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Alvarez & Pescoli #3
Born to Die
The resemblance between Dr. Kacey Lambert and B-movie actress Shelly Bonaventure is a standing joke in the town of Grizzly Falls, Montana. So much so, that Kacey is momentarily shocked to read about the fading starlet’s death. Still, it’s not as if there was any real connection between them. And when a fatally injured jogger who also bears a striking similarity to Kacey is rushed into the ER days later, Kacey is ready to rule it another sad, strange accident. Detective Selena Alvarez suspects otherwise. An autopsy confirms that the jogger had traces of poison in her blood at the time of her death. Selena and her partner, Regan Pescoli, can find no motive for the murder. But Kacey has started to notice ties between the dead women’s lives and her own—all close in age, born within miles of each other—and all with ties to the man Kacey has just begun seeing, single father Trace O’Halleran. Now, with more look-alikes dying, Kacey must question her judgment, her safety—and everything she’s ever believed about her past. The deeper Kacey digs, the more reason she has to fear. The body count is rising, the killer is getting bolder and more brutal. And Kacey knows it’s only a matter of time before hers is the next name on a list of those who were born to die…
448 pages, Paperback
First published January 28, 2011
1550 people are currently reading
9443 people want to read
About the author
Lisa Jackson
271 books9,587 followersLisa Jackson is the number-one New York Times bestselling author of over ninety-five novels, including the Rick Bentz and Reuben Montoya Series, the Pescoli and Alvarez Series, the Savannah series, and numerous stand alone novels. She also is the co-author of One Last Breath, Last Girl Standing, and the Colony Series, written with her sister and bestselling author Nancy Bush, as well as the collaborative novels Sinister and Ominous, written with Nancy Bush and Rosalind Noonan. There are over thirty million copies of her novels in print and her writing has been translated into twenty languages.
Before she became a nationally bestselling author, she was a mother struggling to keep food on the table by writing novels, hoping against hope that someone would pay her for them. Today, neck deep in murder, her books appear on The New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly national bestseller lists.
With dozens of bestsellers to her name, Lisa Jackson is a master of taking readers to the edge of sanity—and back—in novels that buzz with dangerous secrets and deadly passions. She continues to be fascinated by the minds and motives of both her killers and their pursuers—the personal, the professional, and the downright twisted. As she builds the puzzle of relationships, actions, clues, lies, and personal histories that haunt her protagonists, she must also confront the fear and terror faced by her victims and the harsh and enduring truth that, in the real world, terror and madness touch far too many lives and families.
Visit http://www.LisaJackson.com where you can find a Media Kit with photos and more information.
Before she became a nationally bestselling author, she was a mother struggling to keep food on the table by writing novels, hoping against hope that someone would pay her for them. Today, neck deep in murder, her books appear on The New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly national bestseller lists.
With dozens of bestsellers to her name, Lisa Jackson is a master of taking readers to the edge of sanity—and back—in novels that buzz with dangerous secrets and deadly passions. She continues to be fascinated by the minds and motives of both her killers and their pursuers—the personal, the professional, and the downright twisted. As she builds the puzzle of relationships, actions, clues, lies, and personal histories that haunt her protagonists, she must also confront the fear and terror faced by her victims and the harsh and enduring truth that, in the real world, terror and madness touch far too many lives and families.
Visit http://www.LisaJackson.com where you can find a Media Kit with photos and more information.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 547 reviews
August 3, 2011
I really don't understand how I have made it to 43 and NOT been murdered by a serial killer. I'm perpetually single. I live alone. I run at night. I have TWO cats. Sometimes I do the on-line dating. What? Now even deranged murdering men don't want me?
It's hard being a spinster.
It's hard being a spinster.
November 12, 2012
A promising start but I soon got bogged down in stuff that didn't drive the story forward. I was confused. Was the doctor the main character, or was it the female detectives? It made sense to have backstory for the doctor, it was necessary to the plot, but I'm at a loss to understand why we needed to know so much about one of the detective's difficult teenage children - they had nothing to do with anything - or the other detective's obsession with her boss.
I wanted to enjoy this book, and in part I did, but there was too much repeat information. For example, at one stage we were told a child was taken to hospital dressed in whatever. Then when he gets there, the doctor tells us what the child was dressed in. Memo - we already knew and didn't need to be told again. It might seem petty, but there was a lot of repetition like that.
I really had issues with the killers reasons for ... well, killing the woman. Also, must we have the climax set against a storm where the electricity goes out and the batteries in torches are on the blink. It's been done so many times. There must have been another way.
The author is very popular, but obviously left me disappointed.
I wanted to enjoy this book, and in part I did, but there was too much repeat information. For example, at one stage we were told a child was taken to hospital dressed in whatever. Then when he gets there, the doctor tells us what the child was dressed in. Memo - we already knew and didn't need to be told again. It might seem petty, but there was a lot of repetition like that.
I really had issues with the killers reasons for ... well, killing the woman. Also, must we have the climax set against a storm where the electricity goes out and the batteries in torches are on the blink. It's been done so many times. There must have been another way.
The author is very popular, but obviously left me disappointed.
June 16, 2023
This is book 3 in the Alvarez & Pescoli series and maybe not having read the previous two is why I thought this book was hard to get into (but I don’t really think so). The book alternates perspectives which I do typically enjoy a lot, but there were so many characters telling the story and each of them had a huge cast of people and it felt overwhelming and not all of them felt important. I will say as the story got going more and more it got more interesting and easier to follow (even if there were still weird bits like the detectives stubborn and acting out teenage kids for no reason for the plot). I did like the mystery in this one and thought it was a very interesting twist and especially liked the epilogue. I would read more in this series.
October 21, 2017
This book started out good, it roped me in. All these women are dying in mysterious ways that look like accidents but both detectives on the Grizzly Falls police force seem to think different. It seems that all these women dying have a common factor... they all look alike. So much alike that they could pass as relatives.
Acacia Lambert, a doctor in town starts to put two and two together and together with Trace O' Halloran decides to look into this crazy murder mystery and discovers much more than she ever imagined.
Really good book, was a bit long in my opinion and could have been cut short by 150 pages but still good! Highly recommend. You won't want to put it down.
Acacia Lambert, a doctor in town starts to put two and two together and together with Trace O' Halloran decides to look into this crazy murder mystery and discovers much more than she ever imagined.
Really good book, was a bit long in my opinion and could have been cut short by 150 pages but still good! Highly recommend. You won't want to put it down.
October 26, 2011
I really enjoyed this book though the whole premise is extremely improbable. This is third in a series about 2 female police detectives in the little hick town of Grizzly Falls, Montana- Selena Alvarez and Regan Pescoli.
Dr. Kacey Lambert discovers that a Hollywood actress who was originally from the area apparently died of an overdose in California. The actress looks a lot like her. Bells sound off in her head when other women in this rural area who also look like her begin having accidents and dying. When the husband of one says he was on the phone with his wife when she was run off the road, it starts to look like none of the deaths are accidents. To add to the mystery, local rancher Trace O'Halleran's young son Eli becomes her patient after an accident at school and developing pneumonia and she becomes interested in him-- only to learn that his ex-wife Leanna disappeared after divorcing him and giving up her rights to Eli and Leanna is also a lookalike and also that he was the last known person to have dated another lookalike who got pushed off a cliff.
I loved reading this and will now seek out the other books in the series. However, I did have a few problems with believability and other issues. Here they are:
(1) What is the likelihood that one rich doctor would father 7 kids with his wife, 2 kids with lovers (including Kacey's mom), and donate sperm as a med student thus fathering maybe 100 kids and then have one nutty kid decide to murder all of the females his dad fathered including the sperm donations? How could he make so many deaths seem accidental? How could he even find and access these women? How could he get in their homes to poison their coffee and set up tiny microphones?
(2) What is the likelihood that the school teacher pushed off the cliff would go off jogging in the ice and snow during a blizzard with near-pneumonia and without taking her cell phone and of course, run in an isolated cliff area despite having seen a truck following her?
(3) What is the likelihood that Kacey would move back to this tiny town in Montana and wind up dating the man who was married to one of the other lookalikes and dated another then have another as a patient who had just moved to town with her lawyer husband who was transferred here? Why would a big law firm in another state send someone to open a law office in a hick town in Montana?
(4) Regan is a police detective yet cannot control her 15 year old daughter or shake off her grown unemployed son who wants to lounge around all day playing video games so she thinks she might ought to move in with her lover Santana so he can control them. Excuse me. Is this not a grown woman, a police detective trusted with a gun when she cannot get a 15 year old girl in line and send the grown boy packing? Is she so weak she needs a man to handle it for her? Insulting to women!
(5) Trace had been stunned when his exwife Leanna left him in the night and sent divorce papers and papers giving up her parental rights to little Eli. Suddenly 7 years later, she comes back one night during a storm just knowing Eli is in danger, gets in the house where Kacey is searching for him in the dark while being pursued by the killer, takes him to the neighbors, steals their landline, cells, and computer so they can't call for help (I myself would WANT help fighting a killer!!) then stops to sign the child's cast before taking the killer on in the barn. What the hell is that about? Of course, Leanna also has to be one of the sperm donor kids.
(6) The sheriff of any town would not allow that nutty office worker to spend over a month setting up Secret Santa programs, playing endless Christmas music and decorating herself and the precinct in wall to wall Christmas decor. Government offices are not constitutionally allowed to do that and it has everyone bugged. The woman needed to see some psychiatrist. They have pills for overwrought crazies like her.
I love the book but honestly, it was over the top in areas.
Dr. Kacey Lambert discovers that a Hollywood actress who was originally from the area apparently died of an overdose in California. The actress looks a lot like her. Bells sound off in her head when other women in this rural area who also look like her begin having accidents and dying. When the husband of one says he was on the phone with his wife when she was run off the road, it starts to look like none of the deaths are accidents. To add to the mystery, local rancher Trace O'Halleran's young son Eli becomes her patient after an accident at school and developing pneumonia and she becomes interested in him-- only to learn that his ex-wife Leanna disappeared after divorcing him and giving up her rights to Eli and Leanna is also a lookalike and also that he was the last known person to have dated another lookalike who got pushed off a cliff.
I loved reading this and will now seek out the other books in the series. However, I did have a few problems with believability and other issues. Here they are:
(1) What is the likelihood that one rich doctor would father 7 kids with his wife, 2 kids with lovers (including Kacey's mom), and donate sperm as a med student thus fathering maybe 100 kids and then have one nutty kid decide to murder all of the females his dad fathered including the sperm donations? How could he make so many deaths seem accidental? How could he even find and access these women? How could he get in their homes to poison their coffee and set up tiny microphones?
(2) What is the likelihood that the school teacher pushed off the cliff would go off jogging in the ice and snow during a blizzard with near-pneumonia and without taking her cell phone and of course, run in an isolated cliff area despite having seen a truck following her?
(3) What is the likelihood that Kacey would move back to this tiny town in Montana and wind up dating the man who was married to one of the other lookalikes and dated another then have another as a patient who had just moved to town with her lawyer husband who was transferred here? Why would a big law firm in another state send someone to open a law office in a hick town in Montana?
(4) Regan is a police detective yet cannot control her 15 year old daughter or shake off her grown unemployed son who wants to lounge around all day playing video games so she thinks she might ought to move in with her lover Santana so he can control them. Excuse me. Is this not a grown woman, a police detective trusted with a gun when she cannot get a 15 year old girl in line and send the grown boy packing? Is she so weak she needs a man to handle it for her? Insulting to women!
(5) Trace had been stunned when his exwife Leanna left him in the night and sent divorce papers and papers giving up her parental rights to little Eli. Suddenly 7 years later, she comes back one night during a storm just knowing Eli is in danger, gets in the house where Kacey is searching for him in the dark while being pursued by the killer, takes him to the neighbors, steals their landline, cells, and computer so they can't call for help (I myself would WANT help fighting a killer!!) then stops to sign the child's cast before taking the killer on in the barn. What the hell is that about? Of course, Leanna also has to be one of the sperm donor kids.
(6) The sheriff of any town would not allow that nutty office worker to spend over a month setting up Secret Santa programs, playing endless Christmas music and decorating herself and the precinct in wall to wall Christmas decor. Government offices are not constitutionally allowed to do that and it has everyone bugged. The woman needed to see some psychiatrist. They have pills for overwrought crazies like her.
I love the book but honestly, it was over the top in areas.
September 9, 2015
Better than the last one in the Pescoli/Alvarez series. This one had alot of things going on, which doesn't bother me because it makes for a more in - depth read. I like the setting of Grizzly Falls and Montana, I like the cast of recurring characters, although I would like to actually see some of the more interesting folks play bigger roles, like the town weirdos Grace Perchant and Ivor Hicks. They are quirky and add some interest when things get monotonous. I would also like to finally hear Alvarez's story!
Things I didn't like - the constant use of the word damned. It's seriously on every page. Vocab needs expanded! There were also quite a few grammatical errors and a whole slew of run on sentences, which can get "damned" confusing. Not to mention, the killer definitely has something wrong "down there". Every time the book switches to his narrative, his c_ck is " twitching ". He should probably get that looked at.
Hopefully the next book in this series will expand more on Alvarez. There have been a few hints about her backstory and it just leaves me wanting to know more.
Things I didn't like - the constant use of the word damned. It's seriously on every page. Vocab needs expanded! There were also quite a few grammatical errors and a whole slew of run on sentences, which can get "damned" confusing. Not to mention, the killer definitely has something wrong "down there". Every time the book switches to his narrative, his c_ck is " twitching ". He should probably get that looked at.
Hopefully the next book in this series will expand more on Alvarez. There have been a few hints about her backstory and it just leaves me wanting to know more.
February 10, 2013
This is the prequel to Afraid To Die, but I read it after. I have rated it one more star than Afraid To Die, but that is because I liked the idea behind the plot. However, as stated in my review for Afraid To Die, it is ridiculously repetitive, with murderers only striking around Christmas in the town - which means in every book we are also subjected to the same descriptions of Joelle decorating the police station, Pescoli having problems with her children, and Alvarez having no one to share the holidays with. Bore bore bore. It was vaguely intriguing in the 1st book but having no resolution across the stories doesn't make me eager to find out, it makes me resolve to read no more of this series.
This book in particular -
This book in particular -
April 9, 2016
This is my first Lisa Jackson book, and it gets an average rating from me. It is quite long, and though the two main detectives are repetitive characters, side characters mostly badies and some goodies run most of the story. The story basics are a man who donates his sperm to a bank, then many many years later goes back and kills the people he spawned. Strange preface for a story. Not my favorite.
August 22, 2011
Maybe my 1 star rating is harsh, because I like this author and series, but I didn't like this one. I only became interested with 100 pages left and that was 273 pages in. The previous two installments were fast paced and half made me afraid to look out a dark window. This had way too much back story going on. It seemed just to be a setup for future books and Regan's kids are getting annoying.
March 26, 2018
Setting: Grizzly Falls, Montana
Detectives Selena Alvarez and Regan Pescoli confront one of the most bizarre cases of their careers. Girls that look alike are dying mysteriously.
Kacey looks like the girls having deadly accidents. She wonders if she's next.
What a ride. Mystery and suspense fill the pages of "Born to Die." I found my pulse beating fast as my eyes traveled faster over the words. Heart-pounding good.
This story focused more on Kacey and her friend, Trace O'Halleran. Two great characters.
Toward the end, the pace moved at lightning speed. I sat on the edge of my chair, glued to the pages as they sailed by. And, the ending. All I can say is, "Wow."
Detectives Selena Alvarez and Regan Pescoli confront one of the most bizarre cases of their careers. Girls that look alike are dying mysteriously.
Kacey looks like the girls having deadly accidents. She wonders if she's next.
What a ride. Mystery and suspense fill the pages of "Born to Die." I found my pulse beating fast as my eyes traveled faster over the words. Heart-pounding good.
This story focused more on Kacey and her friend, Trace O'Halleran. Two great characters.
Toward the end, the pace moved at lightning speed. I sat on the edge of my chair, glued to the pages as they sailed by. And, the ending. All I can say is, "Wow."
August 5, 2013
Scary, creepy and wow...close to the truth. What you think when you look at a "perfect" family isn't always what you get.
This book is #3 in the Montana series, but it begins in LA with the death of an actress, who looks a lot like a doctor in Grizzly Falls, Montana where bodies of women who look eerily similar start to pile up.
The characters of Grizzly Falls are all there - Selena who works too much; Reagan with her two problem kids and a hunk of a boyfriend who wants to be more; Sheriff Dan Grayson - watch for something brewing with him. Undersheriff Cort Brewster whose hot 15-year-old daughter is sexting with Reagan's son. Joelle is full of Christmas cheer.
Jackson set this book during the holiday season again - probably to add a little hope, comic relief or cheeriness to an otherwise terrifying story. I felt a little smarter reading this book, I figured out the connection between the victims just before the detectives did.
This one had enough elements of realism that when I went for my morning walk, I kept a close look over my shoulder. I could see these traits manifesting themselves in families I know although I don't think they'd murder anyone, but still - family secrets don't go away, they leak out in the tiny cracks caused by holding them in so tightly.
A killer of a good read.
This book is #3 in the Montana series, but it begins in LA with the death of an actress, who looks a lot like a doctor in Grizzly Falls, Montana where bodies of women who look eerily similar start to pile up.
The characters of Grizzly Falls are all there - Selena who works too much; Reagan with her two problem kids and a hunk of a boyfriend who wants to be more; Sheriff Dan Grayson - watch for something brewing with him. Undersheriff Cort Brewster whose hot 15-year-old daughter is sexting with Reagan's son. Joelle is full of Christmas cheer.
Jackson set this book during the holiday season again - probably to add a little hope, comic relief or cheeriness to an otherwise terrifying story. I felt a little smarter reading this book, I figured out the connection between the victims just before the detectives did.
This one had enough elements of realism that when I went for my morning walk, I kept a close look over my shoulder. I could see these traits manifesting themselves in families I know although I don't think they'd murder anyone, but still - family secrets don't go away, they leak out in the tiny cracks caused by holding them in so tightly.
A killer of a good read.
August 19, 2014
Enjoyed this book, it doesn't just deal with Alvarez and Pescoli, it involves the victims instead. The Alvarez and Pescoli story is a side step, but joins up with the main theme much further into the book.
The basic story here is all these look-alikes with roots in the state of Montana are being killed off by "accident" and the big question is why and by who. I can't give out any more details than that - it would ruin the suspense :)
2 thumbs up and 4 stars - could have been 5 stars if the story had been chopped back a bit, but still a good read and a good suspense.
The basic story here is all these look-alikes with roots in the state of Montana are being killed off by "accident" and the big question is why and by who. I can't give out any more details than that - it would ruin the suspense :)
2 thumbs up and 4 stars - could have been 5 stars if the story had been chopped back a bit, but still a good read and a good suspense.
May 23, 2019
2.5 stars rounded up...
I got tired of the repetitive nature of Pescoli's character. Her family and lover issues keep getting revisited but never progress. It's a treadmill of the same stuff over and over. We get way too much Pescoli and not enough Alvarez.
The plot itself was good and I liked Kacey and Trace. There was a point where Kacey did a TSTL move.
The ending had some open items on the case that would have been nice to totally wrap up with consequences but at least you know where it was heading.
I got tired of the repetitive nature of Pescoli's character. Her family and lover issues keep getting revisited but never progress. It's a treadmill of the same stuff over and over. We get way too much Pescoli and not enough Alvarez.
The plot itself was good and I liked Kacey and Trace. There was a point where Kacey did a TSTL move.
The ending had some open items on the case that would have been nice to totally wrap up with consequences but at least you know where it was heading.
September 22, 2021
I have always enjoyed the writings from this author. Born to Die was typical of this author. Her thrillers keep you on the edge of your seat. They are fast moving, and I love the two female detectives, Alvarez & Pescoli, that has carried this series to eight books to date. Hope Ms Jackson continues this series. I will slowly but surely continuing reading them. She has written so many books that I may have to turn to others she has written.
Thank you, Ms Jackson for the hours of entertainment.
Thank you, Ms Jackson for the hours of entertainment.
August 16, 2011
I enjoyed this book very much with a good mystery, a serial killer, and great characters. It was a welcome relief from most of the crap I've had the bad luck to read lately [including another Jackson book]. Now I'm left without a library book so I guess it's time to grab one of the books in my closet! Who knows what I'll get when I do!
August 15, 2019
Ayy kitabı bitirmek ne kadar uzun sürdü. Baygınlık geldi. Hiç okumaya vaktim olmadı. Yoksa kitabı beğendim ben. Pescoli Ve Alvarez ikilisini seviyorum. Çevirisi geldikçe okumaya devam edeceğim. Tavsiyemdir 👍🏻
July 4, 2019
Lots of repetition, this could have done with some editing and been shortened several hours. The same themes from the previous two books are being regurgitated over and over (holiday season, weather, Pescoli's annoying teenagers etc). Narration is still terrible.
September 25, 2024
What is family?
Trace and Kacey. When your face is not unique, but in fact common in your home town, and these people start dying, questions are sure to follow. This story was unique and disturbing in its path of showing us the Unknowing’s and who the guilty party was. I was not expecting the full depth of the evil, and I enjoyed its intricate and colorful nature. Trace and Kacey do have a romance, but it is a small side piece of the story and mainly due to his previous relationships. Alvarez was working the case and staying strict/held back, but she did attempt to socialize and it had some awkward results! Pescoli is back at work and facing some relationship and family growing pains which had a funny and tense aside to the story!
Trace and Kacey. When your face is not unique, but in fact common in your home town, and these people start dying, questions are sure to follow. This story was unique and disturbing in its path of showing us the Unknowing’s and who the guilty party was. I was not expecting the full depth of the evil, and I enjoyed its intricate and colorful nature. Trace and Kacey do have a romance, but it is a small side piece of the story and mainly due to his previous relationships. Alvarez was working the case and staying strict/held back, but she did attempt to socialize and it had some awkward results! Pescoli is back at work and facing some relationship and family growing pains which had a funny and tense aside to the story!
April 3, 2017
The premise is outlandish, but there is something appealing in its craziness and in the ridiculous reliability of serial killers showing up in Montana's Grizzly Falls just around Christmas, provided there is sufficiently nasty snow storm. Less action, more backstory than in the first two instalments in the series, but same generous serving of rugged cowboys falling for smart and independent women. Having a kid as one of the main characters definitely evokes empathic response, but for the life of me I don't get why Pescoli's teenage children must be such monsters.
“Could be that we’re on the lookout for a dark pickup.” Pescoli sent her a glance. “When aren’t we on the lookout for one?”
“Could be that we’re on the lookout for a dark pickup.” Pescoli sent her a glance. “When aren’t we on the lookout for one?”
October 11, 2024
Alvarez and Piscoli are contacted due to a suspicious murder or suicide of an actress in Hollywood. There are more women in the Montana area and bordering states who have been killed. The commonality between the murder is their resemblance to each other. Acacia (Casey) is the doctor who first noticed the resemblance between herself and the victims. I figured it out about a quarter of the way in, but the whodunnit took until about 75% through.
February 27, 2024
A book to help get me out of my slump. Neat premise and some good old fashioned twists, but the ending was underwhelming. Imagine all of the signs pointing to one character, so you know the twist is going to be it's someone else. Well the twist in this case is just that it's his brother who is basically the same person but had zero time in the lime light of this book. Try again, girl. 3.6
October 21, 2018
Storyline was good, but there were to many characters to where if got to confusing...
Still a Good Read, just not a five for me!!!
Still a Good Read, just not a five for me!!!
January 30, 2024
Mein Fall war es leider nicht 🤷🏼♀️
December 15, 2020
These stories seriously rope me in. There is no way to stop so I keep reading much longer than I should. This isn’t my favorite of Jackson’s books although it’s good. How do these writers think up these plots?
January 3, 2021
The serial killer continues to evade the law... these stories are full of action and suspense .
July 8, 2018
not very good too many characters very confusing
August 27, 2021
Stars: 3 / 5
Recommendation: Bone-chilling thriller with the touches of romance, lust and twisted minds - a perfect medley to enjoy the plot despite the shivers it leaves in the reader's spine.
Born to Die is the third book in the To Die Series by Lisa Jackson, published in January of 2011. The plot is set a few months after the events from the second book, Chosen to Die (https://inspirethoughts.livejournal.c...) ends.
Dr. Acacia "Kacey" Collins Lambert moves back to the small town of Grizzly Falls, Montana, to start fresh, forget her past. However, women who have resemblance to her are falling to death, accidental deaths as police all it, around her. She begins her own investigation with help of Trace O'Halleran, her romantic interest. But the women dying also have a sort of connection with Trace. As Kacey is getting closer and closer to unraveling the mystery, she is being ever closer to be in the sights of the killer.
The first two books gives the readers a view into the very dysfunctional family that Detective Regan Pescoli has and how her life is all so mixed up and complicated. In this book, Lisa gives us more insight into Pescoli's partner, Detective Selena Alvarez.
At the end of the second book, Chosen to Die, Nate Santana and Pescoli decide to move in together with her kids. However, in this plot, Lisa doesn’t do that, instead keeps them living separate. Interesting! I wonder how long will Nate wait for Pescoli to come around.
Compared to her other books, Lisa toned down the sinister-ness in this plot. It was still deadly, but not as much scary that I had to check underneath my bed for monsters. :) There is still romance stringed through with murder and mystery; and the black side of a human mind.
She also gives a normal family for her antagonist, and infact makes her protagonists to look like the ones with a suspicious nature. However, she shows the readers that it is not nurture that always trumps, sometimes there is something innately wrong inside one's nature that makes them murderers or thieves or stepping on the wrong side of the law, even if they come from well-established family life.
The central plot though distinctly reminded me of one of Mary Higgins Clark's books, the 1999 thriller We'll Meet Again. With so many books being published, it is bound to have plots being crossed by authors once in a while.
Lisa also stays on the edge of the paranormal world in this book, as her previous ones. Although she doesn’t yet delve into that world. She has again masterfully spun her story around a plot that keeps the readers on the edge. However, this time around I had one or two guesses about who the killer would be, almost when I was finished with 2/3rds of the book and one of my guess was right. I do have a feeling that some of her future books will get linked to people / persons from these books, just like her New Orleans Series (https://inspirethoughts.livejournal.c...).
Again, Lisa gave us a chilling thriller that delves into the darker shades of human mind, what ticks a person and causes him / her to kill, what mind-boggling conclusions the killer's minds make for their actions and justify them, all the while giving readers some shivers up their spines.
Spoiler Alerts:
1. Plot Reveals:
a. Kacey's family, friends and staff - Heather Ramsey, the receptionist; Rosie Alsgaard, ER nurse; Maribelle Collins, her mother; Randy Yates, nurse;
b. Trace's family and friends - Eli, his adopted son; Sarge, their dog; Ed and Matilda "Tilly" Zukov, their neighbors;
c. Outside Law Enforcement - Detective Jonas Hayes and Gail Harding from LAPD;
d. Kacey moves in with Trace and his son Eli at the end of the plot.
e. Again the plot ends on a cliff hanger with Judd Johnson, one of the sons of Gerald Johnson, who could be the primary orchestrator of all the killings ad instigated his brother Cameron to do the murders.
2. Sub-Plots:
a. Police in Grizzly Falls - Sheriff Daniel "Dan" Grayson & his dog, Sturgis; Deputy Pete Watershed; Undersheriff Cort Brewster; Detective Brett Gage, the chief criminal deputy; Joelle Fisher (Secretary and Receptionist); Peggy Florence (Dispatch); Trilby Van Droz, a road deputy; Sage Zoller, a junior detective; Deputy Connors; Deputy Jan Spitzer; Deputy Kayan Rule; Alvin Schwartz, the jailer; Scott Earhardt, a junior detective; Leona Randolph, junior detective.
b. Others tied to the law enforcement - Virginia Johnson, Bart & Mikhail Slatkin (From the County Crime Lab); Randy & Gary Goodwin (from the Fire Department); Bellasario, the Deputy Coroner; Seymore, janitor at the police station; Ashley Tang, assistant at Crime Lab; Rudy & Eileen (Tech crew);
c. Others who reappear: Grace Perchant (who talks to spirits); Ivor Hicks (claims to be abducted by the aliens in the seventies); Henry Johansen (claims to hear others thoughts); Eleanor Mackey (a palm reader); Bob Simms; Sandi (owner & waitress at Wild Wills); Gordon Hobbs, an unconventional materials artist; Rod Larimer (owner of Bull and Bear inn); Manny Douglas (writer for Montana Reporter); Tydeas Melville Chilcoate, a computer hacker; Jordan Eagle, local vet;
d. Detective Regan Elizabeth Pescoli's family - Jeremy from her first dead husband; Bianca Pescoli, daughter from her second ex-husband, Luke "Lucky" Pescoli; Dog Cisco; her boyfriend Nate Santana; Nakita, Nate's dog; Heidi, Jeremy's girl friend and Cort's daughter; Chris Schultz, Bianca's boy friend.
e. Detective Selena Alvarez's family - mother Juanita; Five brothers (Estevan, Eduardo, Pablo, , , ) & two sisters (Lidya & ); She shows interest towards Sheriff Grayson. In Left To Die, author shows that she had a son from when she got pregnant at seventeen and had given up for adoption immediately after birth. Is he going to surface back as an evil person sometime in future?
f. Pescoli's son Jeremy was involved in a murder as a child, and she had get him away with it, per Left To Die.
g. At the end of Chosen to Die, Padgett Renee Long, surviving heir of the Long Estate, gets out of the mental asylum, Mountain View Hospital, in Seattle.. She had given birth to a son and had put for adoption prior to being put in asylum 15 yrs ago. She goes to San Francisco in search of her son. Who was the father of her son? Nate? Simms? Or Brady himself? Padgett is growing up to be another antagonist which I suspect that Lisa would evolve her in the future books. In this book, we see that Brady Long had left his estate to Nate.
h. Billy Hicks aka Liam Kress, who is finally identified as the Star-Crossed Killer, is injured by Regan Pescoli, while escaping at the end Chosen to Die, but his body is not found. Another similarity that Lisa has with New Orleans series where her Father John character still is not dead.
i. In Left to Die, one of the killers was killed by the protagonist Jillian White Rivers; and the epilogue also mentions that the woman was killed. (Infact both killers are killed). However in Chosen to Die, Lisa refers to that woman being alive and in holding at Spokane where she had attacked Jillian. How did a character that was dead in one book, surfaced alive without anything connecting between the discrepancy? Why did Lisa make her alive when she had clearly made her dead in the previous book? A question I would definitely like to ask her if I ever get a chance to meet.
3. Grammatical / Character / Location / Geographical / Historical / Mythological Errors:
a. The antagonist calls his victims as "Pretenders" in the beginning of the book. But as we get to Chapter 19 and after, Lisa has her antagonist call them as "the Unknowings". Does it mean she has two antagonists in parallel going through the plot? Or the same antagonist but two sets of victims for his crimes?
b. On Pg. 417, Line 16, it should be "her" at the end of the line.
Recommendation: Bone-chilling thriller with the touches of romance, lust and twisted minds - a perfect medley to enjoy the plot despite the shivers it leaves in the reader's spine.
Born to Die is the third book in the To Die Series by Lisa Jackson, published in January of 2011. The plot is set a few months after the events from the second book, Chosen to Die (https://inspirethoughts.livejournal.c...) ends.
Dr. Acacia "Kacey" Collins Lambert moves back to the small town of Grizzly Falls, Montana, to start fresh, forget her past. However, women who have resemblance to her are falling to death, accidental deaths as police all it, around her. She begins her own investigation with help of Trace O'Halleran, her romantic interest. But the women dying also have a sort of connection with Trace. As Kacey is getting closer and closer to unraveling the mystery, she is being ever closer to be in the sights of the killer.
The first two books gives the readers a view into the very dysfunctional family that Detective Regan Pescoli has and how her life is all so mixed up and complicated. In this book, Lisa gives us more insight into Pescoli's partner, Detective Selena Alvarez.
At the end of the second book, Chosen to Die, Nate Santana and Pescoli decide to move in together with her kids. However, in this plot, Lisa doesn’t do that, instead keeps them living separate. Interesting! I wonder how long will Nate wait for Pescoli to come around.
Compared to her other books, Lisa toned down the sinister-ness in this plot. It was still deadly, but not as much scary that I had to check underneath my bed for monsters. :) There is still romance stringed through with murder and mystery; and the black side of a human mind.
She also gives a normal family for her antagonist, and infact makes her protagonists to look like the ones with a suspicious nature. However, she shows the readers that it is not nurture that always trumps, sometimes there is something innately wrong inside one's nature that makes them murderers or thieves or stepping on the wrong side of the law, even if they come from well-established family life.
The central plot though distinctly reminded me of one of Mary Higgins Clark's books, the 1999 thriller We'll Meet Again. With so many books being published, it is bound to have plots being crossed by authors once in a while.
Lisa also stays on the edge of the paranormal world in this book, as her previous ones. Although she doesn’t yet delve into that world. She has again masterfully spun her story around a plot that keeps the readers on the edge. However, this time around I had one or two guesses about who the killer would be, almost when I was finished with 2/3rds of the book and one of my guess was right. I do have a feeling that some of her future books will get linked to people / persons from these books, just like her New Orleans Series (https://inspirethoughts.livejournal.c...).
Again, Lisa gave us a chilling thriller that delves into the darker shades of human mind, what ticks a person and causes him / her to kill, what mind-boggling conclusions the killer's minds make for their actions and justify them, all the while giving readers some shivers up their spines.
Spoiler Alerts:
1. Plot Reveals:
a. Kacey's family, friends and staff - Heather Ramsey, the receptionist; Rosie Alsgaard, ER nurse; Maribelle Collins, her mother; Randy Yates, nurse;
b. Trace's family and friends - Eli, his adopted son; Sarge, their dog; Ed and Matilda "Tilly" Zukov, their neighbors;
c. Outside Law Enforcement - Detective Jonas Hayes and Gail Harding from LAPD;
d. Kacey moves in with Trace and his son Eli at the end of the plot.
e. Again the plot ends on a cliff hanger with Judd Johnson, one of the sons of Gerald Johnson, who could be the primary orchestrator of all the killings ad instigated his brother Cameron to do the murders.
2. Sub-Plots:
a. Police in Grizzly Falls - Sheriff Daniel "Dan" Grayson & his dog, Sturgis; Deputy Pete Watershed; Undersheriff Cort Brewster; Detective Brett Gage, the chief criminal deputy; Joelle Fisher (Secretary and Receptionist); Peggy Florence (Dispatch); Trilby Van Droz, a road deputy; Sage Zoller, a junior detective; Deputy Connors; Deputy Jan Spitzer; Deputy Kayan Rule; Alvin Schwartz, the jailer; Scott Earhardt, a junior detective; Leona Randolph, junior detective.
b. Others tied to the law enforcement - Virginia Johnson, Bart & Mikhail Slatkin (From the County Crime Lab); Randy & Gary Goodwin (from the Fire Department); Bellasario, the Deputy Coroner; Seymore, janitor at the police station; Ashley Tang, assistant at Crime Lab; Rudy & Eileen (Tech crew);
c. Others who reappear: Grace Perchant (who talks to spirits); Ivor Hicks (claims to be abducted by the aliens in the seventies); Henry Johansen (claims to hear others thoughts); Eleanor Mackey (a palm reader); Bob Simms; Sandi (owner & waitress at Wild Wills); Gordon Hobbs, an unconventional materials artist; Rod Larimer (owner of Bull and Bear inn); Manny Douglas (writer for Montana Reporter); Tydeas Melville Chilcoate, a computer hacker; Jordan Eagle, local vet;
d. Detective Regan Elizabeth Pescoli's family - Jeremy from her first dead husband; Bianca Pescoli, daughter from her second ex-husband, Luke "Lucky" Pescoli; Dog Cisco; her boyfriend Nate Santana; Nakita, Nate's dog; Heidi, Jeremy's girl friend and Cort's daughter; Chris Schultz, Bianca's boy friend.
e. Detective Selena Alvarez's family - mother Juanita; Five brothers (Estevan, Eduardo, Pablo, , , ) & two sisters (Lidya & ); She shows interest towards Sheriff Grayson. In Left To Die, author shows that she had a son from when she got pregnant at seventeen and had given up for adoption immediately after birth. Is he going to surface back as an evil person sometime in future?
f. Pescoli's son Jeremy was involved in a murder as a child, and she had get him away with it, per Left To Die.
g. At the end of Chosen to Die, Padgett Renee Long, surviving heir of the Long Estate, gets out of the mental asylum, Mountain View Hospital, in Seattle.. She had given birth to a son and had put for adoption prior to being put in asylum 15 yrs ago. She goes to San Francisco in search of her son. Who was the father of her son? Nate? Simms? Or Brady himself? Padgett is growing up to be another antagonist which I suspect that Lisa would evolve her in the future books. In this book, we see that Brady Long had left his estate to Nate.
h. Billy Hicks aka Liam Kress, who is finally identified as the Star-Crossed Killer, is injured by Regan Pescoli, while escaping at the end Chosen to Die, but his body is not found. Another similarity that Lisa has with New Orleans series where her Father John character still is not dead.
i. In Left to Die, one of the killers was killed by the protagonist Jillian White Rivers; and the epilogue also mentions that the woman was killed. (Infact both killers are killed). However in Chosen to Die, Lisa refers to that woman being alive and in holding at Spokane where she had attacked Jillian. How did a character that was dead in one book, surfaced alive without anything connecting between the discrepancy? Why did Lisa make her alive when she had clearly made her dead in the previous book? A question I would definitely like to ask her if I ever get a chance to meet.
3. Grammatical / Character / Location / Geographical / Historical / Mythological Errors:
a. The antagonist calls his victims as "Pretenders" in the beginning of the book. But as we get to Chapter 19 and after, Lisa has her antagonist call them as "the Unknowings". Does it mean she has two antagonists in parallel going through the plot? Or the same antagonist but two sets of victims for his crimes?
b. On Pg. 417, Line 16, it should be "her" at the end of the line.
April 1, 2025
3.5 stars
Shelly Bonaventure, a B-level actress star is murdered in her home in Grizzly Falls and her death is staged to look like a suicide. Jonas Hayes With the LAPD and his partner Gail Harding are called in to investigate. Something about the crime scene is not right and Detective Jonas is not convinced it’s a suicide.
Meanwhile, Dr. Kacey moved to Grizzly Falls from Seattle three years ago following a nasty divorce that left her an emotional wreck. Since then she’s been living in her grandparents' farmhouse which she inherited.
Following Shelly’s death, Jocelyn Wallis, a teacher at Evergreen Elementary school doesn’t show up for work. The missing teacher in question is Eli’s teacher. Jocelyn used to date Eli's father, a rancher named Trace O’Halleran. They dated a few times but Trace had to call it quits when he realized she wanted more out of their relationship.
Now she’s missing and a friend who works at the school and knew Trace and Joyce used to date has reached out to Trace to inquire about Joyce’s whereabouts. Detective Prescoli and her partner Detective Alvarez Police are called in to investigate. They later discover Jocelyn went off a cliff while going on a morning run. Did she trip or was she pushed?
Again, something about the teacher’s death doesn’t add up and Detective Alvarez is determined to prove that her death wasn’t an accident but a murder.
What’s strange about these deaths is that the victims look like Dr. Kacey, were born in the same hospital as Dr. Kacey.
While the detectives start questioning suspects, Dr. Kacey decides to do a little bit of digging of her own into her family background. Could her parents know something that she doesn’t? Soon, Kacey discovers that her search for the truth has brought her face to face with a deranged killer.
Meanwhile Detective Pescoli’s daughter, Bianca has been cutting class and her grades have been dropping. This has been brought to her attention by the school's counselor, Miss Unsel. Pescoli is worried Bianca might end up like her older brother Jeremy.
Pescoli has been dating a Nate Santana who wants Pescoli to move in with him but she insists on putting her kids' needs first and wants them to be able to manage on their own before she takes their relationship to the next level.
Shelly Bonaventure, a B-level actress star is murdered in her home in Grizzly Falls and her death is staged to look like a suicide. Jonas Hayes With the LAPD and his partner Gail Harding are called in to investigate. Something about the crime scene is not right and Detective Jonas is not convinced it’s a suicide.
Meanwhile, Dr. Kacey moved to Grizzly Falls from Seattle three years ago following a nasty divorce that left her an emotional wreck. Since then she’s been living in her grandparents' farmhouse which she inherited.
Following Shelly’s death, Jocelyn Wallis, a teacher at Evergreen Elementary school doesn’t show up for work. The missing teacher in question is Eli’s teacher. Jocelyn used to date Eli's father, a rancher named Trace O’Halleran. They dated a few times but Trace had to call it quits when he realized she wanted more out of their relationship.
Now she’s missing and a friend who works at the school and knew Trace and Joyce used to date has reached out to Trace to inquire about Joyce’s whereabouts. Detective Prescoli and her partner Detective Alvarez Police are called in to investigate. They later discover Jocelyn went off a cliff while going on a morning run. Did she trip or was she pushed?
Again, something about the teacher’s death doesn’t add up and Detective Alvarez is determined to prove that her death wasn’t an accident but a murder.
What’s strange about these deaths is that the victims look like Dr. Kacey, were born in the same hospital as Dr. Kacey.
While the detectives start questioning suspects, Dr. Kacey decides to do a little bit of digging of her own into her family background. Could her parents know something that she doesn’t? Soon, Kacey discovers that her search for the truth has brought her face to face with a deranged killer.
Meanwhile Detective Pescoli’s daughter, Bianca has been cutting class and her grades have been dropping. This has been brought to her attention by the school's counselor, Miss Unsel. Pescoli is worried Bianca might end up like her older brother Jeremy.
Pescoli has been dating a Nate Santana who wants Pescoli to move in with him but she insists on putting her kids' needs first and wants them to be able to manage on their own before she takes their relationship to the next level.
November 17, 2014
I anxious to get to this installment of Lisa Jackson's 'to die' series. I knew that I was going to really enjoy this book, because the author has a great talent for imagery and character developement. Again the prologue drew me into the story easily. Such great imagery, great plot and well developed characters.
In this installment Alvarez and Pescoli have to chase down another serial killer. This time the killer is targeting women who seem to resemble one another. We meet two new characters as well Dr. Acacia Lambert and Trace O'Halleran who dangerously gets involved with the case.
Even though this installment did not take over from the last mystery it was still amazing. I just absolutely love the imagery that the author gives her readers. Always so vivid and well constructed. So much so that it allows me to get totally immersed in the story. I am always able to visualize the scene so perfectly. The premise to this story was well executed and very engaging. It has great action the keeps the story exciting. One of the things I like the best is that the mystery builds slowly, it's not just *BAM*, and then it's over. The author has a great talent for leading her readers along making them really get into the story and try to figure things out. I also found myself on the edge of my seat literally. I was sad to see the story end yet excited to start the next one in the series.
The characters are developed beautifully. I love the detectives, Alvarez and Pescoli because they are quite opposite from one another, yet they work so well together. Alvarez is more subdued and quiet where Pescoli is more edgy and in your face. They both have flaws that make them so realistic and believable that they are easy to relate to. Our side characters, Lacey and Trace are beautifully written into the story and are so relatable in many ways.
I recommend not only this series, but just about anything by Lisa Jackson, to all mystery lovers out there. This is an author that needs to be read and if you love mystery as I do, you won't be disappointed.
In this installment Alvarez and Pescoli have to chase down another serial killer. This time the killer is targeting women who seem to resemble one another. We meet two new characters as well Dr. Acacia Lambert and Trace O'Halleran who dangerously gets involved with the case.
Even though this installment did not take over from the last mystery it was still amazing. I just absolutely love the imagery that the author gives her readers. Always so vivid and well constructed. So much so that it allows me to get totally immersed in the story. I am always able to visualize the scene so perfectly. The premise to this story was well executed and very engaging. It has great action the keeps the story exciting. One of the things I like the best is that the mystery builds slowly, it's not just *BAM*, and then it's over. The author has a great talent for leading her readers along making them really get into the story and try to figure things out. I also found myself on the edge of my seat literally. I was sad to see the story end yet excited to start the next one in the series.
The characters are developed beautifully. I love the detectives, Alvarez and Pescoli because they are quite opposite from one another, yet they work so well together. Alvarez is more subdued and quiet where Pescoli is more edgy and in your face. They both have flaws that make them so realistic and believable that they are easy to relate to. Our side characters, Lacey and Trace are beautifully written into the story and are so relatable in many ways.
I recommend not only this series, but just about anything by Lisa Jackson, to all mystery lovers out there. This is an author that needs to be read and if you love mystery as I do, you won't be disappointed.
February 8, 2012
I’ve always liked Lisa’s writing and this is no exception. She brings many characters into her stories but they all have meaning and they all add another element to the story which will not unfold until the final pages of her tale.
People have always been told that they have a twin somewhere in the world but for Kacey, she is told that there are women, multiple women who look like her and they are dying rapidly. Will she be next? The police think it is accidental but with Kacey following the stories, these accidents are now looking like homicides. Kasey cannot explain why these women all look like her and now the sudden deaths, she must figure out what is happening. Fearing she might be next, Kacey becomes her own detective. The book moves along quickly and doesn’t waste any time with trivial information. The female detectives (yes, female) are working alongside Kacey and she is one step ahead of the detective in solving the cases and I think that makes this book exciting. Kacey doesn’t have to follow procedures, she is trying to save her own life while the police and the detectives have to follow procedures and wait for lab results and such. The drama builds and the shouting begins! The relationship between Kasey and Trace is the beginning of something special and you can tell from just the actions of the two what was going on in their minds. Kacey is a power to be reckoned with. Just when you thought you had it solved, things get changed up and another piece got added into play. A twist of fate and a great book to read.
People have always been told that they have a twin somewhere in the world but for Kacey, she is told that there are women, multiple women who look like her and they are dying rapidly. Will she be next? The police think it is accidental but with Kacey following the stories, these accidents are now looking like homicides. Kasey cannot explain why these women all look like her and now the sudden deaths, she must figure out what is happening. Fearing she might be next, Kacey becomes her own detective. The book moves along quickly and doesn’t waste any time with trivial information. The female detectives (yes, female) are working alongside Kacey and she is one step ahead of the detective in solving the cases and I think that makes this book exciting. Kacey doesn’t have to follow procedures, she is trying to save her own life while the police and the detectives have to follow procedures and wait for lab results and such. The drama builds and the shouting begins! The relationship between Kasey and Trace is the beginning of something special and you can tell from just the actions of the two what was going on in their minds. Kacey is a power to be reckoned with. Just when you thought you had it solved, things get changed up and another piece got added into play. A twist of fate and a great book to read.
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