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Alvarez & Pescoli #8

Willing to Die

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WHEN A KILLER HAS NOTHING TO LOSE
The crime scene is as puzzling as it is brutal. Doctor Paul Latham and his wife, Brindel, are found dead in separate beds in their beautiful San Francisco home, each the victim of a gunshot wound to the head. There are no signs of forced entry, and despite the emptied safe it's clear this murder isn't random.

THERE'S EVERY REASON
For Detective Regan Pescoli, news of her sister's death brings grief mixed with guilt. She and Brindel weren't close, and Pescoli barely knows her teenage niece, Ivy, a secretive girl who lands on her doorstep in Grizzly Falls, Montana. Though Pescoli is on maternity leave, she's soon mired deep in the investigation headed by her partner, Selena Alvarez. But as the list of suspects keeps growing, so does the body count . . .

TO BE AFRAID . . .
Maybe it's exhaustion or hormones that have Pescoli on edge, feeling more vulnerable than ever before. Or maybe the chill running through her veins is justified. Because as the case takes a new, terrifying turn, Pescoli's loved ones and her life are at the mercy of a killer who'll go to any lengths to see her suffer . . .

464 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published April 30, 2019

3444 people are currently reading
9352 people want to read

About the author

Lisa Jackson

271 books9,593 followers
Lisa 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.

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5 stars
2,838 (43%)
4 stars
2,465 (38%)
3 stars
989 (15%)
2 stars
151 (2%)
1 star
35 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 384 reviews
Profile Image for 8stitches 9lives.
2,853 reviews1,723 followers
May 2, 2019
Lisa Jackson is one of the best in the business and this, the eighth thriller in the Montana series, is a particularly nail-biting instalment. We are reacquainted with Detectives Selena Alvarez and Regan Pescoli as they investigate the murders of some of Pescoli's family. This, of course, hits a little too close to home for her and is a tough case to crack having just returned from maternity leave. With all the excitement and twists, turns and misdirection of the previous books this is a superb thriller.

Ms Jackson creates a crackling tension and edge of your seat suspense which runs for the duration of the novel, and because it was so addictive I read it in a single compulsive sitting. The action is nonstop, the pace brisk and that ending; phew, what a corker. Alvarez and Pescoli are a dynamic pair and we learn more about them in book eight. Each of these instalments can easily be enjoyed as a standalone as each story is contained to that particular book. I look forward to the next one. Many thanks to Mulholland Books for an ARC.
Profile Image for Sharon Huether.
1,739 reviews35 followers
November 27, 2019
This story starts out with a killing of a couple in San Francisco, and gets more complicated with the desire for money , guns and revenge.

Detective Regan Pescoli get involved dealing with her dealing with her niece and her sisters death.

There is a woman from the past that wants revenge for losing her husband and baby; who Detective Pescoli puts the husband in prison.

Through all the twists and turns Detective Pescoli and her little son are safe.

I won this free book through Goodreads First Reads.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Jackie.
857 reviews44 followers
December 27, 2019
I won this in a goodreads giveaway. Although it’s the 8th book it’s interesting and you don’t need to read the ones before the book
3,216 reviews68 followers
March 19, 2019
I would like to thank Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for an advance copy of Willing to Die, the eighth novel to feature Montana based detectives Selena Alvarez and Regan Pescoli.

Regan Pescoli is mulling over a return to work after the birth of her son, Tucker, when she receives a call to say her sister, Brindel, and her husband Paul have been murdered in San Francisco and that her other sisters are unable to get in contact with Paul’s sons or Brindel’s daughter, Ivy. The boys turn up but Ivy is on the run, eventually turning up at Regan’s door and hiding something.

I thoroughly enjoyed Willing to Die, which is much the same as it’s predecessors in that it is an exciting read with plenty of twists and turns. The novel opens with a mystery, an unnamed woman grieving the death of a son she was forced to give up and vowing vengeance. On whom and why are only revealed at the denouement but it’s a cracker. Throughout the novel there is a sense of tension, mostly based on Ivy’s efforts to get away, and a curiosity inducing mystery surrounding what Ivy’s hiding. I found it compulsive reading which I finished in one sitting, desperate to know what was coming next. The pace never lets up so there is never a dull moment. In the cold light of day and on reflection the plot pushes the boundaries of credibility with a convenient get out explanation but, at the time of reading, it doesn’t matter as Ms Jackson has woven her storytelling magic to produce an enjoyable, readable novel.

Regan Pescoli and Selena Alvarez have become old friends to me over the course of the series so it is a bit disappointing to see her reduced to a supporting role in this novel as I always enjoy their interactions and squabbling. Jasmine Tanaka, the SFPD detective taking a lead role in the investigation, is no substitute, even if she closely resembles Selena. Regan’s life is fleshed out in the novel where her non existent relationship with her sisters and fractious one with her children are explored.

Willing to Die is a good read which I have no hesitation in recommending.
Profile Image for Sue Plant.
2,307 reviews32 followers
May 17, 2019
would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this amazing book

what a rollercoaster of a ride this one was...this author just gets better and better

action from the very beginning with a murder scene and a young girl running from the it...is she somehow behind it all or an innocent victim....time will tell

sisters of one of the murder victims gather together but they are not close and their niece is missing presumed to either being held captive or just missing ...time will tell

as the storyline progresses more murder victims are found...all heading towards a showdown of epic proportions in montana....

a riveting storyline and one i couldnt put down as i wanted to see how the stories merged together...and wow did they ever...loved it

am keeping a close eye out for more of this authors work
Profile Image for Ginger.
936 reviews
June 25, 2019
It seems like the publication date was moved back a few times, but this was worth the wait! I love a good mystery/suspense as well as strong female characters. Lisa Jackson’s Selena Alvarez/Regan Pescoli series features two very strong women detectives. Good mysteries which keep the reader turning the pages well into the wee hours of the morning.
Highly recommend this series!
4,099 reviews116 followers
June 7, 2019
The murder of her sister Brindel in California results in mixed emotions for Detective Regan Pescoli. After trying to lend a hand in the investigation, Regan flies back home to Montana and soon discovers Brindel's daughter, Ivy, on her doorstep. Though Pescoli is on maternity leave, she cannot stop herself from helping her partner, Selena Alvarez, puzzle through the ever changing developments in the case. Is Regan unwittingly putting herself, her newborn son, and the rest of her family in danger?

There were too many characters with their own side plots, resulting in a muddled story. Willing to Die was a quick read, but I did not particularly feel any sort of connection to the characters, despite their trying circumstances. This is the type of book that usually does not stand out in my memory for long, so I would be hesitant to recommend it to other readers.
Profile Image for L Cherry.
707 reviews19 followers
November 13, 2020
This is another great Pescoli and Alverez mystery. I was excited to see pescoli so sweet with her little baby and still be so tough. The mystery was difficult to figure out but in the end pescoli and alverez pull all the details together. This was not my favorite mystery in the series, but it was my favorite family drama for Pescoli.
I enjoyed this on Audio book. The narration was really good.
Profile Image for Barbara Nutting.
3,205 reviews164 followers
August 12, 2021
Please, one or the other - a female Homicide Detective or a mother nursing a 5 month old baby. To combine the characters was a boring disaster👎. DNF
Profile Image for PWA Allen .
423 reviews6 followers
March 28, 2020
This was an interesting read. Getting to know all the characters and their backgrounds is what made the mystery real. You could understand why things happened the way they did even though there were lies, murders and deception. The story itself moved along nicely. Well written with twists and turns.
929 reviews30 followers
July 17, 2019
After reading 269 pages of this book, I had to discard it. Did not want to spend anymore time heading nowhere! If I was an editor I would have slashed a lot of stuff that didn't move the plot/mystery. It is a book about modern families/splits, modern problems, teen angst, affairs, mental problems,etc., etc.
This too is for the modern mind with short attention spans, jumps around, so many threads. Sorry as I did receive the book from a Goodreads' Giveaway!
3,558 reviews1 follower
May 23, 2019
Unimpressed
Profile Image for Lisa M.
504 reviews29 followers
March 24, 2019
I was delighted to receive an early review copy of this book from the publisher - this series is one I have followed for years and this was another heart-pounding instalment.

Usually we follow Detectives Pescoli and Alvarez solve crime after crime but this was slightly different in that Pescoli is on maternity leave when her sister and brother-in-law are murdered and she gets involved to try and ascertain what happened. Alvarez does turn up towards the end of the story and it is all the better for it - they come as a duo to me...

Pescoli's niece Ivy turns up on her doorstep after initially running from the crime scene and it is clear there is more to her story but I could not believe she had a part in her mum's murder but I struggled to piece it together - good job I am not the detective but that was also due to some very clever writing!

It was a really interesting storyline and there was a further aspect to it in that someone has been watching Pescoli and her family and clearly has a vendetta and I always enjoy when I get 2 stories for the price of 1!

The writing as ever flows well and is descriptive, Lisa Jackson sets the scene well managing to bring any new readers up to speed with Pescoli's back story. As mentioned this is part of a series (book 8) and whilst it could be read as a standalone, having read the previous novels would definitely help you get to know the characters better. Boy do they have some stories to tell between them....

My many thanks to Hodder & Stoughton via NetGalley for providing me with this advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Linda Munro.
1,934 reviews26 followers
September 25, 2019
In the last Detective Regan Pescoli novel, her teen daughter was kidnapped, killing her abductor in an escape attempt; Regan was not there to help free her daughter, because she had gone into labor. It is now six months later and Regan’s daughter is handling life fine; but Regan is finding her job in conflict with her new child, so she is using all o f her accumulated sick, personal and vacation time to cover while she decides what is best for her and her family.

Regan has never been close to any of her sisters; but when she receives a call from distraught sister, Sarina that her sister Brindle and her husband Paul have been murdered in their home, in their own beds; Pecoli’s senses strain to high alert. When she learns that her teenage niece is missing, Pescoli packs up infant son and teenage daughter and heads to California.

Neighbors who heard something strange in the night, report they had only heard one noise, indicating that two people were involved, and had synchronized the time of the killing since the couple slept in separate rooms. After a few days, Regan returns home only to be awakened early in the morning by a pounding on the door. Ragen has felt an ominous presence surrounding her peaceful home for sometime; peeking through the window, she recognizes her missing niece on the porch.

After questioning her niece, Regan feels that she is somehow involved with this disaster, but her story does not waver. When the LA police fly in to interview her Ivy so does her aunt Sarina who sits in the interview. Sarina sees only the good in people until it is too late, realizes that something is not quite right with Ivy’s story and stops the interview.

When Ivy’s ex-boyfriend disappears from LA with a friend, skepticism shines through to Ivy, yet she remains cool, until her ex and his friend are found murdered not far from Pescoli’s home and someone kidnaps baby Tucker right from his nursery in the middle of the night.

Pescoli realizes her feeling of vulnerability are justified; she now knows who the killer and the kidnapper is, this is one person witih a long standing grudge against Pexcoli and will do anything to make her suffer!
Profile Image for Donna.
2,370 reviews
May 5, 2019
4.5 stars

In the prologue, a mysterious, unknown, grieving mother views her small son's grave stone and vows vengeance.

Pescoli's sister Brindel and her husband Paul have been murdered in their beds at their mansion in San Francisco. In addition to the murders, their safes, including multiple guns, have been cleaned out. Although Pescoli is not close to her sisters, she immediately heads out from Montana since her niece Ivy cannot be found. Ivy finally turns up on Pescoli's door step in Montana and it's obvious she's hiding something.

From the comments Ivy made in the first chapter, I realized she knew something about these murders and I thought the worst. I liked the San Francisco detective Jasmine Tanaka and hope Lisa Jackson takes this character somewhere in the future. I didn't like the way Ivy cozied up to Pescoli"s son Jeremy. The book could have earned 5 stars if Alvarez had a bigger role. Obviously, I love the way Pescoli and Alvarez work together in previous novels of this series. I didn't know who the killer was until the end which really picked up in action.
Profile Image for Meghan.
3,375 reviews7 followers
October 7, 2024
Family

A feeling of doom and both Santana and Pescoli have it. A murder several states away hits close to home and then other odd things happen back in Grizzly Falls. Pescoli hasn’t made up her mind about going back to work and then her niece shows up from missing and murdered boys she knew follow. Add in some tension with her adult children and trying to bounce back from having a baby and Pescoli is stretched thin. The villain is not too surprising if you read the series in order, but the reason was unexpected. The ending has some tense moments, but it all works out and I hope to see more of this series, especially to see what Bianca does about her name, how Alvarez is doing and if Blackwater starts meshing with the two partners as the new sheriff.
Profile Image for Joyce.
2,384 reviews10 followers
August 6, 2019
Another great read by this author. Detective Regan Pescoli is on maternity
Leave when she learns that her sister and brother-in law have been
Murdered and that the seventeen year old daughter has disappeared.
Pescoli’s feeling are mixed because she was never close to her sister and
Yet wants to help find the killer.
The action takes place first in San Francisco and later in Montana where
Pescoli and her former partner reside. This is a fast moving tale with a lot
Of action, twists and turns that will keep you turning the pages. The
characters help bring the story to life and keep a family together amidst
the trials and tribulations of teenagers. I enjoyed this book and recommend
It.

769 reviews2 followers
August 4, 2019
Love, Family, Just Desserts

I love this series and Willing To Die did not disappoint. The characters are complex and it is such a pleasure to watch them grow, change, and face life head on. It was interesting to see Pescoli interact with her sisters. The plot builds to a horrifying climax before ending in a satisfying conclusion.
Profile Image for RainLady777.
143 reviews
September 1, 2021
It just didn't work for me. I mean., are you nursing a baby or solving a mystery? This felt like more about family issues and feelings than an actual mystery. I think it was a good idea but was bogged down with too much stuff that just wasn't interesting.
Profile Image for Crista Heckman.
5 reviews
November 17, 2025
4.5. This might have been my favorite one of this series, definitely top 3. I really enjoyed the change of scenery out of Montana to SF, and the change from a deranged serial killer. Great new characters and twists and turns. And awesome tying back things mentioned in previous books!
Profile Image for Steve.
375 reviews19 followers
August 15, 2019
I won this book in a giveaway. Definitely a genre that I gravitate toward, and Lisa Jackson seems to have done something correctly, so I was expecting this to be a good fit for me.

I might have enjoyed this book even more if I had read some of the earlier books in the series, but it worked pretty well as a standalone. For me the best part of this story is the intricacy of the plot. The mesh of locations, characters, and subplots really made for a good story.
733 reviews4 followers
August 25, 2019
My first exposure to a Selena Alvarez/Regan Pescoli novel, but not my last! Lisa Jackson is my new favorite author!
60 reviews6 followers
January 2, 2020
What a wonderful book!!
It keeps me on my toes!!
You never know how it is till the end.
I was surprised!!
Keep going I love your books!!
Profile Image for Mary.
710 reviews
February 18, 2020
This was a solid, well written crime story. Apparently this is a series, I"ve never read this author before, but it worked pretty well as a stand alone.
819 reviews3 followers
March 13, 2021
3.5 A bit disappointed. Each time the plot ramped up the suspense and pacing was lost. A bit of a disconnect.
Profile Image for Twobchelm.
993 reviews19 followers
February 25, 2021
The journey over the 8 books in the series of Pescoli and Alvarez was quite an adventure. Sometimes a little out there but always entertaining..
169 reviews
May 3, 2025
The start of the book was good but then became very long and boring.
260 reviews5 followers
June 28, 2019
This was a really good book! I recommend it to anyone who likes fast paced action and suspense. It was hard to put down once I started reading it.
18 reviews
October 8, 2020
I didn't realise this was #8 in a series until I started to read it. It would have been preferable to have read the previous books as quite a few references were made to previous cases.
I would definitely have enjoyed the story more if I had a better understanding of the characters but would still highly recommend this book and will be reading more from this author.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 384 reviews

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