Lockdown by Sara Driscoll
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Gemma is a NYPD detective who has the day off to spend with family. That changes when she gets the call that her nephew’s school has an active shooter situation.
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Trigger warning for school shooting.
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What I liked:
-I liked that there was no slow build, we were just thrown, higgledy-piggledy, into the action.
-I loved that Gemma had such a big and close family. They were all really there for each other.
-The tension was thick throughout the whole book.
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4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Lockdown was action packed and kept me wanting to know how everything would be resolved. I’m interested in the rest of this series now.

A crisis is about to make the anniversary of a family tragedy infinitely worse.

Twenty five years ago on this November day Gemma Capello and her mother Maria were taken hostage during a bank robbery, and Gemma was the only one of the two who survived the ordeal. Gemma grew up to follow in the footsteps of her father Tony, who is the NYPD Chief of Special Operations, joining the NYPD and ultimately becoming a lead negotiator on the NYPD Hostage Negotiation Team. With three of her brothers also in the NYPD and the fourth in the FDNY, they’re a family dedicated to serving and protecting. Gemma is headed to her father’s home in Brooklyn to mark the sad anniversary when one of her brothers calls with shocking news…a school shooting has been reported at a local high school, the school where her nephew Sam is a freshman. As phone calls from terrified students start to flood 9-1-1, Gemma heads straight to the scene to offer whatever assistance she can. Although many such situations post Columbine end quickly with the perpetrators either surrendering or being killed, this one will not. Hostages are taken, and Gemma will need to put aside her worries about Sam and jump into action. With two Apprehension Tactical Teams (A-Teams) on site and more en route, and with tensions running high, It falls on Gemma to open and maintain a dialogue with the suspect in order to prevent the A-Teams from having to use force. If she is successful maybe no other lives will be lost; if she is not, the students and teachers who are either hostages or are sheltering in place and unable to get out are all in jeopardy…including her nephew.
Children in life-threatening situations are everyone’s worst nightmare, first responders and parents alike. As school shootings continue to happen, while lessons have been learned on what to do and what not to do to minimize casualties they are still horrific scenarios. Author Sara Driscoll does a fantastic job of conveying the chaos, conflict, and concerns swirling around those who have found themselves in a position for which they have trained but hoped never to face. Gemma, herself a survivor of a hostage taking, is tested under the worst possible set of circumstances….on a day reserved for mourning her mother’s death under similar circumstances and with a loved one possibly in jeopardy. Other family members, used to taking action and saving others, must stand by while others take over. A school principal and teachers risk their lives to protect their students, some of whom are themselves are showing incredible composure and bravery while others are incapacitated by terror. Lockdown (the third in a series but one that is easily read as a standalone) is a gripping read, perfect for fans of Tess Gerritsen, Isabella Maldonado and Catherine Coulter as well as those who have read author Sara Driscoll’s other books, including her FBI K-9 series. Many thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for allowing me early access to this novel….I devoured it in one sitting.

I love this author and recently discovered this series. This book is an incredible read. It's at times heartbreaking, terrifying, and full of action and suspense. Gemma is such a great character and Sean is my second favorite. The writing is so vivid I often felt like I was right there. This page-turner is one of the best books I've read this year!

Well done!

This action packed story takes the reader behind the scenes for a look into how first responders manage school shootings. From the initial response team of highly skilled tactical agents to negotiators who hold resolution with their voice and demeanor.

Sadly, these situations are happening more and more in the US, and it was interesting to read from the perspective of someone inside and responsible rather than as a member of the viewing public. While it is easy as a viewer to criticize response, this book makes it clear that these responders are all in.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.

This book grabbed me from the start and I couldn’t put it down. It’s disturbing, as the subject is a high school shooting, and that’s always hard to hear about. Sara Driscoll does a good job of not getting into overly gory details, and yet still bringing the reader into the horror of the situation. In this day and age of so many similar situations, it was fascinating to get an inside look at what happens and how the negotiations team works to resolve the situation. I was captivated! I’m afraid not much else got done at my house today! A powerful story, and one I highly recommend!

Lockdown is such a suspenseful book from the very beginning! This is not an easy book to read due to the subject matter of a school shooting. The trauma, tragedy, and horror is fairly descriptive but a lot of it is through the eyes of the first responders, giving us a different perspective. We read about all the heroes working during a lockdown situation, such as the police officers who move in harm's way to get the students and staff safely out of the building. But there is also the negotiation team working hard to bring a tragic situation to an end as quickly as possible. The teachers and Principal, working to protect their students. And students helping each other throughout the terror of the day and in their grief of losing friends. This is a very powerful and gut-wrenching book! It reminds us of all the people behind the scenes working to bring a devastating situation to a peaceful end. I highly recommend this book!

Good Page turner and good story in the next installment but they can be read as standalone novels.

There definitely should be trigger warnings on this book for school shooting as this may trigger some readers. The situation is very uncomfortable but i liked it and was very well written but the readers need to get past the subject matter and for some that may be hard.

This follows Gemma who is on the negotiation team of a police department. She has the day off and plans to spend it with her family when she is informed that there is a school shooting nearby. So instead of having a day off she head to where the shooting is.

The book was filled with action, suspense and just overall very well written characters and story. This story will definitely be remembered and just hope the series continues.

Great writing and book. Loved it.

Thanks Net Galley for letting me read and review.

The third book in Sara Driscoll's (NYPD) Negotiators series is the most intense one yet. A devastating school shooting as described through the eyes of the negotiators and first responders, it is both terrifying and all-absorbing. Det. Gemma Capello must use all of her skills to help rescue the trapped high schoolers and then to negotiate with the shooter for the safe release of a classroom of students. Though it is a tough subject, school shootings occur far too often in this country. Sara Driscoll has the ability to keep me in suspense, yet shields me from the more gory details.

I appreciate the realism of the characters and their response to the dangers that await them as they slowly and steadily clear the school, helping the injured and seeking the shooters.

I would recommend this book and series to others who enjoy action in their mystery/suspense/thriller reads.
Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this amazing book early. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I review books that I enjoy for friends and followers.
#Lockdown #NetGalley #SaraDriscoll #KensingtonPublishing

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington for the eARC.

Books centered on a school shooting can be both intriguing and difficult to read depending on how they are handled. What I really liked about Sara Driscoll's take on it was the POV of the negotiators. Really well done and different.

This was a very unique, dual POV, suspenseful book! It was really interesting to read a fictional version about a school shooting from the perspective of law enforcement.

"Be careful what you wish for. You just might get it."

Thank you NetGalley, Sara Driscoll, and Kensington Publishing for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Lockdown
Sara Driscoll
May 21, 2024

Gemma Capello is back in Negotiators part 3. She starts out this epic journey on the 25th anniversary of the episode that her mother died in a bank robbery. She was left alone to be a hostage in the chaos. Now she is enroute to her dad’s house with her mom and dad’s favorite cake, an Italian Cassata, that she spent the night making. Mid-trip she gets a call. It was her brother Alex. Thinking he wanted to know the time for family dinner she picked up. Instead he tells her frightening news. Her nephew, Sam is in school. It has been put on lockdown due to student shooters infiltrating the hallways. She flips the car around deciding they may need her although the HNT was not called, she is obligated to be there. She would find Sam, she could help with the students.
Lockdown will be published by Kensington Publishing on May 21, 2024. I was able to read Driscoll’s latest book via NetGalley. It is a tremendous, frightening novel of the events of a mass shooting from the thoughts and words of police, firefighters and the negotiators who talk down the hostage taker in emergency situations. This author must have done considerable research to be able to tell this story. It was real, it was shocking, yet I could not put it down. It is a novel readers should not miss. In this world of indefensible events, readers should understand, Knowledge is Power.

This novel tackles the aftermath of a school shooting, which is not an easy topic, but from a fresh angle: the crisis negotiators. It's a harrowing read, but the author's focus on the negotiation team was unique and interesting. The writing is vivid and pulled me in quickly. I didn't realize this was part of a series. I think this was fine to read as a standalone.

I've been a fan of this series but this was just so hard to read because of the subject matter. Det. Gemma Capella is, as always, a dynamic character with good sense and a way of resolving difficult situations (there's a reason she's a hostage negotiator). I focused, this time out, more on the Capella family dynamics. While this will be fine as a standalone, it likely will be most appreciated by those who have read earlier installments. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

This was such an intense and thrilling book. It is definitely a really hard read and will hit close to home. It felt so real, the writing was great and the storytelling even better.

Warning: This was a hard story to read. Anything involving a school shooting would be. But the focus on the negotiating team is unique and makes it very interesting - if you can get past the horrific situation. The author doesn’t dwell on the gory details but they are unavoidable to some extent.

Gemma Capello is a member of the New York Police Department‘s Hostage Negotiation Team. She comes from a large Italian family with a lot of other police officers (her dad and three of her four brothers). She is heading to her dad’s house on her day off when she gets word of a school shooting in a nearby Brooklyn neighborhood so she heads there immediately. To make matters worse, her nephew is a freshman at that particular high school. As you might imagine, the book is filled with tense situations. It was especially vivid for me, as I went to high school just a few blocks from this fictional school and could easily picture the area from my memories.

This is a top-notch series (I’ve read the first book and now this one). The writing is vivid and pulls you in quickly. The main characters are realistic and likable. The teachers are heroic in their actions to try to shield the students in their care. It’s a shame that they/we have been drilled in the “right” ways to react in such a scenario (“Run, Hide, Fight”). The various students of the school who we meet are described in a sympathetic fashion, but the author doesn’t minimize the tragedy of the perpetrators.

Although third in the NYPD Negotiators series, this would work well as a standalone. There are references to events in the previous two books but they don’t impact the plot of this one.

Thank you to the author for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

My first book by this author and held my interest from first character. Gemma Compelling is a great character. Would love to see a series. But for now this story will keep you rivited

A hard book to read with so many emotions. When it comes to a school shooting or a mass shooting of any kind it can be hard to read but with the state of the world at the moment, it hits close to home. Though I live in an Australia it is rare that a day goes by where I don’t want up and hear about a new shooting somewhere in the world.

I liked this book and really enjoyed that it didn’t hold back from the investigation side of the story. This book pulls you in from the very beginning.

So many emotions reading this book. It made me cry, it made me angry. You hear about school shooting all the time, but living in Australia, we are quite removed from it as it doesn’t happen here. It saddens me that it happens anywhere, so many lives lost.

A school shooting in Brooklyn. Gemma Capello has a day off, a call from her brother changes all of that. There is a shooter at her nephew’s school, you bet she is going to do anything to get him out of there alive. Gemma is a negotiator, and a brilliant one at that.

I really got caught up in this story, on edge the whole time hoping for a good outcome. The author did a great job of telling the story of the shooters and the victims, along with all the first responders. You feel as if you are there, watching and waiting along with the characters.

This was my first book by this author, and although this is book 3 in a series, I had no trouble keeping up. I will certainly be looking out for more by Sara Driscoll and hunting down the first 2 books.

Thanks so much to Kensington Publishing for my advanced copy to read. Publishes on May 21st.

This book was crazy from the begining to the end I loved it. I mean the premise was rough, school shooting and all, but the writing was so good. I was rooting for everyone to make it out ok. I also really enjoyed the negotiation part of the book because you dont normally see that side. The author really did a wonderful job not making it super sad and gory with the actual shooting part but i really enjoyed it.

This is my first read of the author and wow was it intense. Let me start with this is about a school shooting and negotiating with the shooter. This will be a trigger for some, but it is so well done. There is a sensitivity to the presentation.

The shooting is personal for Gemma, an FBI negotiator, when she learns her nephew is unaccounted for. She never hesitates in jumping in and trying to help even though it is also the anniversary of her being held hostage and her mother’s death.

From the moment I picked this one up, I was absorbed in the shooting, the students, the school and the team trying to diffuse the situation. Gemma is such a relatable character and the situation created by the author is scary and complete. As the story unwinds, we learn of Gemma’s past, her family, the situation at the school and how and why it unfolded.

This is gripping, emotional and intense and I loved it from start to finish.