Touch & Go

A Novel

By: Lisa Gardner

Narrated by: Elisabeth Rodgers

Length: 14 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's summary

This is my family: Vanished without a trace....

Justin and Libby Denbe have the kind of life you’d find in the pages of a glossy magazine: A beautiful 14-year-old daughter. A gorgeous brownstone on a tree-lined street in Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood. A great marriage, admired by all. A perfect life.

This is what I know: Pain has a flavor....

When investigator Tessa Leone arrives at the crime scene in the foyer of the Denbes’ home, she finds scuff marks on the floor and a million tiny pieces of bright green Taser confetti. The family appears to have been abducted, with only a pile of their cell phones and electronic devices remaining. No witnesses, no ransom demands, no motive. Just a perfect little family, gone.

This is what I fear: The worst is yet to come....

Tessa knows better than anyone that flawless fronts can hide the darkest secrets. Now she must race against the clock to uncover the Denbes’ innermost dealings, a complex tangle of friendships and betrayal, big business and small sacrifices. Who would want to kidnap such a perfect little family? And how far would such a person be willing to go?

This is the truth: Love, safety, family . . . it’s all touch and go.

©2012 Lisa Gardner (P)2013 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Figured it out by the middle of the book!

Lots of twists in the story. But the main story was easy to figure out. Ms. Gardner does have a few other surprises in the book so I think it is worth reading.

Good Solid Book, and great performance.

What made the experience of listening to Touch & Go the most enjoyable?

The Performance was great

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Yes , many twists and turns.

Which scene was your favorite?

The end where she gets the Money.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Kidnapping, was hard thing to listen to.

Any additional comments?

Book was great, (a tad on the man bashing side), but overall a wonderfull story.

Keeps your attention until the very end!

If you could sum up Touch & Go in three words, what would they be?

Made me think.

Who was your favorite character and why?

All characters were unique. N

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

Great pace, but being a native New Englander, the accent drove me crazy. Not an authentic Boston accent....admittedly a hard accent to replicate but it would be better not to try!

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

There is a point of forgiveness. In spite of everythg past, the present situation is much more real and demanding of compassion.

One thrill after another

loved the suspense, exciting as well as some memorable romance. suprised by who was pregnant and by who.
the ending made me smile and agreed with the ending.
nice to know even thou you maybe a bag person, some still have compassion left.

Very unconventional plot

Where does Touch & Go rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is always a difficult question because I've listened to so many over the years. The plot line here is unique and the narration is well done; I'll list it in the top fifty.

What other book might you compare Touch & Go to and why?

I'd probably compare it to early Harlan Coben because of the plot twists, but unlike Harlan Coben's books, I guessed where this plot was going. It was well executed, though, so I don't want to disrespect the author or the effect.

What about Elisabeth Rodgers’s performance did you like?

She created an audible personality for each of the characters. I was never "lost" as to which character was speaking.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It definitely kept me interested and following along with the story. I certainly didn't laugh or cry, but I wanted to throttle a couple of the characters.

Any additional comments?

Overall, an excellent novel - just not a GREAT one.

Suspense and Action Never Stopped

What made the experience of listening to Touch & Go the most enjoyable?

I enjoyed the two sides of the plot--the story of the kidnapped family and the story of the police investigation. Tessa Leone from Love You More joins up with the backwoods sheriff to try to track down where this family is secreted away. A little romance sparks between the two but not enough to distract from the story. Another part of the story that intriqued me was the idea of being forced to live indefinitely in a prison with no freedom to shower, rest, eat or roam around. Yes, I know that all prisoners feel this way, but this family had done nothing wrong except take their family ties for granted. And the violence or threat of violence day and night against the daughter, the wife and the husband never ended. Each family member wanted to protect the others and took many blows to do so. Ironically, this family had been falling apart before this happened, now they seem to be getting back into a loving relationship. The mother is addicted to pain killers, the daughter is addicted to her electronic devices and has a huge secret, while the father has been caught in an affair and is repentant over that.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

I was kept guessing why this family was taken and what the father had done to drive someone to this kind of revenge. The kidnappers didn't seem to care about asking for ransom, so why were they doing this? As Tessa Leone and the sheriff got closer to the kidnappers' lair, I kept thinking the sheriff would remember something, recognize a good spot for their hideout. I still don't see why he wouldn't remember a prison had recently been built in his state. Or investigate what building projects the construction company had undertaken recently since the father was head of that company. Of course, one of the kidnappers was a violent sociopath bent on destroying the wife and daughter because they almost escaped once. I didn't know how that would turn out.

Any additional comments?

Lisa Gardner fans will relish her trademark suspense and characterization that drive the plot. I highly recommend this book.

All that glitters really is not gold....

Here's the basic formula. Start with the perfect -- or as it turns out not so perfect family -- gradually expose there flaws and add a kidnapping with a keep you guessing plot and entertain the masses. It's all about fine lines -- is anyone completely evil? Is anyone completely innocent? This one kept me guessing for a long time. I found it thoroughly entertaining.

Terrible narration

Having listening to previous books in both the Tessa Leoni and DD Warren series, I couldn’t focus on the story due to the terrible narration and poor attempts at Bostonian accents ! Previous narrations left out the accents and were much better for it.

awesome story

I loved all of the intricacies and twists in this story, this was a wonderful book, well performed and a great plot!!

Thrilling

Everytime, I thought I guessed the end, I was wrong.
I love bring surprised and made to think while reading.
This book does not disappoint!! I highly recommend it.