Love You More by Lisa Gardner

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Synopsis from BN.com:


WHO DO YOU LOVE?
One question, a split-second decision, and Brian Darby lies dead on the kitchen floor. His wife, state police trooper Tessa Leoni, claims to have shot him in self-defense, and bears the bruises to back up her tale. For veteran detective D. D. Warren it should be an open-and-shut case. But where is their six-year-old daughter?

AND HOW FAR WOULD YOU GO . . .

As the homicide investigation ratchets into a frantic statewide search for a missing child, D. D. Warren must partner with former lover Bobby Dodge to break through the blue wall of police brotherhood, seeking to understand the inner workings of a trooper’s mind while also unearthing family secrets. Would a trained police officer truly shoot her own husband? And would a mother harm her own child?

. . . TO SAVE HER?

For Tessa Leoni, the worst has not yet happened. She is walking a tightrope, with nowhere to turn, no one to trust, as the clock ticks down to a terrifying deadline. She has one goal in sight, and she will use every ounce of her training, every trick at her disposal, to do what must be done. No sacrifice is too great, no action unthinkable. A mother knows who she loves. And all others will be made to pay.

Love you more . . .

Brian, a seemingly loving and devoted husband and father, is found dead in his kitchen. The only suspect - his wife, Tessa, who admits to shooting her husband...in self defense. Her face is battered and bruised, but Detective D.D. Warren isn't falling for the innocent act. Because Tessa is a state trooper and her use of force against her husband seems a little extreme, D.D. begins to question Tessa's story. Tessa seems to say all the right things, but something just seems a little off. To make matter's worse Tessa's little daughter Sophie is missing and Tessa insists she has no idea where she could be. With a child's life on the line, will D.D. and her partner on the case, Bobby (her ex) be able to get to the bottom of all of the mysteries and save her, or will they be too late. And with D.D. dealing with some personal issues of her own, will it be too much for her to handle?

My review: I couldn't wait to read this book and I am so gracious to be able to get a free ARC of it through Shelf Awareness from the publisher. I love Lisa Gardner's books and I have read the entire FBI profiler series. I don't know how I missed the D.D. Warren series but I think I'll definitely have to go back and do some catch up, since I started with #5! At first, D.D. came off as pretty hostile and controlling, but I supposed you have to be when you're leading a police task force (especially when you're a woman). She has a really tough exterior, but inside she still has insecurities and fears. She keeps them all bottled up inside though because she hates to show weakness. I was rooting for Tessa the whole time...I knew something was off about her story, because this story goes back and forth between D.D.'s point of view and Tessa's (which I LOVE). It really gave an insight into what she was going through, and it was obvious that what really happened to her husband was something much more than she was letting on. I never for a second thought she knew where her daughter was or had harmed her in any way and I prayed that she would be able to find a way to save her. Even when everything seems bleak though, she never gives up because she loves he daughter and knows she is waiting for her mommy to save her. D.D. is stuck together with her ex, Bobby, investigating this case. It gets a little awkward at times because even though she swears she has no feelings for him anymore, it still seems like she carries a little candle for him and I think is jealous of his having a family. So the characters were very well developed and it was impossible to not get sucked into the story and forget at times that it's fiction. Hoping that they find out the truth in time. Even though this is the 5th book in the series, I didn't feel lost at all, but it definitely made me want to run out and buy the other 4 books! I thought I had the ending figured out several times throughout the book but there were so many twists I didn't see coming. It's full of suspense, which kept me wanting more and I couldn't put the book down! A great, fast-paced read that I would recommend to anyone.

My rating: 5/5 stars