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Jackson Donne #3
Not Even Past
Finally, Jackson Donne has it figured out. After leaving the private investigation business, he's looking toward the future — and getting married to Kate Ellison. Donne is focused on living the good life — planning the wedding, a big Hawaiian honeymoon — until he receives an anonymous email with a link and an old picture of him on the police force. Once Donne clicks the link, nothing else in his life matters. Donne sees a live-stream of the one thing he never expected. Six years ago, his fiancée, Jeanne Baker died in a car accident with a drunk driver. Or so Donne thought. He’s taken to a video of Jeanne bound to a chair, bruised and screaming, but very much alive.
Donne starts to investigate, but quickly finds he’s lost most of his contacts over the years. The police hold a grudge going back to the days when he turned in his corrupt colleagues, and neither they nor the FBI are willing to believe a dead girl’s been kidnapped. Donne turns to former NARCO department partner Bill Martin — the only man to love Jeanne as much as he did — for help. And that decision could cost him everything.
Donne starts to investigate, but quickly finds he’s lost most of his contacts over the years. The police hold a grudge going back to the days when he turned in his corrupt colleagues, and neither they nor the FBI are willing to believe a dead girl’s been kidnapped. Donne turns to former NARCO department partner Bill Martin — the only man to love Jeanne as much as he did — for help. And that decision could cost him everything.
- GenresMystery
304 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2015
20 people are currently reading
408 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
April 27, 2016
The last time readers saw New Jersey-based ex-cop turned private investigator Jackson Donne (The Evil That Men Do) things were decidedly rocky, serious problems with both his family and his profession having reared their heads.
Now, three years later, Donne has turned the corner. He’s deep into the process of earning his degree, having gone back to college after being forced to leave the private investigation business, and is engaged with a wedding date looming. Things are going well.
Until Donne gets an email that completely blindsides him, turning life as he knows it forever upside down.
At first it appears to be some weird spam with a click-bait subject: Click and watch. Her life depends on it. Normally, Donne would know better than to click on links in strange emails, but the email also contains an eight-year-old photo of him graduating from the police academy—there is some level of personalization there.
Against his better judgment, Donne follows the link, which leads him to an ominous video of a woman bathed in spotlights bound to a chair in an empty room, battered and screaming for her life. It’s a sight that would be disturbing enough on its own, but what makes the hair on the back of Donne’s neck stand up is that he knows the woman…and had thought for the past six years she was dead.
And it’s not just any woman, but Donne’s former fiancée, Jeanne Baker. Problem is, she was officially declared dead following a fiery car accident six years ago, her identity having been conclusively established through DNA testing. That, plus his inability to get the video to replay, causes Donne to hit a brick wall when he tries to get the FBI involved, and the local police still hold a serious grudge against him for his actions while a member of their ranks—they aren’t going out on a limb over a legally dead woman on nothing more than Donne’s say-so.
The only person Donne can enlist to help, Detective Bill Martin, Donne’s ex-partner, comes with baggage of his own; he, too, had a thing with Baker and resents Donne with a passion on numerous levels. Still, he loved Baker as much as Donne did, and together they form an uneasy alliance to try and get to the bottom of the video and rescue Baker. But as creepy and weird as the email and video seem to be on the surface, it turns out there are sinister things afoot that run far deeper and wider than either of them could ever possibly have expected.
Not Even Past, the third entry in the Jackson Donne series, finds Derringer Award-winning author Dave White on top of his game and going strong. A New Jersey native himself, White weaves local flavor into the story in a way that brings the setting to life, and has cleverly taken advantage of the all too real word of corrupt New Jersey politics to raise the stakes beyond that of merely a missing person. In White’s skilled hands, strands as far flung as the New Jersey university system, Hurricane Sandy recovery efforts, and a just plain power-hungry politician get woven together to form a dastardly web in which Donne and Martin find themselves entangled.
Structured in three sections, each of which takes its name from an event/slogan in recent New Jersey politicking, Not Even Past begins with a tremendous jolt of adrenaline, downshifts to an incredibly slow burn during which the tension becomes almost unbearable given the situation Donne finds himself in, then ratchets the action back up for a breakneck finish.
Make no mistake about it, both Donne and White are back in a big way, and the ending of Not Even Past opens the door to an intriguing shift in the tone of the series in coming books (An Empty Hell—Polis—February 2016).
Now, three years later, Donne has turned the corner. He’s deep into the process of earning his degree, having gone back to college after being forced to leave the private investigation business, and is engaged with a wedding date looming. Things are going well.
Until Donne gets an email that completely blindsides him, turning life as he knows it forever upside down.
At first it appears to be some weird spam with a click-bait subject: Click and watch. Her life depends on it. Normally, Donne would know better than to click on links in strange emails, but the email also contains an eight-year-old photo of him graduating from the police academy—there is some level of personalization there.
Against his better judgment, Donne follows the link, which leads him to an ominous video of a woman bathed in spotlights bound to a chair in an empty room, battered and screaming for her life. It’s a sight that would be disturbing enough on its own, but what makes the hair on the back of Donne’s neck stand up is that he knows the woman…and had thought for the past six years she was dead.
And it’s not just any woman, but Donne’s former fiancée, Jeanne Baker. Problem is, she was officially declared dead following a fiery car accident six years ago, her identity having been conclusively established through DNA testing. That, plus his inability to get the video to replay, causes Donne to hit a brick wall when he tries to get the FBI involved, and the local police still hold a serious grudge against him for his actions while a member of their ranks—they aren’t going out on a limb over a legally dead woman on nothing more than Donne’s say-so.
The only person Donne can enlist to help, Detective Bill Martin, Donne’s ex-partner, comes with baggage of his own; he, too, had a thing with Baker and resents Donne with a passion on numerous levels. Still, he loved Baker as much as Donne did, and together they form an uneasy alliance to try and get to the bottom of the video and rescue Baker. But as creepy and weird as the email and video seem to be on the surface, it turns out there are sinister things afoot that run far deeper and wider than either of them could ever possibly have expected.
Not Even Past, the third entry in the Jackson Donne series, finds Derringer Award-winning author Dave White on top of his game and going strong. A New Jersey native himself, White weaves local flavor into the story in a way that brings the setting to life, and has cleverly taken advantage of the all too real word of corrupt New Jersey politics to raise the stakes beyond that of merely a missing person. In White’s skilled hands, strands as far flung as the New Jersey university system, Hurricane Sandy recovery efforts, and a just plain power-hungry politician get woven together to form a dastardly web in which Donne and Martin find themselves entangled.
Structured in three sections, each of which takes its name from an event/slogan in recent New Jersey politicking, Not Even Past begins with a tremendous jolt of adrenaline, downshifts to an incredibly slow burn during which the tension becomes almost unbearable given the situation Donne finds himself in, then ratchets the action back up for a breakneck finish.
Make no mistake about it, both Donne and White are back in a big way, and the ending of Not Even Past opens the door to an intriguing shift in the tone of the series in coming books (An Empty Hell—Polis—February 2016).
February 26, 2015
Just when we think our favorite PI has it all figured out, his life is thrown into turmoil in true Dave White fashion. This fast-paced novel gives us greater character development and true nuanced style to forge in our minds-eye why Jackson Donne is the man he is today.....or at least was before he gets a stirring email that changes everything he thought he knew.
A must read for a fan of the genre!!
A must read for a fan of the genre!!
February 22, 2016
When Jackson Donne saw the eight-year-old picture of himself, he thought the email was the weirdest form of spam he'd ever gotten.
With that sentence, Dave White's New Brunswick-based private eye returns to print. Not Even Past is White's first book in 4 years and the first to feature Jackson Donne in nearly 7. It doesn't seem that long as White seamlessly brings us back into Donne's life. In my review of When One Man Dies, I said "White rips Donne’s heart clear out of his chest and stomps on it with a size 13 boot covered in dog crap.". After this book, Donne must wish it was only dog crap.
Three years have passed since we last saw Donne. He's closed up his private investigator's shop, returned to school, and gotten engaged to a woman named Kate Ellison. In fact, he's about to graduate and his wedding with Kate is only a couple months away when the mysterious email arrives. Donne clicks the link and sees a video of his former fiancee Jeanne Baker, who supposedly died in a car crash six years ago, very much alive and in peril. Donne believes the video is real and the only person he can turn to to save Jeanne is his old nemesis Bill Martin. What starts out as a search for his long-thought-dead former flame eventually pulls Donne into the corrupt world of New Jersey politics.
The book is divided into three sections, each taking its name from a recent local slogan. "Jersey Comeback" was the tagline for Governor Chris Christie's economic program, while "Restore the Shore" and "Stronger Than The Storm" were rallying cries after the destruction of Hurricane Sandy. Each could also be applied to the trials Donne goes through in the sections. The first and third blow through at a breakneck pace, while the middle section gives the reader a little time to breathe.
As always, White has a good grasp of place. Donne moves around New Brunswick, Perth Amboy, and several other locations, and each time the reader feels he or she is really there. His characters feel like people you'd want to hang out with at a diner at 3am (or in some cases, avoid at 3am).
Toward the last couple chapters of the book, I had a feeling of where White would leave Donne at the end of it and started cursing him for making me have to wait to the next novel for more Donne.
The whole series is Highly Recommended.
With that sentence, Dave White's New Brunswick-based private eye returns to print. Not Even Past is White's first book in 4 years and the first to feature Jackson Donne in nearly 7. It doesn't seem that long as White seamlessly brings us back into Donne's life. In my review of When One Man Dies, I said "White rips Donne’s heart clear out of his chest and stomps on it with a size 13 boot covered in dog crap.". After this book, Donne must wish it was only dog crap.
Three years have passed since we last saw Donne. He's closed up his private investigator's shop, returned to school, and gotten engaged to a woman named Kate Ellison. In fact, he's about to graduate and his wedding with Kate is only a couple months away when the mysterious email arrives. Donne clicks the link and sees a video of his former fiancee Jeanne Baker, who supposedly died in a car crash six years ago, very much alive and in peril. Donne believes the video is real and the only person he can turn to to save Jeanne is his old nemesis Bill Martin. What starts out as a search for his long-thought-dead former flame eventually pulls Donne into the corrupt world of New Jersey politics.
The book is divided into three sections, each taking its name from a recent local slogan. "Jersey Comeback" was the tagline for Governor Chris Christie's economic program, while "Restore the Shore" and "Stronger Than The Storm" were rallying cries after the destruction of Hurricane Sandy. Each could also be applied to the trials Donne goes through in the sections. The first and third blow through at a breakneck pace, while the middle section gives the reader a little time to breathe.
As always, White has a good grasp of place. Donne moves around New Brunswick, Perth Amboy, and several other locations, and each time the reader feels he or she is really there. His characters feel like people you'd want to hang out with at a diner at 3am (or in some cases, avoid at 3am).
Toward the last couple chapters of the book, I had a feeling of where White would leave Donne at the end of it and started cursing him for making me have to wait to the next novel for more Donne.
The whole series is Highly Recommended.
March 9, 2015
I won this through GoodReads First Reads.
Jackson Dunning, an ex-private eye, is just recovering from his nightmare of a life, is engaged and straightened out his life and priorities. Then the nightmare continues.
This is a fast moving, edge-of-your-seat mystery. Hard to put down.
This book encompasses may events: Hurricane Sandy recovery, politics, law enforcement, and the mob. There is not a dull moment!
I will be finding David White's previous novels and reading them!
Jackson Dunning, an ex-private eye, is just recovering from his nightmare of a life, is engaged and straightened out his life and priorities. Then the nightmare continues.
This is a fast moving, edge-of-your-seat mystery. Hard to put down.
This book encompasses may events: Hurricane Sandy recovery, politics, law enforcement, and the mob. There is not a dull moment!
I will be finding David White's previous novels and reading them!
May 30, 2015
The revelation that his fiancee, long thought dead, is alive shatters the peaceful life former private investigator Jackson Donne has been slowly and painstakingly building for himself. A series of further shocks drives Donne to the verge of madness and results in the kind of damage that can't be undone. It's absolutely riveting, with the same gut-punching impact as White's first book. Highly recommended.
March 10, 2015
I was a lucky winner of this book here on Goodreads.com & am so glad that I won it. This book was very well written & the ending left it wide open for a sequel. I am looking forward to reading more Dave White books in the future!!
February 26, 2015
This is a Goodreads First Read win for me,and first time read of this author.Storyline was good,but I did not care for the main character.Easy to read and breakdown of chapters was great for those brief idle minutes between things to do.A bit surprised at ending.
February 26, 2015
I thought it was an excellent book to read. I enjoyed it very much.
January 6, 2016
cannot wait for the next instalment of Jackson Donne!!!
November 27, 2017
2.5 stars
Not as good as the other Jackson Donne novel I read, number two in the series, I think. I also found all the errors so annoying! Was this not proof read before being published?
So, a couple of years after the end of the previous novel, Jackson is nearly finished his degree; just hS to write his final exams. He has a fiancée, Kate, and they are due to get married in a few months.
Then, a blast from the past. Jackson receives an email depicting his former fiancée, Jeanne, who, supposedly died in a car accident 6 years ago. She is tied to a chair and being tortured.
Of course, he puts his current life on hold to go look for her. No matter that she lied to him, cheated on him, and her family told him “never darken our doorstep again”, he still left Kate and his chance at a new beginning to rescue Jeanne.
I didn’t really understand his motivation, especially once Bill was involved. He could have just left it with him to solve.
We never find out what happened about the merger between the two academic institutions or what happened to Kate. You can surmise, from his reaction to the news, what might have happened.
A disappointing end; annoying typos and strange characters. Not sure if I care to read more in the series l
Not as good as the other Jackson Donne novel I read, number two in the series, I think. I also found all the errors so annoying! Was this not proof read before being published?
So, a couple of years after the end of the previous novel, Jackson is nearly finished his degree; just hS to write his final exams. He has a fiancée, Kate, and they are due to get married in a few months.
Then, a blast from the past. Jackson receives an email depicting his former fiancée, Jeanne, who, supposedly died in a car accident 6 years ago. She is tied to a chair and being tortured.
Of course, he puts his current life on hold to go look for her. No matter that she lied to him, cheated on him, and her family told him “never darken our doorstep again”, he still left Kate and his chance at a new beginning to rescue Jeanne.
I didn’t really understand his motivation, especially once Bill was involved. He could have just left it with him to solve.
We never find out what happened about the merger between the two academic institutions or what happened to Kate. You can surmise, from his reaction to the news, what might have happened.
A disappointing end; annoying typos and strange characters. Not sure if I care to read more in the series l
March 7, 2018
The good news is that the pacing and scene flips keep one reading and fascinated. The bad news is that the content is hard to believe and follow.
Jackson Donne has an alcohol problem which is mitigated by his relationship with Kate. To, me, this is a literary theme as hackneyed as the whore with the heart of gold. The people I know who have alcohol problems find the guidance to "drink less" impossible to follow.
The books plot centers around a scheme to merge and privatize two New Jersey colleges so that they can serve as a money laundering facility. Seems unlikely to me, and the motivations of the various characters are quite puzzling. I don't plan to go back and see Donne stagger through the previous two books.
Jackson Donne has an alcohol problem which is mitigated by his relationship with Kate. To, me, this is a literary theme as hackneyed as the whore with the heart of gold. The people I know who have alcohol problems find the guidance to "drink less" impossible to follow.
The books plot centers around a scheme to merge and privatize two New Jersey colleges so that they can serve as a money laundering facility. Seems unlikely to me, and the motivations of the various characters are quite puzzling. I don't plan to go back and see Donne stagger through the previous two books.
February 24, 2016
This was my first Jackson Donne novel, so perhaps I should have read the first two in order to better relate to the character. The opening premise was interesting and there seemed to be plenty of backstory that promised to be intriguing. But then it all just fell flat. I couldn't get invested in any of the characters and their actions just didn't make sense.
September 12, 2016
Jackson Donne had moved on from being a cop and a PI. He (mostly) stopped drinking. No more drugs. A new fiance and a fast approaching wedding date. But when he receives an email with a link to a livestream of his six-years dead fiance, alive and in trouble, Donne gets dragged back into a world he wanted no part of.
Donne is supremely flawed and exceptionally compelling.
Donne is supremely flawed and exceptionally compelling.
March 6, 2016
Donne
This the fourth novel in the series was a good story but I'm a bit confused about the ending. I guess I'll find out in the next installment! Enjoy!
This the fourth novel in the series was a good story but I'm a bit confused about the ending. I guess I'll find out in the next installment! Enjoy!
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews