Lisa Jackson has written a few books in the past that I have found enjoyable. Whispers and Fatal Burn are two examples. So, when I saw Shiver at my local library I thought I would have another entertaining book to read when I got home.
Shiver
Abby Chastain is planning a move, from New Orleans to Seattle, to get away from her demeaning ,shock jock, ex-husband Luke. It is going to be a new start in life that she promised herself on her 35th birthday. The birthday she shared with her mother that had plunged to her death 20 years earlier from the 3rd floor of the Our Lady of Virtues Mental Hospital.
Before the move can happen Abby's husband is found murdered along with an 18 year old female. While Luke cheated on Abby repeatedly during their marriage, this does not seem to be an affair gone wrong. The female, a virgin, had chosen to enter the convent after a year at college. After more double murders are discovered Homicide Detective Rueben "Pedro" Montoya believes they are yin and yang murders. Good and evil. What do they all have to do with Abby Chastain and Our Lady of Virtues Mental Hospital, though? Montoya is determined to find out as he has fallen for this beauty named Abby.
Sigh...
I found this Lisa Jackson book to be a lesson in determination. I was determined to finish it to find out who the villain was. Yes, I could have just read the ending, but it turns out I'm glad I didn't. I would have been even more confused. I won't ruin the ending for you, but the book is a case of too much information on the main characters without enough story.
I did enjoy the interactions between Abby and Montoya, even if they weren't the most believable characters I've encountered. The secondary characters, for the most part, weren't in the story long enough to enjoy them. Sister Maria, Montoya's aunt, seemed interesting in the places she appeared. Again, not enough depth to her to know for sure. Maury, Luke's radio show side kick, was just too annoying. His antics through out the story were enough to make me, even knowing he was just a character in a book, want to find him and kick his butt.
The description of the mental hospital while Abby was re-visiting the past is the best part. I, almost, had the feeling I was there with her. The Lisa Jackson I knew from other books came out in full force then. I wish she had applied this same writing to the rest of the book.
While Abby and Montoya are the main characters in this story, it is supposed to be a murder mystery. Every kidnapping, every lead, every murder...well everything... lead to a longer encounter between those two than there was plot. All in all, Shiver is a bland read that
that left me lukewarm.
The #1 New York Times bestselling author of Fatal Burn delivers her most powerful and terrifying novel yet. New Orleans detective Reuben Montoya retur...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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