Touch and Go (Tessa Leoni #2) by Lisa Gardner

Touch and Go (Tessa Leoni #2) by Lisa Gardner

Justin and Libby Denbe have the kind of life that looks good in the pages of a glossy magazine. A beautiful fifteen-year-old daughter, Ashlyn. A gorgeous brownstone on a tree-lined street in Boston’s elite Back Bay neighborhood. A great marriage, admired by friends and family.  A perfect life.

When investigator Tessa Leoni arrives at the crime scene in the Denbes’ home, she finds scuff marks on the floor and Taser confetti in the foyer.  The family appears to have been abducted, with only a pile of their most personal possessions remaining behind.  No witnesses, no ransom demands, no motive.  Just an entire family, vanished without a trace.

Tessa knows better than anyone that even the most perfect façades can hide the darkest secrets.  Now she must race against the clock to uncover the Denbes’ innermost dealings, a complex tangle of friendships and betrayal, big business and small sacrifices. Who would want to kidnap such a perfect little family?  And how far would such a person be willing to go? This is the truth:  Love, safety, family…it is all touch and go. _Dutton, 2013

Book Review:

Why a whole family? Who knew how to grab them all so easily?  Where is the ransom demand?  What the hell do the kidnappers want?! When did this family fall so utterly apart? Are some of the great questions that swirl throughout the entire novel. 

The investigation of the Denbes’ disappearance, told in 3rd person, is juxtaposed perfectly by the human drama of the Denbe family, told by Libby Denbe in first-person.  Who while in captivity is forced to deal with the secrets of infidelity, opioid abuse, pregnancy, and more, that made her family strangers in their own home, well before it was violated by kidnappers. 

The conclusion is so convoluted that it will be hard for most to guess the answers till they nearly slap you in the face.  In my case, I wanted to slap it back for its absurdity. An open hand slap, because the human drama and keeping me guessing till the end did keep me entertained for the majority of the book.  Borrow it

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