Say Goodbye

by Lisa Gardner
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FBI-agent Kimberly Quincy is pregnant. And even though her husband who also works in law enforcement, in the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, understands what drives her to do the work she does he would prefer for her to back down a bit now. But when his colleague Sal Martignetti calls in the middle of the night, asking that Kimberly come and interview a prostitute who claims to be one of Kimberly's contacts and refuses to talk to anyone else he still hands the phone over. Despite not recognising the name Delilah Rose she goes to the police station to meet her.

Delilah Rose too is pregnant. She tells a story of a man who calls himself Dinchara, an anagram for arachnid, a man obsessed with spiders who pays prostitutes to let him watch spiders moving over their naked bodies. She tells about prostitutes disappearing without anyone paying attention or caring. That she is afraid that Dinchara is behind these disappearances. She can't or is too afraid to reveal where Dinchara can be found. So there isn't much more Kimberly can do but give Delilah her card and her mobile phone number.

Soon Kimberly starts receiving disturbing phone calls. Someone is begging her for help and plays recordings of women being tortured and killed. Together with Sal she starts an investigation to find Dinchara and the missing prostitutes.

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It is interesting that there are so many female writers writing really horrific books, like for example Val McDermid and Karin Slaughter. They write books about what scares us the most, about crimes that it is difficult to protect yourself against and they don't shy away from describing in detail the most awful acts. Lisa Gardner is such a writer. This book deals with the abduction and abuse of children, children who are victimized and end up being abusers themselves.

Lisa Gardner is also what I would call a suspense writer. The book gives an insight into the perpetrator's thinking and it is soon apparent for the reader that the story is more complicated than the disappearance of some prostitutes and that Kimberly herself is in danger. So you read ahead as quickly as you can to find out how it is all going to end.

It is this drive forward that in some respects distracts a bit from other parts of the book worth exploring; Kimberly's dilemma around combining being a wife and mother with her strong identification as a law enforcement professional, the vulnerability of children and the complicated mechanisms that form or personalities, how we can become that which we hate the most.

I have read all of Lisa Gardner's books but was not so taken by this one. Perhaps it is a matter of timing or perhaps I am losing my taste for books of this kind. I would only recommend this book to someone who expressed a wish for a suspenseful horrific book with a female lead character.

Lisa Gardner has written the following novels:

Featuring the Quincy family
The Perfect Husband (1998) - Pierce Quincy
The Third Victim (2001) - Pierce Quincy, Rainie Conner
The Next Accident (2001) - Pierce Quincy, Rainie Conner
The Killing Hour (2003) - Kimberly Quincy
Gone (2006) - Pierce Quincy, Rainie Conner
Say Goodbye (2008) - Kimberly Quincy

Featuring Bobby Dodge and D.D. Warren in Boston Massachusetts
Alone (2005)
Hide (2007)

Non-series:
The Other Daughter (1999)
The Survivors Club (2002)