Love You More

Spoilers. Trigger warnings for rape: specifically Rape as Both Backstory and Massive Plot Point-Described Multiple Times, domestic violence, strong misogyny, sexual abuse, parents protecting your abuser, victim-blaming, presumed child murder, motor vehicular fatalities, and other stuff I'm sure I'm forgetting because this book stressed me out so much.

I took notes while I was reading, and this book was repetitive in many ways, so my notes will be too. I'll start by stating that "Black and Blue" by Anna Quindlen has domestic violence in it via cop, told by the survivor, an ER nurse. That novel is actually respectful to battered spouses. It doesn't cutesy-up kids in a cheap ploy for sympathy. It doesn't have the rampant misogyny. It's a show more novel about fleeing from a bad situation, why, and what happens sometimes. I made comparisons in my head for the first thirty pages.

I first read this four years ago. I picked it up again given that I've become a more critical reader and wanted to write a more thorough review. The book opens with a presumed member of law enforcement shooting zir husband and narrating it in a way that's odd even for first person POV, which can be clumsy at times. For a violent scene, it's melodramatic. How annoying. The novel switches back and forth between Tessa Leoni's and DD Warren's perspectives. Leoni's is told in first person; DD in third. I just realized this was a way to introduce Leoni into the series as a whole. It was not a clever idea. It is not effective. This book, on second read, moves at the pace of semi-crystallized honey until halfway through, when it turns into an action movie. DD's pregnancy is telegraphed super hard from practically the moment she's introduced, and I'm not pointing this out just because I've read the novel before. I'm pointing it out because four years later, I'm sometimes able to pick things up better. "The Boss" by Abigail Barnette has the protagonist experience the same symptoms, but it's done in a much more subtle way for a different reason.

The audience is clearly supposed to see Leoni as tough and maybe unhinged. She was just a whiny martyr most of the time. I'm sorry you gave birth alone, but stop mentioning it every five fucking pages. And being pregnant alone? As opposed to what? Leoni could have belabored the single mother aspect and I would have immediately supported such characterization and been curious about such development. Instead, she, "ooh tra la la, single motherhood is no real obstacle for me, nor do I go in-depth about the conflicts and feelings it causes in relation to my paramilitary, male-dominated career with weird hours. No, I take it all in stride." LAME. She mentions what dead kids look like from motor vehicular accidents, and lady, shut up.

For some reason, the author decides to have Leoni explain to readers how she killed her husband at the forty percent mark. The only reason I kept reading was because I didn't remember how the novel. Except, oops, at the seventy percent mark, it's revealed the forty percent mark was misleading. (narrows his eyes) If the author was trying to make Leoni and Warren foils for each other somehow, she failed. Buddy cops? No. I'm--not sure what the intent was. This novel is an excellent example of adults having the mindset of middle schoolers who are slowly realizing the opposite gender doesn't have cooties, but they're not sure how to act now that they know. You could make a drinking game out of it, but even with pacing yourself, you'd incur liver damage.

Halfway through the book, Leoni's husband's gambling addiction is introduced. It's not foreshadowed at all, yet it's the motive, plot twist, and characterization! Why did the author structure the book this way? Tessa's experiences in prison were cliche ones designed to further her "tough and a martyr" act. The book became increasingly full of plot contrivance, "Because the Plot Says So" and too-quick pacing as the page count increased. The epilogue was entirely italicized in the edition I read, which I disliked, and what an absurd ending. show less

After reading Touch & Go I wanted to read more from Lisa Gardner and I wanted to know Tessa Leoni’s story. In this book Tessa, a State Trooper, admits to killing her husband Brian Darby. It seems a simple story of domestic abuse where Tessa killed her husband who’s just beaten her. But there’s something bizarre. Why would she freeze his body first and where the hell is her little girl, Sophie. It’s up to D.D. and Bobby from the Boston police to investigate this case and come up with the answers. You’re left wondering if Tessa is a victim or a killer. Did she really kill her own daughter? I felt disbelief and then I really thought so and then I felt disbelief again.. Lots of questions and lots of twists and turns. The chapters show more alternate between the investigator, D.D. Warren, and Tessa Leoni and their points of view only make it really more suspenseful. Tessa unveils slowly what really happened and tries to be one step ahead of all of them. You’ll never guess where it leads to in the end because I certainly didn’t come up with it. This book reads like a movie, it moves along at a fast pace and it was difficult to put down. I will certainly pick up the next one. show less

This excellent thriller is the fifth book in the D. D. Warren series. It is a complex story which asks the question: who do you love? Tessa Leoni is a state trooper and the mother of six-year-old Sophie. She has married Brian who works as an engineer for an old company. He works 60 days on-60 days off.

One day Tessa calls the police because she has shot and killed Brian and her daughter is missing. Since Tessa is concussed, has a broken cheekbone, and numerous other bruises, it looks like a case of self-defense against an abusing husband.

D. D. Warren is given the case and works with her former lover Bobby Dodge. She has questions about the story she's been told, and the pressure is on to find the missing child. She is not convinced show more that the crime is what it looks like. She becomes even more convinced with the pathologist learns that Brian's body was frozen before it found its way to the kitchen. D. D. is sure that Tessa is lying about what happens. She believes that Tessa murdered both her husband and daughter.

D. D. is also dealing with some personal issues. She has found herself pregnant and is dealing not only with the nausea and lethargy but also whether or not she wants a baby and a relationship with the baby's father.

Flashbacks and Tessa's point-of-view sections give more about the things that D. D. cannot see and paint a whole different picture that what is apparent.

This was an excellent, fast-paced thriller. I'm eager to read more about Tessa and more in D. D.'s series. show less

Story Overview

Detective D.D. Warren is presented with a seemingly open and shut case. An abusive husband is found shot dead in his home. The killer? His wife, who claims to have shot him in self-defense (and she has a beating to prove it). However, the case has a few wrinkles. First, the couple’s 6-year-old daughter is missing, and no one (not even the mother) seems to know where she is. Second, the wife, mother and alleged killer is Tessa Leoni, who just happens to work for the Massachusetts State Police (a detail that allows Gardner to reunite D.D. Warren with her ex-lover Trooper Bobby Dodge for the investigation). D.D. knows that Tessa is hiding something … but what? Why would she hold back information that would allow them to show more find her daughter? Why would a trained state policewoman shoot to kill instead of shoot to wound? Not everything is adding up, and the case doesn’t appear as open and shut as it did at first glance. As usual, D.D. must dig deep to find out what is going on … but this time D.D. has a rather big secret of her own that is causing her own life to be turned on its head.

My Thoughts

I’ve read almost all the Lisa Gardner books (with a preference for the ones featuring Rainey and Quincy), and this is pretty typical Gardner. The chapters alternate between Tessa and D.D., with each revealing a little bit more of the mystery as the story develops. Gardner is a competent thriller writer and keeps the story moving. However, coming off one of her best books in recent years (Live To Tell), I think Gardner slips with this book.

Tessa’s story felt unbelievable to me, and I found myself doubting that she would be able to pull off all that she manages to do. Sometimes her “just in the nick of time” stunts felt too orchestrated by Gardner and I found myself rolling my eyes. (Seriously. The woman manages, under great duress, to plan out a detailed, intricate plan that relies very heavily on circumstances that she wouldn’t really be able to control and yet everything goes according to her plan. It just didn’t ring true to me, and I’m usually willing to give the benefit of the doubt.) In addition, there is one moment where D.D. gets a key bit of information that, in retrospect, seemed like it would NOT been revealed to her. In fact, it seemed plain stupid that she was told this tidbit.

Finally, I didn’t find myself all that invested in the characters; they felt underdeveloped and used merely to advance the plot. I continue to be disappointed in the D.D. Warren character, who feels perpetually underdeveloped and without a real personality. (At this point, featured in at least 4 or 5 books, all I remember about her is that she works a lot and doesn’t have much of a personal life.) If you’re going to feature a detective on a regular basis, I think you need to take more time giving them a personality and a life (like Sue Grafton does with Kinsey Millhone). So, even though Gardner gives D.D. a major life development in this book, it still felt like an afterthought and I didn’t feel too invested in her. I think if Gardner is going to keep going with D.D. as a featured character, she needs to give her a personality STAT!

Final Recommendation

If you’re looking for a competent thriller, Gardner doesn’t disappoint—just don’t expect too much in terms of character development or believability. I’d rather pal around with Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Millhone; at least I feel like I KNOW her. And after reading Tana French’s amazing books In the Woods and The Likeness, I realize that not all thrillers/mysteries need to feature cardboard characters and outlandish plots. A reader can also expect detailed characterization and multi-layered complex plotting that involves and delights the reader. However, if you’re in the mood for easy-to-read thriller that moves along at a fast pace and doesn’t require much investment, Love You More would be a good choice. However, for my part, I just found it “meh.” show less

My first discovery of a novel by Lisa Gardner was to read "Touch and Go." As described in my book review of that title, "Unraveling the secrets is a thrill-ride reading adventure that soars like a North American X-15 or a speedboat on the sunniest day in crystal clear, calm waters or the anticipated ride on the Formula Rossa roller coaster on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, part of the United Arab Emirates that reaches an astonishing top speed of 149.1 mph (240 kmh)." After reading "Touch and Go," I knew that I had to read the "full back story" of investigator Tessa Leoni and added "Love You More" to my reading wish list.

"Love You More" is everything and so much more than I could ever have imagined. It's heart-pounding, heart-wrenching, and show more heart-riveting. You'll meet compelling and driven characters and be on the edge of your seat until all the mysteries of the investigation are revealed. This is not only the investigation of Tessa Leoni by Sergeant Detective D.D. Warren, Boston Police Department (BPD) and Massachusetts State Police Detective Bobby Dodge but so much more. show less

It's been many years since I've read one of Lisa Gardner's novels. I think I read the first book in this series of five, but I'm essentially coming to Love You More as a stand alone. And while there would surely be more depth and resonance if I knew the entire history of Boston homicide detective D.D. Warren and state trooper Bobby Dodge, Gardner does a fantastic job expositing what the reader needs to know. Namely, that the two were once lovers, and that while there were some bruised emotions at one time, they're both happy with other partners now. Which is good, because they've been thrust together investigating a shooting. State trooper Tessa Leoni used her service revolver to shoot her husband of three years in the kitchen of their show more home. What might appear as an open-and-shut case of a battered woman snapping is complicated by the fact that Leoni's six-year-old daughter is missing.

The story is told in chapters alternating between Leoni's first-person narration and third-person omniscient from the D.D./Bobby side of the investigation. And it's clear, right from the beginning, that there's more to the story than Leoni is letting on. She freely admits that she is lying to the police within the confines of her own skull, but the knowledge that she alone holds is teased out only gradually throughout the novel. Meanwhile, D.D. and Bobby are racing against the clock to find an innocent child, and this case has really gotten under D.D.'s skin for reasons both personal and professional.

While police procedurals are not generally my favorite, I read a lot of mysteries and thrillers. Plus, I'm something of a smarty-pants; I'm good at figuring these things out. Let me be the first to admit that Lisa Gardner had me as bewildered as the cops in this intricately-plotted page-turner. Leoni's case is complex, sad, and hugely compelling. And even without having read all of the D.D./Bobby books, I found these characters to be richly drawn, appealing, and believable. I enjoyed this novel from start to finish, and now that I'm back in this world, it's going to be very hard to resist grabbing the next book in the series. show less

Brian, a seemingly loving and devoted husband and father, is found dead in his kitchen. The only suspect - his wife, Tessa, who admits to shooting her husband...in self defense. Her face is battered and bruised, but Detective D.D. Warren isn't falling for the innocent act. Because Tessa is a state trooper and her use of force against her husband seems a little extreme, D.D. begins to question Tessa's story. Tessa seems to say all the right things, but something just seems a little off. To make matter's worse Tessa's little daughter Sophie is missing and Tessa insists she has no idea where she could be. With a child's life on the line, will D.D. and her partner on the case, Bobby (her ex) be able to get to the bottom of all of the show more mysteries and save her, or will they be too late. And with D.D. dealing with some personal issues of her own, will it be too much for her to handle?

My review: I couldn't wait to read this book and I am so gracious to be able to get a free ARC of it through Shelf Awareness from the publisher. I love Lisa Gardner's books and I have read the entire FBI profiler series. I don't know how I missed the D.D. Warren series but I think I'll definitely have to go back and do some catch up, since I started with #5! At first, D.D. came off as pretty hostile and controlling, but I supposed you have to be when you're leading a police task force (especially when you're a woman). She has a really tough exterior, but inside she still has insecurities and fears. She keeps them all bottled up inside though because she hates to show weakness. I was rooting for Tessa the whole time...I knew something was off about her story, because this story goes back and forth between D.D.'s point of view and Tessa's (which I LOVE). It really gave an insight into what she was going through, and it was obvious that what really happened to her husband was something much more than she was letting on. I never for a second thought she knew where her daughter was or had harmed her in any way and I prayed that she would be able to find a way to save her. Even when everything seems bleak though, she never gives up because she loves he daughter and knows she is waiting for her mommy to save her. D.D. is stuck together with her ex, Bobby, investigating this case. It gets a little awkward at times because even though she swears she has no feelings for him anymore, it still seems like she carries a little candle for him and I think is jealous of his having a family. So the characters were very well developed and it was impossible to not get sucked into the story and forget at times that it's fiction. Hoping that they find out the truth in time. Even though this is the 5th book in the series, I didn't feel lost at all, but it definitely made me want to run out and buy the other 4 books! I thought I had the ending figured out several times throughout the book but there were so many twists I didn't see coming. It's full of suspense, which kept me wanting more and I couldn't put the book down! A great, fast-paced read that I would recommend to anyone.

My rating: 5/5 stars show less