237. Hide by Lisa Gardner

Hide by Lisa Gardner (US) - (Canada)
D.D. Warren, #2

Pages: 451
Ages: 18+
Finished: Oct. 23, 2011
First Published: 2007
Publisher: Bantam
Genre: mystery, thriller
Rating: 5/5



First sentence:

My father explained it to me the first time when I was seven years old: The world is a system

Acquired: I was visiting relatives and borrowed this from my sister.

Reason for Reading: I am reading this series but started with book #3, since my sister had the first two books it was the perfect opportunity to catch up with the series.

It is two years after the first book and Bobby Dodge has become a State Police detective.  When Boston P.D. uncover an underground pit containing the bodies of six young girls, the similarities to the case in book one are too familiar not to notice.  Bobby Dodge and D.D. Warren are partnered up to investigate.  Not only will this take them back to the persons concerned with the first case but also introduce them to a young woman who has spent her entire life on the run and she doesn't even know why.

This was a thrilling, exciting read and introduces D.D. Warrren as a main character for the first time.  More time is spent on fleshing out her character and introducing us to this smart, tough, acerbic detective whom we only briefly met in book one.  The case is full of twists and turns and only slowly reveals information as it unravels making it virtually impossible to completely solve on your own until near the end.  One can guess who the "bad guy" may be, but the full motive and reasoning is only slowly unwound.  With the setting taking place on the grounds of an old abandoned mental hospital the atmosphere is perfect for the cast of suspects who include former patients and staff, to name a few.  Since I started with book 3, this one is much more what I'm used to and better than book one *but* the plot is closely tied to Alone and they should be read in order, as Hide is full of spoilers for Alone.  Good creepy story!