In her tenth full-length novel featuring Detective D.D. Warren, author Lisa Gardner immerses her readers in a fast-paced and twisty mystery involving a man fatally shot in his home. D.D. is no stranger to crimes like these, but what sets this particular homicide apart from the many others she's worked on is the fact that the victim's laptop computer had been shot a total of twelve times. Evie Carter was married to the deceased, and when police arrive on the scene, she's found holding the gun. What possible reason could Evie have for killing her husband and then turning her fire on the computer?

D.D. has a long and complicated history with Evie. Years before, Evie's father was the victim of a fatal shooting that was eventually ruled an accident, but D.D. has never forgotten Evie and has never completely come to terms with the way that particular case was put to rest. She's always had questions about the woman, and now, she just might get the chance to have them answered once and for all.

Also investigating the crime is Flora Dane, a survivor of a horrific kidnapping who has turned her attention to helping other survivors of violent crimes pick up the pieces of their shattered lives. It seems that Evie's dead husband might have a long-buried link to Flora's own past, and she's determined to uncover the truth.

Reviewers Shannon Dyer and Maggie Boyd sat down to discuss Never Tell, and are here to share their thoughts on the novel.

Shannon: I'm a long-time fan of Ms. Gardner's writing in general and her D.D. Warren books in particular. I find this series to be one of the most consistently well-done group of books I've come across in a while. How do you feel about the series as a whole?

Maggie: I love the D.D. Warren series and typically find the books completely mesmerizing and delightfully chilling.

Shannon: We've seen D.D. undergo a great deal of personal growth as the series has progressed. She doesn't always handle change gracefully, but she manages to get the job done. How did you feel about D.D.'s hands-approach to this investigation even though she was supposed to be taking a more supervisory role?

Maggie: I never expected D.D. to truly become a supervisor and always anticipated her having a hands-on approach, so this worked perfectly for me.  D.D.’s personality is very direct and action/results oriented, so I can’t see her doing things any other way.

Shannon: I enjoy the glimpses we get into D.D.'s home life. I love watching her spend time with Jack and Alex, but I know some readers have been a little disappointed to see so much of her softer side. How do you feel about this side of D.D.'s nature?

Maggie: I think the author is doing an excellent job of managing this. There is bound to be an overlap between our work and home lives since they affect each other, so it’s good to see that aspect of D.D.. I honestly don’t think the D.D. before Alex and Jack would have worked well with Flora Dane. On the other hand, this series is very much a police procedural, so too much of the home life would change the nature of the series. IMO, the author has a perfect combination going right now.

Shannon: Let's talk a bit about Flora Dane. Her character intrigued me from the very first time I met her In Find Me, and my strange infatuation with her has only grown in subsequent books. There's a certain raw vulnerability that peeks through her super tough exterior that I find kind of endearing. What are your thoughts on Flora?

Maggie: I adored Flora when I met her in Find Me and have been enthralled by her journey back into ‘normal’ life. That said, I was conflicted by her inclusion in this tale and felt very uncomfortable with the Jacob Ness expert that she connected with towards the end. I couldn’t imagine that person ever seeing her as something more than the survivor of a particularly nasty monster and so felt uncomfortable with that relationship.

Shannon: That's a good point. That relationship thread was a bit on the odd side.

I don't want to focus too much on Evie, since that could lead to spoilers, but how did you feel about her in general? Was she a character you could relate to?

Maggie: I think many women would be able to relate to the mother/daughter dynamic Evie had with her parent, but I was flummoxed by her marriage. That she and her husband confided so little in each other made me wonder what glue was holding the relationship together.  She was also just not a very compelling character; she was basically a guest appearance in her own life. She didn’t even qualify as co-star in the investigation since her lawyer, mother, D.D., Flora and a host of others outshone her.

Shannon: That's pretty much how I felt about her as well. She provided a bit of a diversion from some of the heavy investigative work going on in the story, and some readers might find that refreshing. However, I would have liked her more if she had taken a more front-and-center role in her life, rather than sitting back and just sort of observing.

Let's talk about the mystery aspect of the novel. I wasn't as gripped by this case as I have been by previous cases D.D. has worked on. I was able to figure out where the plot was headed pretty early on, and that disappointed me a little bit. Still, I enjoyed watching D.D. and Flora figure out what I already knew, so I can't in good conscience count this as a loss. What about you?

Maggie: I definitely guessed key points early on in the story, which kept me from getting completely caught up in this novel. I think one of the big problems with the plot was the Jacob Ness tie-in that Flora brought to the story. That aspect of the tale loomed much larger than the simple case of whether or not Evie killed her husband and whether or not she was justified in doing so.

Shannon: What's your final grade? I'm going with a B since I wasn't as wowed by the mystery as I was hoping I'd be, but the book is still a solid addition to the series.

Maggie: My final grade is also a B. This story felt too distracted, like it couldn’t decide if it was about Evie or about an additional investigation into Jacob Ness. It was a good book, a solid series addition but I could never recommend it on its own merits. It simply wouldn’t appeal to people who aren’t already fans of the characters.

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I always love a Lisa Gardner book. NEVER TELL did not disappoint. It left me guessing and made me want to keep turning pages. I love the way Gardner writes! I will definitely be purchasing this book for the library because I have a big group of Gardner fans!

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for letting me review a advance copy of this book.

Lisa Gardner's Detective D.D. Warren series is back with her latest Never Tell. A enjoyable quick read with a lot of previous characters including my favorite vigilante Flora Dane. 5 stars and highly recommended.

This book was outstanding and I could not stop reading it!!!! D.D. Warren is back with Flora (you need to read "Find Her" in my opinion to truly appreciate her background and the dynamic she adds to this story) and pregnant Evie, who's husband has been gunned down- perhaps by Evie herself. And this isn't Evie's first time being caught at the crime scene GUN IN HAND. Say what? No spoilers here but if you like suspenseful thrillers, this is the book for you!! Lisa Gardner is always a homerun type of author and I can't wait to see what comes next in this series!!

HUGE THANKS to NetGalley, Penguin Random House, and of course Lisa Gardner for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars Shots are fired and when the police arrive they find a dead man with his pregnant wife holding a gun. She is immediately arrested. She swears she didn’t shoot her husband, she only shut off his computer. Sergeant DD Warren is on the case. She knows the pregnant wife because she had a case years ago when the same woman’s father was found dead.
The story unravels with so many twists and turns as only Lisa Gardner can do. Totally “unputdownable”.

Amazing book!
This story follws three main characters.
1. Evie daughter of a highly intelligent man who was shot and killed 13 years prior , Evie has just been accused of shooting and killing her husband .
2. D.D. Married woman detective the same one who investigated the crime when Eveis father was shot, is now investigating the case where Eveis husband's been shot.
3. Flora is my favorite character, a survivor of kidnap and torture, she has strength that goes beyond measure.

Loved the storyline...it was so unique and surprising, lots of twists...I kept changing my mind through out the book as to who the culprit was but was surprised at the end.
#NeverTell#NetGalley

Yes yes yes!!
Thank you for the amazing people at Dutton for allowing me an early Netgalley copy. This in no way affects my review and I personally plan to buy a hardback as soon as its available.

I was so hoping we would get back to having more of the victim/suspects POV. In the last book Look For Me we got a tidbit of a different characters POV in a written essay but it wasn't the same. We were still mostly given Flora chapters and even though they did relate it didn't build as much suspense.

Never Tell gives you Evie(our suspect), D.D. Warren, and Flora chapters in that order throughout the book. *I'm not sure if its always had a pattern like this but I noticed it this time and really liked it.

Evie has been caught with a smoking gun in hand next to her dead husband and destroyed laptop.

D.D Warren knows Evie from a previous case years before where Evie confessed to accidentally shooting her father with a shotgun.

Flora sees the breaking news and recognizes Evie's husband from the time when Jacob Ness had her kidnapped.

How does all this tie together? Trust me you have no idea. The suspense was fantastic. The mystery was so twisty. And that ending?! I was on pins and needles. I honestly admit to crying at the end. There were points where I would finish a chapter, sit the book down, and just stare into space to process the chaos. I found myself actually slowing down my reading to prolong the story and enjoy it more.

We even got a visit from SSA Kimberly Quincy!

Overall I highly recommend this book and series for lovers of thrilling crime and suspense!

It’s as if every time Lisa Gardner sits down to write a book, she gets better and better. I have never read a Gardner book I didn’t like, but Never Tell was jammed pack with some of my favorite characters and a story line that kept me on my toes.

Never Tell follows our favorite Boston detective, D.D. Warren as she investigates a murder of a man in his home office. But it turns out the wife of said man is a women who was involved in another in-home shooting 16 years earlier. D.D. doesn’t believe in coincidences. In comes our favorite C.I. , Flora Dane, to inform us she knows said dead man in home office. Plot thickens! Everyone is a suspect. Everyone seems to be lying about something.

Never Tell has so many twists and turns I felt my head spinning at times. I had no clue what-so-ever who was behind everything going on and I loved how it all tied together in one way or another in the end. It appeared to be so many crimes and there was something in common with all of it. The intricacies that Gardner can write without any flaws is pure talent and Never Tell is jam packed with multiple stories intertwining into a finely crafted braid.

D.D. Warren is one of my favorite characters by Gardner, but we got a glimpse of SSA Kimberly Quincy as well in this novel. These two powerhouse law enforcement officers led us on a psychological ride that will keep you guessing until the very end. Their personalities feed the story and you’ll find yourself laughing, gasping, and angry at different moments throughout. As usual, Gardner’s writing style will snare you in, not wanting to put the book down, and flows smoothly from start to finish. She isn’t one of the top Mystery, Thriller writers for nothing. Pick up Never Tell and you will be hooked from the first page.

I loved this new book by Lisa Gardner. It was a lot less gory than her usual fare but much more of a psychological thriller. I couldn't stop reading this page turner until I finished at 5 am!

Another instant success from Gardner. Detective Warren is back again, and this time she has a history with the suspect. It's another fast paced mystery that will leave you reading until the wee morning hours to find out what happens next.

Det. D. D. Warren is working a crime, the murder of a man who appears to have been killed by his wife. The evidence is compelling and the wife has a history. She accidentally shot her Father years ago, or did she? It appears to be an open and shut case until evidence puts doubt on whether the wife is the actual killer.

This book is part of a series but could be read alone. It is written from multiple view points. There is a great cast of characters, including 3 strong women. The book had so many twists and turns I wasn’t sure where it was going. This is a great suspense/thriller that will grab you from the first page. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

Boston detective D.D. Warren learns that a suspect in a current crime is related to a case she worked on sixteen years ago. Evie Carter was accused of killing her father but it was declared an accident which Warren doubted. Now a pregnant Evie is being accused of killing her husband. Things only become more complicated when D.D.'s CI Flora Dane, recognizes the dead man and believes he has ties to her deceased former rapist/kidnapper. Tying together two series, Lisa Gardner has masterfully created a suspenseful heart pounding thriller that will leave readers rushing to its stunning conclusion.

I love Lisa Gardner and I don’t think she’s ever written a clunker of a book...this book is no exception, it’s still a solid thriller, but it was one of her more convoluted stories...I just didn’t really feel like I ever totally followed the dark web storyline...and I don’t think everything really got tied up at the end? But it was still solid anyway...

Never Tell was a great way to start my New Reading Year!

I haven't read all of the D.D. Warren series yet. I started with #8, which was the first Flora Dane book, and while I quickly became attached to Flora, it took reading this one for me to really fall for D.D.

Obviously, solving the mystery is the point of the thing, but what makes Gardner's books such a pleasure to read is the character work. Never Tell involves some huge development for Flora and I'm thrilled. It's so comforting to see her evolve!

Another reason I was so taken in by this book was the pacing. Of course there is some urgency to figure out what happened, but I didn't feel that heart pounding anxiety that I often feel in other thrillers that can be a bit off putting.

I really like the slow burn, because it allows time to enjoy things like backstory and a greater overview of all the moving parts that culminate in the big reveal. I'm not left with the feeling that the end was rushed or came from left field, and it's so satisfying to readers like me who love a great story.

I received an ARC from Dutton, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Expected date of publication is February 19, 2019.

Wow! This book is a puzzle waiting to be put together. While it lags in certain places it is so worth every second of this story. The characters are pretty amazing and while this story will take you on one heck of an emotional roller-coaster you will be completely captivated.

I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I had no idea this was part of a series until I was finished reading this. I prefer to start them from the beginning and will probably go back and do so because I loved the main character. Strong female characters in this one.

Free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Lisa Gardner’s detective D. D. Warren is back in Never Tell, a really interesting book – and fun to read. This is the 11th book in the series (which I only discovered in 2017 with Look For Me, which featured both D.D. Warren and Flora Dane, who first appeared as a crime victim in Find Her, #8 in the Warren series. And guess what? Flora Dane is also in Never Tell, which begins once again with a murder and gets darker from there.

D.D. is called to the scene where Conrad Carter has been murdered, shot three times in his home office. His pregnant wife Evie is holding the gun, which was used not only to shoot Conrad, but his computer (shot twelve times!).

D. D. recognizes Evie from years ago, when D.D. worked the case where Evie as a teenager shot and killed her father. That was ruled an accident, and for D.D., two coincidental murders is too many.

When Flora sees the story about the murder of Conrad Carter on the TV news, she and recognizes his face as a man she was introduced to in a bar when her kidnapper tried to basically sell her to Conrad. Flora feels a lot of guilt that she never tracked Conrad down, as he was apparently trying to help her, so she is now determined to learn the truth of Conrad's murder.

Along the way, D.D. and Flora wonder just how many secrets one family can have, as they deal with Evie’s weird mother, and keep turning up more and more details…OK., clues.

I really like this series, and will look for any future books by Ms. Gardner. Four stars.

I think I am now an official Lisa Gardner follower. I have loved every book so far I read by her and this one didn't disappoint. It started with a bang (literally) and didn't leave me alone. What a book, I can't recommend this enough.

Never Tell may very well be Lisa Gardner's best novel to date. Longtime fans of Gardner are treated to a reunion between Boston detective D.D. Warren and the F.B.I.'s very own S.S.A. Kimberly Quincy while they work simultaneously on two different yet related mysteries. D.D.'s criminal informant Flora Dane is back again to help work on a cold case concerning her past and captivity. Meanwhile, we are introduced to new characters that are surprising, with rich backgrounds. Newcomers won't be disappointed by the mysteries unfolding and shouldn't get lost falling into the rhythm of the characters. It was an exciting, edge of your seat thriller and I loved it! (Plus I can honestly say I learned a little something along the way as Gardner spends time explaining to the reader concepts regarding cryptography and the dark web.)

"A man is dead, shot three times in his home office. But his computer has been shot twelve times, and when the cops arrive, his pregnant wife is holding the gun.

D.D. Warren arrives on the scene and recognizes the woman--Evie Carter--from a case many years back. Evie's father was killed in a shooting that was ruled an accident. But for D.D., two coincidental murders is too many.

Flora Dane sees the murder of Conrad Carter on the TV news and immediately knows his face. She remembers a night when she was still a victim--a hostage--and her captor knew this man. Overcome with guilt that she never tracked him down, Flora is now determined to learn the truth of Conrad's murder.

But D.D. and Flora are about to discover that in this case, the truth is a devilishly elusive thing. As layer by layer they peel away the half-truths and outright lies, they wonder: How many secrets can one family have?"

I'm a huge fan of Lisa Gardner's work, the DD Waren Series is one of the best psychological thrillers I've ever read, and her latest Never Tell is no exception.

The story is told from different POV and it is filled with suspense, family secrets, and the unsuspected twist to which Lisa has accustomed us.

As always, Lisa managed to create amazing new characters to add to the series, in this case, is Evie Carter who as a teenager killed her father and now is accused to have killed her husband. Evie along DD Warren and the informant Flora Dane developed a well-written and fast-paced thriller.

Amazing book! Highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley, PENGUIN GROUP Dutton for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. #NetGalley #NeverTell