D. D. Warren has seen a lot of ugliness as a homicide detective with the Boston P.D., but the level of violence in an apparent murder/suicide attempt that left the members of a seemingly happy, middle-class family dead and the father in a coma would shake the most hardened soul. She and her team have barely begun their investigation when another brutal murder/suicide takes place -- this time involving a barely functional family on the poor side of town, with no survivors.

Because of some similar details at the scenes, the detectives search for any possible links between the families and discover that troubled children were involved: children who had at one time been admitted to a special pediatric psychiatric unit at a local hospital. And in a bizarre twist, Danielle Burton, a nurse in that unit, is the lone survivor of her father's deadly rampage when she was a child. Meanwhile, Victoria Oliver, exhausted spiritually and physically by trying to care for her severely disturbed 8-year-old son, wonders when her own family tragedy will be splashed across the 6 o'clock news.

These three women's lives will soon come crashing together in ways none of them could have ever predicted.

I love Lisa Gardner's books, and this one is no exception. She hooked me from the first page and never let go. From the gruesome details of the murders to the deeply sad story of Victoria and her son (and other children like him in Danielle's care) to the straight-up investigating and camaraderie of the detectives, there's not a wasted sentence in this story. The characters are compelling (if not always likable), and D. D. is a strong female lead, providing a solid center in the midst of the confusion. (I love it when I'm as interested in the mystery solver as I am in the mystery!) I highly recommend this book with one caution: There are some graphic scenes involving children and violence that may be too intense for some readers.

Book Summary

He knows everything about you—including the first place you’ll hide.
 
On a warm summer night in one of Boston’s working-class neighborhoods, an unthinkable crime has been committed: Four members of a family have been brutally murdered. The father—and possible suspect—now lies clinging to life in the ICU. Murder-suicide? Or something worse? Veteran police detective D. D. Warren is certain of only one thing: There’s more to this case than meets the eye.

Danielle Burton is a survivor, a dedicated nurse whose passion is to help children at a locked-down pediatric psych ward. But she remains haunted by a family tragedy that shattered her life nearly twenty-five years ago. The dark anniversary is approaching, and when D. D. Warren and her partner show up at the facility, Danielle immediately realizes: It has started again.

A devoted mother, Victoria Oliver has a hard time remembering what normalcy is like. But she will do anything to ensure that her troubled son has some semblance of a childhood. She will love him no matter what. Nurture him. Keep him safe. Protect him. Even when the threat comes from within her own house. 

In New York Times bestselling author Lisa Gardner’s most compelling work of suspense to date, the lives of these three women unfold and connect in unexpected ways, as sins from the past emerge—and stunning secrets reveal just how tightly blood ties can bind. Sometimes the most devastating crimes are the ones closest to home.