I had always read about Lisa Gardner's books - this is the first time I've read her work. Despite fact I do not love alternating chapters with alternating narratives much (too much work!), Gardner manages it adeptly and it's totally clear. Three strong women - each a bit more demented than the other - that is Eve and her mother in law - the police woman is part of a series, I gather - her voice is a bit stop-and-start and is the least successful (I think because she refers to other cases I don't know about maybe??) - and the third woman, Flora - it's all a bit convoluted but I sort of got it- much repetition about hit men, and failed attempts to call it off - as if this is utterly normal - it does not always seem clear to me that it is. But this is adept crime fiction with its own laws and naturally it has to be accepted - for sheer entertainment value despite credibility problems for me - this really works. It drew me on, that's for sure. But i have to admit i was not totally taken in ...

*4.5 stars*

Three protagonists - Sergeant DD Warren of the Boston Police Department, her Confidential Informant Flora Dane, and pregnant mum to be, Evie Carter. Evie is discovered by the cops holding a shotgun in her husband’s home office - her husband lies dead, his life ended by three shots - but what’s even more bizarre, his computer has been shot 12 times!

This isn’t the first time that Evie has been found in a very similar situation - 16 years earlier as a teenager, she was found holding a shotgun in front of her father, - he too was dead, however it was deemed to be accidental - but was it? Has history repeated itself, or is the truth of it even more puzzling?

Fast paced, and action packed, the characters are so fully fleshed that it’s impossible not to believe in them, and with numerous twists in the plot that are not only convincing, but in some cases well disguised and surprising too, ‘Never Tell’ is a dark and tangled tale of all consuming lies, and deeply hidden truths. Intense and complex, it will require your full attention, but boy is it worth the investment!

A gloriously twisty and expertly plotted thriller. The novel serves as a reminder that things are not always as they seem and of the destructive power of lies. This is my first experience of Flora and I hope it won't be the last as she is a wonderful character. With “Never Tell” Lisa Gardner is at the top of her game.

Firstly, I would like to say a massive thank you to Lisa Gardner, Random House UK, Cornerstone and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to review the ARC of Never Tell. I am extremely honored. Secondly, although Never Tell is the latest of Detective D.D Warren series, it would definitely be an outstanding standalone, too.

This is only the second book I’ve read from this author. I read Live to Tell a few months ago and became a fan straight away.

Like the aforementioned book, Never Tell follows three powerful women; this time alternating between D.D Warren, Flora and Evie. The narratives are easily differentiable from one-another and are really well thought out. I love the different view points of the characters that eventually get blurred into each-other for the finale.

Like the cover states – you can never tell what goes on behind closed doors. The unlikely friendships, ultimate betrayal and fiery culmination swallow you whole from the start; and the fast paced story-line keeps you turning the pages throughout the night into the early hours of the morning.

Because I guessed the villain (I really need to stop doing this!) I give it a 4 out of 5 stars; Rest assured a physical copy will be getting shelf space in my home library as soon as the paperback gets released!

Really enjoyed this!!
I hadn't realised that it was a part of a series, but that didn't matter at all. Well fleshed out characters, a carefully plotted and driven mixed narrative that held my attention throughout.
You can tell the writing is good when you're forgetting that you are actually reading, if that makes sense? I was pulled into the story from the start and read this book in a couple of sittings.
A great set of contrasting characters; their individual personalities were all with engaging, and built well with backstories and difficulties.
I enjoyed the author's playing with our first impressions and the puzzle of the twists, which actually worked and didn't seem cliche or contrived. Loved the set-up of the crime with the repetition of being found with a gun twice and the secrets that are slowly uncovered - kept me guessing!
I'll definitely check out other books in this series by Lisa Gardner.

Not a 5 star but a solid 4 for me. A recommended read.
Thank you so much for the opportunity to review NetGalley and Random House UK.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this amazing book

lisa gardner does it again...what a book...one that you cant put down that grabs you so much you lose sleep, who needs sleep anyway....
there was never a dull moment in this book...it was all go go go...action never stopped

the characters are so good together and never boring i love this series...

a young pregnant woman comes home and finds her husband upstairs in his office shot dead...she hears police in the background and she picks up the gun and shots the computer 12 times...she is then arrested as they suspect her of murdering her husband...

years previous she was connected with another shooting..her father

will the police this time find the evidence to support what they suspect and get her behind bars..
and what is going on with jacob ness....where does he fit into the equation....

one amazing book that takes you on a journey of the dark web before we find out who the murderer is
this is one book that will keep you awake at night....wanting to find out who did what where...

Another excellent installment in this series. This is one of the few series that has maintained high quality writing/story throughout.

At first I found the book slow and didn't think I was going to enjoy it but I'm really pleased that I persevered as it was absolutely brilliant. The book focuses on a number of characters as follows: Evie (who told the police as a 16 year old she'd shot her father). Flora a survivor from an abduction, DD a Boston police detective (who was a young policewoman investigating the shooting of Evie's father. Evie's mother (a controlling influence on both Evie and her father). Dick Delaney the defence attorney who had defended Evie at the trial for her father's murder. Evie's husband Conrad who is also murdered but who was also leading a double life dabbling in the dark web to investigate his parents murder. They are assisted in the case by the FBI and a computer geek called Keith. Slowly the case unfolds and the murderer is identified but not before he tries to hide his identity by hiring an arsonist to destroy any evidence that may have been left behind.

Never Tell is the tenth book in the D.D. Warren Boston police detective series, but if you haven’t read any of the books in the series, don’t let that put you off as this book can easily be read as a stand-alone. I’ve been a fan of Lisa Gardner’s for years, her crime thrillers pack a punch, incorporate well fleshed out characters, and plots that are compelling but at the same time nail-biting.
When Evie is found standing over the body of her dead husband with a gun in her hand, Detective D.D. Warren and her team are hand to investigate what appears to to be a straightforward case of domestic homicide, especially when D.D. recognises Evie from a previous investigation 16 years earlier when Evie shot her father. If there’s something D.D. doesn’t believe in its coincidences, as the investigation proceeds, however, Detective DD Warren begins to have her doubts, is Evie a victim? Or is Evie about to get away with murder?

Never Tell features three strong female lead characters, D.D., Flora and Evie, the narrative is told from each of the characters POV. There is no confusion as each chapter is labelled with the name of the character, some authors would struggle with this approach but not Lisa Gardner, she effortlessly moves between narratives whilst maintaining the reader’s attention with a seamless plot. The three protagonists bring very different things to the read you have D.D. who is a single-minded, tough-talking detective. Flora is a survivor, of a sexually sadistic serial killer, (readers of this series will recognise her from Find Her and Look For Me) on the outside she appears to be one tough cookie, but inwardly it’s a very different story, she is haunted by her ordeal and her sadistic kidnapper Jacob. Evie is the most bewildering of the three characters, haunted by her father's death, manipulated by her mother, and convinced her husband has lied to her throughout their marriage, she’s a closed book, you know she’s hiding something, but to the “what” is deftly revealed by the author. As D.D. and Flora peel away the half-truths and outright lies layer by layer, they can’t help but wonder: How many secrets can one family have?

In Never Tell we learn far more about Flora’s abduction at the hands of Jacob Ness, how this ties into the murder of Evie’s husband you will just have to read the book and see, as I would expect the author manages to tie what at first to be two unrelated crimes together perfectly. The author explores the dark web in Never Tell, a place which scares the life out of me if I’m honest, it’s a place where the unacceptable is acceptable, where the worse monsters wander, and for that reason some readers may find some scenes upsetting. As crime thrillers go this isn’t one that features numerous red herrings to keep the reader gripped, the focus is very much on the investigation and the unravelling of the clues that D.D. and her team uncover during their investigation which adds to the overall tension and suspense. Although the culprit behind the murders becomes pretty obvious by the halfway mark, it’s still a worthy addition to the series. Lisa Gardner has a way of writing that captures to reader from the first page all the way to the thrilling conclusion and Never Tell has reinforced my love of the series with a gripping story line, strong characters and a gritty plot that made for a disquieting read

This review maybe altered slightly and edited prior to publication on my blog

I was a little late to the party here as I'd not read any of the prior books. I did enjoy this (guessed the villain however) but it did seem heavy-going and none of the characters, to me, were really likeable. If you're not into the internet etc, then this is unlikely to be for you, you'd have to concentrate. Could have been a tad shorter.

This is the first book I have read in the DD Warren series but it is a good standalone book .Never Tell is a gripping page turner from the very beginning .Plenty of twists and turns ,the story is told by three different woman ,Detective DD Warren,her informant Flora Dane and Evie Carter .This book is very well told with a great suspenseful ending .Many thanks to the Publisher ,the Author and NetGalley for my review copy in return for an honest review .

When Evie is found standing over the body of her husband with a gun in her hand, the Boston PD leap to the obvious conclusions. Not least because, almost 20 years ago, Evie confessed to shooting and killing her father by accident. As the investigation proceeds, however, Detective DD Warren begins to have her doubts... about both this shooting and the earlier one.

A Lisa Gardner novel is guaranteed to be totally gripping and ingeniously plotted, and Never Tell is no exception. However, they do also tend towards the violent end of US crime fiction and have a heavy reliance on the trope of graphic violence against women. There are various opinions in the book world about the tendency of crime fiction to detail the victimisation of women. I feel there's a delicate balance to be struck between the genre reflecting the reality of the world - which is that, yes, women are far more likely to be the victims of sexually motivated crimes and/or serial killers - and authors dwelling too much on the explicit details of this violence. And it's this detailed focus on sexual violence against women that made me swear not to read any more Gardner after I was deeply troubled by 2016's Find Her. I'm very glad I went back on this pledge, however, because Never Tell was a great read and was largely (although not entirely) free of the trope Gardner has relied on so heavily in the past.

I really enjoyed this - when I had to put it down I was desperate to pick it up again and continue the story. I found the characters interesting and different and their backgrounds were varied making their reactions unpredictable. The flashbacks were revealing and added to the whole picture when they can sometimes be a distraction.
I really liked the way the case was worked and the way conclusions were drawn. There was a working team focussing on the case without being too involved with each other.
I found the twist at the end almost inevitable rather than surprising - there were few candidates to cast as the villain!
I thoroughly recommend the book

I would like to thank Netgalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for an advance copy of Never Tell, the tenth novel to feature Boston Sergeant Detective D. D. Warren.

When police break down a door after a report of shots fired they find Conrad Carter dead and his wife, Evie, with the gun in her hand. Despite proclaiming her innocence D. D. isn’t so sure as Evie confessed to accidentally killing her father with a shotgun sixteen years ago but when Flora Dane, kidnap survivor turned confidential informer for D.D., identifies Conrad as someone her kidnapper knew it becomes clear that there is more to the murder than first appears.

I thoroughly enjoyed Never Tell which is a gripping read told by three strong women. The narrative is unusual with Flora and Evie giving first person accounts of the unfolding events while D.D.’s take is told in the third person. There is no confusion in this approach as each chapter is labelled with the name of the protagonist. I really like it as it mixes the traditional third person narrative of a procedural with the more personal narrative of Flora and Evie. The reader gets the distance and logic from D.D. and the visceral, powerful emotion of Flora and Evie who have both suffered and are still suffering.

The plot itself is interesting from the intriguing premise to how events unfold. Perhaps it’s a little far fetched and I did get a bit lost in the discussions of the dark web but it’s exciting and absorbing. The pacing is good with a steady flow of reveals and some good twists. I had some guesses along the way but I never got close to the motive so I had to keep reading.

The three protagonists are all strong in their own ways. D.D. Is the rational, experienced investigator with a good line in grumpiness and an inability to supervise only so she’s always at the sharp end. Flora is a survivor, not a victim, of a sexually sadistic serial killer. Outwardly she is as tough as nails but inwardly she is haunted by her ordeal and her kidnapper. It makes for harrowing reading. Evie is haunted by the shooting of her father, her mother’s unpredictable behaviour and the lies she suspects her husband of telling. As a shy introvert she struggles to cope. She, in a way, is the least predictable character (shades of her mother?) as her actions sometimes seem strange.

Never Tell is a good read which I have no hesitation in recommending.

4.5 stars. I have read all the books in this series and in fact have read all of Lisa Gardner’s books. I love them all and this one was no exception. It kept me hooked from the first page to the very last and I devoured it in a few sittings. Fantastic read I would definitely recommend.

Yes! Another cracking tale from this Queen of Suspense. I've been a longtime fan of Lisa Gardner and love her DD Warren stories and these new characters are just amazing. But, don't worry, if this is your first book, you'll love it, you'll just want to read the earlier books to really get to know the 'team'.

Three strong female characters tell their stories throughout and they are excellent stories that become entwined. Firstly, there is Detective DD Warren, a women who is no longer on the front line at work and misses it and who is juggling a challenging job she loves, with a husband, 5 year old son and a dog.
Then there is Flora, a new addition and a complex character who continues to recover from being abducted and held for over a year and then, lastly, there is Evie, a wife who arrives home to find her husband shot dead and who then, fires rounds into his computer.

Lisa Gardner is a pro at ensuring all of these characters are fleshed out sufficiently for us to care, whilst ensuring that the thread of the story is never lost. It's not perfect and there were elements I felt obvious, but, overall I've got to give full 5* as it absolutely kept me hooked.

I devoured it and can't wait for the next adventure.

Brilliant!

Thanks so much to NetGalley, Cornerstone Penguin Random House UK and Lisa Gardner for the opportunity to preview this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was a cracker of a book. The characters were all fully formed, well rounded and didn't need too much backstory or explanation. Although to be fair, the storyline was set in the past. It was well written, kept me on my toes and guessing right until the end,. I haven't read many Lisa Gardner books before but I will now revisit as I love crime fiction and this was up there with the best.
Thanks for giving me the opportunity to review NetGalley.

I haven’t read this author before and hadn’t realised that this story was part of a series. However I didn’t feel I lost too much with not reading the previous books. I did find myself intrigued by Flora and found the book which told her story and downloaded it once I finished this one.

This was a good story which totally drew me in. It shows that first impressions aren’t always right and sometimes the truth is far deeper buried. I was shocked as to who the culprit turned out to be because I honestly didn’t see it coming. I had formed my own opinions which were obviously totally wrong.

I look forward to reading more from the author.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing a copy.

If you find someone with a gun in her hand and a corpse close by the chances are you've got your perp without even trying, especially if she's done it before.  Life, especially in books, isn't that simple however, and proving something conclusively can lead you in all sorts of different directions as the Boston police are about to discover.

The beginning of this book in no way hints at what is to come. For Detective D.D. Warren what started as a hopefully open and shut case, especially as Christmas is just around the corner, proves to be anything but. Her recently appointed C.I. (confidential informant) Flora recognises the victim and suddenly everything changes.

I found this book to be compelling for the most part and although I got an inkling of what was going to happen it didn't spoil anything. This was because the strong characters solved things their own way and added far more to the solution than I was able to making it satisfying in every way.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to Netgalley and the publishers in exchange for an unbiased review and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a complex murder mystery which informs rather than baffles. There are previous books in this series I haven't read and the promise of future adventures I shall definitely be on the lookout for.

After reading the blurb I just had to read this book.

A woman accused of murder, not once but twice, could she really be as innocent as she claims?

This is a story that is filled with twists and turns and each plot twist is very cleverly weaved into the pages.

There were a couple of times where I thought I had it all figured out but the guessing continued until nearer the end when I had a ureka moment.

I'm marking it down a star because for me, the tale seemed to lose pace towards and the big reveal wasn't as explosive as I felt it could have been.

Over all a great murder mystery with some well rounded characters.