Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons!

This is one of my most anticipated novels of this year. After reading almost every novel Lisa Gardner has written, I knew that another Flora Dane and D.D. Warren story would make my year. Thanks to Netgalley and Dutton Books, I was given a review copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. I loved it so much that I read it in a day.

Never Tell is Lisa Gardner's tenth full-length Detective D.D. Warren novel. It is published by Dutton Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House. In this exciting crime thriller we are introduced to Evie Carter, a pregnant math teacher who is seemingly in a loving relationship with her husband, Conrad. One evening she is late coming home and worries of an altercation with Conrad. But what she finds is her husband dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot. She is dumbstruck by what she sees, but what she views on his laptop terrifies her. She grabs the gun from his hand and fires at the laptop. Soon the police swarm her home and she is arrested for murder.

Sergeant Detective D. D. Warren recognizes Evie from a incident many years prior when a sixteen year old Evie Hopkins accidentally shot and killed her father while cleaning a rifle. D.D. had been new to the force then. But Evie is not the only one who recognizes someone in the Carter case. Watching television in her small apartment, vigilante-turned-police-informant, Flora Dane (returning for the third time), recognizes Conrad Carter. And her blood runs cold. She flashes back to the darkest time in her life when murderer and serial rapist Jacob Ness had held her captive for over four hundred days. It was at a bar while Flora was emaciated and terrified that Conrad met with Jacob Ness. She wishes to know more about her case and dials up the woman who rescued her from Ness... Special Agent Kimberly Quincy of the FBI.

Is it possible the same woman could be present at two fatal shootings and not be responsible? What connection does Conrad Carter have to Jacob Ness? And can Flora Dane open her damaged memories and break her golden rule to never tell her story again? The stakes are high and a game of cat and mouse is about to set Boston on fire...literally.

Never Tell combined three of my favorite characters into one novel and the team up was epic. With D.D. already acquainted with Kimberly from Catch Me, and also with Quincy's father and step-mother in the 4th Man, Warren is ready to play nice with the Feds. The shifting powers between three alpha characters was treated with respect and humor. And I loved D.D. and Kimberly's exchange about motherhood and family life, with Flora looking on in agitation. The story is set at Christmas time and I enjoyed Gardner's description of the holidays in Boston, since I love the city in December. The mysteries, yes there is more than one, are lead by facts that may or may not be the absolute truths. Working with Flora's damaged psyche and untrustworthy players, the clues are thick with question marks. I found the twists and turns extremely satisfying as I maneuvered through the cases. There is murder, arson, and dark web espionage abound, all leading to a fiery finale that nearly costs one character their life.

Kirsten Potter returned to present the audio book of Never Tell, which I used in part to read this novel. Her delivery was excellent as always and by now D.D. Warren has become a part of Potter. Her delivery of accents, voices, and sheer sense of urgency drove the book along a quick pace. I hope that she reads this series for a long while.

Five stars later Never Tell pulled me in quick and did not let go until the explosive finale. I was treated to a triple team up with three strong female leads that played well off of new character, Evie. The mysteries were juicy and the reveals to die for (literally for some characters). I have yet to meet a Lisa Gardner novel that I did not like, and Never Tell is now in my top 10 thrillers.

Because there is always time to read,

Xepherus3

All written content is (c) Copyright 2019 by Thomas Bahr II

This was another great book by Lisa Gardner! I will always read her and especially her Dd warren ones!!

A complicated, chilling and extremely well written novel.

There are two stories going on simultaneously and Ms. Gardner manages to intertwine them beautifully. The first deals with a murder in which the wife is the chief suspect – one who shot her father when she was 14. The other involves a kidnapping and sexual assault. Even though the perpetrator has been dead for 7 years, Flora continues to search for answers. When she discovers that the murdered man was someone she met while kidnapped, more questions arise than answers.

This book will keep you up all night. You will not want it to end and the “just one more page” will not suffice. The characters are intricate and well developed. You are exposed to their flaws and surprised by their strengths. The dialogue is smooth and spot on.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I am a huge fan of Lisa Gardner. Never Tell will not disappoint and has become my favorite of her books.

I’ve loved every book in this series. Very well written and great stories. This one did not disappoint.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.

My friend read this book and some of the others from the series and she suggested I read it too. She knows I am a big thriller fan.
WOW this book was amazing, I will have to go back and read some of the other ones. It kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I love the suspense and wondering the entire time whodunit. The writing was great, the characters development was written very well. I love the female leads, made it for a great women empowering tale.

This is my first read by Lisa Gardner and I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I was hooked and intrigued from page one and had a hard time putting this book down. I loved that this book had three strong female leads and each of them brought so much to story. I would definitely recommend this book to friends and will definitely be reading more books by Lisa Gardner.

I really enjoyed this story, the twists and turns and the characters. I need to read the earlier books in the series now, I am hooked. I love seeing strong female protagonists in books and this doesn't disappoint. The Detective and FBI Agent have jobs and families, seeing this in a book is great representation for those of us that work to make it happen.
The book kept me interested and reading until I finished it.

I was so excited to see another book with DD & Flora!
Once again, Ms Gardner does not disappoint. I spent 90% of the book wondering how the heck Ms Gardner was going to tie it all together into a cohesive story and she did not disappoint at all. Bravo!

This book was incredible! I havent read this series in years - I wasn't lost. Author made brief references to past events- succinct and efficient.
This book is told from 3 perspectives- the wife, an abuse survivor and Detective DD Warren. Excellent writing- smooth transitions, lots of shocking twists. I didn't see the end coming. Stong female characters, wrought with suspense - I had to know.
Highly recommend.

Amazing audiobook! Narration was perfect. Even with POVs from several women with the same narrator, I knew who was who the minute I heard only a few words. The storyline was gripping and fantastic!

I Love the D.D. Warren series! I like the way the author keeps bringing back old characters, they feel like old friends coming together, however you don't need to read the books in order. Each book is a great story on it's own. What looks like an open and closed case is of course not at all what it seems. Keeps you guessing till the end!!!

Lisa Gardner just gets better and better. I've been a loyal reader of her DD Warren series for years but I've also read every standalone book she's ever wrote and I have to say, there's NO author out there writing at this high of level book after book. Never Tell has continuing characters DD Warren, her husband Alex, partners Phil and Neil and her new protege/confidential informant Flora Dane. Despite this being part of a series, I do think you could read this as a standalone and be perfectly happy.

The story is told in alternating perspectives from Flora, DD, and Evie. Evie starts off the story when she enters her home and finds her husband shot to death and she proceeds to take the gun and shoot his computer. Why? You'll have to read because that's just the tip of a very big iceberg. DD is the investigating detective and she enlists Flora's help. Flora's perspective gives us a much more in depth look at her past time with her kidnapper Jacob ness and we get to understand so much more about why she is the way she is. The pace is fast, the chapters short and the plot intricate. There are webs upon webs upon webs to be untangled and deciphered and I loved every minute of trying...to no avail. This one's so well plotted my advice is just sit back and enjoy the read.

Thank you Netgalley, the publisher and Lisa Gardner.
I have read every Lisa Gardner books she has written and especially love the D.D.Warren series.
This is the story of D.D., Evie and Flora. Pregnant Evie is suspected of her husband murder. 16 years earlier she was suspected of her father murder. The story is delivered through the eyes of D.D, Flora and Evie. Flora is back again and is looking for answers when she was held captive for 472 days. ( DD #8). I did not figure out until the very end who was the killer.
Well written, fast paced, action packed book which I could not put down.
I love Lisa Gardner books and cannot wait for #11 in the series.
Highly recommend.

Ugh. God. Seriously. I just devour Gardner's books whenever I read them. They're just so gripping and compelling and suspenseful and NEVER TELL is no exception. She just knows how to bait you, flicking breadcrumbs at your little duck face, getting you to follow her on this rollercoaster of a journey until you get to the end and you're winded and your mind is spinning and you're like "how do I get more of this?"

This is DD Warren's series so certainly more of her, but more of Flora too as they work together, one the detective working within the confines of the law and the other a confidential informant with no such bounds as they work to solve who murdered Evie Carter's husband and why, because the murderer isn't done.

DD's still DD: cantankerous and annoyed at the world but determined to get her mark. But she's softening too thanks to her kid and their new dog. And Flora's still trying to manage her way through life and shake off the shackles that her now-dead captor still has on her. Easier said than done. But the CI work helps. As does lifting her one-and-done rule in regard to talking about her time in captivity, surprisingly.

NEVER TELL is an excellent addition to the DD Warren series. I couldn't put it down. Gardner's writing leaves me breathless and has me begging for more.

4.5

This was an amazing read! Evie Carter is five months pregnant and she just got home from work. It’s like any other night she walks into her home expecting to find her husband Conrad but when she walks into his office she finds him shot dead. For some reason she picks up the gun and shoots his computer twelve times. When the police arrive she’s found holding the gun. Enter detective D.D Warren and what really surprises the deceive, is that Evie was charged with killing her father 16 years ago the death was ruled accidental. What really stood out to the detective was Evie’s behavior at the time and now the detective is wondering if her fathers death was truly accidental. Flora is at home digging through her kitchen for dinner and turns on the news and recognizes the photo of Evie’s dead husband Conrad as a man who met withheld rapists and kidnapper Jacob Ness. The book bounces from the three main characters Evie, D.D and Floras point of view. Evie is trying to figure out what happened to her life and marriage and what her husband was hiding on his computer she always felt like her husband was hiding something from her and when she discovers pictures of woman from the dark web she wonders who was her husband. Flora wants to know what the connection is with Evie’s dead husband and her kidnapper and D.D what’s to know did Evie shoot her father and husband and how is everything connected? This was a great read I enjoyed this book it was a quick read only because I had to know how everything would come together! Four stars!

Thankfully, Lisa Gardner chucked her career in food service after catching her hair on fire too many times, freeing her to become the author of 20-plus thrillers. Gardner's writing is ever-evolving as she adds new forms and actors to the mix. In the 10th installment of her Detective D.D. Warren series, Never Tell, Gardner gives equal time to a newly recurring character, survivor advocate and confidential informant Flora Dane, and to the suspect in the murder at hand, Evie Carter.

Evie is found standing over her husband with the smoking gun in hand. D.D. recognizes Evie as the grown version of the girl she investigated for shooting her father to death years earlier. When the new case hits the media, Flora shows up with shocking news--she recognizes the victim, Conrad Carter, from when she was kidnapped and held captive several years earlier (Find Her).

From the alternating and varied perspectives of these three fascinating and complex women, Gardner delves into marriage and family dynamics, power, perception and the lengths people will go to hide and protect their secrets. Her character work is beautifully done, and she deftly handles multiple narrators, timelines and plot arcs. Gardner strikes what feels like a perfect tone with 10 books of background to contend with, keeping the present fresh while providing necessary history. Never Tell is an excellent addition to the D.D. Warren series and proof it's never too late to draw in new fans.

STREET SENSE: I was somewhat hesitant to take on this assignment, as I think I read the first D.D. Warren book and then for some reason did not continue with the series. Now I feel as if I want to go back and read the others. It's not necessary in order to understand anything from this book, Gardner played the history aspect really well, but I *want* to, despite not having a big desire to take on a new series. This was a super installment that didn't make me feel left out, just wanting more.

COVER NERD SAYS: I'm a bit tired of the "woman from behind" cover, whether it's a close-up or full-body shot. I don't really see a fit between this cover image and the content, other than there are three main women characters. I do find something compelling about the color palette, which is eye-catching. And certainly the focus is on the author here, since Gardner has been around long enough that folks will pick up a book because her name is on it. I also think the bold, hard-edged font balances out the "softness" of the cover image, which might give the impression, taken alone, that there is something soft about this book. I wish it was "more," but I suppose it doesn't really need to be.

Another great book from Gardner! We get DD and Flora and a surprise FBI agent (and I want these 3 to work together all the time!) We also meet a new character Evie who may or may not be a murderer.

I liked how this story kind of brought Flora's story full circle and that we found out much more of what she went through during her time as a captive. I also enjoyed how DD and Flora are becoming actual friends.

This case was a really interesting one and it kept me guessing. I loved that DD got out from behind the desk and enjoyed her and Phil together again!

I have really enjoyed the growth in DD since the 1st book I didn't really like her much in the first few books but now I am a huge fan and can't wait for the next book!

4 Stars

Thank you Dutton and Lisa Gardner for my copy of Never Tell in exchange for an honest review.

I first fell in love with Flora and DD in Find Her. I fell even more in love with these characters with this book. Both characters are flawed but real.. Gardner makes you feel something for each of them. I also fell in love with Evie. I have a feeling this will not be the last time we see these three characters. I think they work well together despite the tension.

I love that Gardner creates such strong women in her novels. Each of these ladies could stand alone in their own story. They do not need each other to make the story compelling.

You also do not need to read the previous DD Warren books to read this one. Pick this book up if you love a good Detective story/Thriller. Lisa Gardner's characters will not disappoint you.

Full of ingenious twists, Never Tell fails to deliver a shocking, realistic, and jaw-dropping finale, but it succeeds in serving up suspense at a frantic pace…

When Sgt. Detective D. D. Warren breaks into the home of pregnant math teacher Evelyn Carter, she finds her standing over her husband Conrad’s dead body with a freshly fired gun in her hand. Evelyn immediately becomes the main suspect because of her earlier involvement in the accidental shooting and murder of her father, Earl Hopkins. It was D. D. Warren who had investigated murder of Hopkins sixteen years ago. As for as Warren is concerned, the case is open and shut; she thinks it’s too much of a coincidence that another man in Evelyn’s life has been shot dead. Flora Dane, kidnapping survivor-turned-vigilante and D.D.’s unofficial informant, gets involved in the case after the news of Conard’s murder becomes public. According to Fiona, Conrad was Jacob Ness’s (Fiona’s kidnapper) associate. As Warren digs deeper into Conrad’s life, she realizes the things are much more complicated than it seems. The narrative becomes disturbing as Flora Dane revisits her troubled past. Cleverly plotted twists... full review on website

Every time I pick up a Lisa Gardner book I know I’m in for one hell of a thriller, and her newest release was no different! NEVER TELL is the next installment in the D.D. Warren series and the next book as she teams up with Flora. If you want strong female leads, then look no further. This could be read as a standalone but FIND HER and LOOK FOR ME I would highly recommend because you can get to know Flora better and their dynamic.

Not wanting to spoil anything about this book, I’ll keep this short and sweet. When you start this one you’ll want to make sure you have some time open because Gardner keeps you glued to the pages. She keeps you on your toes throughout and I’m always doubting myself as I try to figure it out. I enjoyed the ending and the build up and there’s something she is fantastic at: building the characters.

I highly recommend picking up any of Gardner’s books. You’ll get some kick ass female leads, suspense packed plot, and plenty of twists to keep you guessing.