The Other Daughter

Rating:
Summary: The Other Daughter by Lisa Gardner
Review: A vicious, pedophile serial killer is executed in Texas' "Old Sparky." He goes to his death defiantly, never revealing the identities of his wife and only child to the reporter who hounds him for the story of a lifetime. Across the country in Boston, on the same night of the execution, an abandoned nine year-old girl is found drugged and unconscious in a room at City General Hospital. When she recovers she has no memory of her identity or her past. She is adopted by the hospital's most successful heart surgeon and his family - the same family whose only daughter, Meagan, was murdered by the Texas serial killer five years before.

Fast forward twenty years - the adopted girl, named Melanie by her new parents, is now a successful event organizer for Boston's rich and famous. A graduate of Wellesley, she has what appears to be a wonderful life with a perfect family. Then she is contacted by a sleazy reporter from Texas who has been investigating her past. Recurring nightmares that she has not had for years begin again. She discovers a macabre shrine set-up in her bedroom along with a note, "You Get What You Deserve." Melanie's life begins to unravel as she discovers things about her parents, her brother and her godfather that turn the truths of her past twenty years into terrible lies. She begins a desperate search for her real identity with the help of love interest, FBI agent David Riggs, and slowly begins to discover that the family members she loves and trusts may be the people she should fear the most.

Lisa Gardner has written another gripping mystery that will keep you turning pages long into the night. This is a dark, scary thriller - so be prepared!
JANA

Rating:
Summary: Boring and absurd...don't waste your time
Review: Ehh. Wish I could give this book less than one star, because even that feels too generous.

The plot is full of holes and cliches and the characters are laughably predictable. The story could have gone in several different directions (which Gardner clumsily attempts, presumably to keep the reader guessing...instead, it just made me question why she chose the direction she did, and feel a bit sorry for her in her choice); Gardner chooses the least plausible and most absurd ending.

The one selling point (guess this is where we earn that solitary star) is the history/background given about Huntsville and the death penalty in Texas. That part was interesting...it was also the only part that the author did not create herself but only researched, which is rather telling.

Yawn. This was the first Lisa Gardner book I've read, and unless I can be convinced otherwise, it will be my last. At least I bought it used, so I didn't waste too much money. I left it in a hotel room in hopes that the next guest might enjoy it, but now I just feel bad about inflicting that upon another reader.

Rating:
Summary: Spooky and suspenseful
Review: I really liked this book because it kept me entertained every moment. At the begginning I was confused when it was talking about a guy in prison, but I soon caught on. My favourite part would be when Melanie first met David Riggs, so funny! You'll see when you read it. The ending was amazing, because what i wanted to happen did and it wrapped everything up nicely. So if you like horror, suspense, comedy or romance, it doesn't matter because you'll find a little of all of those things in this page turning novel!

Rating:
Summary: Great from cover to cover
Review: The author of The Perfect Husband has outdone herself! Lisa Gardner has supplied for us avid readers a spine chilling book of murder and lies.

In 1977 Russell Lee Holmes was put to death for murdering six young children. It was always speculated, but never proven that that he also had a wife and child. On the date of his death, he admits to a local reporter that he also killed 4 year old Meagan Stokes five years earlier. Also on the night he is put to death, a 9 year old child found drugged and abandoned at a Boston hospital by none other than Harper Stokes, Meagan's father. The Stokes adopt Melanie and for 20 years life is perfect.

Now 20 years later Melanie receives a call from a sleazy tabloid reporter claming she is really Russell Lee Holmes child. A coverup and conspiracy is uncovered and Melanie must turn to FBI agent David Riggs for help. Did Russell Lee Holmes kill little Meagan Stokes 25 years ago? If not, who? What happened to little Meagan and who is Melanie's brith parents?

Lisa Gardner has written a page turner that will keep you up until the end. My only question is why wasn't this published in hardback? Surely Lisa Gardner has enough readers.

Rating:
Summary: LISA GARDNER HAS TO BE ONE OF MY FAVORITE AUTHORS
Review: THERE ARE SO MANY TWISTS AND TURNS THAT YOU HAVE TO STAY SO FOCUSED ON THIS BOOK TO KNOW WHAT IS GOING ON. WHEN YOU DO FIND OUT IT'LL TOTALLY SUPRISE YOU. THIS WAS MY FIRST BOOK OF HERS BUT NOT MY LAST. I RECENTLY FINISHED THE NEXT ACCIDENT AND THAT WAS ALSO A GREAT BOOK. IF YOU DO START THIS BOOK, MAKE SURE YOU DONT HAVE ANYTHING ELSE TO DO BECAUSE AS SOON AS YOU START YOU WONT BE ABLE TO PUT IT DOWN.

Rating:
Summary: LISA GARDNER HAS TO BE ONE OF MY FAVORITE AUTHORS
Review: THERE ARE SO MANY TWISTS AND TURNS THAT YOU HAVE TO STAY SO FOCUSED ON THIS BOOK TO KNOW WHAT IS GOING ON. WHEN YOU DO FIND OUT IT'LL TOTALLY SUPRISE YOU. THIS WAS MY FIRST BOOK OF HERS BUT NOT MY LAST. I RECENTLY FINISHED THE NEXT ACCIDENT AND THAT WAS ALSO A GREAT BOOK. IF YOU DO START THIS BOOK, MAKE SURE YOU DONT HAVE ANYTHING ELSE TO DO BECAUSE AS SOON AS YOU START YOU WONT BE ABLE TO PUT IT DOWN.

Rating:
Summary: Another Great Read From Lisa Gardner!
Review: This is another great read from talented Ms. Gardner. Since I have not read "The Perfect Husband" I came to this book with an open mind and was not disappointed. This was a fast paced read, with plenty of twists and turns that kept you guess until the final chapter. This was not a rushed ending and I felt that the key pieces were tied together nicely at the end.

Melanie Stokes is an adopted child. Her life for the last 20-years has been perfect. But suddenly her perfect life is starting to unwind. A reporter from Texas has come to Boston to confront Melanie on her parentage. He believes that she is the daughter of a serial killer and that her adopted parents have adopted the child of the monster that took away their perfect Meagan. At first Melanie does not believe it...after all how could her parents adopt her if they knew her past? Then David Riggs walks into the picture. She meets him as a waiter but finds out that he is really FBI investigating her father for insurance fraud. Now things she never thought possible about her life now seem possible. Melanie doesn't think that there is anyone that she can trust except for David. Together they start to work on solving the mystery of Melanie's past and uncover a murder that took place twenty years earlier.

As I stated before I found this book to be very entertaining and a fast read. The character's are well developed and the relationships between the many character's that make up this book are complex but explained if you read carefully. If you enjoy a good suspense story then you will want to pick up this book.

Rating:
Summary: A book you'll never put down!
Review: This is my first novel by Lisa Gardner, so if any of her other books are even half as good as "The Other Daughter" I can't wait to read them!!

I finished this book in 1 1/2 days! I just couldn't put it down!! I didn't find that there were too many boring parts in the storyline like I do with most other novels.

Such an entertaining read! This book is a keeper! Check it out!

Rating:
Summary: Lisa Gardner does it again!
Review: This is my second read of Ms. Gardner's. The Survivor's Club was great, but this one was a show-stopper! I could not put this book down! (Ask my husband, he's a book-widower now!) Just when I thought I knew where the story line was going, it changes! My thoughts were, "there's no way! I never believed this could happen"! Not only is the story powerful, but the editing is superb! Thank you once again Ms. Gardner! You have a devoted fan and I will encourage all my friends to pick up these great reads! Well, I'm off to read "Killing Hour".

Rating:
Summary: Gardner at her best...
Review: Twenty years have passed since child serial killer, Russell Lee Holmes, was executed. Someone has finally decided that it is time for the truth to come out about what really happened to four year old Megaen Stokes.

Melanie Stokes believed her life changed for the better on the day when she was nine years old and looked into the eyes of Harper Stokes. Suddenly, parentless Melanie had a father, mother, and a brother that loved her. If it seemed like her mother was trying to make her into Megaen's image, Melanie felt like she couldn't complain, for these people gave her a home....P>Special Agent David Riggs doesn't have a glamorous job in the FBI. As an agent of the fraud division, he investigates white collared crimes, which leads him to the home of Harper Stokes. After recieiving an anonymous phone call, and some investigating done by David, the FBI believes that Harper is involved in healthcare fraud. Little does he know that what started out as an investigation into fraud will blow a twenty five year old murder case wide open.

Gardner is at her best in The Other Daughter. As a fan of romantic suspense, I don't tend to lean toward books that are strictly suspense. Only Lisa Gardner's. I loved The Perfect Husband as it had just the right amount of romance blended in with the suspense. As did The Other Daughter. I wasn't shocked by the 'major' revelation of the book, but they way it was revealed was shocking as were the events leading up to it. I definetly would not miss out on this one!