Crash & Burn

Zusatztext 41017368 Informationen zum Autor Lisa Gardner  is a #1  New York Times  bestselling author. Her Detective D. D. Warren novels include  Find Her !  Fear Nothing !  Catch Me !  Love You More ! and  The Neighbor ! which won the International Thriller of the Year Award. She lives with her family in New England. ***This excerpt is from an advance uncorrected proof*** Copyright  © 2015 Lisa Gardner Chapter 1 I died once. I remember now, as much as I am capable of remembering anything, the sensation of pain, burning and sharp, followed by fatigue, crushing and deep. I’d wanted to lie down; I recall that clearly. I’d needed to be done with it. But I hadn’t. I’d fought the pain, the fatigue, the fucking white light. I’d clawed my way back to the land of the living. Because of Vero. She needed me. What have you done? I am weightless now. I understand, absently, this is not a good thing. Cars shouldn’t be weightless. A luxury SUV was never intended to fly. And I smell something sharp and astringent. Alcohol. More specifically, whiskey. Glenlivet. Always prided myself on drinking the good stuff. What have you done? I want to cry out. As long as I’m sailing through the air, about to die for the second time, I should at least be able to scream. But no sound comes from my throat. Instead, I stare through the plunging windshield, out into the pitch-black night, and I notice, of all things, that it’s raining. Like that night. Before . . . What have you done? It is not so bad to fly. The feeling is pleasant, even exhilarating. The limits of gravity defied, the pressure of earthbound life left far behind. I should lift my arms, spread them wide and embrace the second death looming before me. Vero. Beautiful little Vero. And then . . . Gravity takes its revenge. My car is weightless no more as it reconnects savagely with the earth. A shuddering crash. An echoing boom. My body, once in flight, now tossed like a rag doll against steering wheel, dashboard, gear shift. The sound of glass cracking. My face shattering. Pain, burning and sharp. Followed by fatigue, crushing and deep. I want to lie down. I need to be done with it. Vero, I think. And then: Oh my God, what have I done? My face is wet. I lick my lips, tasting water, salt, blood. Slowly, I lift my head, only for my temple to explode in agony. I wince, tucking my chin reflexively against my chest, then rest my aching forehead against hard plastic. The steering wheel of my car, I realize, is now crushed against my chest, while my leg is twisted at a nearly impossible angle, my knee wedged somewhere under the crumpled dash. I have fallen, I think, and I can’t get up. I hear a sound. Laughter. Or maybe it’s keening. It’s a strange sound. High-pitched, continuous and not entirely sane. It’s coming from me. More wet. The rain has found its way inside my vehicle. Or I have found a way outside. I’m not sure. Whiskey. The stench of alcohol is so strong it makes me want to vomit. Soaked into my shirt, I realize. Then, my gaze still struggling to take in my surroundings, I spy glass fragments scattered around me; the remains of a bottle. I should move. Get out. Call someone. Do something. My head hurts so damn much, and instead of velvet black sky, I see bursting white lights exploding across my field of vision. Vero. One word. It rises to the front of my mind. Grounding me. Guiding me. Urging me forward. Vero, Vero, Vero. I move. Laboriously, the keening sound replaced by a soul-wrenching scream as I attempt to extricate myself from the driver’s seat. My vehicle appears to have landed on its front end, the dash nearly crushed against me. I’m not upright, but tilted forward, as if my Audi, once it broke its nose, couldn’t regain its balan...

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Praise for CRASH & BURN"This page-turner, with its contemporary, hard-edged flavor, is sure to satisfy Gardner's ardent fan base."-- Booklist"With labyrinthine twists and surprises on just about every turn of the page, Gardner has crafted a delight of a suspense novel."-- New York Journal of Books"When you crack open a book by Gardner you know you are in for an astonishingly twisty tale that will keep you guessing."-- RT Book Reviews"Lisa Gardner never disappoints."-- Suspense Magazine"Lisa Gardner is a superb wordsmith, as she proves with Crash & Burn. "-- Fresh Fiction"Expertly crafted."-- Publishers Weekly"Lisa Gardner delivers another gutwrenching emotional thriller with her latest psychological tale, Crash & Burn .... [her] most unpredictable novel to date." --Associated Press
Praise for Lisa Gardner's Previous Books"Nobody writes about the psychological aspects of working in law enforcement better than Lisa Gardner.... She's written another thriller that will keep fans gasping while drawing new readers into the vivid psychological narrative."- Associated Press on Fear Nothing "In this strong addition to the series, Gardner retains her place on thrillerdom's top tier."- Booklist (starred review) on Fear Nothing "Her most intriguing and complex novel to date...Only an author as talented as Gardner could make the book so intensely satisfying."- Huffington Post on Fear Nothing "When it comes to delivering riveting, complex female protagonists, Gardner is in a class by herself."- RT Book Reviews on Fear Nothing "Gardner repeatedly ratchets up the tension."- Publishers Weekly on Fear Nothing "If you think Gardner pulled out all the stops in D.D.'s previous cases...you ain't seen nothing yet. Better fasten your seat belt for this roller-coaster ride through family hell."- Kirkus (starred review) on Fear Nothing "Lisa Gardner delivers an intelligent, sophisticated, psychological thriller in her latest installment Fear Nothing ...Gardner continues to show why she is on the short list of top thriller writers today."- Suspense Magazine"Lisa Gardner is her absolute best in Fear Nothing ."- Bookreporter.com"Lisa Gardner, the master of the psychological thriller, has delivered another tour de force with Touch & Go ...Gardner does an amazing job of creating realistic situations and characters with emotional resonance. The constant surprises will shock even the most jaded thriller reader."- Associated Press "Returning home after a date night meant to repair their marriage, Justin and Libby Denbe are abducted along with their teenage daughter from their glamorous Boston townhouse, leaving cops with no motive or ransom demand. The suspense crackles as the Denbes grapple with their captors' bewildering brutality. But what gives the story heart is Libby's dawning realization that her family may have been broken long before their kidnappers appeared."- People on Touch & Go"[A] no-holds-barred stand-alone from Thriller Award-winner Gardner... The suspense builds as the action races to a spectacular conclusion and the unmasking of the plot's mastermind."- Publishers Weekly "[A] thrill ride... Even readers who figure out the ringleader long before [Investigators] Tessa and Wyatt will get behind on their sleep turning pages to make sure they're right."- Kirkus Reviews "Gardner's depiction of a woman in the midst of emotional chaos is spot on, as usual, and she proves herself just as capable when it comes to creating intriguing men. Readers will want to see more of Wyatt, just as they grew to appreciate Bobby Dodge in Gardner's earlier books."- Booklist" New York Times best-selling author Gardner always plays in the big leagues, but this scare-your-socks-off thriller is a grand slam, packed with enigmatic characters (some good, some crazily evil), expert procedural detail, and superb storytelling."- Library Journal on Catch Me"Gardner has become one of the best psychological thri

Product details

• Authors: Lisa Gardner
• Publisher: Penguin Books USA
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Release: 03.02.2015, delayed
• EAN: 9780525954569
• ISBN: 978-0-525-95456-9
• No. of pages: 416
• Series: Tessa Leoni; Tessa Leoni
• Subject: Fiction > Suspense