Preview Touch & Go
How do you vanish a family?
Ten minutes after walking the elite Back Bay townhouse and investigator Tessa Leoni already doesn’t like what she sees. Signs of an abduction. Clearly the work of professionals. At best, the entire family has been kidnapped. At worst…
How do you disappear a marriage?
The more Tessa learns about the Denbe family, the less she likes their chances. What might have looked like the perfect existence—a powerful CEO, his adoring wife, their angelic child—is not what it appears. Husband, wife, daughter—magazine perfect, but each hiding dark secrets…
How do you erase a life?
Tessa knows more than she’d like to about families riddled with lies. What she doesn’t know is where the Denbes are and if any of them are still breathing. She’ll have to climb over unbending feds and territorial local cops to find out, and if she’s not fast, the Denbes’ chances of survival will quickly become little more than…
Touch & Go
From BooklistLibby Denbe is smart, pretty, and talented. Her husband, Justin, owns a successful Massachusetts construction company. Both are devoted to their 15-year-old daughter. But their marriage is falling apart. After an evening out, supposedly to repair their broken relationship, Libby and Justin return home to find three men waiting for them. With the touch of a taser, their lives change. When they awake, they find themselves and their daughter captive in an abandoned prison built by none other than Justin himself. As they struggle to come together during their captivity, long-held secrets are revealed. But one big question hangs over their heads. Why were all three taken? That’s definitely not the usual kidnapper’s agenda. It also bothers private cop Tessa Leone (Love You More, 2011). Nor does it seem logical to Wyatt Foster of the local sheriff’s office, who becomes involved when the kidnappers cross state lines. Gardner pulls readers right into Libby’s personal and family drama as she bears witness to the horrific captivity her family undergoes and reprises the circumstances of her failing marriage. At the same time, Tessa, Wyatt, and a group of other law-enforcement officers piece together a surprising story that leads to an equally surprising conclusion. Gardner’s depiction of a woman in the midst of emotional chaos is spot on, as usual, and she proves herself just as capable when it comes to creating intriguing men. Readers will want to see more of Wyatt, just as they grew to appreciate Bobby Dodge in Gardner’s earlier books. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Gardner’s previous thriller, Catch Me, debuted at number two on the New York Times best-seller list; this one is likely to follow suit. --Stephanie Zvirin
ReviewPraise for Touch & Go:
“Lisa Gardner, the master of the psychological thriller, has delivered another tour de force with "Touch & Go," which exposes the raw nerves of a family imploding, and an investigator trying to escape her past….Gardner does an amazing job of creating realistic situations and characters with emotional resonance. The constant surprises will shock even the most jaded thriller reader.” –*Associated Press *
“Returning home after a date night meant to repair their marriage, Justin and Libby Denbe are abducted along with their teenage daughter from their glamorous Boston townhouse, leaving cops with no motive or ransom demand. The suspense crackles as the Denbes grapple with their captors’ bewildering brutality. But what gives the story heart is Libby’s dawning realization that her family may have been broken long before their kidnappers appeared.” --People
"This no-holds-barred stand-alone from Thriller Award–winner Gardner opens with the brutally efficient kidnapping of the Denbe family—father Justin, wife Libby, and 15-year-old daughter Ashlyn—from their exclusive Back Bay townhouse.…Gardner effectively alternates between the physical and emotional disintegration of the family under the pressure of their captivity and the efforts of [Invesigator Tessa] Leoni and company to dig into the secrets of Denbe Construction, its key employees, and its finances, as well as to locate the Denbes. The suspense builds as the action races to a spectacular conclusion and the unmasking of the plot’s mastermind."
—*Publishers Weekly *
“[A] thrill ride... Even readers who figure out the ringleader long before [Investigators] Tessa and Wyatt will get behind on their sleep turning pages to make sure they're right."
—Kirkus Reviews
"Gardner’s depiction of a woman in the midst of emotional chaos is spot on, as usual, and she proves herself just as capable when it comes to creating intriguing men. Readers will want to see more of Wyatt, just as they grew to appreciate Bobby Dodge in Gardner’s earlier books."
—Booklist
Praise for Catch Me:
“New York Times best-selling author Gardner always plays in the big leagues, but this scare-your-socks-off thriller is a grand slam, packed with enigmatic characters (some good, some crazily evil), expert procedural detail, and superb storytelling.”
— Library Journal on Catch Me
“Gardner has become one of the best psychological thriller writers in the business. The compelling characters, the shocking plot and the realistic atmosphere of how police operate make this a "must read" for any suspense aficionado.”
— Associated Press on Catch Me
“The creepy meter is off the charts—though not sensationalized—with children the target of physical, psychological, and sexual abuse at the hands of both strangers and parents. And, somehow, miraculously without any contrivance, Gardner’s conclusion delivers a welcome glimmer of hope.”
— Booklist (starred review) on C*atch Me *
“Gardner’s sixth Det. D.D. Warren thriller grabs from the get-go.”
— People on Catch Me
“A solidly enjoyable thriller that will keep you on the edge of your chair as you turn the pages and listen for any strange noises around you.”
— Huffington Post on *Catch Me *
“Irresistible.” — Kirkus on *Catch Me *
The list of books you might like
