I'm quite certain the whole story could have been told in two-thirds the number of pages, if not half (that's keeping in mind, of course, that I'm a copy editor by profession and will snatch any opportunity to haul out my red pencil). At every new turn and twist, though, I was smacked in the face by rehashing of actions and thoughts that had been laid out in minute detail earlier in the book. Second, the plot, while intricate and well laid out, is relatively predictable; two-thirds of the way through I'd guessed most of the ending. And third, while the ending brought a couple of semi-surprises, they seemed far too contrived to be believable.

All in all, not a bad effort - but Jackson can and has done better.
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Apr 13, 2013 Herminio Gutierrez rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was the first book I've read by Lisa Jackson. I picked it up not knowing anything about her writing style, but as I read the prologue I couldn't help to be hooked like a fish on a line. I have to admit that the first couple of chapters were a bit intriguing, then it kind of slowed down for me. But once it picked up again, it kept me "wanting to know" till the end of the book. All in All... I thought it was written very well.

A few things about the characters I wanted to point out without gi...more

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Aug 13, 2012 Michele Whitecotton rated it 5 of 5 stars

I waited anxiously for this book to be released for about 5 months. It was worth the wait. I'm a huge Lisa Jackson fan and usually love all of her books. This one was no exception. I felt closer to this book maybe because I have a little boy and I could feel Ava's desperation to find out what happened to Noah. It was a little obvious that someone in the house was trying to make her seem crazy, but who? This book was filled with eccentric characters who were all crazy in their own way. This was m...more

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Nov 02, 2012 Camille Turner rated it 2 of 5 stars

I put this book on hold and my local library because the description piqued my interest. Once I got the book in hand, my interested waned. Why? First, there were way too many characters introduced, several of which were only mentioned but had no dialogue. You knew Immediately that the rescuer and the rescued would get together, which means that any significant others had to go. Therefore I knew early on who would be a crook. Then later on when one of the characters who actually had dialogue went...more

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