Victim and survivor Flora Dane is back with a vengeance in When You See Me.

D.D. Warren is assigned a multi-jurisdictional case of a skeleton buried fifteen years in rural Georgia. Jacob Ness, the serial killer who held Flora as his sex slave for over a year until she killed him, is suspected. D.D. brings in Flora, and Flora’s new serial killer obsessed techie boyfriend, Keith Edgar. All four work with the head of the team FBI agent Kimberly Quincy to catch the victim’s killer.

The book is told from four women’s point of view—D.D., Flora, Kimberly, and an unknown victim who has lost the power of speech to a bullet. It is a riveting tale that delves into what happens to bodies when buried in shallow graves that I won’t soon forget. If you’re ready for a fast-paced deep dive into the seedy side of mankind, pick up the latest D.D. Warren book, When You See Me. Even though this is fine as a standalone, you may want to start with Flora’s own story in Find Her first. 5 stars and highly recommended!

Thanks to Dutton Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

This is the first Lisa Gardner book I read and it for sure won’t be my last!! Lisa is amazing, through the whole book I kept thinking I had things figured out and then something would happen to show me I hadn’t figured anything out. Deceive Warren is one of my favorite characters and I am now going back and reading the rest of the series. I would give this book more than 5 stars if I could and highly recommend this book, author and series!!

Looks like I’m in the minority on this one. Only having read part of the series might have something to do with that (especially book 10, Never Tell, as the story was somewhat of a continuation). There were just too many irons in the fire and the overall plot was totally unbelievable. While these are strong women characters, it’s doubtful that they would ever work together at a crime scene. Let alone being joined by a crime enthusiast that just happens to be a computer wizard. Overall not that suspenseful and unrealistic.

Never have I been disappointed after reading a Lisa Gardner novel. Over the years I have come to highly anticipate her new releases because they are always somehow just a little above the last. When You See Me is no exception.

This book kept my head spinning. I would think I was on the right track when a whole new surprise would reveal itself. The twists and turns kept me wanting to push on no matter how heavy my eyelids were.

Kimberly, Flora and D.D. definitely have their work cut out from them in Lisa Gardner's latest book. By the end I couldn't help but repeat to myself "I am Flora Dane".

Sergeant Detective DD Warren .... Flora Dane .... FBI Special Agent Kimberly Quincy .... three of the most well-known characters of this author's series .... unite when a body is found 15 years after the victim disappeared outside a very small in Georgia.

There is a feeling this was a crime committed by the same man who stalked and abducted Flora Dane and held her captive for over a year. The three women are part of a task force to follow wherever they must to see if this crime was also committed by the now deceased serial killer Jacob Ness.

When they find multiple graves with the bodies of three more women, they are afraid that the past and the present may be connected by more than one killer.

What are the residents hiding? Why does everyone seem to lie ... or conveniently don't remember? What is the town hiding?

Quincy and DD must summon their considerable skills and experience to crack the most disturbing case of their careers—and Flora must face her own past directly in the hope of saving others.

This is another extremely well written killer thriller featuring stand out characters that are truly unforgettable. The mystery is nicely paced, especially with Dane remembering her time in captivity and what she still needs to discover today. The ending is satisfying and unpredictable.

Many thanks to the author / Penguin Group - Dutton / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

I received an ARC from the publisher asking if I would please review Lisa Gardner's new book. This is my voluntary, honest review. All I can say is if you love suspense, thrills, & nail biting situations you need to read this book! I have to say I think this is one of the best D.D. Warren/Flora Dane books to date. This book grabs you from the first page and will not let go so do not pick it up until you can sit down and read the entire book! Enjoy! 📚

When You See Me is an amazing read. The author created characters that were interesting and unforgettable. There is a serial killer and the FBI uses a former kidnap victim to help search for answers. I want everyone to read this book. I cannot say enough good things about it! You will be guessing until the very end who the "Bad Man" is.

When You See Me is the Eleventh book in Lisa Gardner’s series featuring Boston Sergeant Detective D.D. Warren. The story starts off with two hikers discovering human bones. After findings uncover that the remains are approximately 15 years old, the question becomes could this female be another victim of predator Jacob Ness who investigators have never found the cabin in the woods? FBI Special Agent Kimberly Quincy quickly puts together a task force after the remains where found in the mountains of Georgia. It should be noted that a good majority of this story is set in small towns in Georgia.

For the first time, 3 fan favorites are brought together to solve a series of killings. Sergeant Detective D.D. Warren and victim-turned-avenger Flora Dane head to the mountains of Georgia to team up with Quincy who believes the victim may have been killed by Jacob Ness who held Flora for 472 days before she escaped. Quincy and Flora are connected in that she found Flora after she broke her connection to Ness. Flora has become something of a victim's advocate as well as a confidential informant for D.D. who is slowly coming to actually like Flora even after some of the things she's done.

Flora recently found a connection with Keith Edgar, who is a computer guru and someone who knows all too well about Jacob's dark past. As the number of bodies are uncovered by the task force grows, it becomes clear that Ness isn't the only serial killer who preyed in this area. A new monster has emerged and created a sinister criminal enterprise of human trafficking, illegal organ harvesting, and murder. With the help of a young, mute girl D.D. calls Bonita (who has been scared for life thanks to the bad man). DD, Flora and Kimberly discover that small towns can really hide some big secrets. Secrets that people will literally kill to protect.

As usual, Gardner does fantastic research to make her story more realistic. There was a small part of this story towards the end where a bit of supernatural is thrown into the story. It all surrounds around the girl named Bonita who really broke my heart learning what happened to her mother, and how she was used like trash. You will still need to suspend some disbelief while reading this one, but I didn't mind and I don't think anyone else will either.

Maybe' because I didn't read the previous book in the series, I didn't feel connected enough to the characters to be interested in their journey.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher.

Author Lisa Gardner has three characters that share professional interests with one another and often frequent one anothers’ tales; in WHEN YOU SEE ME, readers receive the pleasure of all of their company. Two law enforcement officers and one former victim turned expert or vigilante, depending upon your perspective, comprise the protagonists. There is a certain amount of housekeeping to this story, an attempt to tie up loose ends in the overarching story that binds these characters together. But it is not essential to have read the prior books, although they are very good. This book works very well as a stand alone. It is filled with more than enough twists, turns and creepy thrills that just reading the tale as it moves along is enough; I didn’t find myself spending any time trying to remember what had happened in the past or really wondering about it. The story is very good and fast. The red herrings and surprises are also well done. Lisa Gardner has delivered another great thriller. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

I love Lisa Gardner's books. Even though I hadn't started When You See Me until the weekend, I knew the only problem I would have would be putting it down. Unfortunately, I can no longer pull an all-nighter and finally had to put the book down a few hours before dawn having only read 75% of the book.

When You See Me is the 11th book in Gardner's Detective D.D. Warren series. I haven't read any of the books in this series (though Find Her is on my bookshelf), but I didn't have any trouble jumping right in and enjoying the story.

I loved the characters and immediately connected with them.

The plot is nailing biting. I don't think I've ever audibly gasped while reading a novel. But I did with this book. I guess part of me was curious as to who the bad guys were, my more immediate concern was that all the good guys got out safe.

I always find it interesting when a book takes place near me. In this case, they are in the north Georgia mountains. While the town is made up (the county it is in is also fictional which I find kind of funny since Georgia has more counties than any other state in the nation except for Texas). Gardner does reference the real town of Dahlonega where I went to college. While Warren, Keith, and Flora are from Boston, I still found their referencing roads in ways that are different than we refer to them a bit jarring. For example, they mention Highway Twenty. If it hadn't been for the reference to Highway Eight-five and trucking, I would have thought they were talking about the state highway and not the interstate (we call it I-20 and I-85). (I should point out I read an ARC so this detail may have been changed in the final version). Also, there is a vague description of the square, which has more than just red brick buildings with white trim. With all the new construction the past 10 - 15 years there are actually only a couple of brick buildings. It also had me wondering why they went to the square. If their destination (the fictional town) lay further into the mountains, why did they get on the business route instead of staying on the main highway?

Being from the north myself, I found the comment from the local sheriff about the people in the town having long memories and for D.D. to not mention she is from the north to be pretty accurate.

The townsfolk were pretty typical for any rural town and I didn't pick out any overly southern stereotypes.

I'm the kind of person who likes to get 8 or 9 hours of sleep and I enjoyed this book so much I can't find it in me to regret only get maybe 5 hours of sleep Saturday night (I do wish I had put on my glasses though as my eyes are killing me).

If you are starting this book today, I hope you don't have any other plans. Once you start it, you won't want to put it down until you've turned the last page.

My review will be published at Girl Who Reads on Tuesday, Jan. 28 - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2020/01/when-you-see-me-by-lisa-gardner-review.html

Thanks to Net Galley for an advance copy of WHEN YOU SEE ME which featured Detective DD Warren and Flora Dane, familiar characters from previous novels in the series, but added FBI agent Kimberly Quincy and Flora's
friend/boyfriend Keith.

I loved the way that the story was told from several different points of view. It kept the story fast-paced and made the book "unputdownable." The way DD connected with the mute girl was awesome. I loved seeing the soft spot in her character.

Going into this book I am so excited. I’ve loved every book in this series. I’m excited to see Kimberly Quincey being integrated into this plot but I also really want more books in the Quincey family series (Quincey and Rainie).

Part of the reason that I love Gardner’s writing is that she gives you this book filled with two or three stories that criss cross and affect each other but never in the way you expect. It’s very realistic. This story has so many great twists that tied it all together. I get so wrapped up in it I don’t want to put it down but I also have to take breaks to wrap my head around everything that’s going on and all the details of the case.

Overall the crime was crazy intricate but also really plausible and interesting. I did not expect the bad guy to be who he was and players in helping him were unexpected as well. I wonder if Flora will depart more from D.D. now as she and Keith maybe become their own team. I freaking adore these people and love how this series continues to develop.

I really love how Gardner explains in the Acknowledgements how the idea of the story came to her and how she built it from there. The details and research that goes into a novel is so interesting to me.

Lisa Gardner pulls out all the stops in this her latest D.D. Warren thriller. Adventure, suspense, mystery ... this book had me holding my breath and only at the end was I able to let it out. Your heart will go out for poor little Bonita, and you'll fight for justice right along with D.D., Kimberly, and Flora. This is definitely what we fans have been waiting for. And we're not disappointed.

Tracking More Victims of the Serial Killer, Jacob Ness

Outside a small town in the mountains of Georgia, two hikers find bones which turn out to be those of a woman who has been missing for many years. Could this be another of Jacob Ness’ victims. He had ties to Georgia. The FBI forms a task force led by SSA Kimberly Quincey to deal with the find. She includes Detective Sergeant DD Warren, Flora Dane, a survivor of Ness’ sadistic crimes, and Keith Edgar, a computer geek and amateur sleuth.

The small town of Niche is lovely, a perfect tourist destination, but once the team settles in, things seem to be off. While processing the bones from the first find other graves are discovered and suddenly this is a very big operation. The townspeople appear shocked, but could they not have known what was going on?

I love Lisa Gardner’s books with DD Warren and Flora Dane. Kimberly Quincy and Keith are good additions to the team. Although Flora is still struggling with PTSD in the aftermath of her kidnapping, she seems more focused in this book. Keith is interested in her and she’s tempted to reciprocate, but it’s difficult for her. I like the way he gives her space, but is there to help.

The background of the task force is realistic. The author has obviously done research to make the details accurate. The small town is wonderful. It seems so perfect and the townspeople seem helpful, but there’s an eerie sensation that all is not what it seems.

This is my favorite book in the series so far. It works as a standalone, but as part of the series you can see the characters grow. Flora is changing much for the better. I highly recommend this book.

I received this book from Dutton for this review.

I loved this book!! Great story!! 1st book I have read by this author will read more of her books!! Received this book from penguin group putton from netgally!!

Well, butter my butt and call me a biscuit! D.D., Flora, and Kimberly are back on the trail of the late Jacob Ness. Also along for the ride is computer nerd and Flora's wanna-be significant other, Keith. Don't worry -- this book is powered by women from beginning to end. In addition to the three women, the story is advanced by the perspective of a mystery girl who is mute. You will find out how she is connected to this compelling case soon enough. If you haven't met D.D., Flora, or Kimberly in a previous book -- bless your heart. You have some reading to do. Start with this one. It can stand on its own while pointing you back to some excellent reading.

A big thank you to Penguin and NetGalley for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I first encountered Lisa Gardner’s entertaining ensemble of law enforcers just over a year ago in Look For Me. D.D. Warren, the Boston cop whose exploits began in 2005 with Hide was there, as was the rather more exotic and eccentric Flora Dane – a young woman who has been damaged physically and mentally by a long torment of captivity and abuse at the hands of Jacob Ness, a psychopath who was taken down in dramatic fashion when the FBI raided his hideout. When You See Me reunites Warren and Dane, along with one or two other key players, as a couple of hikers out for the day in the Appalachian mountains find human remains. When police give the site their full attention other bodies are found. Are they previously undiscovered victims of the unspeakable Ness, or has the area been host to another sadistic killer?
Flora Dane is at the centre of this novel, not only because of her connection with the history of the area, but because she has teamed up with Keithe Edgar, an amateur – but extremely clever – data analyst whose unofficial skills are harnessed by the federal agents as they try to unpick the knot of the case. Flora’s attitude to men has been, to put it mildly, compromised by her trauma at the hands of Ness, but in Keith she might – just might - has found a person to trust, a person with no negative motives, and someone who can ward of the fears and horrors embedded in her memory.
The storytelling technique which uses multiple narrators is much used and, it must be said, often abused, but Kisa Gardner nails it here, particularly through the eyes of Bonita, a Mexican girl maimed in childhood, unable to speak and used as a maid-of-all-work in an ostensibly respectable Victorian mansion, now an upmarket Bed & Breakfast facility in Niche, Georgia – the nearest settlement to where the human remians have been uncovered. Bonita is not her real name. Only her late mother knows what it is, but when D.D. Warren meets her during the investigation, she says:
“’Bonita’ D.D. said softly.’It’s the Spanish word for pretty. What do you think? I’ll call you Bonita.’”
Almost inevitably, the dreadful goings on in the mountains surrounding Niche must involve some of the locals, but Lisa Gardner (right) lays out several enticing red herrings before revealing precisely which of the eminent townsfolk are involved in a dreadful conspiracy, a toxic cocktail of abduction, sexual slavery and-ultimately-murder. Flora, D.D. and the other members of the team eventually corner the evil genius at the centre of Niche’s darkest secret, but not before we are treated to a spectacularly violent finale involving secret tunnels, torture and, intriguingly, death-by-dishwasher.
American crime fiction is a huge, diverse and somewhat unwieldy beast, but at its best it is slick, literate, flawlessly plotted, endlessly enthralling and with a narrative drive that seems to come as second nature to such writers as Lisa Gardner. When You See Me will be out in Kindle, published by Cornerstone Digital on 28th January and in hardback by Century on 20th February. The paperback will be available in July.

Desert Isle Keeper
When You See Me
Lisa Gardner


Buy This Book
There is nothing quite like the experience of becoming completely absorbed and involved in a good book, and When You See Me, with its riveting characters and thrilling, non-stop plot is a very good book. You will want to clear a few hours of time to read this, since putting it down will not be an option.

Once upon a time there was a mamita and a chiquita. The mamita loved to cook and she loved to hum while she cooked. The chiquita loved to color. She would draw pictures and paint them in while waiting for her mother to come home from work. “Muy bonita mamita”, she would tell her mother as they did their supper dishes. “Muy linda chiquita”, her mother would say back. And they would giggle. Until the night the bad man came and shot her mother and took the little chiquita away.

Years later, hikers who go off a trail in the Appalachian Mountains discover a set of human bones. After tons of forensic work has been done and national databases checked, it is determined the remains belong to Lilah Abenito, a woman believed to have been a victim of the serial killer Jacob Ness. Having been part of the task force that killed Ness and freed the woman he was holding captive at the time, SSA Kimberly Quincy is notified of the discovery and invited to take over the investigation of the crime scene. She reaches out to three other people involved in the ongoing search for Ness’s victims: Flora Dane, his last captive; Boston Detective D.D. Warren, who helped in the apprehension of one of Ness’s partners and Keith Edgar, a brilliant computer analyst who brought to light Jacob Ness’s presence on the dark web.

If you are a fan of the author, you will recognize all four of the names in the investigative team. If this review is your first experience of Ms. Gardner’s work, I would urge you to stop here and read Alone, book one of the D. D. Warren series. This is a fantastic, not to be missed set of detective stories. That said, almost every character in this story has appeared in the previous novels in the saga and understanding how they are connected and their history with Jacob Ness is important to appreciating this tale.

Back to our narrative. Told from four different viewpoints -Kimberly, D.D.,Flora and a young woman known only as The Girl – this novel covers every aspect of a dark and startling crime. We arrive in the small town of Niche, GA with our investigators and realize almost at once that the scenic main street, while filled with charming shops and beautiful Victorian bed and breakfasts, is the home of some ugly, dangerous people. And that’s when the compulsive page turning begins – right at the start, and it doesn’t end until we have the final piece of the confounding, mind-blowing puzzle.

I won’t tell you much about the plot because mysteries are all about going on the journey of discovery for yourself. What makes this a journey worth going on though, is not just the twists and turns of the plot, but the characters. The Girl is a deeply wounded young woman who cannot speak, read or write. She is the chiquita from the start of the novel and my heart just broke seeing her go from her impoverished but loving home to the brutal conditions in which we rejoin her. But she is a strong, brave young lady with a fighter’s heart. Her past trauma and the effort to keep her secret fire hidden have shaped her into a cunning, resolute young woman. She is an unlit match in a room full of dynamite throughout the entire tale and you can’t help but wonder just what will happen when she catches fire.

Equally mesmerizing is Flora. Fans will remember the damaged, determined vigilante-turned-victim activist from Find Her, Look for Me, and Never Tell. We’ve watched her fight to find a place for herself post the horrors she suffered at the hands of serial rapist/killer Jacob Ness. She has thrived while working with D.D. on the search for his other victims and by supporting other survivors in their quest to build lives for themselves after enduring violent crimes. In this novel we watch her take the next step in her evolution as she moves forward in her budding relationship with Keith Edgar. I had my concerns when this love story was first introduced in Never Tell but in this novel I felt the relationship deepened beyond their joint obsession with hunting criminals and showed a genuine emotional connection between the characters that was lovely to see.

Equally pleasing is the opportunity to spend time once more with Kimberly and D.D.. This is Ms. Gardner’s eleventh novel featuring the intrepid Detective Warren and I can only say it is always a pleasure to spend time with her. I feel the same about Kimberly Quincy. We’ve seen her throughout the six other books in the FBI Profiler series and she is a pleasing counterpart to D.D., using charm, methodical policing and patience to counterbalance D.D.’s more intuitive, impetuous approach. I’ve enjoyed how both ladies have learned to harmonize their work and home lives. In this book, we see them receiving strength and support from phone calls to their families. Both are married to men who work in law enforcement themselves and the guys are able to provide sympathetic ears and encouraging words as the ladies relay the atrocities they’re discovering in this small, murderous community.

Ms. Gardner’s prose is always excellent and this novel is no exception. Combine that with her addictive plotting, outstanding pacing and compelling characters and you have a book that grips you from the first few pages and never lets you go. If you have enjoyed the previous volumes featuring these characters you will love When You See Me. If you haven’t read her previous works, but enjoy a good mystery, begin with Alone and work your way through the list to this one. You won’t regret it.

Lisa Gardner always wraps the characters so vividly in your mind that you are connected to many of them, not just one. Add a bunch of great women (that we already love) to a gut-wrenching story about a young girl who sees her mother murdered when she is young and has yet to talk fifteen years later, toss in a great guy or two, a big bad monster and you have the all-night thriller you’ve been looking for.

A negative, not negative, is that you want to meet this girl and give her a few hugs; a place to belong and be loved. I fell in love with Girl and was so sad when the story ended and I wouldn’t get to spend any more time with this book.

This is a FIVE-STAR thrill ride though so be aware of that before you start reading. Many of Lisa Gardner’s books grab ahold of you and make you want to eat up every word, pause so it isn’t over yet, then start reading again because you just can’t stop, BUT WHEN YOU SEE ME adds a lot more hair-raising angst that will grab you by the throat.

Many if the book club early reader participants who submitted their recommendation to our site made it a point to add this book as a MUST READ ASAP… and I agree!