Sharlah’s older brother beat their drunken father to death in order to save their lives; eight years later, she has finally moved on and is settling into her new life about to adopted by retired FBI profiler parents, Pierce Quincy and Rainie Conner. Her life is thrown upside down when a double murder at a gas station calls Quincy and Rainie back to action and the perpetrator seems to be Sharlah’s brother. Struggling with this meaning and whether she is in danger, Sharlah struggles as old demons resurface. Sometimes the biggest danger is the one standing right behind you
Right Behind You is the newest thriller by Lisa Gardner. The seventh novel in the Quincy & Rainie series, this novel surrounds FBI profiling couple Pierce Quincy and Rainie Conner. Although the seventh in the series, I found that this one was incredibly easy to read as a standalone. This one is the perfect combination of a fast-paced thriller and an intricately woven police procedural.
The novel opens with a murder; dead bodies at a gas station lead police to a foster home where the body count grows. The main suspect is Telly Nash, a seventeen-year-old foster child with a sordid past. From the first pages, I was hooked. It is not a classic “whodunit” but more of a “whydidhedoit”. As the plot develops and thickens, I was on the edge of my seat trying to figure out how everything was going to piece together. Gardner provides a plethora of red herrings that had me constantly guessing. By the end of the novel, I was pleasantly surprised to find her twists completely unexpected; they were not jaw dropping or shock inducing but were clever and masterful. Garder is certainly a seasoned writer and this is very obvious as the plot unravels.
Once of my favourite parts of this novel was the unique narration. Each character, even minor characters, got a narrative perspective. This worked so well for character development; no detail is spared. This narration made the novel a fascinating reading experience. Obviously, the main characters have a strong narrative voice, but I was also able to hear perspectives from the past from Telly Nash to following tracker, Cal, as he helps the police investigate. I loved getting to know Quincey and Rainie and will be picking up more of this series; they were incredibly likable characters.
If you are a fan of a police procedural, but long for something faster paced, this would be a perfect novel for you! Mark your calendars, this one hits shelves on January 31st.
Thanks to Dutton Publicity and Lisa Gardner for the copy of this novel; it was a pleasure to provide an honest review.
Clues and Reviews 