[Review] Love You More by Lisa Gardner

Love You More by Lisa Gardner
Series: Detective D.D. Warren, #5
Publisher: Bantam
Publishing Date: Feb. 28, 2012
Format: paperback, purchased
412 Pages
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N

Synopsis 

WHO DO YOU LOVE?

Brian Darby lies dead on the kitchen floor. His wife, state police trooper Tessa Leoni, claims to have shot him in self-defense, and bears the bruises to back up her tale. For veteran detective D. D. Warren it should be an open-and-shut case. But where is their six-year-old daughter? 

AND HOW FAR WOULD YOU GO . . .

As the homicide investigation ratchets into a frantic statewide search for a missing child, D. D. Warren must partner with former lover Bobby Dodge to break through the blue wall of police brotherhood, seeking to understand the inner workings of a trooper's mind while also unearthing family secrets. Would a trained police officer truly shoot her own husband? And would a mother harm her own child? 

. . . TO SAVE HER?

For Tessa Leoni, the worst has not yet happened. She is walking a tightrope, with nowhere to turn and no one to trust. She has one goal in sight, and she will use every ounce of her training to do what must be done. No sacrifice is too great, no action unthinkable. A mother knows who she loves. And all others will be made to pay.

My Review

Lisa Gardner is an amazing storyteller and I love reading her books. I didn't realize that this book was part of a series, and I don't believe I've read them in order, but it doesn't seem to matter too much. It reminds me of James Patterson's Women's Murder Club books - yes, they're a series, and it helps to read them in order, but its not completely necessary and things aren't hard to figure out as you're reading it. 

This was a very fast-paced book that I had a hard time putting down. I constantly wanted to figure out what happened to Sophie and Brian. Was Tessa involved with Sophie's disappearance? Did she kill her family? Was it in self defense? So many questions that needed to be answered! It kept me hooked right up to the end! I also found out that this book, while the 5th in the DD Warren series, its the first in the Tessa Leoni series! I can't wait to find more of her other books and finish both of these! 

I love how this story alternated between Tessa's point of view, being told in first person, and DD's point of view, in third person. It added so much to the story and I really enjoyed getting to know the characters so much more. DD is a really good detective and I like reading the little things about her personal life. And Tessa appears to be a loving mother who will do anything she can to protect her child. These characters compliment each other well and they both learn from each other. If you haven't read anything by Gardner, do it now! She's so very talented!