Say Goodbye by Lisa Gardner Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Say Goodbye
Book Review: A Dark Thriller
Summary: 3 Stars
I found Say Goodbye a tough book to read. A vile killer is murdering prostitutes, and it is up to the novel's main character, FBI agent Kimberly Quincy to track him down. There are some serious scenes of abuse in this book, that made it so difficult to read,in parts. Overall, though the storyline is fairly interesting, as Kimberly gradually puts together the pieces of the case. It will take me a while to get this book out of my system.Book Review: A Disturbing Journey
Summary: 3 Stars
This is a suspenseful read with a very good twist near the end but the flashbacks are truly disturbing. I know that there are people in the world who do the things described in this book but I read to escape those things not to see them as plot points. I think they would have worked better if the bad guy suffered more. I'm a fan of Lisa Gardner's romances but there's a coldness to this book that left me wishing I hadn't picked it up. It's a good book for fans of James Patterson style murder mysteries. I thought the use of spiders was a truly horrifying touch in the book.Book Review: A brilliant, riveting and gut-wrenching masterpiece!
Summary: 5 Stars
It seems that all or most of the negative reviews on here have little to do with the strength of the writing or storyline, but rather people simply having trouble with the actual content of the book. The plot and characters are extremely disturbing, yes, primarily because they are so realistic. Are the nay-sayers afraid to acknowledge that such horrible things DO in fact happen in this world? I understand that Gardner did not base this story on any one true event, but much of the plot is highly reminiscent of the famous abduction cases of Steven Stayner and later Shawn Hornbeck. The narrative didn't seem cold to me at all; it was a horrifying psychological study of the effects of long term child rape and mental abuse, and was presented as such to make people face the facts.
About halfway through reading it, "Say Goodbye" became one of my favorite books. I have immense respect for Gardner for not only tackling a highly controversial subject matter, but for doing it in such raw, brutal and devastating fashion that rips your heart out at every turn. If you can handle the harrowing events enough to keep reading, it is one mind blowing novel. But if a shockingly vivid account of child abduction (including graphic sexual abuse and murder) is something that you simply can't stomach, then skip this one. Don't attack it for being blunt, however, because the unapologetic nature of the book is what makes it so powerful. If it's too much for you personally, that is not Gardner's problem, it's yours. Bringing sick details to light does not make it a sick book - it makes it upsetting and real, and is something that we as a society need to accept actually IS happening to children all over the country and across the world.
The story is told on multiple timelines from multiple points of view, which is not unusual for thrillers but is done in an especially intriguing way here. For much of the book, you aren't sure who is narrating certain chapters (which is the point, because the experiences of the young boys are so interchangeable as the cycle continues), and when things are finally made clear at the end, it is that much sadder. You despise and yet feel so much pity for a number of characters all at once.
Ongoing descriptions of the rape and murder of young children (generally from their own points of view) are absolutely gutwrenching and don't hold back at all. I broke down and started crying during one scene in particular that has stuck with me - a little boy is at a motel with his abductor, just feet away from a clerk who can help him. But he's so afraid to say anything that he just starts to cry hysterically. The abductor gives the clerk a story about being a social worker caring for traumatized children, and she essentially says "oh poor dear, take care of him" and sends them up to their room.
It's very hard to read those types of scenes but it is also fantastic. If more people were exposed to such horrific details (which are, unfortunately, all too true to life), perhaps there would be more of a public outcry for the death penalty in these cases. Just thinking that the man who put Steven Stayner and little Timmy White through a near identical ordeal only received FIVE YEARS in prison makes me feel incredibly ill. Granted, that was over 20 years ago but even today, there is simply not enough pressure on the "bad buys." People - including parents - need to read this book and they need to face up to what can happen (and what DOES happen) to children everywhere instead of constantly shying away from it. Maybe then we can put a stop to pampering these creeps with jail time and put them down like the sick animals they are.
In summary, "Say Goodbye" is far from an easy read and many people will struggle with it or flat out hate and criticize it for its ruthless depiction of real-life horror. But for those of us who appreciate a raw approach, disturbing and depressing though it may be, this is one hell of a masterpiece and a truly riveting read that is not to be missed.
Book Review: Confusing
Summary: 3 Stars
This book was a real page turner -- I couldn't put it down. However, I gave it only 3 stars because I found that by the time it ended, I was totally confused as to who the bad guy(s)were. Can anyone explain to me how many total abusers and abusees there were. I count 4, but I'm really not sure. If only the italicized writing were identified, it would have been a lot easier to keep track of the abusers. There certainly were parts of the story that were very graphic and not at all pleasant. Unfortunately, I believe that this kind of thing goes on all the time in our world; that's the really scary part of it, not the spiders.Book Review: Disturbing, but so is life
Summary: 5 Stars
I commute 100+ miles per day, so I listen to a fair amount of books. I definitely agree with the readers that call this book disturbing - because it truly is. The problem is that there are multitudes of predators out there and to not be aware of them means we open ourselves up to them.
Here in California we just found out that one such predator held Jaycee Dugard for 18 years. That little girl had 2 children by that monster - yet she did not leave. I don't know that we will ever know why she did not leave - but she didn't.
Such was the mindset of Mr. Dinkara, he didn't leave the man that abducted him. Instead he became just like his abductor - and then some. The twists and turns in the plot are very well done. The story line is frightening - I think it is more frightening that it could actually be true - probably to a greater extent then any of us mortals realize. Thank you God - for not letting something happen to my children!!!!
The epilog of this book talks about Scott, the young boy that Mr. Dinkara abducted last. I think it is commendable of the author to show that not all young people that are abducted become disturbed individuals. Some of them take what has happened to them and apply it in other ways. They try to help others that also get exploited, kidnapped and tortured.