GONE by Lisa Gardner
The latest thriller from Lisa Gardner is titled GONE. In it Rainie Conner, a recurring character in Gardner's books, is gone - as in kidnapped. She is disappears one night and friends and family don't know if she has been kidnapped or has just gone off by herself. But as days go by the details of her abduction surface and the desperate efforts to get her back begin. This makes for suspenseful plotting by the author and nerve wracking apprehension for the readers.
Rainie Conner and Pierce Quincy are totally in love, but when they are both assigned a particularly gruesome case on which to work as private investigators, Rainie's world begins to unravel. She begins drinking again and becomes uncommunicative with Quincy. This causes them to separate.
Then when Rainie's car is reported being on the highway and abandoned Pierce and others don't know if it is somehow related to her drinking and/or emotional problems; or if she has actually been harmed by someone. Eventually they find out she has been kidnapped and is being held for ransom.
The local and state police handle the case, while Pierce finds himself under investigation. This is frustrating to him as he thinks he can help track down the person who abducted Rainie. When he summons his daughter, who is an FBI Agent, and her fiancée' to the scene things begin to get more structured.
The story is a step by step look at the abduction and its final resolution. The personal feelings of the participants are described as well as Rainie's situation with the kidnapper. This makes for fairly good reading but somehow not as good as you expect. The circumstances of all that has happened are not totally believable, and when the identity of the kidnapper is revealed it is not logical or believable.
The book has a strong beginning and a fairly believable middle, but the ending occurrences are off the wall. This makes GONE less than one of Gardner's best. That isn't to say she is a poor writer. She definitely has talent. But this is just not one of her best efforts.
Kidnappings and ransoms seem to be in vogue for suspense thrillers these days, but if you are going to use this plot device you have to make sure you keep everything logical and understandable. In GONE Gardner has Rainie weakened by alcohol abuse and drug withdrawal. This situation is stressed over and over. Still she manages to keep a clear head and a reserve of strength. Sorry, I just didn't buy it.
Lisa Gardner is a good writer. She creates good characters who the readers can admire and grow attached to. But this time out she creates circumstances that just don't fly. GONE is supposed to be realistic, not a fantasy with a super-hero. She kept my interest for most of the book but in the end I was skeptical of all that had occurred.
GONE is published by Bantam Books. It contains 352 pages and sells for $25.00.