Review: Love You More by Lisa Gardner

WHO DO YOU LOVE?

One question, a split-second decision, and Brian Darby lies dead on the kitchen floor. His wife, state police trooper Tessa Leoni, claims to have shot him in self-defense, and bears the bruises to back up her tale. For veteran detective D. D. Warren it should be an open-and-shut case. But where is their six-year-old daughter?

AND HOW FAR WOULD YOU GO . . .

As the homicide investigation ratchets into a frantic statewide search for a missing child, D. D. Warren must partner with former lover Bobby Dodge to break through the blue wall of police brotherhood, seeking to understand the inner workings of a trooper’s mind while also unearthing family secrets. Would a trained police officer truly shoot her own husband? And would a mother harm her own child?

. . . TO SAVE HER?

For Tessa Leoni, the worst has not yet happened. She is walking a tightrope, with nowhere to turn, no one to trust, as the clock ticks down to a terrifying deadline. She has one goal in sight, and she will use every ounce of her training, every trick at her disposal, to do what must be done. No sacrifice is too great, no action unthinkable. A mother knows who she loves. And all others will be made to pay. 
-Synopsis taken from Goodreads

I have never read any of Lisa Gardners book as I don't tend to read a ton of crime/mystery/suspense novels. However when an ARC of her new book Love You More arrived on my doorstep last week, I couldn't not read it. I'm glad I did. 


Through the entire book, you are unsure whether Tessa Leoni is the good guy or the bad guy but despite that I felt an immediate connection to her. This is a woman who is dedicated to her daughter, that much is certain (most of the time). As a mother myself I related to her in that this woman was willing to move heaven and endure hell for the sake of her kid, just as I or any decent mother would do. When it started to look like she was the bad guy I was still rooting for her. I wanted Detective D.D to find something to clear her because I was having a hard time believing this woman would harm her child. The last 150 pages or so had me riveted as all the events start to come together. 


This book was a bit like an onion, there are layers after layers of this story that are continually peeled back as you keep reading. There were many moments that I would tell myself 'one more chapter than I do dishes' but then some new piece of information would come to light and I'd have keep reading or else drive myself crazy with wonder. 


I'd recommend this to anyone looking for a riveting crime thriller or even just an engrossing read and I'm sure to pick up another of Lisa Gardner's books in the future. 

Disclaimer- I received a copy of this book from the publisher.