Live To Tell (Detective D.D. Warren, #4)

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Live To Tell (Detective D.D. Warren #4)

4.15 of 5 stars 4.15 · rating details · 9,885 ratings · 729 reviews

A savage crime has rocked a working-class neighbourhood of Boston; four members of a family have been brutally murdered. The father is lying in an intensive care unit, his survival in doubt. He is the principal suspect. Female police detective D.D. Warren, however, is not one to take things at face value. At the same time, Danielle Burton is about to have her life thrown i...more A savage crime has rocked a working-class neighbourhood of Boston; four members of a family have been brutally murdered. The father is lying in an intensive care unit, his survival in doubt. He is the principal suspect. Female police detective D.D. Warren, however, is not one to take things at face value. At the same time, Danielle Burton is about to have her life thrown into turmoil; a nurse whose life is at the service of her profession, she has tentatively recovered from a devastating family tragedy of decades before – and the investigation by Warren and her partner is about to throw Danielle’s life into chaos once again. There is one more angle to the triangle: the devotion of a mother, Victoria Oliver, to her disturbed son is about to be tested to the limit.

Lisa Gardner Interviews Detective D.D. Warren

Lisa Gardner: D.D.--What do you find most fascinating/frustrating about working with the new guy, crime scene expert Alex Wilson?
D.D.: Alex seems sharp. Knows his blood spatter--I respect that in a guy. ‘Course, he’s been teaching at the Academy, which is one thing, while we’re now standing in a Dorchester home with five dead and carnage in every room. I don’t want lectures, I want results. This was a family--according the neighbors, even a nice family who seemed to actually like one another. Until, of course, the father snapped and killed them all. Or did he? These are the kinds of questions I gotta ask, and Prof Alex better be ready to answer.

LG: When did you know you were going to have your own novel?
D.D.: First time I walked on scene in Alone. Please, I’m five times tougher than fellow detective Bobby Dodge and twenty times smarter. Plus, I look damn good in Jimmy Choos. Let’s see the former sniper do my job in my heels, then we’ll talk.

LG: What's the most difficult case you've ever had to handle? Why?
D.D.: These past two family homicides. For one thing, any crime involving kids wrecks you a little. For another...I don’t believe in coincidence. Here are two families, totally different neighborhoods, socioeconomics, lifestyles, etc., yet they both wind up the same way, dead. Now, what are the odds of two totally different fathers going whacko in exactly the same way? I don’t believe it, but my boss isn’t into gut feel. All comes down to evidence. I would like some. Really, it would be nice right about now. Yo, Alex...

LG: What is the thing you love most about being a Boston P.D. Sergeant?
D.D.: Being in charge, calling all the shots, being the boss. Did I mention being in charge?

LG: What's on your nightstand? What's in the drawer?
D.D.: On my nightstand--back issue of the FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin I keep meaning to read. In the drawer--emergency stash of chocolate, couple of condoms (don’t I wish), and a Kindle loaded up with the latest J.R. Ward steamy hot, seriously action-packed vampire novel. Tell anyone, and they will never find your body.

LG: Favorite food?
D.D.: I’ve always been partial to Italian. Which my squadmate Phil, told Alex all about. Now, Alex claims to be a serious Italian cook--apparently his mother is a Capozzoli and they know their Bolognese. A little wine, a little homemade pasta, a little tiramisu. All I gotta do is pick up the phone, tell him a time and date...one phone call. How hard can that be? One little call.

LG: You drive that butch police car all day. What's your idea of a dream ride?
D.D.: Walking on a beach. No car, no pager, no shoes. Just me, the wind, the waves and the cry of the gulls. I’d probably go nuts within minutes, but it would be nice to give peace a chance.

LG: Can you ever see yourself partnering successfully with another cop? Or are you the quintessential lone wolf?
D.D.: Excuse me, I love my squad and my squad loves me. Neil is one of the finest detectives around, plus better him than me viewing all the autopsies. And Phil--hey, family man, great wife, four kids, works in homicide to escape the violence. Gotta love Phil. They have my back and I have theirs. Life is good.

LG: I'm a woman traveling alone, staying in a hotel. What are your top three tips to keep me safe from psychos?
D.D.: Most hotel crimes have to do with property theft. Unfortunately, a guest walking in on a burglary, or a thief breaking in assuming the room’s vacant only to find a guest present, can lead to violence. Thus, your best defense is to always use the deadbolt, and always advertise when you’re “home,” so to speak.

Bolt all locks anytime you’re in the room and hang out the Do Not Disturb Sign Double-check door is closed and latched (failures happen more than you think) Try to avoid staying in rooms closest to the elevators and/or stairs--these rooms are more frequently targeted by thieves as the location allows for quick getaways.

LG: Do you have any scars?
D.D.: Maybe, but you should see the other guy. Give as good as you get, that’s always been my motto.

LG: What's the most you've ever spent on a pair of shoes? Describe!
D.D.: Silver sequined Jimmy Choos, on sale $500. Should never have bought them, but they’re really pretty and when I wear them, I don’t look like a cop, walk like a cop, or think like a cop. How does that commercial go...? Oh yeah, priceless.

LG: If you had to: dog or cat?
D.D.: No! Never! Don’t even think it!

LG: Tell me something I don't know about you.
D.D.: I like mobiles. Don’t ask me why. But there’s something cool about looking up and watching the various shapes and colors slowly twist around. Sometimes, after a really bad day, I go home, close my eyes and create mobiles in my head--maybe one with bright origami animals, or another with silver geometric shapes. I let them go round and round, til finally I can sleep. Then when I wake up, I’ll know something critical about the crime--a piece of the puzzle I missed the day before, a clue I’d overlooked. I think it’s from focusing on patterns. That’s what crimes are, really--very violent patterns that a good detective must deconstruct, then rebuild in her head.

LG: Worst crime scene?
D.D.: The mummified remains of six girls on the grounds of the abandoned mental institute in Mattapan. Never saw anything like it, never want to again. Funny, that was Bobby Dodge’s first case as a detective (Hide)--got him a wife, and now a baby girl. But he never talks about it, and neither do I. Sometimes, finding justice for the victims isn’t enough, but it’s all we got. So a good detective walls it up, puts a Do Not Disturb Sign on that section of memory and walks away. Gotta in this job, or you’ll go mad.

LG: What do you wish you knew five years ago?
D.D.: Can a working woman have it all? Five years ago, I sweated my job. I worried I wasn’t working smart enough, closing cases fast enough. Now, I sweat my entire life. Am I working too hard? Missing out on other parts of life? Maybe I should take Alex up on his offer of homemade alfredo, except can I really be the detective I need to be, while trying to be the girlfriend I’d like to be? Can’t figure it out. So I wish that I’d realized five years ago, how good I had it. That focusing only on my policing career was a luxury I’d never have again. Spoken like a true workaholic, huh?

(less)

Hardcover, 400 pages

Published July 13th 2010 by Bantam (first published January 1st 2010)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

Best Mystery/Thriller/Suspense Novels Of 2011

19th out of 290 books — 965 voters

Kick-Butt Heroines

461st out of 1,429 books — 1,615 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 3,000)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Apr 09, 2010 Sheri rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

I won this on Good Reads give a ways, and since the book will not be released until July 2010, I do not want to give too much away.

Lisa Gardner brings back D.D. Warren in a psychological suspense thriller. A family is brutally murdered with the father as suspect, and one sole survivor, their daughter. The back story blends perfectly and left me second guessing. Just when I thought I had it all figure out, new twists and turns arose. Perfect ending, and definitely an all night read!

2 likes · like · see review

Aug 13, 2010 Jennifer rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, mystery, suspense

From My Blog....[return][return]Live To Tell by Lisa Gardner is a riveting, gripping, edge-of-your seat suspense novel that takes the reader on an intense and emotional rollercoaster ride through the lives of three women with a common bond. A family has been murdered and the Boston Police and lead Detective D.D. Waren are on the case, but who was the murderer? The father, a possible family annihilator, or the mentally ill son? Victoria Oliver is at the end of her tether with her eight-year-old s...more

1 like · like · see review

Dec 13, 2011 Agatha rated it 2 of 5 stars

Another Detective D. D. Warren story. This is #4 in the series. Two families have been killed in their homes and the only connection b/w the two families seems to be that they both had children formerly treated in the pediatric mental health ward of the local hospital. D.D. teams with visiting detective Alex to try to figure out if there is a true connection or if it is just a fluke – before any other families will be killed. I liked this one but felt a little uncomfortable about the sensational...more

1 like · like · see review

Feb 17, 2013 Mark Soone rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I am kind of surprised to give a Gradner novel a 3 star rating?! She has fast become one of my favorite suspense authors, so perhaps this rating is a reflection that I have read to much of her stuff recently, or perhaps it just was not quite as entertaining personally as I have found the previous 3 D.D. Warren novels.

I still find D.D. one of my least enjoyable characters, which is surprising since I enjoy this series so much inspite of it. Once again she has more of a supporting/co-starring type...more

1 like · like · see review

Jan 06, 2013 Diana Sarnicke rated it 5 of 5 stars

I absolutely loved this book! This novel is truly one of the best books that I have read in a long time. I love how at the end of each chapter there was a cliffhanger that made me want to read more. This book is about a homicide detective in Boston, D.D. Warren, who gets called to a house where the whole family was murdered and the father is the main suspect. Shortly after that, another family is murdered. D.D. scrambles to find a connection between the two murders because of how much they have...more

like · see review

Dec 16, 2012 Tina rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-reads, thiller-suspense, mystery

Ok, so, DD did not annoy me as much as she did in the previous book The Neighbor, but she still somehow manages to remain my least favorite character in her own series. At least this time she doesn't focus on one suspect and try to make that person the killer no matter what. However she still doesn't strike me as the sharpest knife in the drawer. Her technique for finding a killer seems to be 'That guy did it!...'No, wait, she did it!'. I had to shake my head at the fact that she seemed convince...more Ok, so, DD did not annoy me as much as she did in the previous book The Neighbor, but she still somehow manages to remain my least favorite character in her own series. At least this time she doesn't focus on one suspect and try to make that person the killer no matter what. However she still doesn't strike me as the sharpest knife in the drawer. Her technique for finding a killer seems to be 'That guy did it!...'No, wait, she did it!'. I had to shake my head at the fact that she seemed convinced early on that a nine-year old killed his entire family despite the fact that the evidence clearly pointed to someone over 6 ft, with a lot of strength.

I really liked Danielle, the primary narrator of this book. She is a nurse in a pediatric psych ward where through the novel we get to hear stories about children with behavorial disorders, some of which do make the children incredibly violent. I was also very affected by the narration of Victoria, a mother of one of the kids. It was just sad. But just like in the previous book I was very satisfied with how the story wrapped and the fate of these characters.

I really, really dislike reading stories that deal in children in jeopardy..kidnappings, molestation etc. So far with this series it is two-for-two with this kind of storiy. I do like how Gardner is able to create a compelling story and some really sympathetic characters with some great depth. But if the stories continue to focus on molested children I may have to say goodbye to this series.

It is also a shame that the titular main character just annoys the crap out of me. I think one of my biggest problems with DD, besides the fact that she doesn't seem to, you know, figure out stuff through investigation, is that she doesn't seem to be in the job in order to seek justice for her victims. She strikes me as a person who just likes to catch bad guys and show how big her balls are. She's incredibly antagonistic when she is questioning people. Even people who her own evidence proves are not likely to be involved in the crime.

Truthfully, I think A lot of my lack of warmth toward her could do with the fact that so far in the two books I've read in this series, the only time we spend in DD's head is to hear about 1) how pretty/hot/sexy she is 2) how much she loves to eat and 3)how desperate she is to get laid. The most substantive time we get in characters' heads are of the people who are the probable perps. Gardner does such a good job with making them 3-dimensionally human and making DD somewhat opaque that I just can't seem to warm to DD. And truthfully in these last two book, DD didn't do much to solve her own cases the other characters just handed the resolution to her.

But I plan to try out the next book, despite DD I am enjoying Gardner's writing.(less)

4 likes · like · see review

Oct 18, 2012 Brandie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 5-stars, fiction, mystery, read-2010, review-book

Live To Tell is a book I could NOT put down. Hook, line and sinker from the moment I read the prologue - I needed to keep reading. This is a book with several twists and turns. Just when you think you know who did it, another twist. Another clue pops up that makes you rethink, wonder, and try to figure out who really did it!

Gardner is a talented author who clearly knows her audience. She keeps your hooked, she adds twists, the characters draw you in and you want to see what happens.

Detective D.D...more Live To Tell is a book I could NOT put down. Hook, line and sinker from the moment I read the prologue - I needed to keep reading. This is a book with several twists and turns. Just when you think you know who did it, another twist. Another clue pops up that makes you rethink, wonder, and try to figure out who really did it!

Gardner is a talented author who clearly knows her audience. She keeps your hooked, she adds twists, the characters draw you in and you want to see what happens.

Detective D.D. Warren is a dedicated Boston detective and has been for 12 years. She works hard. Does her job well. And is the kind of woman who you know, in the end, will always get her man so to speak. However, for all her success in her career, her personal life is lacking. This is starting to bug her - and in fact the book opens with her finally on a date, only to get interrupted to report to a crime scene. At first glance, it looks as if a father has decided to murder his entire family and then commits suicide himself. However, a few days later an eerily similar crime takes place and what once looked like an open and shut case is no longer.

Danielle is a pediatric psych nurse. As a child, she was the lone survivor of her father's killing spree - in which the rest of her family is murdered, he commits suicide and she is sparred. She struggles with why he left her, and yet at the same time, doesn't really face what happened that night. As the anniversary of her family's deaths approaches and the crimes mentioned above center around where she works - it is becoming increasingly harder for her to try avoid facing the past.

Victoria is the mother of 2 children. Her oldest son Evan, who is 8 years old, suffers from some very severe mental illness. He goes from being a very sweet a loving child who enjoys watching the History channel to a very violent child - and tells his mom multiple times he wants to kill her.Victoria's husband has left (with their younger daughter) because he doesn't feel they are safe in the house with Evan. Victoria is a mom who is just trying to do the best for her son that she can. She clearly feels his issues must be because of something she did and it's almost like self-punishment for her to try to deal with him alone. She doesn't get much sleep - Evan doesn't sleep much. She has to lock up knives and other items that Evan could use to hurt her or himself.

As these key player's lives become intertwined and meshed together, it's hard to put the book down. My heart broke for all the suffering that takes place in the book. I won't lie - this book is not all sunshine and roses. It's most storms and thorns. And yet, it's hard to walk away, it's hard to stop reading. The characters become friends. I felt concern for them and needed to see how it all ends.

I highly recommend this book. I will definitely be looking for more D.D. Warren books and reading Gardner in the future.(less)

1 like · like · see review

Aug 06, 2012 Dlora rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adventure-action, suspense-thriller, detectives

Lisa Gardner writes well-plotted, action-filled, but gory detective stories. The issue in Live to Tell is the little-heard-about condition of pediatric psych patients. Young children who have dangerous mental instability because of nature or nurture. We are also introduced to a phrase I've never heard before--a family annihilator, a murderer who wipes out an entire family, often including himself. Gardner's characters are also very well drawn. We meet Danielle who is an excellent nurse on the ch...more

like · see review

Jul 31, 2012 Mary rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone who likes contemporary mysteries

Recommended to Mary by: Library Book Sale

Shelves: read-but-unowned, 2010-2019, 96-100, bought-at-a-library-book-sale, contemporary-mystery, hardcover

On a warm summer night in a working-class Boston neighborhood, an unthinkable crime has been committed: Four members of a family have been brutally murdered. The father - also a possible suspect - lies clinging to life in the Intensive Care Unit. Was it murder-suicide? Or something worse? Veteran police detective D. D. Warren is certain of one thing: There's more to this case than meets the eye.

Danielle Burton is a survivor, a dedicated nurse whose passion is helping the children of a locked-dow...more

like · see review

Jun 19, 2012 Best Crime Books rated it 4 of 5 stars

Danielle Burton is the lone survivor of her family massacre over 25 years ago. She currently works in a children's psychiatric ward trying to help if not save children. It is fast approaching the 25th anniversary of the event and she feels powerless to stop all the old emotions from returning. In a nearby working class neighbourhood, a family is found dead. There is one survivor the father, who is clinging on for life in the Intensive Care Unit. Detective DD Warren is called to the scene and soo...more Danielle Burton is the lone survivor of her family massacre over 25 years ago. She currently works in a children's psychiatric ward trying to help if not save children. It is fast approaching the 25th anniversary of the event and she feels powerless to stop all the old emotions from returning. In a nearby working class neighbourhood, a family is found dead. There is one survivor the father, who is clinging on for life in the Intensive Care Unit. Detective DD Warren is called to the scene and soon realises that this is not a simple open and shut murder case.Victoria Oliver is trying to just get through each day of here life. She tries her best to keep her son safe from himself and the outside world but the day to day struggle becomes harder when she realised the biggest threat is from her own son.The lives of Danielle, Victoria and DD will soon collide, only none of them realises just how great the consequences are going to be.

I have been a fan of Lisa Gardner's since I picked up one of her earlier books. I almost always pre-order her books so that I don't miss a publication date. Her books in the past have proved to be absolutely edge of your seat suspense. This book, well, in a word I have mixed feelings.I read the first review on Amazon from a lady in the US who read one of LG's earlier books entitled `Alone' and then read this current book next. The lady had stated in her review she wondered if they were the same author and I know where she is coming from.

LG has always written really fast paced thrillers and the characters are always really strong and passionate people that are thrown into the deep end of a story. In one respect this book is no different. However, there is one major element to this story which threw me which was the `supernatural'. Now I must point out that I do NOT read supernatural type books and do not subscribe to the `supernatural belief system'. Therefore, this element of the story threw me a bit.

Although the mention of supernatural is recurring throughout, this element of the story is strictly surrounding only one character. I think that you can choose to take this element which ever way you please. It is also clear that two of the main characters, namely DD and Danielle are `non-believers'' which I think adds to the realism of the story. The ending can be read in two different ways as well. I think the author used the supernatural element in addition to the other characters as opposed to the only answer. I thought that the supernatural element to one side, LG has again produced a fantastic story with great characters and a really strong plot. Although some fans may not think this is one of her best I actually really enjoyed it.

A lot of this book is based around the children that are housed in the psychiatric unit in a hospital and the kind of behaviour that they display due to varying medical conditions. Danielle is a nurse on that ward and a good chunk of the story centres in the unit and its children and staff. Lisa Gardner writes these children's problems with great care and it makes you realise that taking a pill isn't always the answer for some sick kids. I also read at the end of the book that LG was compelled to write this into one of her stories due to her own personal experience with a friend's child.

It was great to see DD Warren back in the hot seat, although for some reason in this latest book she has become a sex-starved workaholic with a very bitter outlook on life. Don't get me wrong, she was a great character to begin with and I always like realism in a character. I just didn't remember her being quite so harsh. All of the slight negatives regarding supernatural to one side, I still thoroughly recommend Lisa Gardner and cannot wait for her next one (albeit hopefully with less woo-woo in it). (less)

1 like · like · see review

May 03, 2012 Tonya rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: crime, fiction, mystery, police-procedural, thriller, would-recommend

While I did start to like D.D. Warren in the last book, this is the first one where I didn't feel she jumped to the wrong conclusion right off the bat and refused to budge from it. This book actually shows her taking in new facts and evidence and letting that shape her suspect list. Basically, it showed her being a good detective. I liked the small bits we got about her personal life, but also like that it didn't take too much away from the actual story.

Speaking of, I had one person in mind for...more

1 like · like · see review

May 12, 2011 Karmen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: bookmooch

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

like · see review

Apr 07, 2011 Jayson rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 11th-grade-advisory

How would you feel if your family was murdered and you were left alive? What if it was caused by your father? These questions haunted Danielle Burton, and had came back to her even after the incident. The amazing thing about the book is the feel of it, the ups and downs of the mood is delved deep within the heart of the novel, and the tone speaks volumes to the reader. The realism and pain felt through the words are very powerful messages. The whole story itself is very powerful and reader will...more

like · see review

Mar 08, 2011 Adrienne Campbell rated it 5 of 5 stars

Absolutely, hands down, one of the best reads in a long time! Lisa Gardner has a real heart thumping, pulse racing, can't put it down book in LIVE TO TELL. (A Detective D.D. Warren novel)

Three women whose lives are separate but become completely intertwined in this Psychological thriller.

Danielle - a nurse whose tragic childhood still haunts her but still manages to become a successful Psych Nurse in a Pediatric Psych Unit working with mentally ill and severely abused children.

Victoria - a moth...more

like · see review

Feb 08, 2011 Karen rated it 4 of 5 stars

I've read a few other books by Lisa Gardner, and I think she's a good mystery/thriller author. Her stories always have a number of story lines, are fast paced, and suspenseful. This novel, set in Boston, involves number of murders of entire families and brings the police detective D.D. Warren (who I think is in other Gardner novels) to a pediatric psychology hospital ward. One of the nurses there also had her family murdered 25 years ago and she was the only survivor. Another story line includes...more

1 like · like · see review

Nov 29, 2010 Jane rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is the 4th installment of the D.D. Warren books written by Lisa Gardner, and I think her best so far. Gardner's books are always a bit disturbing, and this installment even more so. Live to Tell is about the murder of several families that have children with severe mental illness. We learn about the affects of extremely disturbed children on their parents and siblings. These families live in fear of their children hurting themselves and others in very violent ways. Warren is trying to figur...more

like · see review

Sep 24, 2010 D.M. rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: thrillers

I just finished reading this page-turner by an author that I had not before tried and was impressed. I like a good crime/thriller that delves into characters at a psychological level and this novel satisfies in this respect. And while this is a fictional story, the author also provides the reader with an insight into the problems regarding young children with psychological disorders that put themselves and others at risk through violent and potentially dangerous behaviour.

It also delves into thi...more

like · see review

Aug 13, 2010 Nicola rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc, no-longer-own

Reason for Reading: I'm a fan of the author and had read the previous book in the series.

This book had me from the beginning as it dealt with some of my favourite topics, mental health and psychiatric wards. Plus it was back to my favourite kind of thriller, that of the serial killer though this time with a twist: a mass murderer serial killer.

D.D. Warren is a great female character who can carry a book on her own. This time her partner Phil has a shadow, Alex, a former agent who has been a Prof...more Reason for Reading: I'm a fan of the author and had read the previous book in the series.

This book had me from the beginning as it dealt with some of my favourite topics, mental health and psychiatric wards. Plus it was back to my favourite kind of thriller, that of the serial killer though this time with a twist: a mass murderer serial killer.

D.D. Warren is a great female character who can carry a book on her own. This time her partner Phil has a shadow, Alex, a former agent who has been a Professor at the Academy for years. D.D. compares Alex to George Clooney and he soon becomes her shadow and main partner throughout the crime solving. We start off by meeting a handful of severely disturbed children, mostly through abuse, who are living on an acute psychiatric ward. We also meet an 8yo boy who is also suffering from a multitude of psychiatric disorders and diagnoses and ultimately he is at risk of harming others but his mother has decided to take full responsibility for his care. This ultimately lead to her husband leaving her and taking their daughter with him for safety's sake.

Warren's case opens when a family is found murdered in their home. It looks like the father killed the kids, mother and then shot himself but then they realize it may be a murder case. Then another family is killed in their home. This time the father has obviously been posed to look as if he killed himself after murdering the family. Who killed these families? They seem to have absolutely no connections whatsoever so how could they possibly be related? Are they? For nurse Danielle this becomes all so real as it brings back the 25yo memory of the night her father shot and killed her mother and two siblings but left her as the lone survivor, on purpose.

As I said, I love D.D. as a character but I do think it a shame that the author has to write her as someone so obsessed with s*x. As a single women, D.D.'s constant inside chatter and vocal lamentations of when she will ever get *it* again are rather disturbing and unnecessary to this reader. But thankfully readers are not privy to anything more real.

Another fabulous read from Gardner. A page-turner and exciting. I had my eye on the wrong person for most of the book, which is always fun for me when I don't figure it out right away. The reveal wasn't terribly surprising in the end but the driving force and motive of the killer was a real shocker and well done. An incredibly engrossing story that not only thrilled but was fascinating with details on how children abused beyond the point of psychological return can be treated, cared for and most of all shown love. (less)

1 like · like · see review

Jul 12, 2010 Jennifer rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery

I've read almost all of Lisa Gardner's books (with my favorites being her Quincy and Rainie books). Lately, though, I was wondering if she had lost her mojo. I thought her last book, The Neighbor, was just OK. But I'm nothing if not loyal (until you write at least three awful books in a row), so I thought I'd give Gardner another try. Well, I'm glad I gave Gardner the benefit of the doubt because this book was one of her better ones.

There are a lot of books out there (including Gardner's books)...more I've read almost all of Lisa Gardner's books (with my favorites being her Quincy and Rainie books). Lately, though, I was wondering if she had lost her mojo. I thought her last book, The Neighbor, was just OK. But I'm nothing if not loyal (until you write at least three awful books in a row), so I thought I'd give Gardner another try. Well, I'm glad I gave Gardner the benefit of the doubt because this book was one of her better ones.

There are a lot of books out there (including Gardner's books) that deal with twisted psyches and unimaginable violence. But what makes this book so disturbing is that it acknowledges that sometimes the twisted psyches belong to children. In her Author's Note, Gardner talks about friends of hers who had a troubled child and their struggles to find a way to save their son. Like Gardner, I tended to believe that troubled children were that way because of abuse and neglect. It is easier to understand how children who have been beaten, abused, tortured, or neglected become violent or primal. What isn't easy to understand is when a child with loving and attentive parents is violent. Isn't such behavior the result of nurture ... not nature? I think we all would prefer to believe this. But, as we learn throughout this book, that isn't always the case. Sometimes children are born without the psychological make-up they need to interact appropriately with others. Mental health professionals and facilities (like the locked-down pediatric psych ward described in the book) are working with these children to help them function in society.

This is Gardner's fourth D.D. Warren book, and I'm still unclear why D.D. is a recurring character as she doesn't seem particularly well-developed. Four books in and all I really know about her is that she is too involved with her job to have a life. Although Gardner attempts to give Warren a bit of romance in this book, I didn't find that storyline all that compelling, and I honestly don't give much thought to this being "A Detective D.D. Warren Novel." (A fact that was trumpeted across the front of my ARC.) To be honest, the characters of Danielle and Victoria were better developed than D.D.'s character. This doesn't really detract from the book, I guess. D.D. simply functions as the reader's way of getting information to solve the crime. Yet it seems a bit odd to create a detective and build books around her without giving her much of a personal life or back story.

My Final Recommendation

If you're a Lisa Gardner fan, I think this was one of her better books. The story is disturbing and harrowing and will take you to places you might not want to go. If you're a fan of disturbing, psychological mysteries, this would be an excellent choice for you. However, if these types of books aren't your cup of tea, stay away! This book is candid in its descriptions of violent children and makes you want to take a long hot shower afterwards.(less)

1 like · like · see review

Sep 15, 2010 Baby T-Rex rated it 4 of 5 stars

I won this from Goodreads and it took me a while to read it, mainly because I just don't read many mysteries. I'm glad I did read it though, because Lisa Gardner knows how to write a great mystery. I kept going back and forth between two suspects and thought she did a wonderful job with the suspense. The subject matter was disturbing and gave me nightmares, but the book kept me up all night, turning the pages as quickly as I could to see what would happen next.

I had two main problems with this b...more

1 like · like · see review

Sep 08, 2010 Marisa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: romantic-suspense

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

1 like · like · see review

Jun 27, 2010 Kelly Hager rated it 5 of 5 stars

I've been a fan of Lisa Gardner's since I read her first suspense novel (The Perfect Husband). I've read all of them so far and enjoyed every one. So when I say that this is by far her best, it's saying something. :)

This book was incredibly creepy (have you read that book by Lionel Shriver, We Need to Talk About Kevin? It was like that but worse) and there were parts where I actually got chills. And not the good kind.

There are three main narrators in this one. There's Detective D.D. Warren (a re...more

1 like · like · see review

May 30, 2011 Tara (box5angel) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: mystery/thriller/suspense fans

Recommended to Tara (box5angel) by: no one

Shelves: mystery-thriller-suspense, 2011-finished-in, books-i-own

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

like · see review

Mar 18, 2011 Denise rated it 3 of 5 stars

3.0 out of 5 stars More a psychological treatise than a suspense thriller...., March 18, 2011

Although the book was a fast read for me, and despite the fact that it attempted to cover a lot of ground educating the reader about children with severe psychiatric issues, this fourth novel in the D.D. Warren series simply wasn't that compelling. The author uses her various characters shamelessly in attempts to lecture us about explosive and violent children as well as about the collaborative problem s...more 3.0 out of 5 stars More a psychological treatise than a suspense thriller...., March 18, 2011

Although the book was a fast read for me, and despite the fact that it attempted to cover a lot of ground educating the reader about children with severe psychiatric issues, this fourth novel in the D.D. Warren series simply wasn't that compelling. The author uses her various characters shamelessly in attempts to lecture us about explosive and violent children as well as about the collaborative problem solving approach used by some psychiatric acute care facilities to manage the children that are held there.

The somewhat preposterous plot has Detective Warren investigating two family annihilations -- one right after another and seemingly unrelated. The cases eventually lead her and her team to a spiritual healer and to a locked down ward, the Pediatric Evaluation Clinic of Boston inside the Kirkland Medical Center. As the narrative unfolds, there seems to be some concern that the murders may have some connection to the unit.

After a child somehow escapes the locked ward, suspicious Warren starts questioning the employees. Her attention focuses on an RN who works there. Twenty-five years previous to the present cases, Danielle, sexually abused by her father, was the lone survivor of a family murder-suicide. The guilt she feels hasn't worn off even after years of therapy. Is she disturbed and dangerous?

In addition -- in what can only be the author's desire to show us the human toll of childhood mental illness and maternal devotion, there's Victoria, a single mom who has locked herself in her own house with her emotionally disturbed son, Evan, who is constantly threatening to kill her. How is this family connected to the other murders?

Who is Andrew Lightfoot -- ex Wall Street whiz turned spiritual healer -- and why is he constantly talking about darkness and light?

Finally in the last chapters, the convoluted story line comes together for a somewhat unfulfilling and totally predictable ending. A better exposé and more chilling book about the topic of disturbed children who just may have been "born bad" is the truly excellent We Need to Talk About Kevin: A Novel (P.S.) - one of the most chilling and unforgettable novels I've ever read.

The book wasn't a complete waste of time by any means, but it really didn't have a lot of suspense for me, it wasn't a police procedural, and the character of D.D. always talking about sex (or food) really irritated me. I don't care for her personality and am not interested in learning more about her. I love thrillers and would have preferred to have more "thrill" in this novel. Not really sure how the police aspect played into the subject matter and don't think it was very effective.

All in all, read it if you're a Gardner fan (I have read all her previous books) and one other note: it can be read as a stand alone, you don't have to have read the previous books in her series. (less)

like · see review

May 28, 2011 Mary Gilligan-Nolan rated it 5 of 5 stars

I have read all of Lisa Gardners books and really looked forward to reading this one, I was not disappointed, in fact, I think it is one of her best todate. This is a D.D. Warren novel, a tough, brash cop, with no life apart from the job. Now she is working with a new partner and there may be a flicker of sexual tension here. The story here is the investigation of the murder of an entire family, where the evidence points to the father having murdered his wife and kids and then killing himself. T...more

like · see review

Jul 11, 2010 Diane rated it 4 of 5 stars

Live To Tell, by Lisa Gardner, starts off in high gear with Boston homicide detective, D.D. Warren back in action once again. Duty calls interrupting her dinner date, when she learns that a family has been killed: mother, 2 children dead and the husband/father clinging to life. One child, 9 rear old Danny (Danielle) was spared. Was it a murder and attempted suicide? If so, why was Danny spared? Just as the 38 year old detective begins to investigate, another family is murdered, less than (2) day...more Live To Tell, by Lisa Gardner, starts off in high gear with Boston homicide detective, D.D. Warren back in action once again. Duty calls interrupting her dinner date, when she learns that a family has been killed: mother, 2 children dead and the husband/father clinging to life. One child, 9 rear old Danny (Danielle) was spared. Was it a murder and attempted suicide? If so, why was Danny spared? Just as the 38 year old detective begins to investigate, another family is murdered, less than (2) days later. The second mass murder was (5) victims with a dinner table set for (6). One family was middle class, the other family poor.

In parallel story lines, we have the stories of (2) women: Danielle Barton, the survivor of the first mass murder some twenty years later. Danielle is a troubled woman who relives that horrible night over and over again. She is psych nurse at a locked down facility outside of Boston. The patients are extremely violent and psychotic children. The descriptions of the behaviors of these children had me biting my nails as I read....not for the faint of heart.

The other story line was about a woman named Victoria, a mother who would do anything to protect her extremely violent and troubled son Evan. Evan is a young boy who could be sweet one minute and then threatening to stab his mother the next. His father took the couple's daughter and moved elsewhere for their own safety, but Victoria wasn't done trying to help her troubled son.

This was one of the tougher books to review. I honestly had no idea how the stories were all going to come together. They did come together in a surprising, but not totally satisfying way for me. Don't get me wrong, this book packed a wallop! The writing shocked me to the core, and I could not put it down. Even though I was not totally satisfied with the way the story ended, I was happy I read this thriller. If you have not read the (3) earlier books in the D.D. Warren series, you will still be able to follow this along with this shocker just fine. As always, I will be looking forward to more novels by Lisa Gardner, who, in my opinion has never written a boring novel.

RECOMMENDED (less)

like · see review

Nov 18, 2012 Tabi34 rated it 5 of 5 stars

Awesome! I read a lot so when I really truly cannot put down a book it's a hit. I found myself trying to take breaks so I could read more of this book.

I like Lisa Gardner's books, but how I missed the D.D. Warren series is beyond me. This was #4 in the series so now I'm going to play catch up.

Having friends who works with mentally ill children, I am aware of the problems that exist for families and the risks involved in not seeking help. I worked in the news field for many many years and saw t...more

like · see review

Aug 12, 2012 Carol MacInnis rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery-thriller

Boston Police Sargent D.D. Warren was on a rare date this particular evening when her beeper went off only to interrupt what could have been a memorable time. When Warren reached her destination she waslked into a scene to find an entire family murdered and the father in surgery with a self-inflicted gun shot wound to the head.

Danielle Burton is a pediatric psych nurse who looks after children that are often a threat to themselves and possibly others. But Danielle has demons of her own. In four...more

like · see review

Apr 08, 2010 S.D. rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery-thriller

There is a lot more about what lurks in the human brain than we will ever learn in our lifetime. The book focuses on a pediatric psych ward in Boston and the effects of mental illness on a family. Detective D.D. Warren investigates the murders of two entire families. The only link is that a child in each of the families had been under the care at one time of the same psych ward. The author tells the story from the first person viewpoint of each of the main characters. One of the nurses in the wa...more

like · see review

Feb 20, 2012 Michelle (meshe) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012

I like D.D. Warren. She's a great investigator and I like her vibe.

This book had a very compelling story. The issue of mental illness in children is a difficult one to read about. It's hard to believe that there are children who have such severe mental illnesses that locking them away is the only option. But those children are out there.

2 families murdered. It looks like the father murdered everyone and then committed suicide. Both families have a connection to the locked pediatric psych ward...more

like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 99 100 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend it | Stats | Recent status updates

combine
Other Editions (1)

More editions...

Genres

Mystery

127 users

Suspense

50 users

Thriller

49 users

Thriller > Mystery Thriller

37 users

Mystery > Detective

12 users

Adult

10 users

Mystery > Murder Mystery

10 users

Romance

7 users

Mystery > Crime

6 users

Romance > Romantic Suspense

6 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About Lisa Gardner

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
(1) mystery & thrillers, suspense

aka Alicia Scott

New York Times bestselling crime novelist Lisa Gardner began her career in food service, but after catching her hair on fire numerous times, she took the hint and focused on writing instead. A self-described research junkie, she has parlayed her interest in po...more

More about Lisa Gardner...

Books by Lisa Gardner

Love You More (Detective D.D. Warren, #5)

The Perfect Husband (Quincy & Rainie, #1)

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Live To Tell

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

Quotes from Live To Tell

“You try as a parent. You love beyond reason. You fight beyond endurance. You hope beyond despair.
You never think, until the very last moment, that it still might not be enough.” — 51 people liked it

“Kendinize ait parçalar vardır, sayısız parçalar, bunları bir kez feda ederseniz bir daha asla yerine koyamazsınız.” — 2 people liked it

More quotes…

title link	preview: Live To Tell
avg rating	preview: Live To Tell Goodreads rating: 4.15 (9885 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7180727-live-to-tell?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348655266l/7180727.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7180727-live-to-tell?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Live To Tell by Lisa Gardner[/url]

Live To Tell (Detective D.D. Warren #4)

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website