Suspense

[b:Right Behind You|30076608|Right Behind You (Quincy & Rainie, #7)|Lisa Gardner|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1466466331l/30076608._SY75_.jpg|50117316]
Past Meets Present

Okay so I have a confession it is 2am and I just finished this after reading The Mist. I bought this for book for someone for Christmas and after doing a deep clean of my shelves on Scribd. So I thought oh cool I can read this too, but I didn’t realize that this was book seven until after I finished it. Needless to say, I will be going back to read book 1-6. The story is a good one and starts off with a bang.

Eight years ago, Sharlah May Nash’s older brother beat their drunken father to death with a baseball bat in order to save both of their lives. Now thirteen years old, Sharlah has finally moved on. About to be adopted by retired FBI profiler Pierce Quincy and his partner, Rainie Conner, Sharlah loves one thing best about her new family: They are all experts on monsters.

Then the call comes in. A double murder at a local gas station, followed by reports of an armed suspect shooting his way through the wilds of Oregon. As Quincy and Rainie race to assist, they are forced to confront mounting evidence: The shooter may very well be Sharlah’s older brother, Telly Ray Nash, and it appears his killing spree has only just begun.

As the clock winds down on a massive hunt for Telly, Quincy and Rainie must answer two critical questions: Why after eight years has this young man started killing again? And what does this mean for Sharlah? Once upon a time, Sharlah’s big brother saved her life. Now, she has two questions of her own: Is her brother a hero or a killer? And how much will it cost her new family before they learn the final, shattering truth? Because as Sharlah knows all too well, the biggest danger is the one standing right behind you.

The way that Ms. Gardener writes with the multiple narrator’s is stunning makes you feel like you are in the story. The characters felt real, with Quincy, a former FBI profiler, front and center in the search, and his wife Rainey, who was also involved, worked to keep Sharlah balanced as emotions ran high. Sheriff Shelly Atkins showed us that “small town sheriff” did not define her: she had skills, and her ability to stay calm in the face of the intense actions made her a great part of the team.

The story kept me engaged throughout, although the numerous processes involved in tracking the killer became tedious after a while. But then I perked up as we began to realize that many things did not add up, and that now there were more questions than answers. As the clues led us to the final reveal, I was on the edge of my seat. Definitely 5 stars for me. The only thing I wish is that I had realized this was book 7 before I had started.
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This suspenseful and gripping cop thriller featuring Quincy and Rainie—both ex-FBI profilers—centers around the meaning of family. After Telly and his younger sister, Sharlah, suffer severe childhood trauma, they are separated and placed into foster care. Years later, when both kids have seemingly found their forever homes and a shot at happiness, violence brings them back together again. Full of action and creative plot twists, I devoured every page of this action-packed story. ( )

Right Behind You
4 Stars

Lisa Gardner returns to her Quincy and Rainie series. This time the focus is on their 13-year-old foster daughter, Sharlah Nash, whose life was saved by her older brother, Telly, when he killed their parents to protect her. Now Telly is the prime suspect in a series of shootings and Sharlah is desperate to learn if he is a savior or killer.

While this is ostensibly a Quincy and Rainie story, the narrative is presented from the perspectives of multiple characters in alternating first person for Sharlah and Telly and third person for the rest of the cast. Much of Telly's POV is also presented in flashback. Thankfully, each of the POVs receive their own chapters so it is easy to keep track.

The story itself is compelling although the twists and turns are not unexpected and the explanation is relatively easy to figure out. Both Telly and Sharlah are sympathetic characters; however, there is something about Sharlah's personality that is somewhat offputting and it is much easier to identify with Telly even though he is suspected of the most heinous crimes.

In sum, returning to this series and catching up with Quincy and Rainie has been fun, but it is clear that there is nowhere to take these characters any longer, and Gardner should let go and move on despite her readers' urging for more. ( )

So happy that Lisa Gardner listened to her readers, who requested a return to her first (and best)series, starring FBI profilers, Quincy and Rainie. Nine-year old Telly Ray Nash kills his rampaging father with a baseball bat to protect his younger sister, Sharlah, from being stabbed to death, having already stabbed his mother. After such trauma, Telly and Sharlah are separated and placed in bad foster care situations prior to finding ones that eventually work for them. Sharlah is now being adopted by Quincy, Rainie and their dog while Telly is settling in with a science teacher and his wife, whose son has gone to college. Telly's foster parents are murdered and then Telly is caught on camera at a local gas station where two more innocents are killed, placing him in the crosshairs of a manhunt. Some great characters, especially the lead tracker, and plot twists. Quincy and Rainie are called in to help, and eventually Sharlah finds out it is her brother in trouble and goes out to help. ( )