The Other Daughter By: Lisa Gardner

The Other Daughter
Author: Lisa Gardner
Rating * * * 1/2
Review Date 2/3/2010
Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Bantam (July 27, 2004)
ISBN-13: 978-0553587685

"Professional event planner Melanie Stokes does not suspect that the death of a serial killer in a Texas electric chair 20 years before could have any relevance to her neatly ordered existence. But as it becomes clear that the life she's known (as the adopted daughter of Boston cardiologist Harper Stokes and his trophy wife, Patricia) is based on ugly secrets and bloody lies, her world unravels. With the help of FBI Agent David Riggs, who makes up for his lack of physical agilityAthe result of ankylosing spondylitis (bad back problems)Awith finely honed reflexes, street smarts and pure sex appeal, Melanie unearths what an intricately planned 25-year-old cover-up can't hide: the gruesome truth about her parentage."

I've not read a true suspense story in a while and I was so glad I took a break from my usual diet of vampires,  witches, and demons. I had forgotten how edge of the seat scary a true suspense can be. I had forgotten that the suspense building in  a real thriller can raise the hairs on your arms as effectively as the horror of a vampire suddenly appearing or a werewolf attacking. While there were a few  points that I didn't feel that Gardener explained to my satisfaction, this book kept your attention and kept you guessing right up to the end. A half a dozen times, I was sure that I had it figured out but Gardener managed to plant the clues and kept me turning pages and peeling layers of this mystery, long after I should have gone to bed. I throughly enjoyed the trip and will drag out another of her books as the thrill ride was refreshing and mind clearing.