Tell Me (by Lisa Jackson): #awesome #bookreview

Back in June of this year (2014), famed author Lisa Jackson sent me a an autographed copy of one of her novels, Tell Me.

Why did she do this?

It’s simple. She did this as a response to my offer to authors.

Thanks to social media, I had connected with Lisa Jackson on Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads this past year. I interacted with her several times. 🙂

I have to admit, Lisa Jackson is one of my top 3 favourite authors – ever – and when she and I had a conversation (shown in How I got an autographed copy of Tell Me), I was thrilled. 😀

About Tell Me

Tell Me is the third book in the “Savannah Series,” with The Night Before and The Morning After being the other two novels, respectively, that comprise this series.

Another cover for Tell Me was created for sellers outside of North America, too:

My Book Review of Tell Me

The following is my five-star book review of Tell Me, which I posted to both Amazon and Goodreads:

Reporter Nikki Gillette has a hunger for being amidst the action and a thirst for the truth. On her quest to learn the true circumstances surrounding the questionable shooting of her childhood friend, Amity O’Henry, Nikki sets out on a dangerous path to find the killer. With no help from her finacé, Detective Pierce Reed, who is assigned to review case files from twenty years ago (when Amity’s mother, Blondell, was convicted of murdering her pregnant daughter), Nikki uses her own sleuthing skills to uncover the secrets that have been hidden for so long.

During her quest, she interviews Amity’s siblings, Niall and Blythe. Niall has recanted his old testimony, in an attempt to free Blondell, now claiming he was coerced as a child and asserting that he did NOT see the person wielding the gun. Blythe, who was injured during the attack on Amity, has been wheelchair-bound, offers little help to Nikki, forcing her to dig even deeper into the past.

However, key players in the case from so long ago are unavailable. The detective who coerced Niall has passed away, and the lawyer assigned to the case, Nikki’s uncle, now lives in a nursing home, suffering from dementia as a result of having Alzheimer’s disease. To compound matters further, someone is spying on Nikki and Reed! Nikki also has a stalker!

As Nikki unravels the mystery, she is forced to deal with her upcoming nuptials, make many decisions, and face a killer as well as demons from her past. Throughout it all, she attempts to interview Blondell, and delves into the lives of the men from Blondell’s past.

Several interviews, told from two different points of view, can be found scattered throughout the novel, adding to the suspense of what Nikki learns. While I don’t want to spoil things, I can tell you that you will be more than pleasantly surprised when you come to the ending of this masterfully-crafted novel.

One of the things I like about reading Lisa Jackson’s books is the way she incorporates certain elements relevant to the era in which we live. The ever-changing methods of communication and technology are used by her characters and are embraced by Jackson, proving to her faithful fans that she’s staying current, and illustrating to new readers that she has a contemporary style of writing.

I especially like that Tell Me can be read as both a stand-alone novel AND as part of a series, even if the series is read out of order!

Tell Me ends by evoking a gratifying and satisfying feeling and, as always, Jackson leaves me wanting more.

Teasers to her next-to-be-released works are included, too, to try and appease the reader, but they only serve to whet the reader’s appetite!

No wonder Lisa Jackson is often referred to as the “master of suspense.”

Tell Me is, without a doubt, a must-read for suspense and mystery lovers, and I’d highly recommend reading it.

 

Other Reviews of Tell Me

The following list contains other reviews of Tell Me:

• one from Mysterious Reviews
• one from Kirkus Reviews
• one from Clay Stafford
• one from Jill Dennison’s blog

Tell Me: Book Blurb

The most hated woman in Savannah, Georgia, is about to be set free. Twenty years ago, Blondell O’Henry was convicted of murdering her eldest daughter and wounding her two other children. The prosecution argued that beautiful, selfish Blondell wanted to be rid of them to be with her lover.

Now Blondell’s son, Niall, has recanted his testimony and demolished the case in the process. Reporter Nikki Gillette is determined to get the true story, and not just for professional reasons. Blondell’s murdered daughter, Amity, was Nikki’s childhood friend. The night she died, Amity begged Nikki to meet with her, insisting she had a secret to tell, but Nikki didn’t go. Her guilt is compounded by other complications–Nikki’s favorite uncle, Alexander, was the attorney who helped save Blondell from execution. And rumors swirl that he was one of her many lovers.

Nikki’s fiancé, Detective Pierce Reed, is concerned she may be compromising the case. As she digs for answers during one of the most sweltering summers in Savannah’s history, he also worries for her safety. Everyone involved seems to have secrets, from Blondell’s old boyfriend and his fundamentalist, snake-handling in-laws to the cop who led the original investigation. And somehow, the events of that tragic night connect to Nikki’s own fractured family. But now the killing has begun again. Is Amity’s murderer still at large, or is this a new, darker danger? Soon Nikki will discover what really happened twenty years ago, but the answers may come too late to save her life. . .

About Lisa Jackson

Susan Lisa Jackson was born and raised in the United States, and lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and pug.

She is known worldwide as Lisa Jackson, and has written over 85 books. There are over 20 million copies of Lisa Jackson’s books in print in twenty languages. Some novels are stand-alones, but many are part of a series (see a list of the many series’ she has written here).

Lisa Jackson is also a grandmother and an author who is now embracing social media. She’s a huge animal-lover, too, and supports many worthy causes.

You can connect with her on Twitter or Facebook, find her books on Goodreads, buy them at your favourite outlet (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Google Books), and read excerpts from books of your choosing.

And don’t forget to check out the next books to be released by Lisa Jackson! 🙂

YOUR TURN:

Have you ever read one of Lisa Jackson’s novels? Do you like her writing? Why or why not?

Would you read this book now, based on my review? Tell me, please. 😉