The thing about Lisa Gardner books is that they catch you from the very first paragraph and don't let you go. That's why I started this on a weekend so I wouldn't have to read this book in pieces. This concerns Charlene, "Charlie", who is preparing to die. Two years ago on Jan 21, one of her best friends was strangled in her home. There were no defensive wounds. Last year, Charlie's other best friend was killed, 1000 miles away, in the exact same way. Charlie figures that this year is HER year to die since the three of them had been a constant fixture in each others' life since the age of 8. But she's not going to go without a fight. She moves to Boston, far away from anyone she knows, and she trains, and trains, and trains. She even contacts D.D. Warren, Boston's top homicide cop, to explain what are likely to be the circumstances of her (Charlie's) death should she not win her fight. Warren's already plenty busy--it seems someone has become a vigilante and is executing child predators. But then, the cases begin to have some similarities, especially after a traumatized 7 year old tells Warren what he saw after he was abducted from the public library. The tension is intense in this novel, and the ending breath taking. I wouldn't have expected anything less from Gardner.