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.

I'm exhausted! In a good way.

We've all read/listened to books in which a seemingly perfect family has a crisis, which causes lots of secrets to unravel. This is NOT one of those books! Well, yes, I guess it is, but with carefully developed characters and a complex plot line that is unlike anything in this genre I have ever read. Some of the bad guys commit heroic acts. Some of the good guys commit unforgivable acts. The story could have come to a conclusion several times and still have been satisfying, but Lisa Garder milked every ounce of drama she could out of the situation. There are a number of pivotal characters, so pay attention at the beginning: You'll need the information before it's over! Elisabeth Rodgers does a fine job of switching between the first person narration of Libby and the third person objective story-telling with dialogue of everyone else. A really compelling experience!

WOW--What a Story

I am a huge Lisa Gardner fan but this story was fabulous--IMHO, her best so far. I literally could not stop listening, the twists and turns just kept coming, and the narration was perfect.

I liked it

I listened to this story during a long drive, and really enjoyed it. The plot was good, and the story kept me on the edge of my seat. This isn't one of those stories I'll look back on as one of my favorites of all time, but it is certainly entertaining. I'm glad I listened to it, and will definitely listen to more from Lisa Gardner.

Oh what tangled webs we all weave

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

Love You More by the same author and some of the same characters

Any additional comments?

Oh what tangled webs we all weave! Wow this was a great thriller that kept you guessing and if you think your family is screwed up just wait until you read about the Denby's. In this book the Denby family, mom, dad and 15 y/o daughter are taken hostage out of their own home. Tessa Leoni, from Love You More (which is a great read too), is hired by Denby Construction to investigate what happened to the family. Tessa works with the FBI and local law enforcement to find this family. What on the surface appears to be a large construction family run by a close knit group, ends up being anything but. About the time you think you have figured out who kidnapped them there is another wrench thrown into the mix to keep you guessing and trying to figure out the who and why. You don't need to read Love You More before this book even though some of the same characters play a role but the storyline is not effected either way.

Not up to her standard

I have found Lisa Gardner's books to be well written and enjoyable stories. This book struck me as having been by an adolescent. So many of the conversations conducted by a family being held hostage were insipid. Her stories are always well woven and smart, but I knew "who done it" here early on. I'm hoping this is Ms Gardner's only misstep. I really like her work.

entertaining

This is my 7th Lisa Gardner novel and I've enjoyed them all. She writes taut thrillers set mainly in the Boston area. My overriding goal in any book is to be entertained and this was entertaining. It had a kidnapping, murder, fraud, a family falling apart, good police wrok, and at different times in the story 4-5 characters that could' have been the "whodunit".

And I had such high hopes for this title

*Given* that it was about a Back Bay family. I lost count how many times the word "given" was used, along with "let alone"; I think this might be a case where even the great Stephen King would allow the use of the forbidden thesaurus (I suppose Mr. King made that remark only to discourage those with a poor command of their own language from getting into writing or at least to encourage them to pay closer attention to their native tongue and work on improving it). Vocabulary aside, it doesn't take long for any fan of crime fiction to zero in on the suspect and the motive; I've seen police procedurals on TV with better plots. The author's attempt at a metaphor with "orange" was also pretty lame. The only scene that featured any decent writing was the one about the cinnamon rolls--Ms. Gardner just might have a career in food writing. The narration was competent overall, but would have been better without the artificial r-dropping; the male voices were no more convincing.

Exciting story

Would you consider the audio edition of Touch & Go to be better than the print version?

What did you like best about this story?

I was hooked on this book from the start. I recommend it for anyone who likes detective mysteries. I was definitely surprised by the ending!

A bit predictable

Good story, kept me interested. Narrator was pretty good, moved at a good pace. Not the best but enjoyable.

5 stars

Another fabulous books by Lisa Gardner. was very excited to start this series of her books and I was not disappointed at all!