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Orion Publishing, February 2006
Reviewed by Sally Roddom
A car is found abandoned on a deserted stretch of highway. The engine is
running, and a handbag is on the driver’s seat. The car is soon identified
as that of Quincy’s estranged wife, ex-police officer Rainie Conner. She
has disappeared and there is no clue to where she has gone.
Shortly after her disappearance, a kidnapper contacts Quincy with a
bizarre ransom demand. Quincy and his investigation team have no choice
but to play the kidnapper's game in order to keep Rainie alive. Could her
disappearance be the result of one of the cases they'd been working - a
particularly vicious double homicide - or the possible abuse of a deeply
disturbed child that Rainie had taken close to heart? Joining forces with
his daughter, FBI agent Kimberly, Quincy battles the local authorities,
races against time and frantically searches for answers to all the
questions he's been afraid to ask.
GONE is Lisa Gardner’s ninth novel, and it keeps you on the edge of the
seat from beginning to end. The story is told from the alternate views of
Quincy investigating the crime, and Rainie fighting for her life and those
of the other victims. The tension builds gradually through the novel,
taking the reader from police and task force blunders, to the invasion of
the press and the kidnapper's demands. When the kidnapper starts taking
other victims and escalates his threats faster than the task force can
keep up, you find yourself unable to put down this book. The cast of
characters is strong and each one is nicely rounded out and credible. Just
as the reader thinks they know the ending there is an unexpected twist -
well at least I didn’t see it coming. My only criticism is that the
accents she uses for a couple of characters are forced and unnatural, and
seem a bit silly in their context. Other than that, GONE is highly
recommended.
Aug 2006 review originally published on Murder & Mayhem
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