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Live to Tell

(Detective D.D. Warren #4)

Lisa Gardner (Goodreads Author)

4.18 · Rating details · 28,958 ratings · 1,656 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

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Hardcover, 388 pages

Published June 30th 2010 by Bantam Books (first published January 1st 2010)

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4.18 ·

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· 28,958 ratings · 1,656 reviews

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Dec 16, 2012 Tina rated it liked it

Shelves: thiller-suspense, mystery, z2012-reads

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 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 on person old killed his entire family despite the fact that the evidence clearly ruled that person out on sheer physical merits.

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. ...more

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Jul 28, 2014 Suzanne rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: donated-owned

Whoo hoo I finally got to learn more about the elusive Detective D.D Warren, or D.D. as she is known. I started this series at number 3, and tracked back to read in order. The books in this series by Lisa Gardner are an awesome set, but funnily enough so far in this series, I feel D.D does take the back seat. But she showed herself here, and I really enjoy her character. She's a highly committed Detective Sergeant, a hard boss, a hard woman who really does have a soft centre, and this book is wh ...more

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Apr 11, 2019 Mary Carrasco rated it it was amazing

I've gotten away from reading series in recent years. Mostly because I found myself waiting too long for the next book and eventually lost interest. The good news is that now, there are so many complete series for me to choose from! I'm really enjoying the D.D. Warren series and so far, this one has been my favorite. The premise was unique and the pacing was perfect. Of course, I love D.D. With her bottomless pit of a stomach and tough exterior. I'm looking forward to reading them all.

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Feb 17, 2017 ♥Rachel♥ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, mystery, audio-book, thriller-and-or-action

This was a pretty horrific case: an entire family is murdered. Pretty cut and dry at first, but of course things are never as they appear in a Lisa Gardner mystery.

This is where the Alex and D.D. meet up for the first time, an immediate attraction brewing. D.D. is smitten once she finds out Alex can cook! Good Italian food and wine is a sure way to D.D.'s heart!

The audio version as a re-read was fantastic!

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Aug 02, 2016 Jean rated it really liked it

“Oh Danny girl. My pretty, pretty Danny girl.” What a haunting melody this proves to be! I listened to Live to Tell, Lisa Gardner’s fourth D.D. Warren police procedural during a seven-and-a-half hour round trip and got more than halfway through the audio version before switching to the print version upon returning home. Danielle Burton is a 34-year-old pediatric psychiatric nurse who is tormented by the memory of her father singing her name the night he shot and killed her mother and siblings th “Oh Danny girl. My pretty, pretty Danny girl.” What a haunting melody this proves to be! I listened to Live to Tell, Lisa Gardner’s fourth D.D. Warren police procedural during a seven-and-a-half hour round trip and got more than halfway through the audio version before switching to the print version upon returning home. Danielle Burton is a 34-year-old pediatric psychiatric nurse who is tormented by the memory of her father singing her name the night he shot and killed her mother and siblings then turned the gun on himself. Danielle is the sole survivor. Every year as the anniversary of the tragedy approaches, Danielle frantically does everything in her power to avoid reliving the memories of that dreadful night. Mostly, she seeks refuge in her work. Abused, emotionally disturbed children are her salvation. Twenty-five years later, she is still angry. Still hurting. Still keeping others at bay.

Live to Tell is narrated from three points of view. In addition to Danielle’s story, there is Victoria Oliver’s heart wrenching reality. She is the mother of Evan, and eight-year-old boy who is anything but “normal.” Victoria struggles with loving her son too much as she fears for her safety.

Finally, there is Detective D.D. Warren. We first see her as her hopes for a bedroom romp are ruined when her pager goes off in the middle of dinner, and she is summoned to a gory murder scene. An entire family has been wiped out in an apparent murder-suicide. What will the evidence show? And what in the world do these three story lines have in common? Where, when, and how will they intersect?

“Oh Danny girl…Sole survivor…I love you, Mommy…Do you believe in ‘woo-woo’?” My little gray cells were working overtime as I tried to connect the dots. There seemed to be many possibilities, but I couldn’t make them work. Like D.D. and her team, I had my suspicions, but I was never sure. Ms. Gardner ties things up neatly at the end, but it was a bit of a letdown (view spoiler)

This story held my interest utterly and completely. The only gripe I have is that I felt like I really didn’t learn much new about D.D. Warren. She’s apparently beautiful, and she wants a man. She loves to eat and can really pack away the food. She’s a tough cop, and she works too much. I want to know more! As I continue reading the series, I hope that the author shows more of who Detective Warren really is.

4 stars

...more

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Nov 12, 2018 Tonya rated it it was amazing

I just love all the twist and turns of this story. Danielle lives to tell her story.

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Jul 06, 2018 Robin rated it really liked it

Shelves: suspense, 2018

Detective D.D. Warren is called to the scene of a mass-murder. At first glance, it looks like a father has killed his three children and wife before taking his own life. As D.D. and her crew look into possible motives, they discover another family massacred. Is it just a coincidence? Or are these murders somehow tied together?

This story is told by three women. D.D. Warren is the cop investigating two murder-suicide cases. Victoria is a mother of a troubled child she is afraid will someday kill h ...more

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Mar 05, 2015 Jenni Boyd rated it it was amazing

Live to Tell, begins with Danielle Burton having a flashback when she was only nine years old, her father murdered her mother and two siblings, before turning the gun on himself, for nearly twenty-five years she could not remember all the events of what happened that fateful night, but was haunted with why she was allowed to live, why did he kill them and not me?

As the anniversary of the slaughter of her family approaches, two very different families, from different neighbourhoods are murdered, ...more

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Feb 21, 2018 Faye rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed, five-star-reads, lisa-gardner, iwgyb, crime-fiction, best-of-2018, detective-dd-warren-series

Read: February 2018
Rating: 5/5 stars (best of 2018)

The plot: Gardner tells this story from three different perspectives; our main character D.D. Warren, and two secondary female characters. Danielle was the sole survivor of the massacre of her family when she was nine years old and Victoria is a single mother living with her extremely psychologically disturbed eight year old son.

I loved this book and I read it at exactly the right time, as I've recently been reading with interest the news story ...more

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Aug 01, 2017 Jim rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: books-read-2017, mystery-suspense-thriller

The story opens with Danielle Burton having a flashback to when she was nine years old and her father killed her mother, sister, and brother before turning the gun on himself in front of her. Now as the twenty fifth anniversary of that horrific event approaches Danielle is a 34-year-old pediatric psychiatric nurse and her life is about to be thrown into turmoil. Danielle has always had an especially difficult time around this time but now two different families have been murdered. Both families ...more

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Sep 18, 2014 Cathy rated it liked it

Shelves: crime-suspense, 2014

Another easy 4-star book that turns into a 3 at the very end. Seriously, I could have done with a better explanation. Meh.

Also, 4 books in I am still not D.D.'s biggest fan. Just for once I'd wish Lisa Gardner would allow her main character to solve the crime instead of the crime just sort of resolving itself towards the end when everything comes to a close. That would be a good thing. Because so far all we know about D.D. is how blonde and sexy she is and how much she likes to eat and needs to ...more

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Oct 18, 2012 Brandie rated it it was amazing

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

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 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. ...more

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May 03, 2012 Tonya Breck rated it really liked it

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

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Apr 13, 2018 KATHLEEN rated it really liked it

Lisa Gardner often puts her detectives in the background, but in this installment (DD Warren #4) DD is front and center throughout the book. I have no problem with either method; with the detective in the background, Gardner gets the chance to really get into a protagonist(s) and what makes them tick. In this book DD's personality does not overshadow the two fascinating women who narrate their parts of the book. One is Danielle, the childhood survivor of a murdered family who finds some peace wo ...more

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Feb 28, 2015 Carolyn rated it really liked it

Shelves: crime

This is the 4th novel in Lisa Gardner's D.D. Warren series and focuses on family murders and psychologically disturbed children. Danielle Burton, the central character, is a survivor of a family murder where her mother, brother and sister were murdered by her father before he shot himself. Danielle suffers from survivor guilt and 25y on now works as a pediatric psychiatry nurse in a special ward for disturbed children. When D.D. Warren, investigating the recent murders of two unrelated families, ...more

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Feb 01, 2011 Karen rated it liked it

Shelves: 2011, adult, suspense, s524-ra-class, series

Three women. They don’t know each other, yet. One is a dedicated pediatric psych nurse, dreading the 25th anniversary of the day that made her a lone survivor. The second is an exhausted single mother, coping with the full-time care of her mentally ill 8-year-old son. The third is a tough cop, married to her job in Boston’s homicide unit. Five days in August bring these women together. Their connection: murder.

From the red and black cover all the way to the final plot twist, Live to Tell is a gr Three women. They don’t know each other, yet. One is a dedicated pediatric psych nurse, dreading the 25th anniversary of the day that made her a lone survivor. The second is an exhausted single mother, coping with the full-time care of her mentally ill 8-year-old son. The third is a tough cop, married to her job in Boston’s homicide unit. Five days in August bring these women together. Their connection: murder.

From the red and black cover all the way to the final plot twist, Live to Tell is a gripping, hard-edged suspense. Although it’s the 4th book in the Detective D.D. Warren series, it can easily be enjoyed as a stand-alone.

The prologue immediately establishes a menacing atmosphere as RN Danielle Burton shares her first-person account of what happened 25 years ago when her father murdered her whole family, all-the-while calling out to 9-year-old Danielle in an eerie sing-song before turning the gun on himself. As the anniversary of that terrible day approaches, Danielle tries to stay busy, putting in longer and longer hours at work. But without sleep, and with her father’s voice chanting in her head from beyond the grave, she’s almost at the breaking point.

The narration shifts to Victoria Oliver, a woman in a daily struggle to survive the violence and verbal abuse in her key-in, key-out home. Victoria’s first-person narration creates a strong connection with the reader who feels her panic as she stays up all night, trying to keep track of all the knives in the house in an effort to stay one step ahead of someone who has vowed to kill her, someone she desperately loves.

The roller-coaster narration between characters continues when 38-year-old Detective D.D. Warren picks up the story. Her account is told in the third-person limited style, creating a little more distance between the law enforcement professional and the reader. She may be a beautiful woman who likes good food and intelligent men who make her laugh, but she’s a cop first; she thrives on stress and she’s great at her job.

The action begins early when Detective Warren’s pager interrupts a long-awaited dinner date. A family has been murdered. Attractive colleague Alex Wilson thinks it’s the work of a family annihilator. Father loses job; decides his whole family is better off dead; kills everyone; and then turns the gun on himself. But neighbors have only good things to say about Patrick Harrington. It’s the Harrington’s youngest child, 9 year-old Ozzie, who made neighbors shiver. Clues lead in several directions; one of the first is the Pediatric Evaluation Clinic of Boston, the psychiatric hospital where Ozzie was once a patient and where Danielle Burton currently works as a nurse.

As a setting, the PECB creates a heightened sense of danger. The young patients undergoing residential treatment there suffer from severe mental illness that often manifests in self-mutilation and acts of violence. Many survived unimaginable trauma before arriving at the acute care facility. And, despite the best care from dedicated professionals who rely on progressive techniques, each day at the PECB teeters on chaos.

Pacing increases and tension grows as the calendar counts down to the anniversary of the murder of Danielle’s family. With chapters grouped by day-of-the-week, all of the action takes place in just 5 days, the body count steadily rising along with the list of possible suspects. Who did it is almost impossible to guess until the very end of the book and the question of why remains a mystery until the epilogue finally wraps up the loose ends.

With a narrow time frame, menacing atmosphere, damaged characters, violent action, and roller-coaster narration, Live to Tell is a fast-paced, heart-pounding suspense, a perfect example of the genre. ...more

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Sep 22, 2012 Larry Bassett rated it really liked it

Shelves: mystery

Meet our heroine Detective Sergeant D. D. Warren of the Boston Police Department:

She was not getting married. She was not having children. She was not going to have sex in her office. So she might as well read the fucking case reports, because this was her life. This was what she had left. Five dead in Dorchester and no one alive to tell the tale.

While this is not the last book in the Detective D.D. Warren Series (http://www.goodreads.com/series/41697...), I anticipate that it will be the last Meet our heroine Detective Sergeant D. D. Warren of the Boston Police Department:

She was not getting married. She was not having children. She was not going to have sex in her office. So she might as well read the fucking case reports, because this was her life. This was what she had left. Five dead in Dorchester and no one alive to tell the tale.

While this is not the last book in the Detective D.D. Warren Series (http://www.goodreads.com/series/41697...), I anticipate that it will be the last book in the series that I will read. About a year ago I bought the first four books from www.alibris.com . This is the fourth book and I think I have had enough Lisa Gardner for quite some time considering the many books I have on my TBR shelf that are calling to me!

On the back cover these are some of the catch phrases for Gardner books: taut as a piano wire . . . roller-coaster ride . . . gets the heart racing . . . stunning . . . chilling . . . will leave you shaken . . . nail-biting . . . thrilling climax . . . wickedly riveting. So what more is there to say?

Go to the GR Live to Tell page and you will find “Lisa Gardner Interviews Detective D.D. Warren.” If you have a sense of humor and have read a couple of books featuring D.D. Warren, you will enjoy it.

The next trip to the grocery store I will be able to walk right by the book rack with all the paperbacks screaming, “Buy me! Buy me!” See ya ‘round, Lisa.

Live to Tell is a story about a woman who works in a locked children’s psychiatric ward. Two things about her: First, her family of five was killed by her father about 25 years ago; she was the sole survivor. Second, she was recently one of the care providers on the ward for a nine year boy who was released against medical advice and may have killed his family of five. The police talk with her as a part of their investigation of that event. So this is a story of, as the police call it, family annihilation. Did I mention the dead family of six? If this sounds improbable, your see the mark of Lisa Gardner: unbelievability – too unrealistic or improbable to be believed. This is indeed a Gardner specialty as the last three books I have read by her proves conclusively.

This book does put together the improbable with the very improbable including a detour on “the mumbo-jumbo superhighway” with Andrew the local shaman. And yet as I was reading it I really wanted to hold out some hope for the mumbo-jumbo. At the end of the story, author Lisa Gardner viewed what she by then called “the celestial superhighway” with a bit more of an open mind.

This is not a book that will help you resolve major philosophical or psychological issues. You will learn some things about mental illness in children and even some things about spiritual healing. The story is a complex spider web that did keep me reading, holding my attention throughout. It had some thrill and suspense but the improbability helped me keep my nerves under control. I thought it was more entertaining than scary. The entertainment value was worth four stars. The D.D. Warren series continues to the present day, something I might remember should I live long enough to get to the bottom of my TBR pile.
...more

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Apr 24, 2016 Marleen rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: lisa-gardner

I literally stayed up all night to finish this book. Luckily, I had the next day off to sleep in. Lisa Gardner penned an original thriller with this 4th D.D. Warren book. The subject matter of mentally challenged children, who act out violently piqued my interest and it was delivered in a pretty well written mystery story. For one, as a reader I appreciated that we weren’t reading it from the bad guy’s perspective. This story was told mainly by two female protagonists; Danielle Burton, who lived ...more

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Mar 22, 2010 Sheri rated it it was amazing

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!

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Feb 27, 2018 Lady Delacour rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: listened-to-this-book, mystery, not-clean, too-much-foul-language, narrators-are-good

This story was as active as
D.D.Warren's desire for a man.
Narrators were good.
Not Clean
Foul Language.

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Mar 16, 2011 Denise rated it liked it

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 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. ...more

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Mar 28, 2017 Lisa rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: library-overdrive, 2017, 4-star-reviews

SUMMARY
When Danielle was nine years old her father murdered her mother and Danielle's little sister and brother as Danielle was cowering in her bed. As he was crooning the words Oh Danny girl, pretty pretty Danny girl, he turns the gun on himself. Twenty-five years later, Danielle is working as a nurse in a children's psych ward of a acute care facility in Boston Massachusetts. She still is struggling with her family's death and her survival. As the anniversary of their death approaches, two oth
SUMMARY
When Danielle was nine years old her father murdered her mother and Danielle's little sister and brother as Danielle was cowering in her bed. As he was crooning the words Oh Danny girl, pretty pretty Danny girl, he turns the gun on himself. Twenty-five years later, Danielle is working as a nurse in a children's psych ward of a acute care facility in Boston Massachusetts. She still is struggling with her family's death and her survival. As the anniversary of their death approaches, two other families from two different Boston neighborhoods are murdered. There were no survivors.

Detective D.D. Warren thinks these murders might be connected. The connection may just be the pediatric acute care facility that Danielle works at. When D.D. learns of Danielle's family history, she thinks Danielle may knows something or may be involved. D.D. has to figure this out before another family is murdered.

The book is full of strong female characters. In addition to Danielle and D.D. there's also Victoria. Victoria has given up everything she holds dear in order to keep her mentally challenged son at home. But she is paying a huge price for this decision. And it's never easy.

REVIEW
Families are being murdered. Is there a connection? What's the common denominator? The mystery begins.

This was my first read of Lisa Gardner's D. D. Warren series, although I've read many of her other books. Gardner is a great writer. Her thrillers typically involve acts of desperation that leave you breathless. This book is no different. From the book's first page you are faced with a savage and horrifying family murder. As the book progresses the mystery, intrigue and suspense grows, as do the murders. The storyline seems to go off in many different directions and I wondered how Gardner could possibly bring the story in for a landing. But she does. And she does so masterfully.

Gardner introduces numerous characters in LIVE TO TELL: the families, the children, the hospital staff, and the police detectives. But despite the large cast of characters it is easy to keep track of who is who, thanks to very good character development.

LEFT TO TELL is a gripping thriller, involving the heartbreaking world of mentally challenged children. This to adds to intense feelings the book arouses. ...more

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Nov 26, 2016 L.M. Krier rated it liked it

I really need a half-star function. For me this was more than a 3 but not yet a 4, so three-and-a-half stars.

It features Detective DD Warren. I've not met her before, I was reading the series out of order because of what the library had available. I frankly couldn't care if I never met her again. I found her a very under-developed character who still managed to be not very likeable. She appears to like eating like a bear, preferably rare beef, and spends a lot of time trying to get laid. Perhaps ...more

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Mar 25, 2010 Monica rated it really liked it

Shelves: mystery, first-reads

I won this on this book as a Firstreads give away. Wow, what a good book! Detective D.D. Warren has a promising Thursday evening interrupted by her pager. An entire family nearly wiped out with only the father surviving with what might be a self-inflicted gunshot to the head. This opening scenario leads to a complex story told from several different views. There’s the view of Warren who leads the investigation and is saddled by a tag-along former detective Alex Wilson, Danielle, a psychiatric nu ...more

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Apr 05, 2011 Emily rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: lost-sleep-over-this

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

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Nov 18, 2011 Kris - My Novelesque Life rated it really liked it

4 STARS

"He knows everything about you - including the first place you'll hide.

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

Danielle Burton is a survivor, a ...more

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Jun 26, 2010 Kelly Hager rated it it was amazing

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

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Jun 18, 2017 Mary JL rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: fans of mysteries; thrillers; medical dramas

Shelves: mystery-horror

I like almost everything of Lisa Gardner's work so I was hoping I'd enjoy this. I was NOT disappointed.

Telling the story from three alternation points of view and keep it all straight was a great achievement. The plot is good and the characterization was good. Lots of twists and turns.

One warning---a lot of the action takes place in a locked pediatric psych ward for acutely disturbed children. So definitely not for under 18. I did find the descriptions of child abuse disturbing--but I know from ...more

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Jun 05, 2015 Jill Manske rated it really liked it

Another terrific psychological thriller from Lisa Gardner. In "Live to Tell", she explores the heart-breaking problem of young children with severe psychiatric illness and the limited options open to professionals to treat them. The kids and their violent tendencies are at the heart of the plot, with parents at their wit's end and inpatient psychiatric staff struggling to help the kids respond more appropriately. Throw in the mass murders of two families, a nurse scarred by her own family traged ...more

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Dec 28, 2014 Becky Johnson rated it it was amazing

Lisa Gardner is one of those authors that I forget how good she is - fast paced, twisting, emotional, and satisfying, Live to Tell is a great book. There are three story lines that twist together and although as a reader I knew the lines were going to merge I could not have guessed how it would happen. Live to Tell is at turns disturbing and dark and then hopeful and loving. I would definitely recommend this book.

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About Lisa Gardner

Lisa Gardner

9,188 followers

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

aka Alicia Scott

Lisa Gardner is a #1 New York Times bestselling crime novelist. A self-described research junkie, she has parlayed her interest in police procedure and twisted minds into a streak of twenty thrillers. Her latest, NEVER TELL, comes out Feb. 19 2019 and features ...more