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Live to Tell #1
Live to Tell
Secrets can scandalize . . .
In a lovely suburban town just north of New York City, the gossip mill runs more efficiently than the commuter-train line. And in every impeccably decorated house, they're talking about Lauren Walsh. They say that nothing could be worse than being abandoned by your husband for another woman. They're wrong . . .
Secrets can shock . . .
All Lauren wants is to protect her children from the pain of her messy divorce. But when their father goes missing, a case of mistaken identity puts all their lives in danger, and a stealthy predator lurks in the shadows, watching . . . waiting . . .
Secrets can kill . . .
Lauren is about to uncover an unfathomable truth—a truth this cold-blooded mastermind would never let her live to tell . . .
In a lovely suburban town just north of New York City, the gossip mill runs more efficiently than the commuter-train line. And in every impeccably decorated house, they're talking about Lauren Walsh. They say that nothing could be worse than being abandoned by your husband for another woman. They're wrong . . .
Secrets can shock . . .
All Lauren wants is to protect her children from the pain of her messy divorce. But when their father goes missing, a case of mistaken identity puts all their lives in danger, and a stealthy predator lurks in the shadows, watching . . . waiting . . .
Secrets can kill . . .
Lauren is about to uncover an unfathomable truth—a truth this cold-blooded mastermind would never let her live to tell . . .
372 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
93 people are currently reading
1418 people want to read
About the author
Wendy Corsi Staub
81 books1,891 followersNew York Times bestseller Wendy Corsi Staub is the award-winning author of more than ninety novels, best known for the single title psychological suspense novels she writes under her own name. Those books and the women’s fiction written under the pseudonym Wendy Markham have also appeared on the USA Today, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Bookscan bestseller lists.
Her current standalone suspense novel, THE OTHER FAMILY, is about a picture-perfect family that that moves into a picture-perfect house. But not everything is as it seems, and the page-turner concludes “with a wallop of a twist,” according to #1 New York Times bestselling author Harlan Coben.
Her critically acclaimed Lily Dale traditional mystery series centers around a widowed single mom—and skeptic—who moves to a town populated by spiritualists who talk to the dead. Titles include NINE LIVES; SOMETHING BURIED, SOMETHING BLUE; DEAD OF WINTER; and PROSE AND CONS, with a fifth book under contract.
Wendy has written five suspense trilogies for HarperCollins/William Morrow. The most recent, The Foundlings (LITTLE GIRL LOST, DEAD SILENCE, and THE BUTCHER’S DAUGHTER), spans fifty years in the life of a woman left as a newborn in a Harlem church, now an investigative genealogist helping others uncover their biological roots while still searching for her own.
Written as Wendy Markham, Wendy’s novel HELLO, IT’S ME was a recent Hallmark television movie starring Kellie Martin. Her short story “Cat Got Your Tongue” appeared in R.L. Stine’s MWA middle grade anthology SCREAM AND SCREAM AGAIN and her short story “The Elephant in the Room” is included in the Anthony Award-nominated inaugural anthology SHATTERING GLASS.
A three-time finalist for the Simon and Schuster Mary Higgins Clark Award, she’s won an RWA Rita Award, an RT Award for Career Achievement in Suspense, the 2007 RWA-NYC Golden Apple Award for Lifetime Achievement, and five WLA Washington Irving Prizes for Fiction.
She previously published a dozen adult suspense novels with Kensington Books and the critically-acclaimed young adult paranormal series “Lily Dale” (Walker/Bloomsbury). Earlier in her career, she published a broad range of genres under her own name and pseudonyms, and was a co-author/ghostwriter for several celebrities.
Raised in Dunkirk, NY, Wendy graduated from SUNY Fredonia and launched a publishing career in New York City. She was Associate Editor at Silhouette Books before selling her first novel in 1992. Married with two sons, she lives in the NYC suburbs. An active supporter of the American Cancer Society, she was a featured speaker at Northern Westchester’s 2015 Relay for Life and 2012 National Spokesperson for the Sandy Rollman Ovarian Cancer Foundation. She has fostered for various animal rescue organizations.
Her current standalone suspense novel, THE OTHER FAMILY, is about a picture-perfect family that that moves into a picture-perfect house. But not everything is as it seems, and the page-turner concludes “with a wallop of a twist,” according to #1 New York Times bestselling author Harlan Coben.
Her critically acclaimed Lily Dale traditional mystery series centers around a widowed single mom—and skeptic—who moves to a town populated by spiritualists who talk to the dead. Titles include NINE LIVES; SOMETHING BURIED, SOMETHING BLUE; DEAD OF WINTER; and PROSE AND CONS, with a fifth book under contract.
Wendy has written five suspense trilogies for HarperCollins/William Morrow. The most recent, The Foundlings (LITTLE GIRL LOST, DEAD SILENCE, and THE BUTCHER’S DAUGHTER), spans fifty years in the life of a woman left as a newborn in a Harlem church, now an investigative genealogist helping others uncover their biological roots while still searching for her own.
Written as Wendy Markham, Wendy’s novel HELLO, IT’S ME was a recent Hallmark television movie starring Kellie Martin. Her short story “Cat Got Your Tongue” appeared in R.L. Stine’s MWA middle grade anthology SCREAM AND SCREAM AGAIN and her short story “The Elephant in the Room” is included in the Anthony Award-nominated inaugural anthology SHATTERING GLASS.
A three-time finalist for the Simon and Schuster Mary Higgins Clark Award, she’s won an RWA Rita Award, an RT Award for Career Achievement in Suspense, the 2007 RWA-NYC Golden Apple Award for Lifetime Achievement, and five WLA Washington Irving Prizes for Fiction.
She previously published a dozen adult suspense novels with Kensington Books and the critically-acclaimed young adult paranormal series “Lily Dale” (Walker/Bloomsbury). Earlier in her career, she published a broad range of genres under her own name and pseudonyms, and was a co-author/ghostwriter for several celebrities.
Raised in Dunkirk, NY, Wendy graduated from SUNY Fredonia and launched a publishing career in New York City. She was Associate Editor at Silhouette Books before selling her first novel in 1992. Married with two sons, she lives in the NYC suburbs. An active supporter of the American Cancer Society, she was a featured speaker at Northern Westchester’s 2015 Relay for Life and 2012 National Spokesperson for the Sandy Rollman Ovarian Cancer Foundation. She has fostered for various animal rescue organizations.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 144 reviews
November 29, 2015
This was the first book I read by Staub and I loved it. It was free on my Nook and I was hooked after the first page. This book started my long love affair with Wendy's novels!!!!
May 24, 2020
You need to be a fan of family dynamics in order to enjoy Live to Tell.
Lauren Welsh was trying to come to terms with her husband having left her for an older woman. With two teenagers and a very mature six??-year-old, she had her hands full. The Walsh childrens' POVs were a good part of this narrative. And Ms. Staub reminded the reader more than once of Lauren trying to cope.
Included with all this drama was a secondary story concerning a politician, his wife and daughter. Not to mention, Nick Walsh's POV. And, finally, there was the killer.
This was the first story I have read by this author. I felt compassion for Lauren and her children. I thought the suspense was revealing with an interesting twist at the end. At the same time, I found it hard to remember all of the characters. While reading the secondary stories (Nick and the OW, the politician and his family), I thought the characters were shallow and found the reading slow.
I expect a very fast pace when I read a thriller. If not, I lose interest. Instead, while reading Live to Tell, I kept thinking of the idiom:
LATHER, RINSE, REPEAT.
Lauren Welsh was trying to come to terms with her husband having left her for an older woman. With two teenagers and a very mature six??-year-old, she had her hands full. The Walsh childrens' POVs were a good part of this narrative. And Ms. Staub reminded the reader more than once of Lauren trying to cope.
Included with all this drama was a secondary story concerning a politician, his wife and daughter. Not to mention, Nick Walsh's POV. And, finally, there was the killer.
This was the first story I have read by this author. I felt compassion for Lauren and her children. I thought the suspense was revealing with an interesting twist at the end. At the same time, I found it hard to remember all of the characters. While reading the secondary stories (Nick and the OW, the politician and his family), I thought the characters were shallow and found the reading slow.
I expect a very fast pace when I read a thriller. If not, I lose interest. Instead, while reading Live to Tell, I kept thinking of the idiom:
LATHER, RINSE, REPEAT.
October 24, 2010
In the end, I really enjoyed Live to Tell, but I had some issues with it that made me doubt that was how it would be in the end.
I really liked the complexity of the story. There were a lot of different storylines, and they did indeed tie together in the end, although I wasn't always sure that would happen. It was fun to see the characters struggling with their piece of the puzzle, whether or not they knew that there was a puzzle at hand.
The down side of this was with so much going on, most of the characters didn't get a lot of character development. There were a lot of characters, and many of them were quite interesting. You'd never know when a seemingly throwaway character would pop up again.
Several characters did get deeper coverage. Of these, I really enjoyed Lauren Walsh. Her attempts (not always successful) to pull together her life so she could be a better parent to her kids rang true to me, and created an interesting backdrop to the drama she happened into.
Nick, her ex-husband, wasn't quite as interesting to me, but I did appreciate seeing his view of the events in his life. I was amused as he made the connection between his actions and those that his mother had taken many years ago, but he never generalized the effects her actions had on him to those that his actions had on his children.
On the other hand, I had some issues with the portrayal of 4 year old Sadie. Obviously, to describe events from the viewpoint of a 4 year old, they'll have to be very, very verbal. Her thinking was just a little too sophisticated, even if some of that was the book putting words to ideas that were much fuzzier in her head.
I also had problems with the Bad Guy. Congressman Garvey Quinn is a very bad guy, and even if I'm not a fan of politicians, particularly hypocritical conservative ones, I had trouble with the depth of this man's evil. But it did make for an interesting plot!
I really liked the complexity of the story. There were a lot of different storylines, and they did indeed tie together in the end, although I wasn't always sure that would happen. It was fun to see the characters struggling with their piece of the puzzle, whether or not they knew that there was a puzzle at hand.
The down side of this was with so much going on, most of the characters didn't get a lot of character development. There were a lot of characters, and many of them were quite interesting. You'd never know when a seemingly throwaway character would pop up again.
Several characters did get deeper coverage. Of these, I really enjoyed Lauren Walsh. Her attempts (not always successful) to pull together her life so she could be a better parent to her kids rang true to me, and created an interesting backdrop to the drama she happened into.
Nick, her ex-husband, wasn't quite as interesting to me, but I did appreciate seeing his view of the events in his life. I was amused as he made the connection between his actions and those that his mother had taken many years ago, but he never generalized the effects her actions had on him to those that his actions had on his children.
On the other hand, I had some issues with the portrayal of 4 year old Sadie. Obviously, to describe events from the viewpoint of a 4 year old, they'll have to be very, very verbal. Her thinking was just a little too sophisticated, even if some of that was the book putting words to ideas that were much fuzzier in her head.
I also had problems with the Bad Guy. Congressman Garvey Quinn is a very bad guy, and even if I'm not a fan of politicians, particularly hypocritical conservative ones, I had trouble with the depth of this man's evil. But it did make for an interesting plot!
January 3, 2018
Lauren Walsh's husband has left her for another woman. She's trying to avoid small town gossip while protecting her 3 children from the messiness of the divorce. All she asks her almost ex-husband Nick to do is go pick up a toy from the lost and found that the youngest child lost on an outing and he can't even get the right toy. Unfortunately, that wrong toy contains something hidden that it is very important to a powerful person. All of a sudden, Nick stops answering calls from the kids.
I enjoy Wendy Corsi Staub's novels and picked up this one at a book sale. Several new people start entering Lauren's life and I was suspicious of each one. As it turned out, I was most leery of the wrong person. Throughout the book, paragraphs cut away to different people and scenes which I found a bit confusing at first. The author ties the connections up in the last quarter of the book and gives a nice twist at the end.
I enjoy Wendy Corsi Staub's novels and picked up this one at a book sale. Several new people start entering Lauren's life and I was suspicious of each one. As it turned out, I was most leery of the wrong person. Throughout the book, paragraphs cut away to different people and scenes which I found a bit confusing at first. The author ties the connections up in the last quarter of the book and gives a nice twist at the end.
February 12, 2010
Left to pick up the pieces of her splintered family, Lauren Walsh finds herself struggling to provide her children with a small sense of normalcy after her husband abandons the family for another woman. Elsa Cavalon is a fraction of her previous self, clawing her way through the days as she deals with personal issues of parental incompetency. Presidential hopeful, Garvey Quinn, will do anything to protect his family—but more importantly his reputation—on his trek to higher political power.
At first glance, fans may find it difficult to navigate the multiple storylines as introductions to this considerable cast of characters occurs within the first few chapters. However, it pays to be patient. As any fan will tell you, Staub’s characters are rich with personality and building plotlines with texture and depth is her specialty. What would you do to save your children? The answer to that question is the underlying foundation in “Live to Tell”. While the initial thread between each may be invisible at the start, when the pieces begin to fall into place, the suspense is almost palpable and you won’t be able to set “Live to Tell” down.
At first glance, fans may find it difficult to navigate the multiple storylines as introductions to this considerable cast of characters occurs within the first few chapters. However, it pays to be patient. As any fan will tell you, Staub’s characters are rich with personality and building plotlines with texture and depth is her specialty. What would you do to save your children? The answer to that question is the underlying foundation in “Live to Tell”. While the initial thread between each may be invisible at the start, when the pieces begin to fall into place, the suspense is almost palpable and you won’t be able to set “Live to Tell” down.
September 26, 2017
I have another author for my favorite author list! Wendy Corsi Staub has written an intense, suspenseful book here with so many different stories happening at once. It isn't hard to keep up with, even for my older brain; and once again I almost sat through the night reading because I couldn't bear to put the book down.
I'm on to find more books by this author - and since this is first of a series, I can't wait for the next one!
I highly recommend.
I'm on to find more books by this author - and since this is first of a series, I can't wait for the next one!
I highly recommend.
October 5, 2024
This was a good fun read, and I FLEW through it. It had a lot of value as a book on life and the effect of divorce on families, especially the children. There was also political intrigue, with some interesting things to say about the hypocriticalness of Conservative "values." Eventually, it morphed into a thriller/mystery. You knew there was a killer lurking about, but you didn't know who it was and that was exciting.
I really like the way Wendy Corsi Staub writes. Her descriptions are quick and concise, and she kept the plot moving along nicely. The characters were all wonderfully well-drawn and I could really "see" them. I understood their feelings and empathized with each and every one of them.
The last hundred pages or so were nail-biting to say the least and I couldn't put it down until I reached the end. I really wanted to know who the killer was and how it was all going to end for the Walsh family. The pacing right to the end was fast and well done.
This was the first book I ever read by this author, and I plan on reading more by her. This one came out in 2010, and she had written over seventy novels by then, so I imagine she's over a hundred by now, which means I have a lot to choose from.
If you like thriller/mysteries, I would definitely recommend Live to Tell.
I really like the way Wendy Corsi Staub writes. Her descriptions are quick and concise, and she kept the plot moving along nicely. The characters were all wonderfully well-drawn and I could really "see" them. I understood their feelings and empathized with each and every one of them.
The last hundred pages or so were nail-biting to say the least and I couldn't put it down until I reached the end. I really wanted to know who the killer was and how it was all going to end for the Walsh family. The pacing right to the end was fast and well done.
This was the first book I ever read by this author, and I plan on reading more by her. This one came out in 2010, and she had written over seventy novels by then, so I imagine she's over a hundred by now, which means I have a lot to choose from.
If you like thriller/mysteries, I would definitely recommend Live to Tell.
March 19, 2010
03/15/10
Live To Tell by Wendy Corsi Staub (Rating 4)
How does one pink stuffed dog called Fred, and owned by four (4) year old Sadie Walsh, entwine three (3) families that are relatively unknown to each other? What is it about Sadie's favorite toy that leads to multiple murders, both young and older?
Byron Gregson, investigative reporter, is being chased through the streets of New York. Byron knows what they want and it is a USB. A USB with information, which he has uncovered and is so damaging, that his life may be at stake . He knows that what he has uncovered could ruin the life of a privileged political hopeful Garvey Quinn, who is on the campaign trail and considered to be the favorite, running for the highest office in New York, to become the next Governor.
On a very hot day in August, Lauren Walsh has taken Sadie into New York for the day, while her older two children are away at summer camp. Lauren wonders why she has made this trip. Sadie is not being cooperative and a bit cranky. Lauren would rather be home, hidden from everyone because she knows that she is the topic of those who gossip.
Sadie drops her stuffed animal, Fred just a few seconds before Byron is running by. He thinks he may have found a solution to his dilemma and picks up this toy. He hopes that his idea will give him a little more time to write this huge story that is stored on that USB and possibly even protect him from major injury. He runs into Grand Central Station, hides where no one can see him, rips a small seam in the stuffed animal and inserts the USB drive. He then turns the toy over to Lost and Found where he figures he can retrieve it at a later time.
What is on that USB that connect these three families?
Lauren Walsh, mother of 4 year old Sadie, and two older children, Lucy and Ryan. They were a typical suburban family until Nick Walsh announces that he is leaving. The children are dealing with the process of divorce in their own defense mechanism ways, as is Lauren. She is barely going through the motions of every day life, until the anger sets in. Nick has promised a fishing trip with Ryan as soon as he gets back from his vacation with his girlfriend. But he hasn't called. How could he disappoint the children like this, he used to be a good father? Why isn't he answering their calls? Where is he?
Congressman Garvey Quinn is running for Governor. He is the favorite nominee along with his perfect family. Wife Marin, daughters Caroline and Annie. Marin knows that Garvey favors daughter Caroline and she knows why. How can a father not love his daughter? This perfect public family have some very private skeletons, some so deep that one spouse doesn't even know about. So deep that if it ever be found out, it would ruin the bid for Governor.
And how are Elsa and Brett Cavalon, a couple who has just moved back to CT, tie into this story? Elsa was once a beautiful fashion model but what she really always wanted was a family. Elsa has never been the same since that day. The day that the little boy they adopted, Jeremy, was taken. What happened to him, who took him? Elsa needs those answers for closure.
The author's writing style and description of events grip and pull you in within the first few pages. The story takes place over an approximate time span of two weeks. Each chapter is written with information of each involved family according to the time line, which makes the reader wanting to read just one more chapter until the very end. In this gripping story are sub plot mini mysteries that come together in an explosive ending. This is the first book of a series. If your genre of favorite reads are suspense or you just happen to be in the mood for a good mystery, I suggest you should read this book before Scared To Death is published later this year. I give this book a rating of 4.
Live To Tell by Wendy Corsi Staub (Rating 4)
How does one pink stuffed dog called Fred, and owned by four (4) year old Sadie Walsh, entwine three (3) families that are relatively unknown to each other? What is it about Sadie's favorite toy that leads to multiple murders, both young and older?
Byron Gregson, investigative reporter, is being chased through the streets of New York. Byron knows what they want and it is a USB. A USB with information, which he has uncovered and is so damaging, that his life may be at stake . He knows that what he has uncovered could ruin the life of a privileged political hopeful Garvey Quinn, who is on the campaign trail and considered to be the favorite, running for the highest office in New York, to become the next Governor.
On a very hot day in August, Lauren Walsh has taken Sadie into New York for the day, while her older two children are away at summer camp. Lauren wonders why she has made this trip. Sadie is not being cooperative and a bit cranky. Lauren would rather be home, hidden from everyone because she knows that she is the topic of those who gossip.
Sadie drops her stuffed animal, Fred just a few seconds before Byron is running by. He thinks he may have found a solution to his dilemma and picks up this toy. He hopes that his idea will give him a little more time to write this huge story that is stored on that USB and possibly even protect him from major injury. He runs into Grand Central Station, hides where no one can see him, rips a small seam in the stuffed animal and inserts the USB drive. He then turns the toy over to Lost and Found where he figures he can retrieve it at a later time.
What is on that USB that connect these three families?
Lauren Walsh, mother of 4 year old Sadie, and two older children, Lucy and Ryan. They were a typical suburban family until Nick Walsh announces that he is leaving. The children are dealing with the process of divorce in their own defense mechanism ways, as is Lauren. She is barely going through the motions of every day life, until the anger sets in. Nick has promised a fishing trip with Ryan as soon as he gets back from his vacation with his girlfriend. But he hasn't called. How could he disappoint the children like this, he used to be a good father? Why isn't he answering their calls? Where is he?
Congressman Garvey Quinn is running for Governor. He is the favorite nominee along with his perfect family. Wife Marin, daughters Caroline and Annie. Marin knows that Garvey favors daughter Caroline and she knows why. How can a father not love his daughter? This perfect public family have some very private skeletons, some so deep that one spouse doesn't even know about. So deep that if it ever be found out, it would ruin the bid for Governor.
And how are Elsa and Brett Cavalon, a couple who has just moved back to CT, tie into this story? Elsa was once a beautiful fashion model but what she really always wanted was a family. Elsa has never been the same since that day. The day that the little boy they adopted, Jeremy, was taken. What happened to him, who took him? Elsa needs those answers for closure.
The author's writing style and description of events grip and pull you in within the first few pages. The story takes place over an approximate time span of two weeks. Each chapter is written with information of each involved family according to the time line, which makes the reader wanting to read just one more chapter until the very end. In this gripping story are sub plot mini mysteries that come together in an explosive ending. This is the first book of a series. If your genre of favorite reads are suspense or you just happen to be in the mood for a good mystery, I suggest you should read this book before Scared To Death is published later this year. I give this book a rating of 4.
October 26, 2012
I stayed up late reading this because I could not put it down! I had to finish it. I loved this book from beginning to end. I always enjoy books from multiple view points! The characters were all relatable and real. Needless to say I loved this book and can't wait to start the second one!
March 1, 2010
Lauren Walsh thinks that nothing can be worse than what she is living through since her husband left her for another woman. Her children are going through a very bad time and Lauren is trying her best to keep her family together and reasonably happy. However, when her youngest daughter, Sadie, loses Fred a nightmare begins.
When Lauren’s ex-husband goes to the Lost & Found department, picks up a stuffed toy that he thinks is Fred, and takes it home to Sadie he has unknowingly placed his daughter, himself and the entire family at risk.
More than one family is involved in this story and it is difficult to unravel the connection. The only thing that is for sure is that whoever is looking for the toy that Sadie now has will stop at nothing to retrieve the toy and the object hidden inside it. As the suspense builds, the reader begins to understand the background story and what draws these families together.
Live To Tell is a very exciting story that keeps the reader turning pages well into the night.
When Lauren’s ex-husband goes to the Lost & Found department, picks up a stuffed toy that he thinks is Fred, and takes it home to Sadie he has unknowingly placed his daughter, himself and the entire family at risk.
More than one family is involved in this story and it is difficult to unravel the connection. The only thing that is for sure is that whoever is looking for the toy that Sadie now has will stop at nothing to retrieve the toy and the object hidden inside it. As the suspense builds, the reader begins to understand the background story and what draws these families together.
Live To Tell is a very exciting story that keeps the reader turning pages well into the night.
August 29, 2011
(Hurricane book #1)
This might just be the least eventful thriller I've read in my life. Hardly anything happens except for our main character whining about her divorce angst. Maybe the last thirty pages were worth reading, but by the time something exciting happens, I would have rather just had the MC's head be blown off. I was not a fan.
This might just be the least eventful thriller I've read in my life. Hardly anything happens except for our main character whining about her divorce angst. Maybe the last thirty pages were worth reading, but by the time something exciting happens, I would have rather just had the MC's head be blown off. I was not a fan.
October 15, 2011
This book was all over the place and had so much going on in it, it was hard to keep up with all the people introduced. Terrible read.
January 16, 2014
Enjoyed it so much I'm on to book 2.
December 15, 2010
Did not enjoy this book, it was very slow, very predictible.
November 16, 2024
My first book by this author. I was intrigued. Never quite figured it out, which is a plus for me.
Still not getting the whole ( well if i say more on that it might be telling). Suffice it to say, i missed something with the stuffed animal switcharoo but thats ok.
3 stars because the narrative in the middle became repetitive, as if the author needed filler to meet a word count quota. And because the youngest child’s age didnt match her complex cognitive skills ….. unless she was well advanced. She interacted more like an elementary school child rather than a 4 yr old (in my opinion) and i found that distracting.
Otherwise strong plot, kept me guessing, and i so appreciated there wasnt graphic sex or an over use of foul language.
I will definitely try another of hers but wont finish this series. Perhaps a stand alone next time.
Still not getting the whole ( well if i say more on that it might be telling). Suffice it to say, i missed something with the stuffed animal switcharoo but thats ok.
3 stars because the narrative in the middle became repetitive, as if the author needed filler to meet a word count quota. And because the youngest child’s age didnt match her complex cognitive skills ….. unless she was well advanced. She interacted more like an elementary school child rather than a 4 yr old (in my opinion) and i found that distracting.
Otherwise strong plot, kept me guessing, and i so appreciated there wasnt graphic sex or an over use of foul language.
I will definitely try another of hers but wont finish this series. Perhaps a stand alone next time.
March 25, 2019
Lauren's husband has left her for another woman and is in the process of getting a divorce. While trying to maintain her life and help her kids through the transition, she is struggling. When her youngest daughter loses her toy in Grand Central Station, her husband gets the wrong one from lost and found. Her daughter is upset more and she has no idea that this wrong toy will bring a murderer into her life. Secrets in the past need to be covered up and what is hidden in the toy will bring them to light, so the powerful person hires a hitman to get the toy back.
I liked the book, but not as much as I thought I would. I'm not exactly sure why
I liked the book, but not as much as I thought I would. I'm not exactly sure why
July 25, 2023
OK, when I first was reading this, I was sooo confused. There were multiple storylines going on, and while some I thought might fit together, I wasn't sure how they ALL would. Because it seemed so convoluted. But, the reading was easy, even if I wasn't sure how it all would work out. So I pushed on. And I am glad I did. Yes, all the lines DID come together. Some characters seemed less developed than I might have liked. But given the complexity of the various storylines, I guess that might have been the compromise. Which honestly, I am ok with. And now, seeing that there is a sequel, I will have to check that out.
July 3, 2017
What raised this read to 3 stars is the the last thirty pages. As a mystery read, the first 3/4s of the book is a story of a woman raising the children and her new life as a divorcee. All pretty interesting but not a mystery. Enjoyed that part as a sociologist. The last 30 pages then got down to being a mystery and a good one. I found the littlest character to be unbelievable for her courage and insightfulness. It was just a fair read.
February 20, 2018
This probably deserves four stars, but I don't like kids and I REALLY did not like the kids in this book. They were whiny, spoiled brats and super annoying. Other than that, I enjoyed it. I read the sequel several years ago and really liked it. Unfortunately, I don't remember it, so I might need to read it again.
September 6, 2018
I do love this author, but so many chapters in this book were drawn out with the same content. It wasn't til the last few chapters that it finally picked up to where I just had to finish. It's part of a series so its kept me interested enough to move on to book 2. Fingers crossed for less repetitive content. I like books that keep on moving.
January 27, 2019
Ordinarily, I could care less about the type of women this book is written about, spoiled, rich bitches, is how I refer to them, but the author manages to make them into real people. Even though Lauren doesn't seem to do anything except play with her kids, she is somehow a likeable person. The ending was a total surprise. Glad the Congressman got what was coming to him.
May 6, 2024
Unfortunately, I can't highly recommend this book, although Wendy Staub is a fairly good author. I found this book kind of tedious because I was waiting throughout the book for something interesting to happen. Finally, the story came to a fast conclusion around Page 300. I did read the preview of her next book, "Scared to Death", which seemed pretty good.
August 15, 2018
Good mystery, easy read. I did have a bit of a hard time keeping all the stories and characters straight, but maybe I wasn't focused enough when I was reading it at first. It all ties up in the end and leads right into the 2nd book in the series.
November 28, 2020
I didn't love it, I didn't hate it. I just never reached the point of caring for the characters and the story lacked intensity. Things picked up at the end, which wasn't soon enough for me to consider reading the next two books in what I just discovered is a trilogy.
July 7, 2017
a real page turner...good characters/plot...easy to follow...
March 22, 2018
I had a hard time getting into this book. Jumped from one character to another all through the book but eventually tied it all together with a dramatic end.
July 25, 2018
I liked the complexity of the story. There were three different storylines, and they did indeed tie together in the end, although I wasn't always sure how that would happen.
February 14, 2019
Tough subject matter but well written.
June 23, 2019
Wow!! Completely loved! Couldn’t put it down!!
August 13, 2019
Good beginning to a trilogy I can't wait to continue. I hope the next two book live up to this one.
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