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SAY GOODBYE
by Lisa Gardner
Bantam, July 2008
360 pages
$25.00
ISBN: 0553804332


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

This dark and haunting novel by Lisa Gardner takes on one of the most heinous crimes known to mankind: the abduction and abuse of children. In her latest novel, SAY GOODBYE, Gardner takes this story to new depths, and it is frequently so disturbing that many readers will consider giving up reading the book without finishing it.

The story begins when a pregnant prostitute arrives at a local Georgia police station asking for FBI Special Agent Kimberly Quincy, a member of the Evidence Response Team (EVR). Pregnant herself with her first child, Quincy has sympathy for the young woman but seems uncertain why she has been chosen. As Quincy and her investigative partner (who has received the drivers' licenses of missing women sent anonymously) follow the trail of clues, a secondary, more lurid, story is also being told.

This secondary and more disturbing story within SAY GOODBYE is the voice of the killer as he experiences his own living hell of being abducted and subject to abuse and torture, as he himself is becoming a monster of the same proportions. The graphic nature of the storytelling will mean some sleepless nights if this is bedtime reading matter. Short of reading horror fiction, this novel goes where few have been or want to contemplate.

Intermixed with this abuse is the metaphor of the spider, both literally as a fixation of the main villain and also within the context of what it represents, a force that devours its prey. The author has clearly researched her subject matter well, but the story becomes confusing at points, with the reader left wondering which character is doing what, which actions are present day and which are past tense. It all becomes clear at the end, but readers may find themselves backtracking to make sure they got the scheme of events clear in their own minds.

In short, for those who can stomach the brutality and dark subject matter, the heart-racing nature of this thriller will be rewarding. For those who avoid scary movies and the horror genre, this book will be a challenge to complete. Gardner has told a macabre story well, but it makes for heavy reading.

Reviewed by Christine Zibas, November 2008

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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


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