Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Book Reviews of Love You More (D. D. Warren, Bk 5)

Love You More (D. D. Warren, Bk 5)
Love You More - D. D. Warren, Bk 5
Author: Lisa Gardner
ISBN-13: 9780553807257
ISBN-10: 0553807250
Publication Date: 3/8/2011
Pages: 368
Rating:
  • Currently 4.2/5 Stars.
 126

4.2 stars, based on 126 ratings
Publisher: Bantam
Book Type: Hardcover
Reviews: Amazon | Write a Review

14 Book Reviews submitted by our Members...sorted by voted most helpful

kdurham2813 avatar reviewed Love You More (D. D. Warren, Bk 5) on + 753 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
An amazing thriller that kept me reading through all the twists turns and ups and downs. I didn't anticipate the final result until it unfolded right before my eyes with 20 pages left to go.

There are times when I fall deeply in love with a character, whether they are good or bad, but throughout the entire book I couldn't put my finger on my feelings towards Tessa Leoni. At times, I thought she was conniving and just plain horrible, but at the turn of a page I cared for her deeply and wanted so much for her to be absolutely and purely innocent.

I loved the relationship between the two detectives - D.D. Warren and Bobby Dodge. What a team and you knew from the beginning that these two cared deeply for each other and were the best of coworkers and friends.

A great book that I would absolutely pass onto both the males and females. A suspenseful story that keeps you reading until the last page.
my2luvsemmyandmally avatar reviewed Love You More (D. D. Warren, Bk 5) on + 758 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
This book is FANTASTIC!!! And I don't say that about many books. I have read almost all of Lisa Gardner's books and feel this book has just elevated her writing to a new pinnacle of success as a writer! Kudos to Lisa Gardner for a smashing new book!!! If this book doesn't have you non-stop turning the pages without stopping until you reach the end I would be shocked! Her character portrayal of Tessa Leoni was amazing and you could really feel for this woman....one minute you love her....the next you are unsure if she is telling the truth and has played on your emotions till you feel like a fool for trusting her......but....it is a wild ride you won't want to miss out on taking you all the way to the end! I have 3 words for thriller lovers.....READ THIS BOOK !!!!!!!
reviewed Love You More (D. D. Warren, Bk 5) on + 6 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
best one yet! left me on the seat of my pants till the last few pages. Usually I can pick the bad guys from the beginning, but not this time.
MELNELYNN avatar reviewed Love You More (D. D. Warren, Bk 5) on + 669 more book reviews
In Lisa Gardner's "Love You More," Tessa Leoni has a great deal on her plate. She has been a Massachusetts state trooper for four years and has a beautiful six-year-old daughter, Sophie, whose father's name Tessa does not even know. Leoni has an inner toughness that she will desperately need as she faces an uncertain future. Her husband of three years and Sophie's stepfather, Brian Darby, has been shot to death, and the evidence points to Tessa as the perpetrator. Worse, Tessa's little girl, Sophie, has disappeared. The detectives soon suspect that not only did Tessa gun down her husband in cold blood, but that she also killed and buried her daughter.

Handling the case is Sergeant Detective D. D. Warren, a forty-year old, ten-year veteran of the Boston Police Department. Assisting is Bobby Dodge, her former lover, who is a Massachusetts State Police Detective. D. D. is married to her job; she is sharp, aggressive, and ambitious, qualities that she shares with Tessa. Nevertheless, she has contempt for Leoni, whom she considers to be a conniving and selfish monster. D. D. is determined to nail this pretty and petite woman and put her away for a very long time. On the home front, D. D. has been dating Alex, a teacher at the police academy, for over six months. She is not sure if she has the temperament to make their relationship last.

D. D. and Bobby work the Leoni case, and it is a thankless task from the get-go. The forensic evidence is muddled, and Leoni, who is less than cooperative, has a battered and swollen face. Apparently, someone has beaten Tessa to a pulp. Will she claim that she shot Brian in self-defense because he was an abusive spouse? The situation becomes steadily more complicated and ambiguous, and D. D. is furious when she suspects that Tessa has been lying to them from the beginning.

Lisa Gardner, whose fans are legion, is the undisputed queens of the domestic thriller. The reasons for her popularity include: tough heroines who are even more macho than their male counterparts; byzantine plots in which the truth is carefully veiled; gripping scenes of suspense and violence; and conclusions that always include an extra, unforeseen twist. Although "Love You More" contains all of these elements, Gardner may have overreached this time. Tessa Leoni is a character we can and do root for. However, the author would have us believe that this woman is a master of weaponry, strategy, and hand-to-hand combat, and is so self-possessed that she can think clearly while navigating the most arduous and hazardous obstacles. When it comes to her personal life, on the other hand, she is woefully naïve.

Still, this is a page-turner that will appeal to aficionados of escapist fiction. Readers will realize fairly quickly that Brian's death is anything but a straightforward homicide, and it is fun to follow the clues along with the high-strung D. D. Warren. There is plenty of action to keep us engrossed; the roller-coaster ride never slows down until the final pages. Even though "Love You More" is a bit over-the-top, Gardner is a skilled enough writer to keep us engaged. She includes fascinating details about prisons, police procedure, and the challenges faced every day by overworked and harried homicide detectives. Gardner leaves us entertained and eager to follow the further adventures of the intrepid D. D. Warren.
sfc95 avatar reviewed Love You More (D. D. Warren, Bk 5) on + 686 more book reviews
This book was right up there with the rest of Lisa Garnder's thrillers, it had tiwsts and turns, a good ending and characters that you felt you knew. This one is certainly worth the wait!
reviewed Love You More (D. D. Warren, Bk 5) on + 4 more book reviews
Many twists and turns...keeps you guessing until the end!
nursemare avatar reviewed Love You More (D. D. Warren, Bk 5) on + 75 more book reviews
This is the first Lisa Gardner book I've ever read, but it is apparently part of a series featuring the detective D.D. Warner. She is called out to work on her day off to spearhead the investigation into why a state trooper shot her husband and why the trooper's six-year-old daughter is missing. The plot takes off at break-neck speed, twisting and turning and keeping you turning the pages continuously until you finish the story. To tell you more would completely spoil the story.

Gardner writes this story in third person limited point of view with D.D. Warner, but shifts into first person point of view with the trooper, Tessa Leoni. This is done to great effect, showing the external struggles that D.D. Warner goes through while trying to solve the crime and, when it shifts to Tessa in first person point of view you develop a real feel for what Tessa is dealing with and where she comes from; plus it helps you develop some sympathy for Tessa.

D.D. Warner, as a continuous character in the series should be the main character, but using first person point of view with Tessa actually causes her to become the focus of the story, making Warner almost a secondary character. I'm not sure if that was Gardner's intention, but it works well, especially for someone like me who has never read a Gardner book before.

You know what my response to this book was? I immediately went and got my hands on another book by Lisa Gardner. This writer is now a keeper.
senorag2001 avatar reviewed Love You More (D. D. Warren, Bk 5) on + 20 more book reviews
Highly recommended for any mystery/thriller/suspense lovers that like the a stomach dropping roller coaster ride of a book. It can be a stand alone read so if you haven't read the others in the series don't let it stop you.

Full review is on my blog
my1lulabug avatar reviewed Love You More (D. D. Warren, Bk 5) on + 10 more book reviews
Awesome book with some kick ass, female characters. My first book I read by her and I loved it. Great twists and turns to keep your interest. When you start reading it you believe one thing only to find out later on that it turns out to be something different. Kept my interest from beginning to end. Great suspense!
debs avatar reviewed Love You More (D. D. Warren, Bk 5) on + 644 more book reviews
Once I started reading this, I couldn't put it down. Fast-paced and suspenseful, had me on the edge of my seat. Gets you right into the head of a state trooper trying to save her child, dodging twists and turns that would make any parent's head explode.
reviewed Love You More (D. D. Warren, Bk 5) on + 70 more book reviews
Another amazing Lisa Gardner book that I had a hard time putting down. So many twists and turns. This was the first D.D. Warren book I've read, so I'll have to go back and read the others now. I highly recommend this book if you're looking for something with a lot of twists and turns.
reviewed Love You More (D. D. Warren, Bk 5) on + 17 more book reviews
Love You More is an excellent read! I could hardly put it down - waiting to see what would happen next! Love it!!!
reviewed Love You More (D. D. Warren, Bk 5) on + 92 more book reviews
Every time I read a book written by Lisa
Gardner, it is better than the last. This book is terrific. Tessa, A Massachusetts State Police Officer is accused of murdering her husband and her daughter is missing. The book goes from there into police procedures and forensics all the while weaving a chilling story. The people are so real, you feel all of the emotions they are feeling. Lisa, you did it again.
reviewed Love You More (D. D. Warren, Bk 5) on + 34 more book reviews
I thought this plot was way too contrived. Most of this stuff would never happen, and the ending is particularly unlikely. I had never read anything by this author and probably won't bother with any others of hers. Not a favorite.